Mom's Ficus

[TheAfroKing]

Hello! I myself am new to bonsai but have been really excited with what little I've been able to do. Apparently some of this excitement has rubbed off on my Mom and she got herself a ficus.

She now is asking me for advice but being fairly new myself thought I'd post here and ask about ficus care. The only thing I know for sure is that it needs repotting but I wanted to know more about:
Lighting placement
Someone told her that you can't turn them or they die which, huh?
When is a good time to trim them?
Soil: is regular akadama mix good or do they require something specialized.
Fertilizer, when and what type?

Any help/advice is appreciated!

 

[19Mateo83]

Hello! I myself am new to bonsai but have been really excited with what little I've been able to do. Apparently some of this excitement has rubbed off on my Mom and she got herself a ficus.

She now is asking me for advice but being fairly new myself thought I'd post here and ask about ficus care. The only thing I know for sure is that it needs repotting but I wanted to know more about:
Lighting placement
Someone told her that you can't turn them or they die which, huh?
When is a good time to trim them?
Soil: is regular akadama mix good or do they require something specialized.
Fertilizer, when and what type?View attachment 419178View attachment 419179View attachment 419180

Any help/advice is appreciated!

No more tubes

Tuber chop. I didn't get a pic of the final cut before potting. I cut is at a steep angle to change the planting angle and hopefully get good roots where I want them...

www.bonsainut.com

you will be surprised what you can do with that little Gensing ficus.

 

[Eckhoffw]

Can we get a pic of the trunk/graft site?

If tubes are not desired, I’d look into getting a tiger bark or other available ficus.

 

[Versal]

Lighting placement

As much light as possible so near a window when it's too cold outside. When it's spring, summer it's preferable to put it outside

Someone told her that you can't turn them or they die which, huh?

Turning them is fine. It helps give light to all the leaves so the 'back' isn't too bare

When is a good time to trim them?

Once it's established in it's new location you can trim it anytime

Soil: is regular akadama mix good or do they require something specialized.

Akadama is fine

 

[TheAfroKing]

Can we get a pic of the trunk/graft site?

If tubes are not desired, I’d look into getting a tiger bark or other available ficus.

She likes the tubes so I don't think that's a problem. Here's the trunk. Looks like someone has already done quite the cutting on it.

 

[19Mateo83]

She likes the tubes so I don't think that's a problem. Here's the trunk. Looks like someone has already done quite the cutting on it.

That’s how they grow them. They are grown from seed then chopped off (for import I suspect) and then either grafted or left to grow shoots on their own. Yours is not grafted. I have one and I just I picked the 3 most predominate shoots and trimmed the rest off to let those selected shoots grow wild and thicken. But that’s just my approach. I saved it from the trash at my local home center so I am really just experimenting with it. I plan to chop the tubes once it gains vigor. Sadly the Gensing ficus gets a bad rep in the bonsai community.

 

[ShadyStump]

Someone told her that you can't turn them or they die which, huh?

Ficus are known for throwing temper tantrums if their environment is abruptly changed, and shedding all their leaves in an angry fit.
This is probably what happened to the person who told her this. They likely left it in the same place for a year or two, then decided to rotate it one day, throwing the poor tree for a loop. When all the leaves fell off, they assumed it was dead, but if they'd waited 6 months it likely would've sprung back just fine.

What's actually going on with that is the tree adjusting to it's new situation. Ficus are incredibly adaptable, the process just isn't always pretty.
If you leave them in one spot, the leaves they grow are adapted to their location relative to the light, air and the rest of the tree. When you move the tree the leaves can no longer perform as efficiently because you just changed what they're used to dealing with. Ficus respond to this by simply getting rid of the old leaves and growing new ones that will be better for the new situation.

An easy way to avoid this is to turn it frequently, and expose all sides to different stimuli. That way it grows leaves that are less hyper adapted, and won't be dropped as soon as things shift a bit.

 

[Michael P]

Ginseng ficus (Ficus microcarpa) are easy to care for. You have already gotten good advice on lighting, turning, and trimming. The best time to do major work (re-potting, serious pruning, root reduction) is when the weather is warm and they are actively growing. For most of us, that means when they go outside for summer vacation. Mine usually go out at the end of March and are in full growth and ready for work in May. Your climate is a little colder, so it could be April and June for you.

As long as the pot and soil are still draining well, re-potting is not urgent. They aren't picky about fertilizer, just give them plenty during the summer.

 

[TheAfroKing]

Ginseng ficus (Ficus microcarpa) are easy to care for. You have already gotten good advice on lighting, turning, and trimming. The best time to do major work (re-potting, serious pruning, root reduction) is when the weather is warm and they are actively growing. For most of us, that means when they go outside for summer vacation. Mine usually go out at the end of March and are in full growth and ready for work in May. Your climate is a little colder, so it could be April and June for you.

As long as the pot and soil are still draining well, re-potting is not urgent. They aren't picky about fertilizer, just give them plenty during the summer.

Yeah, I've been keeping an eye on the local Bonsai society calendar to see when they do thier repoting. I was just worried about it because it is quite literally breaking the little plastic pot it's in. If they do end up getting their growth spurt when the weather gets warm then I'll just help my mom repot it when I do mine. Thanks for your advice.

 

[ShadyStump]

Yeah, I've been keeping an eye on the local Bonsai society calendar to see when they do thier repoting. I was just worried about it because it is quite literally breaking the little plastic pot it's in. If they do end up getting their growth spurt when the weather gets warm then I'll just help my mom repot it when I do mine. Thanks for your advice.

If you have to make room for it, then it is what it is. Ficus are resilient little monsters when cared for for real. If you have to slip pot it into something bigger right NOW it'll take it no problem.

 

[rockm]

Ficus should be repotted in summer. It's a tropical species, so heat helps. Temperate zone trees, like maple, pine etc. are typically repotted in the early spring, so the local bonsai calendar may be a little misleading if you're not taking the tropical/temperate zone species into account. Although a ficus can be repotted in the spring, you will have much better response with summer repotting (and putting the tree outside)

 

[Michael P]

Rockm is right. Here in Dallas, summer conditions start in May, LOL. If the pot damage interferes with watering the tree, you can slip pot it now. Just ease it out of the damaged pot without disturbing roots, then put it in a slightly larger pot. Do this without any root work or root reduction. Save that for summer.