Shohin Ficus microcarpa

[carp]

I've been working with this tree for about two and a half years now.
The first year I didn't pay the tree much attention.
The past year and a half, I've been pushing it harder.

Tonight, my girlfriend, Angela, and I went to dinner with our two friends, Alex and Taylor.
After dinner we went to Starbucks so that Alex and Taylor could do school work.
Taylor is allergic to animal dander, and all of us have animals at our homes.
Angela and I have have two cats, Alex has a dog, and Taylor has cats and dogs at her mom's house.
I thought I would be fine to work on a shohin here, so I brought it along.

First photo is the oldest photo I have, back in 2014, probably mid-summer.
Big time gap between the first and second photo, but the next was taken the last time I worked on the tree back in October 2015, I think. Not totally sure.
Third photo was before working tonight at Starbucks, fourth is after.
I put a photo filter to create more contrast; the shadows created by the lighting here is very bad for photographs.

Wasn't able to finish wiring because I didn't bring enough in my pocket.
Maybe this year it will go into a bonsai pot, but I don't want to slow down development.
When I'm ready I have a nice Kawauso pot by Roy Geesey...it's hard to resist temptation.

 

[sorce]

Yuppie!

Sorce

 

[carp]

Clean photo. Need to finish wiring still.

 

[GrimLore]

Need to finish wiring still.

Pictures are good but I bet that looks great in person, nice work.

Grimmy

 

[JoeR]

I really like it! Sumo-ish.


I think it is quite deserving of an actual bonsai pot.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Looks like the first right branch is trying to get away from the rest of the tree.
It seemed to have better flow when it was rotated counter-clockwise a bit...?

 

[jazzaero]

Oooooo Nice looking. I'm still a newb but this is inspiring.

 

[KennedyMarx]

Noice

 

[sorce]

Fortunately, Starbucks keeps a bin of flat chopsticks for the Yuppie Bonsai Community.

Sorce

 

[eferguson1974]

Fortunately, Starbucks keeps a bin of flat chopsticks for the Yuppie Bonsai Community.

Sorce

Or broke ass bnut freaks.

 

[just.wing.it]

Hahaha, working on a tree at Starbucks! Hilarious
That sounds like a new business gimmick to me.
Awesome little tree, carp!

 

[carp]

Looks like the first right branch is trying to get away from the rest of the tree.
It seemed to have better flow when it was rotated counter-clockwise a bit...?

It is running away while healing a big scar, and also thickening still. I think I will leave it rather long though. I agree the viewing angle is better rotated as you said. Sometimes pictures make it easier to see the flaws.

 

[just.wing.it]

That is an awesome pot. I love those colors.

 

[GroveKeeper]

The trunk appears to rise very abruptly from the root base without much taper. Are planning to grow a sacrifice branch or two to smooth the transition?

 

[carp]

The trunk appears to rise very abruptly from the root base without much taper. Are planning to grow a sacrifice branch or two to smooth the transition?

No, the roots are buried about a half inch under the current soil line. I'm planning on doing a ground layer to create a new nebari just above the current soil line.

This is seedling grown, all seedling ficus show a similar caudex-like trunk. Look at tissue culture Ficus salicaria vs cutting grown Ficus salicaria. The T.C. grows with seedling habbit.

 

[GroveKeeper]

No, the roots are buried about a half inch under the current soil line. I'm planning on doing a ground layer to create a new nebari just above the current soil line.

This is seedling grown, all seedling ficus show a similar caudex-like trunk. Look at tissue culture Ficus salicaria vs cutting grown Ficus salicaria. The T.C. grows with seedling habbit.

Have thought about doing the layer at the juncture of the trunk and base?

 

[carp]

Have thought about doing the layer at the juncture of the trunk and base?

What would I gain in doing so?

 

[James H]

Great looking tree, I really like the sumo trunk ficus. Is that a single tree or is a a fused trunk that has been cut down? Either way its a great tree.