Need help with styling ficuses.
- Thread starter DavidAZ1989
- Start date
Shibui
Imperial Masterpiece
Any thoughts on what might be the problem with either of the trees?
It can be a little hard to assess a bonsai properly when looking down from above. Best photos are from trunk level looking into the tree.
The first looks pretty good for a mass produced ficus. Most beginner bonsai growers would be happy to have it IMHO.
The second seems to have more issues I can see from that angle.
1. The apex is much stronger than the lower branches. That makes the top of the tree wider than the lower part which is the reverse of most natural trees. Not looking normal can be one reason we don't feel right when viewing a bonsai.
2. Bar branch: About halfway up you have 2 branches opposite. That also causes unease in a viewer because our eyes can't flow past that area easily.
3. A bit harder to tell with the angle of the photo but looks like the trunk has low bends then very straight for the rest of the way. Again, Our brains expect to see a tree look reasonably similar throughout as the same environment has acted on growth from seed to tree.
4. Pompom styling: bare branches with clusters of foliage only at the ends on the branches. This is more topiary than bonsai. Need to study real trees and how they grow so we can incorporate realistic growth patterns into our bonsai.
How and when to make any changes will depend on your seasons and local conditions. I'm making a wild stab that the AZ in your user name means Arizona but it would be much better to specify a location so we can give better timing for whatever changes might be possible. Add your location to your profile so it pops up each time you post. Saves us having to remember everybody or scroll back looking for the info.
It can be a little hard to assess a bonsai properly when looking down from above. Best photos are from trunk level looking into the tree.
The first looks pretty good for a mass produced ficus. Most beginner bonsai growers would be happy to have it IMHO.
The second seems to have more issues I can see from that angle.
1. The apex is much stronger than the lower branches. That makes the top of the tree wider than the lower part which is the reverse of most natural trees. Not looking normal can be one reason we don't feel right when viewing a bonsai.
2. Bar branch: About halfway up you have 2 branches opposite. That also causes unease in a viewer because our eyes can't flow past that area easily.
3. A bit harder to tell with the angle of the photo but looks like the trunk has low bends then very straight for the rest of the way. Again, Our brains expect to see a tree look reasonably similar throughout as the same environment has acted on growth from seed to tree.
4. Pompom styling: bare branches with clusters of foliage only at the ends on the branches. This is more topiary than bonsai. Need to study real trees and how they grow so we can incorporate realistic growth patterns into our bonsai.
How and when to make any changes will depend on your seasons and local conditions. I'm making a wild stab that the AZ in your user name means Arizona but it would be much better to specify a location so we can give better timing for whatever changes might be possible. Add your location to your profile so it pops up each time you post. Saves us having to remember everybody or scroll back looking for the info.
DavidAZ1989
Seedling
Yes I’m sorry, I am currently in maricopa county, I have so much to learn about bonsai. I’ll take some better pictures and repost. The Pom Pom style tree wasn’t always like that. It was more cleaner but it went through some serious growth and I lost control of the shape. I tried to create pads with the two branches but it did not work out so well.
DavidAZ1989
Seedling
I’ll also attach some better pictures
Attachments
Shibui
Imperial Masterpiece
Thanks for the extra photos we can now see a bit more about the trunk and branches.
The good bends down low and the straight top are more clear. I'm sure that's one of the reasons you are not satisfied with the tree. Unfortunately, dealing with that is not as straightforward as it sometimes is.
The trunk appears to be too thick to successfully bend which leaves us with a drastic chop to remove the straight and generate new shoots to work with.
I don't usually advocate wasting a season layering but in this case, the apex of the tree has some merit so consider layering up high to make the apex into a new tree. That will also go some way to mitigating the disappointment if the next step does not work as well as expected. The middle branch on right also looks promising so you could also layer there for another tree.
Blue lines for possible layers.
The next step would be a drastic trunk chop around the dotted red line. It needs to be chopped this low to get rid of the straight section. Most Ficus sp are really good at growing new buds on older wood so it should respond with plenty of new shoots just below the chop site. Brown lines are where I would hope to develop new trunk and branches.
I suspect that, given it's a Ficus, you should get some new back buds along the trunk after layering so you may even have options to chop to before making the final trunk chop.
As always, my proposals are base on what I can see in 2D photos. Please check the real tree to make sure the ideas offered are practical with the real tree. And never go ahead until you are totally satisfied with the plan.
The good bends down low and the straight top are more clear. I'm sure that's one of the reasons you are not satisfied with the tree. Unfortunately, dealing with that is not as straightforward as it sometimes is.
The trunk appears to be too thick to successfully bend which leaves us with a drastic chop to remove the straight and generate new shoots to work with.
I don't usually advocate wasting a season layering but in this case, the apex of the tree has some merit so consider layering up high to make the apex into a new tree. That will also go some way to mitigating the disappointment if the next step does not work as well as expected. The middle branch on right also looks promising so you could also layer there for another tree.
Blue lines for possible layers.
The next step would be a drastic trunk chop around the dotted red line. It needs to be chopped this low to get rid of the straight section. Most Ficus sp are really good at growing new buds on older wood so it should respond with plenty of new shoots just below the chop site. Brown lines are where I would hope to develop new trunk and branches.
I suspect that, given it's a Ficus, you should get some new back buds along the trunk after layering so you may even have options to chop to before making the final trunk chop.
As always, my proposals are base on what I can see in 2D photos. Please check the real tree to make sure the ideas offered are practical with the real tree. And never go ahead until you are totally satisfied with the plan.
