Shaping ideas
- Thread starter Ty316
- Start date
Ugo
Shohin
Hi!
From my short experience with bonsai I would let it grow just as it is for now.
The substrate seems to be adequate so I would let it grow and apply fertilizer.
Let it grow until the base of the tree (the nebari) is big enough and from there I would hard cut it and start building from there.
What you should focus on now is maintaining health of the tree and make sure the basics are there for a healthy ficus,
Second step will be the diameter of the base, and for the base to go bigger you need more growth. The style or look of the upper branches doesn't really matter for now.
Just in case, I would not remove that low branch as it will help the base to grow thicker.
Hope it help
From my short experience with bonsai I would let it grow just as it is for now.
The substrate seems to be adequate so I would let it grow and apply fertilizer.
Let it grow until the base of the tree (the nebari) is big enough and from there I would hard cut it and start building from there.
What you should focus on now is maintaining health of the tree and make sure the basics are there for a healthy ficus,
Second step will be the diameter of the base, and for the base to go bigger you need more growth. The style or look of the upper branches doesn't really matter for now.
Just in case, I would not remove that low branch as it will help the base to grow thicker.
Hope it help
Shibui
Imperial Masterpiece
I think the reason you are having trouble making a decision is there's so little to decide about.
As always there's a range of options and choices.
First decide on what quality you want to aim for.
For a simple beginner tree just chop all long branches. To match the size of the trunk you'll need to chop quite short. Way back to bare wood but, as this is a ficus that's no problem. They shoot well from old, bare branches. Initially you could make this one a little taller than good design to allow for more growth that will give slightly better thickening in coming years.
For a bonsai with more presence it would need a much thicker trunk.
There's a couple of ways to get thick trunks: buy one that's already thick OR feed a thinner tree for a number of years. Allowing plenty of feed and growth will speed up trunk thickness but many ficus thicken quite well even in smaller pots.
Right now you need to decide between years of growing to produce an impressive thick trunk against having a reasonable thinner trunk bonsai in a year or 2.
As always there's a range of options and choices.
First decide on what quality you want to aim for.
For a simple beginner tree just chop all long branches. To match the size of the trunk you'll need to chop quite short. Way back to bare wood but, as this is a ficus that's no problem. They shoot well from old, bare branches. Initially you could make this one a little taller than good design to allow for more growth that will give slightly better thickening in coming years.
For a bonsai with more presence it would need a much thicker trunk.
There's a couple of ways to get thick trunks: buy one that's already thick OR feed a thinner tree for a number of years. Allowing plenty of feed and growth will speed up trunk thickness but many ficus thicken quite well even in smaller pots.
Right now you need to decide between years of growing to produce an impressive thick trunk against having a reasonable thinner trunk bonsai in a year or 2.
