Once in a bonsai pot...

[nuttiest]

Always dwarfed? I hear on threads about putting them in the ground for a while even after being in 2 inches soil for a year, but haven't seen any, can someone link a thread or post a photo?
Even if it stayed in the landscape, just wondering if it is dwarfed or sluggish forever.

 

[19Mateo83]

You can plant a 6 inch tall bonsai in the ground and it will eventually grow into a full sized tree. The pots restrict root growth which also limits top growth. Add inorganic soil to the equation and you can successfully slow a tree down and keep it small…. But, it will eventually loose vigor if not maintained properly. It is a fairly common practice to let trees stretch their roots a bit in ground every once in a while to regain vigor if/when needed. I guess that is why a bonsai is never truly finished and always in a constant state of development and change.

 

[nuttiest]

Wonder if ficus would grow in full sun after being shaded for years.

 

[Paradox]

Wonder if ficus would grow in full sun after being shaded for years.

Absolutely would and probably love it.
They don't forget how to grow because they've been in the shade.

 

[Shibui]

I've planted some from small pots out into the garden. They tend to grow a bit slow for a few years as if not sure then take off and quickly become full sized. I guess it's just that the roots need to get out into the surrounding soil.
Trees from shade take a couple of weeks to adjust to sun. If the change is sudden, the shade adjusted leaves may get burned but more soon grow. Any leaf that opens in sun will quickly develop sun tolerance so any tree can make the transition from shade to sun (within the tolerances of the species)

 

[rockm]

Always dwarfed? I hear on threads about putting them in the ground for a while even after being in 2 inches soil for a year, but haven't seen any, can someone link a thread or post a photo?
Even if it stayed in the landscape, just wondering if it is dwarfed or sluggish forever.

One year is not long enough in the ground to benefit the tree. There is a "sleep, creep, leap" saying about planting a tree, that means the first year or so, a tree will sleep (it's not sleeping, it's just getting itself together and adapting), second to third or so it will creep in growth, the fourth fifth, etc. it will leap in growth. It all has to do with the developing root mass. It takes a while for the roots to establish themselves and begin to expand into surrounding ground.

In a bonsai pot, that ability to expand is hugely reduced. Limiting root run is what bonsai is. The pot restricts and "sets" the trunk growth for the most part. The tree can't take advantage of all that soil mass the ground offers for unlimited growth. You can develop a trunk in a container, but it takes a lot longer than in the ground. BTW, "dwarf" varieties of trees grow more slowly overall, but if the tree is not one of those, planting it out will result in a "life sized" tree eventually. Ficus is no exception--if you live in the subtropics or tropics and plant it in an ideal location

 

[Cajunrider]

I myself have seen multiple examples of bonsai trees being replanted in the ground. With deciduous, for the first year or two, there is little movement other than a slightly better growth rate. Then invariably, a shoot will come out of the base. That shoot will grow rapidly and eventually takes over and grow to a big tree. The old bonsai will be but a little branch at the base that will wither away once the top take away its sunlight. Things are a bit different with conifers but still with similar trend. The bonsai won't grow big but somewhere a shoot will come and take over.

 

[nuttiest]

Yeah I can see that... 'bonsai tumor'. I think that can happen in a 3 gallon pot if there is ground contact - one big root on one side!

 

[johng]

If I understand your question correctly... This is a JWP that was originally a bonsai and put back in the ground...it is now over 600 years old. Bill V told me about this tree on a visit to Japan.

https://images.app.goo.gl/ofbrRvMhbtL5387i7