11 trees equal 1

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This is a composition I created a 1 year and 7 months ago. It is composed of 11 "S" curve ficus that were purchased from a big box store. I did not get a picture of it when initially planted. First pic is one year after. Second is today. Was repotted last week into this Japanese pot with some wicked patina.
 
Thanks everyone for the replies! This year I want to start little by little start lowering the soil level to expose more roots.
When I started off this composition, I purposely planted the whole thing on a hill so that I would eventually be able to expose them.
When I repotted, I planted it where it needs to go. Now I just need to bring down the soil level to the rim of the pot.
 
I think i like the new color pot, but maybe it's to 'sharp' in comparison too the previous pot i liked the shape.
 
The oval pot will definitely have a less sharp look to it than the rectangle.
Looking at the 2 pictures of the tree side by side is kinda confusing, and really has altered
the look and feel of the newer version and newer pot. The tree has in all actuality become
way smaller and compact than in the first pic. and the pot is close to being half the size of the other... and half the height.
I really had to cram the tree into the new pot, which does not seem apparent in the photo.
 
Super cool. I like it! Great use of "rough" material. In the context of your arrangment, they look great with unique movement. All harmonizes nicely....nice pot...
 
The reason why I am posting it and alot of the other trees I have currently been posting, is because there is alot of talk that I am just belittling people and not offering up any actual advice on how to help folks. Which is not the case.

I am more than aware that not everyone will have the luxury or the $$$ to be able to purchase or find world class material to work on. Me and the wife have had to payout in the last year more money than I can possibly imagine on medical expenses, so much so that it has equated to highway robbery!

So, then what to do? You just gotta be creative and make what you can afford into the best that you can. And yes it is possible to come up with a nice tree off of crappy big box store material.

This is a project that I have done on a little over a hundred dollars. The trees were all bought from home depot. They all cost $9.99 each. Ideally it would of been better if I had put them together, grown them in the ground, letting them grow out and fuse together faster, as well as thicken up. However, I understand that alot of folks will not have the ability to put them in the ground, because of where they live and cold. So, instead I chose to do this without putting them in the ground because of this reason.

It will take longer to do, but that's ok, I don't think it really matters. The tree is still cool as it is. Hopefully, some others will try it... it is a nice way of making crap into something kinda nice. And obviously, this could of been done with less trees... one could do a really cool tree with half of the number I chose.
 
Sorry, I guess I should add that the pot did cost quite a bit of money... but the pot was actually purchased a while back for one of my nicer trees but didn't work out because of size. The tree needed to start being reigned in, I don't currently have the money to purchase a pot, so I started looking at what I did have that might work. This pot for the most part does... and if nothing else will allow me to start working on the nebari. With ficus they often need a small pot to almost grow root bound in to form a mass of intertwined roots. They are one of the very few trees that crossing over roots are somewhat acceptable. Obviously, they still have to visually look good though.
 
Nice yes, Advanced hmmm... It is very nice as visually pleasing as is. To me Advanced would be putting in a few years growing a LOT of aerial roots perhaps in a trainer in a tank while "thinking" about and training the growth to appear as an Ancient Banyan... I feel that it is possible and would be truly Advanced given time. Just my 2 pennies and I know you don't care but I am pretty certain you get the point and would love to see it a few short years down the road.

Grimmy
 
Nice yes, Advanced hmmm... It is very nice as visually pleasing as is. To me Advanced would be putting in a few years growing a LOT of aerial roots perhaps in a trainer in a tank while "thinking" about and training the growth to appear as an Ancient Banyan... I feel that it is possible and would be truly Advanced given time. Just my 2 pennies and I know you don't care but I am pretty certain you get the point and would love to see it a few short years down the road.

Grimmy
Thanks, for the reply!
Yes, you are correct, not a very advanced procedure! But, if I put it in the tropical section, no one sees it, and if I put it in the general conversation it gets lost. Felt it was worth seeing. Not because it was my tree, but because it might give others who might be new or might not have a lot of money, a path forward to still obtaining a nice tree. This type if procedure is much more than just a Ficus one, and could be done on any type of material that binds together. We have seen similar procedures done with maples where one binds them all together to form one tree. One could do what I have done with it as well.

Not everything I post is trying to enlighten my ultimate supremeness!
 
I like this, and really like the pot, (who was the maker?) but something about the angle in the old pot reads more hillside than the planted angle in the new pot. Something about the left clump. I liked the hilly feel from the other angle, and miss it in the newer planting.
 
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