What should I do with clearance tree I bought?

Darkskywalker

Seedling
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I am brand new to the hobby, I just started in January. I don't have much of a green thumb, so any help is appreciated. So far I have a few sprouts, but I found this tree clearanced at Walmart. I believe it is a Ficus. Any advice on what I should do with it? How should I go about trimming it up? Should I repot it first? The gravel on top seems to be glued in there🤔. Any tips please, and remember I am a newbie.
 

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Cool find!
When I got my first big box tree my head was spinning with what I going to do first then after that ............so on
Thank fully I am also a bit indecisive and I learned the best thing I could do was to learn from the tree. How much sunlight and how it reacts, how much water and how it reacts you get the point. The gravel is more than likely glued :) it’s all good, the roots don’t look all bound up so you have time to learn a bit!
Do what ya will but one thing I’ve learned is patience and a few trees sacrificed their lives and well some still do to be honest😉
If ya get an itch cut a branch or two and see what it does.
But always be sure to enjoy yourself and your trees!
 

Leo in N E Illinois

The Professor
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Take your time, gather together materials. Read about bonsai potting medium. Acquire a wider, more shallow pot, and sometime this summer repot this tree. In the mean time the first thing I'd do is scrape off that glued on pebble layer and throw it out. You can top up with potting soil at least until you are ready for a proper repotting.
 

Shibui

Imperial Masterpiece
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Pebbles are glued on to stop them falling off during shipping to the nurseries. It can impede watering and makes it hard to check soil moisture so best to take all that off the soil. Replace with unglued gravel if you want something but bare soil is fine too.
Ficus are tropicals so we do most work during summer when they are active. Repotting and pruning when it is cold can cause problems.
This tree has not been trimmed for some time. Ficus tend to keep growing long branches unless they are pruned. Later in spring you could cut all the long branches way back, even if that means cutting all the leaves off, and will be rewarded with lots of new shoots closer to the trunk where they should be.
As the others have suggested, use the time until it is warm enough to research and plan what you want this tree to look like.

In the meantime monitor soil moisture. The roots need to be damp but not wet all the time. Soggy soil can lead to rotting roots and death. There is no set watering regime because conditions vary through the year and soils and pots are all different. Check soil moisture by poking a finger into the soil.
All trees need light. Most ficus are trees of the jungles and rain forests so they can manage with lower light than many which makes them ideal for indoor bonsai but it will still need a really bright spot, probably near a large window but without getting too much direct hot sun in summer. Many of the growers here who keep indoor bonsai have invested in a grow light to give their trees even better light levels for better tree health.

Have fun on the bonsai journey.
 
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