hello and questions about this ficus

[sradleye]

hello everybody and thank you in advance for any replies. this is my first bonsai it was given to me as a xmas gift and has peaked my interest. I knew when I received it was probably a good tree to start with and no big deal if I butcher it tinkering around. now that I have read a little more and looked at more and more trees, I really want to get rid of this exaggerated s curve.

I am thinking to try an air layer which I have read about many times but never actually done. my questions are this

1. good idea or should I be thinking something else entirely?
2. I am in western new York, if I do layer now will I have time to make the cut toward the end of our summer? august....plant is inside in south window with supplemental fluorescent light for probably another month until I can get it outside.
3. where to layer? I am thinking to remove the first branch and layer the second curve
4. I don't think I need to do any bark scraping to prep for the layering with ficus. correct?

also probably going to put whole tree in bigger pot after outdoor acclimation.


thanks again

 

[KennedyMarx]

You could air layer the top off. If you time it right you could just cut the top off and put it in bonsai soil during the heat of the summer and it should root (I did it twice last year). Wrapping sphagnum moss around the trunk is usually enough, but cutting into the cambium wouldn't hurt. You could try encouraging aerial roots to hide the s shape. It's up to you really.