What should I do with a “Ginseng”

[Fedor]

Hello,

I am new to the forum and Bonsai, although I have liked it for a long time, since seeing Karate kid. Anyway, my wife bought me a bonsai and it has been growing in happily for 3 months.

I was looking for a Ficus Benjamina or a Green Island ficus. The “Ginseng” ficus I got doesn’t look too much like a potato, so I am very happy about that.

Last night, I cleaned up some dead aerial roots and got rid of the glued rocks. I also have been covering the bottom of the plant up to the lower branches with plastic wrap and misting (removing the plastic) daily, in effort to keep up humidity. I plan on building a mini greenhouse, possibly with a growing light (need advise on this) as iti is located inside, but so far it's growing very well (8-10 new leaves).

Anyway, I have been googling all over for info, but I would rather ask a knowledgeable community for their input on how to proceed.

Feel free to impart your vision for this plant, I’m all ears (or eyes).

Thank you,
Fedor

 

[just.wing.it]

No more tubes

Tuber chop. I didn't get a pic of the final cut before potting. I cut is at a steep angle to change the planting angle and hopefully get good roots where I want them...

www.bonsainut.com

Welcome to the Nut House!

 

[sorce]

I was thinking of that thread.

Just dropped some BS here https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/ginseng-ficus-trauma.41988/

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

 

[just.wing.it]

I was thinking of that thread.

Just dropped some BS here https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/ginseng-ficus-trauma.41988/

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

Looking back, I should have chopped the tubers off even higher up....but live and learn.
Tiswhatis....

 

[Fedor]

How much tuber should be chopped?

I would like to keep some of the roots, as I like the character.
There is one root that definately has to go.
I'm thinking cut it and increase the angle of the plant a bit, in order to expose a little more of the roots that I think (I Don't know what I'm doing) look nice.

On a side note, I assume my Japanese pull saw will do fine with this. Hopefully that isn't overkill.

 

[Fedor]

Looking back, I should have chopped the tubers off even higher up....but live and learn.
Tiswhatis....

Also, should I wait until spring to chop those things, or can I do it now?
I have the saw ready.

 

[just.wing.it]

I would wait till its nice and warm outside, so it can recover quickly.

 

[just.wing.it]

Yours is more of a mess than mine was.
I think you will be turning it into a cutting, basically....but try to keep some flare at the base for new roots to grow from.

 

[Fedor]

I would wait till its nice and warm outside, so it can recover quickly.

Thank you very much, I will put the saw away... For now.
Do you have any other advise on things I can do at the moment, or should I just water it and let it do It's thing?

 

[just.wing.it]

just water it and let it do It's thing

And fertilize!
I use pinches of 20-20-20 water soluble fertilizer from Jack's in the winter.

Edit: I also have a good amount of artificial light on my tropicals over winter .....I try to push them a bit.

 

[penumbra]

I'm not any help on your ficus but you mentioned you are looking for benjamini or green island. Go to Wigerts for ficus. I have 6 or more varieties from them. Three new ones coming this week.
Sorry I am no good on Ginseng ficus. I had one given to me and I rooted the top branches off and through the base away.

 

[just.wing.it]

I'm not any help on your ficus but you mentioned you are looking for benjamini or green island. Go to Wigerts for ficus. I have 6 or more varieties from them. Three new ones coming this week.
Sorry I am no good on Ginseng ficus. I had one given to me and I rooted the top branches off and through the base away.

Is green island another name for microcarpa?

 

[penumbra]

Is green island another name for microcarpa?

I believe there are a lot of microcarpa and Green Island is just one of them. Frequently the Ginseng ficus is microcarpa grafted on the bulbous roots.

 

[GSCarlson]

I don’t think this is a grafted “ginseng” ficus. Looks like a complete microcarpa.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I don’t think this is a grafted “ginseng” ficus. Looks like a complete microcarpa.

I agree with @GSCarlson this appears to be a normal F. microcarpa. The tubers come from a combination of crowding the roots and exposing them to air. For the most part, you will only see tubers on a small tree that has been specifically trained to develop tubers. You can see fields and fields of them in Asia... because they sell well at retail.

Here is what a F. microcarpa bonsai can look like... the tubers are just to test your bonsai skills

 

[cbroad]

Is green island another name for microcarpa

I used to have one, been dead a couple years, but mine had more rounded leaves and the foliage seemed tighter (closer internodes) than regular microcarpa. I really liked the look of it...

 

[penumbra]

The ficus bonsai I had and decapitated was a graft. I cut the grafts off and rooted them. It was Green Island.

 

[Fedor]

I believe there are a lot of microcarpa and Green Island is just one of them. Frequently the Ginseng ficus is microcarpa grafted on the bulbous roots.

Thank you very much for pointing this out. I thought the tubers liked small compared to a “ginseng”, but I would not have known. I do think it’s a Ficus Retusa (I thought it had a retusa graft before) due to the leaf shape, but I could be wrong again. This may be why my wife says I’m only right 10% of the time.

 

[Fedor]

I

And fertilize!
I use pinches of 20-20-20 water soluble fertilizer from Jack's in the winter.

Edit: I also have a good amount of artificial light on my tropicals over winter .....I try to push them a bit.

Thank you very much, I was unsure of fertilization during winter. There’s a lot of differing info online. I’ll be picking up the Jack’s (maybe today).
I recognized the tub when I looked it up, story about that fertilizer; way back in the day, my mother had a big tub of it for all of her non bonsai ficus and umbrella plants. One day, my brother was aching for attention and subsequently rushed to the hospital by ambulance after claiming to have eaten some of the fertilizer. The truth came out in the end that the whole thing was a hoax, I don’t know how he managed to stay alive after the bill came.

 

[Fedor]

I

And fertilize!
I use pinches of 20-20-20 water soluble fertilizer from Jack's in the winter.

Edit: I also have a good amount of artificial light on my tropicals over winter .....I try to push them a bit.

Thank you very much, I was unsure of fertilization during winter. There’s a lot of differing info online. I’ll be picking up the Jack’s (maybe today).
I recognized the tub when I looked it up, story about that fertilizer; way back in the day, my mother had a big tub of it for all of her non bonsai ficus and umbrella plants. One day, my brother was aching for attention and claimed to have eaten