Off with its tubes! 🏴☠️
- Thread starter 19Mateo83
- Start date
Why not cut off the tubes or bury them deeper?
Alaskanrocket
Yamadori
I think this was in a joking sense but...As much improved as it is, to me it’s „Still a Ficus“
I hear this often and I'd really like to understand why Ficus is thought of as lesser class of species for Bonsai. Is it because they require less attention to keep thriving? Is it leaf shape and size? (which would be a terrible argument considering the variations available) Perhaps its due to availability being so high, which is still a terrible reason.
I'll admit its not maybe top tier material but in my opinion (which means nothing to the remainder of humanity) theyre a fantastic source of entertainment for the people who dont have the climate, funds, or room for the sought after species. Im fairly biased because a substantial portion of my collection is different types of ficus. Theyre my favorite to work with and more importantly, practice on. I'm sure this has been covered a million times over, I just got my feelings hurt and wanted everyone to know it.
I have mostly tropical's and a lot of people frown upon them. Keep the kind of tree's that make you happy.
Michigan Tree Murderer
Masterpiece
Wait a second, you don't seal the top of the bag? I put flexible Velcro on my TBF to completely seal it.
I have this schefflera arboricola completely sealed in the bag.
Check on them every 5-7 days. Get filtered light through the bag.
What your doing works, I'm thinking it would work faster if you completely seal the bag.
Ply
Mame
I think the main reason is because people associate ficus bonsai with the cheap mass produced plants. Most enthusiasts wouldn't even consider these 'mallsai' ficus to be bonsai, yet to the avarage 'non bonsai person' it is a bonsai, which is a cause of frustration within the bonsai community. Which, in turn, is understandable if you've been painstakingly working on the nebari of your Japanese Maple for the past 12 years, and someone else considers a $10 stick ficus to be the exact same thing.
They also have less prestige simply because they aren't among the bonsai traditionally grown in Japan. And because they weren't tradionally used for bonsai, there are also not that many high quality ficus. They exist, but most of the ficus bonsai people have seen are - again - the mallsai type. Whereas with pines or juniper bonsai our mind instantly jumps to the magnificant Kokufu examples. Lastly, material is significantly cheaper than JBP, Itoigawa Junipers, Japanese Maples etc. Something being expensive almost always boosts its prestige - and vice versa.
It's really got nothing to do with the potential of ficus. Guys like Jerry Meislik have shown what a quality ficus bonsai can look like. They might still not be everyone's cup of tea, but that goes for any species - including the classics. Ficus are a great species for bonsai.
Michigan Tree Murderer
Masterpiece
Alaskanrocket
Yamadori
Makes sense and honestly what I figured. I was just trying to take over @19Mateo83 's thread and get some attention. Just Kidding Mateo!!! Love the thread btw!
Eckhoffw
Masterpiece
Ok thanks! I’m going to bag up my dwarf umbrella trees and ficus.
If I get pest problems, Im blaming you.
If I get pest problems, Im blaming you.
JackHammer
Chumono
Is pop music music? Traditional bonsai is high minded and unapproachable for most of the population, just like classical music. Do you enjoy your trees more because they are "better" than the ones sold at ikea?
I played classical cello from 4th grade till after college and the classical world would complain about the lack of money, intense practice, hand problems, etc, etc. At the end of the day, David guetta was selling out 100k person festivals with a computer and some pre-recorded samples. The classical folks get to sit around thinking they are better than the pop music crowd, it just isn't true.
I love my ficus, and fukien tea and sago palm... I have some traditional pines in the yard but I like my tropicals just the same.
The argument here is that we shouldn't shame people for simple techniques or mass produced trees. Those trees may be very special to their owners, even if they don't meet the specifications in the traditional rule book.
I think you would probably agree with me on the point above. As a whole, the bonsai community has been very high-minded and even arrogant. Then they sit around and wonder why no one wants to be friends. Lol.
Michigan Tree Murderer
Masterpiece
I'm more concerned with mildew & bad fungus, but I only bag it for a week or so at a time with 2-3 weeks off. If you want aerial roots and don't live in the right climate it's a decent way to get them. I've noticed all the roots do this not just the aerial roots, so when I root trim & repot it goes in the bag.Ok thanks! I’m going to bag up my dwarf umbrella trees and ficus.
If I get pest problems, Im blaming you.
You should try it!
August
Chumono
@JackHammer well said. I wrote a minor essay in the draft box earlier ala "let people have fun" but I think you summed it up. As a beginner I like to experiment with whatever I can get my hands on. I was embarrassed by my little collection and my repeat mistakes for a while because of high minded and arrogant folk. The "subscribe to Mirai live" crowd (
)
Thanks for letting me hijack @19Mateo83
)Thanks for letting me hijack @19Mateo83
For me when it comes to ficus, bonsai or not doesn‘t even factor into it. I‘m just not a fan on them even at „plant level“. I just find them ugly
but I do enjoy watching people try to make them more aesthetically pleasing.
19Mateo83
Masterpiece
It’s baaaaackkk! . I repotted this little ugly duckling tonight. Now that it has grown enough roots high on the “potato”. I was able to chop those tubes a little more and flatten out by the base. I trimmed a few branches back, wired a little more movement into it and picked an apex. Slowly but surely it’s coming along.
. I repotted this little ugly duckling tonight. Now that it has grown enough roots high on the “potato”. I was able to chop those tubes a little more and flatten out by the base. I trimmed a few branches back, wired a little more movement into it and picked an apex. Slowly but surely it’s coming along.
19Mateo83
Masterpiece
And this is why I love ficus. Eighteen months
From this
To this
From this
To this
Gabler
Masterpiece
This thread is way tooo spicy for me
There's two issues that get conflated. Firstly, there's the question of whether you can rank arts and crafts objectively with respect to their level of quality. Secondly, there's the issue of arrogance toward newcomers.
The first question shouldn't stir controversy. Of course some art is objectively better. The difference is stark when you look at the latest post from @19Mateo83. The after picture is objectively better than the before picture by a wide margin. When comparing trees at a similar level of quality, some amount of subjectivity is inevitable, but that doesn't refute the fact that some art is objectively better than other art. It just means it takes skill to discern the difference in close cases, and that obscurity invites a small measure of subjectivity.
That's coming from someone who has a long way to go before any of his trees are approaching "good."
It is a problem when someone is arrogant or dismissive to newcomers to the practice of bonsai. We can hardly afford to scare away people who are interested. Bonsai is less on the fringes than it once was, but there are still a large number of people who don't understand bonsai trees and can't fully appreciate the knowledge, skill, and patience that goes into them.
Kudos to @19Mateo83 for capturing a good snapshot of what goes into growing better bonsai.
