Mallsai to Bonsai?

[Leo in N E Illinois]

@pback
Nice, and nice view from the windows. You must be on the 25th floor, maybe even higher. So should I assume you will not be able to put this outside for the summer? Many will offer the winter indoors, summer outdoors option as being the ''best way'' to grow ficus. On the other hand, it looks like you have much better sunlight through your windows than most ground level dwellers ever have. So you could do okay with growing this Ficus indoors, at your window all year round.

Right now your tree is young, and because of the rot and such you had is ''just barely'' recovering from being very weak. You plan sounds basically good, but I would do nothing until May. Let the tree grow, without pruning, until then to develop some vigor. Cuttings off a healthy vigorous tree root quickly. Cuttings from a weak tree will languish, then die. Similar with air layering and responding to trunk chops. The more bushy, & vigorous a tree is, the better the chances of a good response. Let it grow. Pick up a couple more just to have more to work on. Read up, and just wait for spring, May in your area.

 

[pback]

Repot today. Previous potting had been done before I knew anything about soils (not that I’m an expert now by any means) and between the organic dunes, grit, and small Boons mix particles it was basically sitting in cement. I don’t how it or the other couple trees potted similarly didn’t die over the winter.

Anyway, new soil, new pot, mounded up to about where I will make the cutting at some point.