No more tubes

[just.wing.it]

Today is the day I decided to bring em on inside. I got it in a good window with some supplemental fluorescent lighting above.
Anyway, just a few pics from today, I defoliated it and cut back a bit.

 

[just.wing.it]

Glad I brought it in! (and my other trops)....
36 degrees this morning.

 

[just.wing.it]

This guy seems to be bouncing back well already.
Many new buds just showing, and some already popping!
Only 13 days since defoliation!

 

[just.wing.it]

Update pics.
After the second defoliation, when I brought it inside, all looked good initially.
But you can see in the pics, a few branches died back. The whole tree pushed buds, but 3 or 4 branches didn't open the buds, and died back.
I'm not upset about it, it's just making some decisions for me...
I think it might have something to do with the fact that I cut away a part of the grafted section, to better the taper.
I sealed the whole wound, but I'm thinking.... since right underneath is a flat bottom, that will start to rot anyway, why not drill it out, make a completely hollow trunk! I wouldn't do that until the tree is very healthy again, of course......what you think? Hollowed out ficus....?

 

[aml1014]

Update pics.
After the second defoliation, when I brought it inside, all looked good initially.
But you can see in the pics, a few branches died back. The whole tree pushed buds, but 3 or 4 branches didn't open the buds, and died back.
I'm not upset about it, it's just making some decisions for me...
I think it might have something to do with the fact that I cut away a part of the grafted section, to better the taper.
I sealed the whole wound, but I'm thinking.... since right underneath is a flat bottom, that will start to rot anyway, why not drill it out, make a completely hollow trunk! I wouldn't do that until the tree is very healthy again, of course......what you think? Hollowed out ficus....?
View attachment 125720 View attachment 125721 View attachment 125722

I like me a nice hole to stick my fingers in I generally just hollow out trees that are already doing it for me.

Aaron

 

[Nwaite]

Looken good.

 

[just.wing.it]

Well....the one trunk didn't like the graft reduction last year, and died....
But anyway, I decided today is the day I'm putting it outside.
I defoilated it, almost completely, and checked the roots for the first time since I did the tuber chop....underwhelming to say the least, but I was happy that there are roots coming off of all sides, so that is a little win.
Anyway, I decided to put it in a tiny little pot....I didn't cut any roots....
Here's a few pics....:

Maybe I'll do the same thing again in a few years.....make it lower and better....

 

[just.wing.it]

What an ugly thing, eh?
It's fun though, for an $18 houseplant from the flower shop at Wegmans.

 

[just.wing.it]

Update:
8 months since the repotting and defoliation.
The tree did not grow much over the summer....bummer....it grew, but not strongly.
Once I brought it inside this fall, which was done quite early in September, it began growing better.
Since September I did some selective pruning once, and it is now beginning to grow again....so I did some leaf pruning to expose all the new buds it's pushing to the light.

I do plan to hollow the trunk out and carve the tubers a bit, once that little bud gains some strength....that little bud where the old trunk used to be! It popped out of the section of the graft that I cut away before! Cool!

Here's the ugly ficus today!

 

[AZbonsai]

Did anything grow out of the tubers you left in the pot or did you just throw them away?

 

[just.wing.it]

Did anything grow out of the tubers you left in the pot or did you just throw them away?

I think I just chucked them into the compost pile...
I should have kept them though, just for fun....
I remember that the soil would never dry out, it wasn't even soil, I think it was coconut fiber and peat moss...or something like that.

 

[AZbonsai]

I think I just chucked them into the compost pile...
I should have kept them though, just for fun....
I remember that the soil would never dry out, it wasn't even soil, I think it was coconut fiber and peat moss...or something like that.

I think I have the same soil in one that I have now....it does not dry out. Cool little project though. The one I have drops leaves if I look at it cross ways so I do not think it would survive that but I would sure like to get rid of the tubes on mine.

 

[syon_r]

I did this too with mine, however I air layered instead. I think I am going to air layer again to get rid of the graft union. Then I will make a sumo style with the bottom and a regular shohin with the top.

 

[just.wing.it]

I did this too with mine, however I air layered instead. I think I am going to air layer again to get rid of the graft union. Then I will make a sumo style with the bottom and a regular shohin with the top.
View attachment 173735 View attachment 173736 View attachment 173737

Oh yeah, cool!
It's fun to play with and see what I can get away with.
I might start over with mine as well...we'll see.

 

[sorce]

..we'll see.

Oh no we will not!

Bro...

You are going to quit when you are sooooooo close to what they say is IMPOSSIBLE!

Polishing a Turd!

My FVG's were straight dirty when I first seen this....update....dirty....blah blah...tubers.....dirty......

But that last image.....rough as stuff...

Its freaking lovely!

Please.....please... Please.....insert it into the "Smoke Stick Figure Machine" and see if that doesn't tell us how fine this beginning is.

Surely needs a wider more shallow pot, good attention to healing that wound...
More canopy.....

But for Fuck sake don't quit now!

You too man you too....
Great hand!

Its so clear, that everyone here "too much" is really here to sponge the shit out of information and eye candy.

This is the epitome of why there should NEVER be assumptions made at the beginning of ANY project!

I feel bad for clowning this thing back in the tuber days!

Sorce

 

[just.wing.it]

Oh no we will not!

Bro...

You are going to quit when you are sooooooo close to what they say is IMPOSSIBLE!

Polishing a Turd!

My FVG's were straight dirty when I first seen this....update....dirty....blah blah...tubers.....dirty......

But that last image.....rough as stuff...View attachment 173738

Its freaking lovely!

Please.....please... Please.....insert it into the "Smoke Stick Figure Machine" and see if that doesn't tell us how fine this beginning is.

Surely needs a wider more shallow pot, good attention to healing that wound...
More canopy.....

But for Fuck sake don't quit now!

You too man you too....
Great hand!

Its so clear, that everyone here "too much" is really here to sponge the shit out of information and eye candy.

This is the epitome of why there should NEVER be assumptions made at the beginning of ANY project!

I feel bad for clowning this thing back in the tuber days!

Sorce

Very kind words sorce, I really appreciate it.
I actually took a Dremel to the wound a week ago....got a little trigger happy with it....

I got to looking at that big wound and realized that I may have made a mistake by sealing it with the gooey paste, it never healed at all....just compartmentalized right there.

So using the Dremel I dug into it a bit, removing the dead stuff, and I decided not to seal it this time, just see what it does...
My thought is that if it doesn't start to roll over by summer, I'll hollow it out more at repotting time.

It will be a full blown miracle if it survives the brutalization...

Maybe I'll take a picture today if I can muster the guts....it is u g l y, and ain't got no alibi.

 

[KingJades]

This is coming along nicely! It's great to see all of the steps in this little project.

What's your final design in mind on this tree? I like the slant motion. What's the apex going to look like?

 

[RobertB]

I think this tree needs a good season just to grow strong without touching it at all. I know you can generally work on these throughout the year, but seams like you have not really let the tree start to grow strong between these cutbacks and changes.

 

[just.wing.it]

This is coming along nicely! It's great to see all of the steps in this little project.

What's your final design in mind on this tree? I like the slant motion. What's the apex going to look like?

Not too sure really...just putting along...

 

[just.wing.it]

I think this tree needs a good season just to grow strong without touching it at all. I know you can generally work on these throughout the year, but seams like you have not really let the tree start to grow strong between these cutbacks and changes.

You're right.

And I think that's what I'm gonna do this year, minus repotting, and maybe some carving.
But I want the branches to grow this year.
Gotta get it into a bigger container...colander type, and let it run.