Sumo Willow Leaf Ficus Development

[luvinthemountains]

Today I did some work on one of my oldest ficus, which I started from a relatively large prebonsai several years ago. This summer, I potted it in a basket with a very coarse mix, and it has grown very well since.

The top is growing out to improve taper and close some old pruning wounds. But I was concerned that the bushy top would shade out the lower branches in development, so I removed several branches in the middle, and hedge-pruned the first branch to keep it in check.

Next summer, I think I will remove the top and start building the final canopy. The wounds can finish closing during refinement.

Btw, there is about a half inch deep of buttress hiding under the substrate!

 

[canoeguide]

Thanks for posting this, and I look forward to updates. I have a very similar willow leaf that has a nice base with a tall top just like yours (that I picked up with the vision of making into a sumo), but you've got some really nice taper down low on this one!

 

[luvinthemountains]

It should look something like this in the end (plus leaves, I hope ). Any ideas for pot choice?

 

[luvinthemountains]

An update - pond baskets proved too large for my new tent/light setup, so most of my tropicals went into plastic bonsai training pots. This one also got a top prune mostly because the leaves were burning. I left the long top section mostly just to ensure against die-back by leaving some green. Yes, I know, salicaria do not typically need that, but I am growing cautious.

 

[luvinthemountains]

The tree rewarded me for that cutback by budding in all the right places, so I removed the stub and will grow the final top from here. I have already had to cut back the left branch, which was thickening quite quickly.

 

[luvinthemountains]

A few months ago, as this tree was really getting going for summer, I tried to address the lack of surface roots on the front and back of the tree by cutting a strip of bark and cambium on each side, burying, and covering the soil with sphagnum. Last week, I removed the sphagnum and this morning I dug down to see what was going on there.

I discovered that I had made a big mistake (see my tagline) that unfortunately could cost me the tree. Not only have no new roots formed, but rot has entered the trunk on both sides. I am not sure the extent of it, but will perform a surgery during repotting this weekend. Excise all of the rotten tissue, scrape to healthy wood, then sterilize and seal.

I have two questions I am hoping for some help with:
(1) What would be best for the sterilization? Lime sulphur? Bleach? Something else?
(2) If I use the JB Weld KwikWood epoxy putty that I have on hand, can I expect that to provide a watertight seal beneath the soil long enough for the tree to heal it over? (I assume 2-3 years minimum)

 

[luvinthemountains]

Well, the damage was not quite as bad as I had feared.



I cleaned out a little bit of punky wood out of this one hole, dried it with compressed air, and covered it with duct seal putty. Potted into lava/pumice/bark mix. Will never use DE again on a willow leaf fig.

 

[Carol 83]

Will never use DE again on a willow leaf fig.

Doesn't play well with bougies either, just retains too much moisture I think.

 

[luvinthemountains]

It has been a while so here's an update. I decided to pot this up in a deep terra cotta this summer to ramp up branch development and finish healing the scars. Today, I did a hard, hard cutback from the fluffball that it was and edited the branches. Continuing to develop via clip-and-grow.

 

[luvinthemountains]

Update, Christmas edition. I thought this little tree looked pretty festive with the little red leaves! The crown is filling in nicely.

 

[Colorado]

Looking very good!

 

[luvinthemountains]

I have been meaning to do major work on this little tree for a while. This morning, I started out doing a light trim and ended up doing a partial defoliation and branch thinning.




At the beginning, there was a ton of ramification up top, due to my regular hedge trimming of the upper branches and apex. But it was all wrong, so I ended up removing a lot of the fine twigging. I feel confident that, as it regrow, the ramification that develops from here on will be much better quality!

Another note - after trying and trying to get the lower branches to extend and thicken, what finally did the trick was hedging the top while leaving those branches mostly alone. I left a lot more leaves and growing tips at the ends of those branches, and will see how it goes.

 

[Carol 83]

I have been meaning to do major work on this little tree for a while. This morning, I started out doing a light trim and ended up doing a partial defoliation and branch thinning.


View attachment 501996
go to town
At the beginning, there was a ton of ramification up top, due to my regular hedge trimming of the upper branches and apex. But it was all wrong, so I ended up removing a lot of the fine twigging. I feel confident that, as it regrow, the ramification that develops from here on will be much better quality!

Another note - after trying and trying to get the lower branches to extend and thicken, what finally did the trick was hedging the top while leaving those branches mostly alone. I left a lot more leaves and growing tips at the ends of those branches, and will see how it goes.

Nice. I'm going to do some serious trimming to mine. I've had it for like 6 years and it just looks like crap. I sort of hate it. It spends most of the winter playing dead and when it finally starts to grow again it's still straggly. If I kill it, no great loss.

 

[pandacular]

You've done an awesome job building that branch structure. And that trunk movement, my word! Great tree. What's the overall height?

 

[Bonsai Forest]

I saw this thread and update all in 2 minutes. Nice to see the growth in such a short time. Keep going! Looks really good.

 

[namnhi]

Nice. I'm going to do some serious trimming to mine. I've had it for like 6 years and it just looks like crap. I sort of hate it. It spends most of the winter playing dead and when it finally starts to grow again it's still straggly. If I kill it, no great loss.

I would chop it down to stump and rebuild the branches. I don't see any reason to not if you don't like what it looks like now. They should throw a lot of buds in a couple weeks.

 

[luvinthemountains]

Nice. I'm going to do some serious trimming to mine. I've had it for like 6 years and it just looks like crap. I sort of hate it. It spends most of the winter playing dead and when it finally starts to grow again it's still straggly. If I kill it, no great loss.

Sorry to hear it has not been bringing you joy. Lately, if I find myself not liking or knowing what to do with a ficus, I will just throw it in a houseplant pot and grow it out for a while. But anyhow, I would say six years without a thread update...maybe you should post one?

 

[luvinthemountains]

You've done an awesome job building that branch structure. And that trunk movement, my word! Great tree. What's the overall height?

Thank you for the kind words! It stands about 7" from soil level.

 

[luvinthemountains]

Looks really good.

Thanks! Your cheers made me smile.

 

[pandacular]

Do you think it's ready for a bonsai pot with it's next repot? I think it's built to the right level above the soil, but not sure how the roots are doing after the rot incident.