Metalgrootvader
Mame
Being a complete newb I really appreciate this thread. I think one misconception many of us novices have is that we are afraid to cut back too much. Thanks for posting this Colin, it really helped open my eyes a bit.
Cactus Nursery Ficus
- Thread starter ColinFraser
- Start date
ColinFraser
Masterpiece
I'll keep your suggestion in mind. I will say though, that I am often a bit put off by those big low "character branches" on a lot of ficus I see. It does seem to be kind of standard though - akin to the "right, left, back" kind of paradigm for pines.
ColinFraser
Masterpiece
Thanks; I'm glad to hear it. I think there are a lot of folks here with "I wish I chopped lower" stories, so it's good if you can learn from that. I get some kind of kick out of throwing away as much of the original plant as possible sometimes! You probably already know this, but not every species can take chops like this, so make sure you know how your material will respond - and then . . . "Off with his head!!"
carp
Chumono
The right, left, back, is more of an artistic principle to create depth and fill spacial voids rather than a paradigm. Art is made by using the rules and filling in the gray areas. You have no depth if you are missing side branches and a back branch. That's why the windswept style is hard to do well.
If you don't want any movement in your tree, go for it. Why skip out on a chance to create excitement in a static piece of material? Too each their own.
JJshives
Sapling
I think this is a strong start to this one. As it sits now, I could see it developing into a representation of the large ficus of the same kind we see on the streets of the Central Coast. They don't look much at all like the ficus grown in areas with more tropical climates and higher humidity. The ones on upper State St. in SB have muscular trunks and well-ramified branches that lead to huge canopies. These seem to have a much more vertical growth tendency than other ficus and I don't think any horizontal first branch is a necessity and may even be difficult to maintain. I have one in development that is on the far end of the vertical growth scale and I have had to accept that is the way it is.
ColinFraser
Masterpiece
Last month I cut this one back for the first time since the big chop:
carp
Chumono
Can see you removed the lower trunk. Throw some IBA and spaghnum on the low wound and get some roots from there.
ColinFraser
Masterpiece
Good idea. I left a few little sprouts there too, just to fend off any possibility of dieback.
ColinFraser
Masterpiece
Turned right back into a green sphere 
ColinFraser
Masterpiece
Time for a second round of cutbacks:
ColinFraser
Masterpiece
It's been almost 10 months since I picked this one up - time flies!
July 2015 on the left; May 2016 on the right.
July 2015 on the left; May 2016 on the right.
ColinFraser
Masterpiece
Another cutback - roots and foliage - and into its first bonsai pot. This is almost exactly a year since I bought it.
LanceMac10
Imperial Masterpiece
Burly trunk!! Great future!!!
Saizan
Yamadori
Nice progression!
Just curious: how is the scar of the big cut?
Just curious: how is the scar of the big cut?
ColinFraser
Masterpiece
Not closing, if that's what you mean. It still looks pretty much like the closeup I posted on the first page, except the exposed wood has turned a more subtle grey color.
hemmy
Omono
What's the guess on how long to close that top wound? I'd think several years, but I guess it doesn't matter if it's on the backside and hidden. I used a Minwax wood hardner on a large wound that was already soft from the nursery and it didn't have any ill effect on growth. But then that was a few years ago when we actually had rained. I've certainly never seen any rot in the cuts I've made. You may think about letting some of those shoots run on the inside of those primaries near the wound to get that callus rolling. I closed a 3 inch wound in 2 years on my F. microcarpa, but I was growing a new leader and the roots were escaped into the ground. Great trunk, great pics, great progression! Thanks!
ColinFraser
Masterpiece
I don't really expect it to close, especially now that it's in a small pot and getting more ramified. If it does, great, but I'm not worried about it.
I could have left the three primaries long and planted it out to accomplish that (and improved the taper by fattening them too), but I wanted to play with it now, and that's a trade off I accepted.
ColinFraser
Masterpiece
Here's that cutting a year later. Not expecting it to heal either
Just having fun messing around with this one.
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
Yup....I was thinking this as soon as I started reading the "not closing" part.
My giant ficus has some giant wounds, and this year, with no pruning and a couple escaped roots in the ground, they are healing well. So well, I am amazed as shit when I look at it!
@ColinFraser if you threw this in a colander on the ground for 1 season, you could Probly close that up.
Which I personally would like to see.
If only cuz it's Fucking amazing!
Sorce
