Small Tiger Bark Fig

Jeremy

Shohin
Messages
421
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Location
QLD, Australia
USDA Zone
10
Having a wet start to Winter here so decided to get out the wire and give this little Fig a rough styling.
As purchased it was fairly similar to the S curve Figs everyone on this forum adores:p The good thing is that the curve was only at the base. I got it in October 2014, repotted and realised the roots were all one sided. Thinking 'damn that's ugly, now what?' I just happened to have a rock laying around that seemed to fit reasonably well. So it got flipped nearly 180 degrees, tied to the rock and into a plastic pot for the next 12 months. Repotted into a bonsai pot the following spring, roots clasping fairly well seeing they weren't buried.
The pot is wrong, I'm thinking something deeper, a little more semi cascade style. Think i'll get pics with an actual camera tomorrow, my phone ain't real sharp.
 

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Nice start - but If it was mine I would plant it into something larger and let it run free for a bit to get the roots/trunk to "grab" the rock. Looks good though
 
Nice start - but If it was mine I would plant it into something larger and let it run free for a bit to get the roots/trunk to "grab" the rock. Looks good though
Looks good, I agree with giga and let it grow and thicken those roots.
It'll probably root on the trunk where it's sitting on the soil, then it could be a cool semicascade raft.

Aaron
 
Cool, Id like to see it in the future! Good start. Growing out the roots is good idea..maybe you could leave it in that pot but pile up a bit of soil and cover it to make more and stronger roots?
 
Thanks for the replies. I'm definitely hearing you all regarding the roots. I think for now I'm wanting to leave it in this pot or similar for a few years and see what happens. My reservations with re-burying the trunk is that in my (limited) experience, I would run the risk of the roots becoming too bulbous too quickly. In my climate I could ruin the scale in one season. It does have a firm grip on the rock, no movement at all. It would be nice to get the roots to 'melt' like a Trident Maple, but being a small tree I want to retain the balance by being able to see the rock. Too many roots and again, the Fig will swallow it.
I think I will compromise on the suggestions and wrap some soft material around the roots, perhaps the extra pressure as they swell will cause them to fuse onto the rock.
 

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Decided to go in a new direction with this tree, perhaps a more upright angle at next repot but for now it holds more interest than it did before. Roots have thickened nicely and got a good hold of the rock now.
 

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Nice progression with it. I've not seen a tree planted in a crescent so the tree goes toward the back. Usually they go like they are falling out of the crescent like a cliff hanger. That's the only thing that made me pause. But I do like the direction you have taken this tree.
 
You're right about the pot, I've always seen them as a semi cascade pot, or something that flows in the same direction. I have seen a few trees planted that go against the flow and feel it can offer good balance if done correctly. I don't know if this is the style of pot that I envision for this trees future, it was more of a convenience thing at the time to accommodate the new planting angle. I do like it for now, thoughts may change once the leaves grow back though...
 
This one is starting to fill out now and make more sense. First left branch has to come down in Summer. Still unsure of the pot combination, I've gotten used to it but would welcome other opinions if its the wrong fit?
20200703_090449.jpg
 
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