Lorax7 Tiger Bark Ficus #1

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

Took the wire off it today. It’s been growing so vigorously, the wire was already starting to bite in a little.
View attachment 454476

Do you have any updated pics & info on how the back budding went?

 

[Lorax7]

Do you have any updated pics & info on how the back budding went?

I don't have any new pictures of it yet this spring, but it has grown quite a lot since the last photo I posted here. I'll have to take some fresh pictures soon and update this and my other progression threads. I've been busy repotting the last few weekends and haven't gotten around to taking pictures.

 

[kodiac]

Just curious.. mine is getting a bit leggy does the tiger bark respond well to a heavy pruning? In other words what have you found to produce back budding

 

[kodiac]

Should I hard prune this back it getting leggy

 

[Maiden69]

Should I hard prune this back it getting leggy

This is my opinion with the little experience I have on ficus. I think the first thing you may need to do is to compress this tree down. Wire the branches where they need to go and get rid of trios of branches. Allow it to settle in this position and them reassess the tree to see what would need to be pruned. Ficus back buds readily, but you need to encourage it, and if you don't wire the branches they will all shoot up and become leggy. You have some "bar" branching creating on the blue line, it is not creating any inverse swealing, so no need to worry now, just keep an eye on it, the upper branch originates slightly higher so you may be able to correct and keep it with proper wiring.

 

[giventofly]

This is my opinion with the little experience I have on ficus. I think the first thing you may need to do is to compress this tree down. Wire the branches where they need to go and get rid of trios of branches. Allow it to settle in this position and them reassess the tree to see what would need to be pruned. Ficus back buds readily, but you need to encourage it, and if you don't wire the branches they will all shoot up and become leggy. You have some "bar" branching creating on the blue line, it is not creating any inverse swealing, so no need to worry now, just keep an eye on it, the upper branch originates slightly higher so you may be able to correct and keep it with proper wiring.

View attachment 488989

What do you mean by bar branching? Is it because they will grow and "fuse" making it looking like inverse taper?

 

[Maiden69]

What do you mean by bar branching? Is it because they will grow and "fuse" making it looking like inverse taper?

Tow branches on opposite sides of the trunk on the plane. Not that they will fuse, but the base of the branch will swell with time, potentially creating inverse taper.

 

[giventofly]

Follow up question, having just one branch couldn't happen the same thing? The base swell, or because it is just one, the growth would be in all the trunk bellow too?

 

[kodiac]

Thank you I appreciate the input. I've mostly been using the trim and grow method to shape it. Might be time for some wire

 

[LuZiKui]

Follow up question, having just one branch couldn't happen the same thing? The base swell, or because it is just one, the growth would be in all the trunk bellow too?

Here is a good write up on bar branches and why you don't want them:

Why You Absolutely MUST Cut That Branch

So you've started the art of bonsai and you're learning. That's great! I assume, if you've been to one of my workshops, you're following up on what you learned in ninety minutes with me with some supplementary continui...

slippotbonsai.com

Basically, the trunk will "move" in the direction of a branch. If you have 2 branches at the same height on the trunk it will widen towards both branches, causing an upper section of the trunk to be thicker than the trunk below it (inverse taper). Here is a poorly done drawing to demonstrate . And sorry for threadjacking, I'll shut up now!

 

[giventofly]

Here is a good write up on bar branches and why you don't want them:

Why You Absolutely MUST Cut That Branch

So you've started the art of bonsai and you're learning. That's great! I assume, if you've been to one of my workshops, you're following up on what you learned in ninety minutes with me with some supplementary continui...

slippotbonsai.com

Basically, the trunk will "move" in the direction of a branch. If you have 2 branches at the same height on the trunk it will widen towards both branches, causing an upper section of the trunk to be thicker than the trunk below it (inverse taper). Here is a poorly done drawing to demonstrate . And sorry for threadjacking, I'll shut up now!

View attachment 489130

Thanks, good resource

 

[Lorax7]

Hey, could you guys please start a separate thread for your discussion? This is supposed to be a progression thread thread for one specific ficus in my collection.

 

[Lorax7]

 

[giventofly]

Why is that cactus in the tree for?

 

[Lorax7]

Why is that cactus in the tree for?

The tillandsia (air plant) is in the tree because I thought it would look kinda cool.

 

[giventofly]

Got it, was wondering if it was to generate an aerial root or any other trick like that

 

[MSGhero]

Thanks for updating these, always love some ficus inspiration

 

[Lorax7]

Before:

After:

 

[Lorax7]

Backbudding like crazy, including some spots much lower on the trunk than any of the existing branches, an outcome I was very much hoping for.

 

[luvinthemountains]

That's great! Just what I needed to see, as I was feeling depressed after looking at my tiger bark cut back 10 days ago and no budding yet. Yours took around 3 weeks?