Purpose of the past post. Giant Ficus.

[sorce]

Reducing the giant. Past post on the airlayer circled in red. http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthread.php?17046-Radialayer%99-a-season-saver

I aqcuired this tree last November. Craigslist freebie. Had to go before a Thanksgiving party so I drove it home a couple days before tday last year on my roof, rootball in a garbage bag, in 32° rain for a 1/2 hour drive. It did fine.
It was about 16 ft tall to begin. About 12ft for the drive. And down to 8 ft to fit in the house.

I layered a 5 foot section off at the yellow line around february. The red circle is on the last tall branch on the thicker right trunk, which will get reduced down to the white line eventually.

The thin trunk will be layered at the blue line soon. Before spring. It will then be in a similair state as the thick trunk. With just one old branch left. It will be discarded/pruned in spring or before.

All this is to induce backbudding where I hope to get it for my childish virt at the base. And to be able to repot it this spring, and work out some roots.

Couple photos of the base which is anything but permanent. Showing an old knob I pruned healing over, gotta clean it up a bit still. And the "too low" budding.

I hope to uncover something lower. If I do, Ill have to cut some high rootage. In which case, it will be left to grow at the 3ft level for a while to heal the cuts.

If I get buds near the split where i need them. I might go ahead and reduce it to there sooner. Time tells.

Thanks for reading. Comment please.

Sorce

 

[James H]

wow what a great craigslist find. You have so many possibilities with air layering and getting new trees. I look forward to seeing what you make of this tree.

 

[sorce]

Shorter Yet.

Bored today.....

No work. Big snow.

Laaaame

Cut off the big top. Leaving the big al to see of it will sprout still, but ditched 95% of the trunk and all the foilage .

Radiallayer removed to with only small hair roots. FTHOI.

Left with this. Almost there. In spring I may cut the big Trunk halfway through to see if it buds down. And to heal it quicker with the halfsaw technique.

Sorce

 

[sorce]

Cut and unwrapped that layer today.
Couple fine roots! Basura!

What's left?

After repot, root sawing, and cramming it in a trainer.





Sorce

 

[M. Frary]

Big,fat,double trunker! Do or will these back bud further down the trunk? Or do you even want branches further down?
I'm still a little shook up by the picture in the Selfie thread. Laughed so hard I think I peed a little!

 

[edprocoat]

Sorce, this was a tree you got from craigslist in Illinois ? I assume it was an indoor house plant as no Ficus would be able to grow outdoors year round in Illinois. Also the Perlite in the roots screams houseplant, lol. Those monster sized leaves will reduce nicely this summer when you get it outside after defoliating it.

ed

 

[sorce]

My future virt is on the p i c with the red circle, low!

I was Hoping to Get more than one ficus outside this year, but this one's a lil big!

Sorce

 

[sorce]

Damn and the house plant it was!

I forgot how much it sucks to repot these things!

No more of these for me!

Sorce

 

[JoeR]

Is your plan to reduce the height of the thinner trunk on the right or something else?

What a nice 'houseplant'

 

[sorce]

Virt low!

 

[JoeR]

Oh I must have skipped that, sorry.

Interesting. How are you expecting to deal with the seam in the middle? Leave it and hope it heals better or can you carve it?

 

[sorce]

By the time this gets where it needs to, right about the time pigs fly, I hope it to be unnoticeable!

Sorce

 

[M. Frary]

I was wondering what with only a balcony to put your plants on why not hang your trees from the balcony.
Make some sort of sling apparatus maybe.
Joking?
You decide.

 

[edprocoat]

I was wondering what with only a balcony to put your plants on why not hang your trees from the balcony.
Make some sort of sling apparatus maybe.
Joking?
You decide.

Mike they do make hanging window boxes that would likely hold several Bonsai each.

ed

 

[sorce]

If I had a balcony!


Here is my setup. There is my kitchen window,(left) just her herbs there this year. I have 4 more sills like that on the east side.

To the right is the public stairway, where the raccoons got to, this is about 14" wide, bigger stuff goes here. And gets wintered in front on a little 1st floor entry way roof.

Problem here in the stairway is its sort of like a brick pizza oven by mid afternoon!

I could put more stuff in front on the little roof, but watering sucks, though I've thought about running a hose down to a sprinkler, with a funnel at the top! Ha ha! Neighbors love me!

Trying to get a house before fall!

Then.....it is on to ground growing and many more!

Sorce

 

[sorce]

I took the first giant airlayer out of its pot the other day. To toss.

It was sphagged and bagged regularly, than cut off and thrown in pot with all moss intact.

After demossing, I find this root that grew back in to the bottom part.

Interesting!

Sorce

 

[Giga]

well that weird

 

[barrosinc]

hahahaha the layer was like: F#ck you! I am stying right here!

 

[sorce]

To further my anti football sentiment.

I cut off some roots the other day.

I think it'll be better for it.
Still a Long way to go. Worst is, this is the best front for now, and I gotta make that wound bigger when that trunk goes.

Dilemma.

Sorce

 

[aml1014]

Nice tree with great potential, I await the chronicles on this tree.