Recommendations for the future of this tiger bark ficus?

[drip]

Just got it today, letting it acclimate for a week, will repot in akadama/lava/pumice after. Do I start cutting bad branches and wiring the rest horizontally? Or should I just air layer and trunk chop? I never done any of these before btw, this is my first ficus please help, how should I style this for the future. Have not checked under the soil for nebari yet.

 

[Michael P]

Did you defoliate it or did it come that way? In either case I would repot properly then let it recover for the rest of the summer outside.

Where are you located?

 

[drip]

Did you defoliate it or did it come that way? In either case I would repot properly then let it recover for the rest of the summer outside.

Where are you located?

It came that way, I’m in chicagoland area zone 5b, can I bareroot it? And it’s currently in a 9 inch round pot, I want an oval pot but idk what is the appropriate size.

 

[Michael P]

You can get away with a lot on a ficus so it would probably be OK to bare root it. Since the tree is new to you a slightly larger pot would help it regain vigor. See how it responds to repotting and maybe do some pruning in late summer. Show us some more photos then.

 

[BrianBay9]

What is it about this tree that attracted you to it? Do you like the aerial roots? The trunk has some nice movement, and is pretty substantial. Try to define the things you like, and the things you don't, and that will help define a direction.

 

[drip]

You can get away with a lot on a ficus so it would probably be OK to bare root it. Since the tree is new to you a slightly larger pot would help it regain vigor. See how it responds to repotting and maybe do some pruning in late summer. Show us some more photos then.

Thank you for your knowledge.

 

[drip]

What is it about this tree that attracted you to it? Do you like the aerial roots? The trunk has some nice movement, and is pretty substantial. Try to define the things you like, and the things you don't, and that will help define a direction.

I like the trunk movement and wanted mushroom shaped foliage pads. I like the aerial roots as well, I like how the 2 of them drape around the trunk but i’m not sure if i should keep the one that hasn’t fused because it blocks the trunk. Do you suggest I can separate the foliage into 3 mushrooms by pruning? There’s a very thick branch that points straight into the top shroom, not sure if i need cut paste to chop that flush. Do I just wire all the branches horizontally to achieve the mushroom shape?

 

[MHBonsai]

Welcome! Cool tree with an interesting trunk. I would not take off any of the aerial roots myself.

The biggest thing is just to be sure you can keep it alive right now. You can definitely bare root these if it is healthy and growing strongly. Be sure you have a reason to do it though… If it is healthy and growing well in the existing pot, I would let it be for a season to make sure it is healthy… It should fully leaf out within a couple weeks.

The tree has structural problems that will be hard to deal with long-term. They really heavy branch on the right side, and the inverse taper at the Apex will be hard to deal with. If it was mine, I would chop at the red lines, and wire out the smaller little shoots in the general shape of the blue lines to create new branching and apex.

 

[BrianBay9]

If it were mine I would also take out that heavy, straight aerial root, and at the next repot twist the other aerial roots around the trunk. But as others said, some find the straight root a feature, not a flaw.

 

[drip]

Welcome! Cool tree with an interesting trunk. I would not take off any of the aerial roots myself.

The biggest thing is just to be sure you can keep it alive right now. You can definitely bare root these if it is healthy and growing strongly. Be sure you have a reason to do it though… If it is healthy and growing well in the existing pot, I would let it be for a season to make sure it is healthy… It should fully leaf out within a couple weeks.

The tree has structural problems that will be hard to deal with long-term. They really heavy branch on the right side, and the inverse taper at the Apex will be hard to deal with. If it was mine, I would chop at the red lines, and wire out the smaller little shoots in the general shape of the blue lines to create new branching and apex.

View attachment 600553

Thanks I was looking for something like this. Should I chop it asap or let it grow for a season? I mainly wanted to repot to change soil and aesthetics because i need to move it inside when it gets cold. Do I need cut paste for those large cuts? And can I do anything with the left over stuff? Also how do i wire the lowest branch, it’s already wanting to just point straight up, sorry i’m new to this. Bought this ficus because i wanna try to keep it forever, do you recommend buying better material ficus or does this have potential long term?

 

[drip]

If it were mine I would also take out that heavy, straight aerial root, and at the next repot twist the other aerial roots around the trunk. But as others said, some find the straight root a feature, not a flaw.

Interesting i read about people putting their aerial roots in straws into the dirt so they grow straight, when you say twist it do you mean like fully around the trunk like wiring? one of them is already too thick and fused to the trunk

 

[drip]

Welcome! Cool tree with an interesting trunk. I would not take off any of the aerial roots myself.

The biggest thing is just to be sure you can keep it alive right now. You can definitely bare root these if it is healthy and growing strongly. Be sure you have a reason to do it though… If it is healthy and growing well in the existing pot, I would let it be for a season to make sure it is healthy… It should fully leaf out within a couple weeks.

The tree has structural problems that will be hard to deal with long-term. They really heavy branch on the right side, and the inverse taper at the Apex will be hard to deal with. If it was mine, I would chop at the red lines, and wire out the smaller little shoots in the general shape of the blue lines to create new branching and apex.

View attachment 600553

Also when I chop it, do new shoots just start growing near the cut site?

 

[Michael P]

"Patience Grasshopper!" --Master Po

Other than a gentle repot and appropriate fertilizer, do not do anything to it until the end of summer. Then show us more pictures and we can help you determine the next steps. If you do half the things you've mentioned right away you will most likely kill it.

In the meantime, read, read, read, and watch videos on ficus bonsai. In 5b you will have a long winter during which this tree must survive indoors. Where are you going to keep it? Do you need grow lights? Almost certainly. Prepare your winter area well before you need it.

 

[drip]

"Patience Grasshopper!" --Master Po

Other than a gentle repot and appropriate fertilizer, do not do anything to it until the end of summer. Then show us more pictures and we can help you determine the next steps. If you do half the things you've mentioned right away you will most likely kill it.

In the meantime, read, read, read, and watch videos on ficus bonsai. In 5b you will have a long winter during which this tree must survive indoors. Where are you going to keep it? Do you need grow lights? Almost certainly. Prepare your winter area well before you need it.

Ahhh ok, by gentle repot what does that exactly mean? Like don’t bare root? I will definitely let it fully leaf out and grow before i do anything else, seems to be the general advice. Winter it’s going to be at a south facing window and planning to buy grow lights. I have a humidifier and small fan ready. I also have 5 dwarf jades and a desert rose I need to take care of as well but i know those aren’t really considered bonsais.

 

[Michael P]

Gentle repot means no bare rooting, do comb out any long circling roots and remove them. Loosen the outer edges of the root ball and trim very long or crossing roots. If the existing soil is bad remove some of it so that you can remove more at the next repot.

 

[drip]

Gentle repot means no bare rooting, do comb out any long circling roots and remove them. Loosen the outer edges of the root ball and trim very long or crossing roots. If the existing soil is bad remove some of it so that you can remove more at the next repot.

Hmmm ok, would you say 2 fists size dirt ball is appropriate or should i leave more, i’m not too sure about this soil, it’s in a 9inch round pot currently. I’m also confused with the aerial roots, I like them but are they problematic for keeping a nice bonsai structure? like swelling from where it originates but also isn’t the whole point of bonsai to create a natural looking tree so wouldn’t a fully grown ficus have swelling from aerial roots

 

[Michael P]

Advice from the internet can only go so far. Find a local bonsai club and join it. Look up "banyan style" for examples of bonsai that feature aerial roots.