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| Hey all,
I've had this Willow Leaf Ficus for quite some time, and I thought I would share it's progress with all of you. Here it is when I decided to attempt an Air layer on it:
But, the Air layer failed, and just had shoots sprouting from underneath it:
I then chopped the tree:
And here is the tree as of today:
And here is where I want to go with it:
The red arrow is where there is a bud or two, which I could use to grow into another branch. The yellow arrow shows that I could combine all of those branches by fusing, then move them down so they go out from the trunk and not out, and the green shows the new apex I could grow out. I could either hope for a bud next to the cut, or I could wire a branch from that cluster to use as the new leader. What do you think? Ryan |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by head_cutter (My Page) on Wed, Aug 18, 10 at 20:53
| Could also be a good prospect for an informal upright? |
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- Posted by ryan_tree 7a VA (thebonsaiguy1993@yahoo.com) on Wed, Aug 18, 10 at 22:25
| Good idea. I hadn't exactly considered that but I now will..... |
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- Posted by head_cutter Vietnam (My Page) on Tue, Aug 24, 10 at 19:17
| Here ya go Ryan, saw this one when we were up the coast last weekend. Could use some work but a nice start, buttress is about 9-10" across. Bob |
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- Posted by ryan_tree 7a VA (thebonsaiguy1993@yahoo.com) on Tue, Aug 24, 10 at 19:37
| Beautiful Bob! I'll take it! Man, if only they grew wild over here.... |
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- Posted by head_cutter Vietnam (My Page) on Wed, Aug 25, 10 at 20:16
| You can do the same thing with a collected willow. They respond well to being stumped and in a few seasons you can have a pretty nice head of foliage. I like the bark of the willow better too, more character. |
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- Posted by ryan_tree 7a VA (thebonsaiguy1993@yahoo.com) on Thu, Aug 26, 10 at 12:42
| That is true, but I heard Willows do not make good bonsai. Is that true? |
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- Posted by head_cutter (My Page) on Thu, Aug 26, 10 at 19:47
| They make great Bonsai. |
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- Posted by greenman28 Nor Cal 7/8 (My Page) on Thu, Aug 26, 10 at 23:18
| Nice trees, Ryan and Bob! Ryan, certain willows are better than others, mostly on account of leaf-size (and potential for reduction). Josh |
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| They are short lived though. Only about 20-30 years. |
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- Posted by ryan_tree 7a VA (thebonsaiguy1993@yahoo.com) on Sat, Nov 27, 10 at 14:41
| Here is the tree as of today:
I plan to fuse the branches on the right together into 1 branch, then pick a leader from one of branches which I won't fuse. |
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| I hope this works. All the small trunks are cuttings from the main plant. Every time i trim branches i stick them in the soil next to the main trunk. |
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| That is adorable! Jane |
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- Posted by greenman28 Nor Cal 7/8 (My Page) on Fri, Dec 10, 10 at 9:40
| The plant is nice, but I'm even more impressed by that mix! Whoa, that looks crunchy! Josh |
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| That picture was take last April. It has been growing since. Next week I'll take another picture and post it. Paul |
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Here's a picture of one of my nerifolias/salicifolias immediately after a repot. It needs pruning, but I waited until it recovered from the repot to prune the top. The twine is securing the tree so it can't move in relation to the pot. Trees that are secured so they can't move, reestablish in a fraction of the time it takes unsecured trees.  Same tree after an extensive pruning - I think the tree is younger in this picture than it was in the one above because I didn't have the black background yet. Al |
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- Posted by jojosplants Az. Z9 (My Page) on Sat, Dec 11, 10 at 11:02
| Nice tree's guys! I'll be looking forward to updates! Josh~ I'm not surprised the mix caught your eye. ;-). Al~ That tree is amazing! I really like the shape. |
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| Here is an updated pic of my tree:
I want to fuse some of the branches, like the big cluster on the upper right, after I remove some of them, and the group of branches on the left. |
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- Posted by greenman28 (manreason@yahoo.com) on Sun, Dec 12, 10 at 16:42
| Coming right along! Josh |
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| I thinned out the branches and I've decided to fuse them. This is what was suggested that I do with this tree:
But that would cover up the great nebari (IMO) that this tree has. So by fusing them I hope to create one branch on the upper right and one on the mid left of the trunk. I also hope that the pruning of branches allows a new bud to sprout near the cut, which I would then use as the new leader:
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- Posted by BettyBonsai(bettbonsai@gmai.com) onThu, Feb 3, 11 at 0:20
| Your bonsia is coming along nicely keep up the good work. |
Here is a link that might be useful: ficus benjamina bonsai
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- Posted by ryan_tree 7aVA (thebonsaiguy1993@yahoo.com) on Sun, Feb 13, 11 at 0:17
| I changed my mind about fusing the branches and here is the tree as of a few days ago:
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| Good choice. I've been following this thread hoping you'd see that isn't the best idea. I'm thinking you're going to be keeping a branch at the bottom (left) side of the slanted chop cut, so I would wire the best branch to a horizontal position & add some movement to it - up & down and side to side. As soon as I'm sure the branch isn't going to die back, I would remove all the other branches in the immediate area of the one I'm going to keep. Rubbing buds off of the willowleaf as they appear where branches are unwanted is a good practice, as unsightly bulges occur when clusters of branches are allowed to form, which is this tree's habit. Want to talk a little more about how to address the chop scar after that branch is established, or do you have that all under control? Al |
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- Posted by ryan_tree 10 (thebonsaiguy1993@yahoo.com) on Sun, Feb 13, 11 at 12:39
| Thank you Al. I know it is not too visible in that picture, but there is a bud right about here:
There is a bud around the area circled in red. I will, eventually, cut the branch I've marked in yellow. The bud circled will become the new leader and help heal the chop site. Sure thing, I would love to hear about how to address the chop site. Thanks! |
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| A little off topic Al |
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- Posted by greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a (My Page) on Sun, Feb 20, 11 at 20:03
| Dan, any fine Pine Bark will work as long as it's in the appropriate size-range. That range for Pine Bark is between 1/8 and 3/8 of an inch. I use Fir Bark - marketed as "Orchid Bark - fine grade." I screen the Fir Bark
Josh |
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| Thanks Josh The Pine Bark Nuggets are too large, the smallest being almost an inch in size. A wood chipper might make them too fine Dan |
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| 11 Months later. (If it works)
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| The ficus above was re-potted in a standard mix of grow grit, "Turface", and moss made by "Bonsai West".(It looks like there may be bark mixed in.)Some of the "Crunch" (:>) was used on top as fill. The pruned branches are dipped in root-tone and planted. Most of them have rooted. The wire used to tie the main plant and 7 cuttings together was left on to long. Paul |
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