My ficus forest progress

[Steve C]

About a year ago I was given a ficus forest by a friend. His Dad was into bonsai but had to go to an assisted living home so he gave me a few of his bonsai he had left and one was a ficus forest. It was really tall and pretty bare and scrawny looking when I got it and had some crossed trunks etc etc. So I started playing with it last fall and uncrossed some of the trunks. Then back in the spring of this year the height of it was just getting on my nerves so I said screw it and just hacked it down trunk chopping all of it.

Now I just brought my tropicals inside for the winter so thought I would snap a pic of it. First pics are from last year right after I got it, then the last two are from today. Don't get me wrong I'm under no belief that it's some great looking forest by any means It still needs more trunk size, MUCH work on leaf reduction, finding which branches I want to save for future main branches etc etc. But it's pretty nice to see that it took so well to the trunk chops and put out so much new growth in the canopy over the summer.

 

[Steve C]

Time for the yearly update on this ficus forest. This is the group planting I got from a friends Dad a few year back when he had to go to an assisted living home. The first year I had it I chopped it down from its 30"+ height to about a 20" height chopping it down to nothing but some bare trunks. It grew back and then I chopped it a bit smaller last year. Now over the past year I have been working on wiring branches down and getting movement, plus ramification.

Obviously this will never be some great forest planting that is show worthy, I'm under no misconceptions there what so ever. With that said though, I really love this little forest because of the fact that it has taught me so much. Only being into bonsai for 5-6 yrs and never having any classes yet I learn by trial & error only. And this forest in the three years I have owned it has taught me not to be afraid to trunk chop, its taught me the importance of removing & rewiring in a timely manner (obvious from the scaring ) and it's taught me how to get some ramification and new branch grow in the directions I want them. So while it is not a show planting at all, it is a great little forest to me because I have learned so much from it

Anyway here's a pic of it today after the latest rewire and its first ever defoliation.

 

[Tieball]

Wow! That’s quite a collection of roots. Looks like a vision of an old movie...Lure of the Swamp....it looks rather haunted....or actually I just have a weird imagination. So, nice creative effect developed with the forest. And you’re thinking...hmmmm that’s not the effect I was aiming to portray.

 

[LanceMac10]

Showable beginnings here, in my opinion. Cut out all the crossing/not soil bound roots. Make decisions about the two most dominate trunks and cut down all the rest and regrow the cutback trunks to accentuate the two mains.....

Plenty of potential, and I'm sick of trops....

 

[Steve C]

Showable beginnings here, in my opinion. Cut out all the crossing/not soil bound roots. Make decisions about the two most dominate trunks and cut down all the rest and regrow the cutback trunks to accentuate the two mains.....

Plenty of potential, and I'm sick of trops....

Lance Let me see if I have a clue and see what is right (I might not lol) Two most dominate trucks... Two on the left? or am I way off?

 

[sorce]

I wouldn't cut any of the roots...I love the movement there.
The top would match better with that second trunk from the left brought forward and left..exposing that small trunk behind.

That exposure is Huge Because MOST of your "size difference" is there...Enhance that!

I LOVE how the right most branch and root match movement and shape.

I been amazed at how my little ROR is shaping up. And it is way smaller than this.

You CAN put a believable canopy on trunks this big.

And yeah!

This is totally worth the effort!

IMO...it CAN be a showable forest planting.

It has a great tropical feel already.

S

 

[Silentrunning]

I think those trees are doing their best to help you make something unusual and creative. I vote for you to keep doing what your doing and follow the trees’ lead.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

I think that you have a great beginning to something awesome. Ficus grow fast. Here is one that I have, not the same variety, but still a ficus:

In 2001 it looked like this:

Not too much different than yours.

Today, well in July 2017, it looked like this (I really need to update that page on my website):

You are on the right track!

You can see the progression on my website: http://www.heartofdixiebonsai.com/tree-progressions/ficus/ficus-nerifloia-forest-i
And there is a thread on this forum: https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/i-likus-the-ficus-part-ii.19612/

 

[M. Frary]

That's pretty cool Steve!.
Show it sometime!

 

[Steve C]

Brought all the tropicals inside for the winter the other day and figured I would share a pic of the forest now that the new leaves have popped back out after a defoliated it a couple months ago. I really like the way this one is coming along now.