swatchpost
Yamadori
By the way, are you talking about Bonsai Heresy?
Jim Smith Willow Leaf Ficus - What to do?
- Thread starter swatchpost
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By the way, are you talking about Bonsai Heresy?
LanceMac10
Imperial Masterpiece
DO. IT. NOW.
luvinthemountains
Chumono
Yes, I am. Not done with it yet, but so far good stuff.
Hartinez
Masterpiece
Yeah I just looked at your forecast. Highs in the 70’s and 80’s with lows in the 60’s and 70’s. As @LanceMac10 is mildly suggesting, Now is as good a time as any of your going to do any work.
swatchpost
Yamadori
swatchpost
Yamadori
Here's an update after three months of recovery from the root-prune/repot I did in June and multiple flushes of growth over the summer with regular feeding. The first picture is before the repot in May, and then the second was taken today. Quite the drastic change.
Would you all say that next spring I can prune back heavily to start establishing better ramification? Or do you suggest I wait another season and let it regain even more strength?
Would you all say that next spring I can prune back heavily to start establishing better ramification? Or do you suggest I wait another season and let it regain even more strength?
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Forsoothe!
Imperial Masterpiece
Just let it grow over winter. The clusters of leaves will thicken with more leaves and it'll gain some resources to be stored in the roots. Depending upon your wintering conditions, it may just coast and lose some older leaves from late Dec to Mar, then be ready to grow again as photoperiod increases. In April Cut the whole canopy back to a starting point where the clusters of leaves that grow from the ends of the stubs you leave will be at the point you want them to finish, maybe a half inch high/deep cluster of foliage. Throughout the summer you can pinch out leaders that threaten to exceed the canopy profile in your mind's eye and that will thicken the clusters left. It won't actually ramify, the word doesn't really apply to WLF, you'll just get a cluster of leaves at the ends of the stubs, or a stub will die and something will grow in the open space. You do that every other year or so and there you have it.
You can do some modest wiring to accentuate or correct this or that, but they don't really grow in clouds or layers. I think that's why the all seem to be brooms.
You can do some modest wiring to accentuate or correct this or that, but they don't really grow in clouds or layers. I think that's why the all seem to be brooms.
swatchpost
Yamadori
Hey Forsoothe, let me make sure I understand exactly what you're suggesting: cut every canopy branch back (no leaves anywhere) and then let re-grow?
That's exactly what I do with mine at the end of every summer I cut way back and it booms with new growth giving me many new shoots to choose from. here's some close ups of the new growth.
I don't necessarily cut every branch just the ones that have become leggy and need it to fit my design.
amcoffeegirl
Masterpiece
I don’t usually make cuts when coming back indoors. I did make a few edits this year on the way back inside.
you have a beautiful tree.
you have a beautiful tree.
I have personally found it to be the best time to do cut backs, just before I bring it in for winter. Its full of energy which gives me tons of back budding, I then get shorter internodes due to the energy spent re-budding and it slows down a bit indoors helping to reduce the long leggy growth. After the new growth slows I select the desired buds and rid of the rest.
swatchpost
Yamadori
Thanks for all your comments. Looks like I have some deciding to do!
I think because the tree was in such weak shape earlier this year and it's just regained its strength, I'm going to hold off on making cuts now and keep it happy and healthy over the winter and then start branch-work in the spring as suggested.
Denise, I just read the entire thread on your Jim Smith forest. That's a beauty and I love the blue pot, even if it is just for now. I feel there's a responsibility (which I've neglected recently because, well...life) to give this tree my best. It's a special one. Had it since 2006. I'm now very happy with the base. Time to figure out the branching.
badatusernames
Omono
Here is a good thread from a great grower in @Mellow Mullet and you can see how aggressive he is with root-pruning. A little more "climate specific region" for you as compared to my way far north location!!
I likus the Ficus, Part II
Was out tinkering in the yard this afternoon taking pictures and seeing what needed attention. My ficus nerifloria forest is in need of a drastic haircut and probably some wire, too. Just wanted to share, what do you think? For scale, if you look at the bottom, by the pot, there is a regular...www.bonsainut.com
I have pushed a few of my ficus and other tropicals HARD this year to see what they can take.
My sumo willowleaf has been repotted three times including once in winter. During the second to last repot, I used a hand saw to cut the entirety of the bottom lump off to get it to fit into a pot. Full defoliation. Zero roots, flat sawed-off bottom. Pot was tiny for it - TINY, almost no room for new roots. Came back no problem. I did this after seeing a video of Suthin doing it, but I think he may have not watered right away afterwards.
The "experimental" microcarpa I'm playing with has been repotted I believe four times now this year. Maybe five. It, too, barely has any roots. Still growing.
I've also hacked chunks off a bougainvilla and stuck it in soil and watered it right away. They're growing.
Now, are they absolutely thrilled? No, of course not, but they're alive, and the only branches I've lost on my ficus are the ones I've cut off. My guess is that eventually they'd give up the ghost if I kept on like this without leaving them alone, but the only real noticeable difference is that their growth has been slower.
They've historically been very healthy though, and this one looked like it could use a rest. That said... these things can have the CRAP kicked out of them. These two trees of mine should be dead multiple times over this year alone. I'm not gonna be rolling the dice on my bigger and older microcarpa though...
Definitely not a best practice for a happy tree, but I certainly learned to be less nervous about ficus in general.
Forsoothe!
Imperial Masterpiece
Yes, as others have described above, you can cut it back to a little less canopy than you want to finish at, in a new shape you want, like this or any other broom-like dome...
And the new clusters of growth would be added to the ends of those stubs. The lag I'm suggesting is because of root work preformed this year. One major insult per year unless you have superior growing conditions to offset your reductions.
And the new clusters of growth would be added to the ends of those stubs. The lag I'm suggesting is because of root work preformed this year. One major insult per year unless you have superior growing conditions to offset your reductions.
amcoffeegirl
Masterpiece
When I first started researching ficus and bonsai I was afraid to wire. Jim Smiths trees were mainly clip and grow from what I have read. This inspired me greatly and let me know that if I never got the concept, I would still be ok.
I did eventually give in a begin to learn wiring. Still not awesome at it but always learning. In my zone 5b, Iowa, I will begin about May getting the plants outside as much as possible. It is ok for me then to do the work that needs done.
My love of willow leaf ficus was cemented after seeing his trees online. For anyone who loves portulacaria I recommend researching his work also. I have left my forest in the blue pot and it has grown on me. I think I will allow the canopy to grow and fill it in. It is my largest tree. Very fun to work with.
swatchpost
Yamadori
Hi All—wanted to give an update on my willow leaf. Since June 2021 when I repotted it, I've let it recover and gain back strength. Last weekend was re-design weekend. I decided to use the other side for the front because it show-cased the nebari and trunk and once I made that decision all the branches seemed to fall in place. Now your eye follows the movement of the tree from right to left. Next year I'll repot into an oval pot to accentuate that movement.
It's still too bushy and leggy, but I'm looking for lots of back budding and will cut back, grow, cut back, etc. until I get some decent ramification. I also plan on growing the central leader (which is pretty weak right now) taller and thicker. But like anything, that'll just take time.
Look forward to your thoughts!
It's still too bushy and leggy, but I'm looking for lots of back budding and will cut back, grow, cut back, etc. until I get some decent ramification. I also plan on growing the central leader (which is pretty weak right now) taller and thicker. But like anything, that'll just take time.
Look forward to your thoughts!
