Nice trunk, little else... suggestions?

[bonsai barry]

This was originally two close growing potted ficus about eight feet tall. It was given to me after a hard frost killed the top half. I chopped just above the highest living branches. Two years later this is what I have.

I've assumed that I would have to graft the shorter (but fatter) trunk if it lived. It does have some branches emerging but not in a very good spot.

Looking for suggestions.

 

[John Ruger]

Mind you I'm not familiar with the species, but would you be able to work the larger trunk down until it's par with the shorter and then re-make the whole tree from a much larger base?

 

[michaelj]

I wouldn't say little else. It has nice nebari, too.

I would defoliate this tree completely and prune all of the branches back to about 2 or 3 nodes and see if the new growth that follows the defoliation comes out in a useful place on the smaller trunk.

 

[Bonsai_Bubba]

I wouldn't say little else. It has nice nebari, too.

I would defoliate this tree completely and prune all of the branches back to about 2 or 3 nodes and see if the new growth that follows the defoliation comes out in a useful place on the smaller trunk.

It looks like a benjamina to me, and I've heard those don't take too well to defoliation. Am I nuts?

 

[KennedyMarx]

The leaves look like Benjamina to me as well. It seems to be growing well. Maybe let more growth extend and cut everything back to a couple sets of leaves to see if it pops buds out down low. I wouldn't feel safe completely defoliating it due to its reputation for dieback.

 

[Neli]

I wouldn't say little else. It has nice nebari, too.

I would defoliate this tree completely and prune all of the branches back to about 2 or 3 nodes and see if the new growth that follows the defoliation comes out in a useful place on the smaller trunk.

The leaves look like Benjamina to me as well. It seems to be growing well. Maybe let more growth extend and cut everything back to a couple sets of leaves to see if it pops buds out down low. I wouldn't feel safe completely defoliating it due to its reputation for dieback.

I would never defoliate a benjamina...in your climate, or it will have die back.
i develop mine by constantly cutting back to 1-2 leaves after allowing it to grow 4-5 .
I use escape branches for thickening branches.