My 15 year old ficus benjamina. HELP!

[Mountain]

My mom bought me this tree 15 year ago off of a local bonsai grower. I thought it was cool, but never understood what bonsai really was. So it has been watered regularly and repotted once in that time span. I read now is a good time to prune ficus because the milky sap production is slow and it doesn't bleed as bad. I have no idea what to do with it though. I am still trying to learn all of the growing jargon. My wife likes it looking like a shade tree, Im ok with that, but don't care for how scraggly it looks. Any suggestions? I feel like the tree should be bigger, am I wrong?
Front:

Untitled by ptipton1, on Flickr
Back:

Untitled by ptipton1, on Flickr
Roots:

Untitled by ptipton1, on Flickr

 

[Mountain]

more pics


Untitled by ptipton1, on Flickr

 

[mat]

General advice is that the best time to prune Ficus is when it's hot outside and they're growing strongly. I would at least wait until Spring.

This isn't a bonsai, and probably won't become one, but you can still practice pruning and taking care of it. It definitely looks scraggly, like maybe it's been kept inside too long? Get it in some summer sun, feed it well and it should respond nicely to a hard pruning. That will help get it more compact.

 

[Mountain]

General advice is that the best time to prune Ficus is when it's hot outside and they're growing strongly. I would at least wait until Spring.

This isn't a bonsai, and probably won't become one, but you can still practice pruning and taking care of it. It definitely looks scraggly, like maybe it's been kept inside too long? Get it in some summer sun, feed it well and it should respond nicely to a hard pruning. That will help get it more compact.

I appreciate your advice. Will you explain it? Why isn't it bonsai? Why will it never become bonsai? Ive read that now is the time to prune due to the previously stated sap problem. I read that in Bonsai Basics by Colin Lewis. Is he wrong? Thanks for your reply.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

I appreciate your advice. Will you explain it? Why isn't it bonsai? Why will it never become bonsai? Ive read that now is the time to prune due to the previously stated sap problem. I read that in Bonsai Basics by Colin Lewis. Is he wrong? Thanks for your reply.

Ficus benjamina make poor bonsai unless you live somewhere in the tropics. They tend to not backbud or respond to any kind of pruning very well and drop leaves if you sneeze in their direction (at times). It will take quite a while to turn this into a nice looking tree, unfortunately. The long, bare branches, and funky roots you've got going on will take a while to fix.

The sap problem does not involve Ficus. They're tropical and don't have "sap" so to speak, but more of a latex that bleeds when cut. Time of year does not affect how much the tree will bleed. However, I would not start cutting back on this one until it starts actively growing and is warm.

 

[KennedyMarx]

If you're really determined to turn this benjamina into bonsai, I would air layer both of those trunks higher up near where the actual branches start and possibly just toss the base. Benjamina have a tendency to die back if you cut or prune them back to a point without any leaves. This can make it tough to train them as bonsai.

 

[QuintinBonsai]

I appreciate your advice. Will you explain it? Why isn't it bonsai? Why will it never become bonsai? Ive read that now is the time to prune due to the previously stated sap problem. I read that in Bonsai Basics by Colin Lewis. Is he wrong? Thanks for your reply.

It lacks decent nebari. Where the surface roots flare outward from around the trunk base. Your tree does not have this. It has a jumbled concoction of roots that don't seem to be going anywhere. The branches start way too high on both trunks. If size is an issue, then it must either go in the ground, or be put in a much larger pot.

 

[GrimLore]

This Spring after ours fills back out I will send you a picture. It is 15-16 years old and pretty darn small. In addition it breaks all of the "rules" that would make it a true bonsai but honest it is a really nice looking lil piece and for that reason we keep it and bend it and twist it and in "general" mess with it. Again, it is not a "true" bonsai but it makes us smile. One thing I would suggest on that species is to keep it outside as long as possible and winter it under a light - it will loose every leaf shortly after bringing it is but refrain from watering it and mist it until you see more buds sprouting. Then sparse water trough the winter. Also if you need to chop or bend wait until Spring. After you take it outside it will drop all the leaves again and it is easy to work on.