Category Archives: Twists and Turns, shaping trunks

Ficus ‘Exotica’

Ficus ‘Exotica’ is a fig found in the bonsai trade but its real scientific name is unknown. It has many characteristics in common with Willow Leaf fig, Ficus salicaria. Exotica has a more robust growth with wider leaves but it is a strong grower and can shape very pretty bonsai in not too many years of training.

Ficus 'Exotica' from pre-bonsai stock

Ficus ‘Exotica’ from pre-bonsai stock

Mel

A very pretty and mature tree donated by Dr. Melvin Goldstein to the bonsai collection at the Univeristy of Michigan.


The definitive reference work on Ficus
for bonsai. The book is a softcover, 8 by 10 inch volume, with 144 color pages, containing detailed information for the beginner as well as the advanced hobbyist.
 Click here for more information

Adding smaller leaves to a bonsai

My friend Tim Hoehn-Boydston has an extensive collection of Ficus trees. One that he has in his collection is Ficus benghalensis. He has two forms, one with normal large leaves and the other with much smaller leaves.

Tim decided to graft the smaller leaf form into the large trunk of the larger leaf variety. This would put smaller leaves onto a larger trunk specimen; always a desirable featue in a bonsai.

Three grafts were placed. The top one was an approach graft bringing a long branch of the small leaf tree and placing it into a groove in the top of the large trunk, large leaf tree. Two other grafts were placed lower on the tree and these were free grafts not attached to the parent tree.

Baggies were closed around the free grafts as a humidity measure to keep these small grafts from drying out while the grafts took. Baggies are removed in several weeks when the grafts are showing signs of taking.

The top approach graft is kept in place until the graft shows signs of growing strongly and then is severed away from the mother tree.

Grafting is one way to introduce better foliage on a tree.

Approach

Large leaf trunk, B, small leaf trunk A well secured so that it does not move – Red line shows the path of the branch from tree A to tree B

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Approach graft at the apex of the large trunk secured in place with electrical ties

 

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Number 1 and 2 show free grafts secured into the trunk

Beefing up a branch

If a bonsai needs to have a heavier branch than it must be allowed to grow faster than the other branches.

Thickening will occur in direct proportion to the number of leaves photosynthesizing on the branch. Keep more leaves to produce more energy and more growth to thicken the branch. After the branch has enough thickness it will need to be shortened back to proper length for the design and then twigging density can be accomplished.

Branches also can be kept on the trunk to accomplish trunk thickening and later removed. Thickening only occurs on the trunk below the branch and not above it.

Branch on right needs to be heavier so more leaves are left on the branch

Branch on right needs to be heavier so more leaves are left on the branch

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Branch 1 and 2 are kept to thicken the base of the trunk. They will likely be removed at a future date when the trunk is thick enough.

Using a plastic bag

There are several instances in which I use a plastic bag to protect a fig bonsai.

  1. For rooting cuttings
  2. Stressed trees that need time to recover
  3. Recently re-potted trees that have been struggling
  4. To develop aerial roots on figs that require constant humidity for aerial

 

In this case this Ficus rumphii has had all its roots cut off and is basically a large cutting. It is place into the baggie, watered well and the bag is opened every few days to make sure that the soil is moist. Never let the pot sit in water or the plant or cutting will rot. Also keep the bag in bright light but never in direct sunlight.

Remove the bag once the plant is growing properly.

Ficus rumphii sealed in the bag after removing all of its roots

Ficus rumphii sealed in the bag after removing all of its roots

Now recovered and showing new aerials have formed on the trunk

Now recovered and wtih enough roots to live outside the bag. Also showing new aerials have formed on the trunk

 

Bag is removed as the plant has new roots and can survive outside the bag

Bag is removed as the plant has new roots and can survive outside the bag

My visit to Suanphung, an incredible bonsai garden

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Entryway to the Chinese Garden

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Entryway road leading into the gardens is lined with large bonsai on either side

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Rhona standing beside a defoliated fig tree

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A large Ficus religiosa

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View across one of the lakes

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Rockery and waterfall

 

Ficus microcarpa

Beautiful strong rootage

 

Ficus sirens showing red newly grown leaves

Ficus virens showing red newly grown leaves

 

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One view of a section of the bonsai village

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Lovely rootage on this bonsai

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Root over rock design

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Ficus virens nearly covering over the stone

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Root over rock design, defoliated tree

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Hibiscus in full leaf

This was our fourth or fifth visit to Thailand which ranks high on our list of the most wonderful countries to visit. The country is beautiful and the people are all so very warm and hospitable. Of course we love Thai food and also the wide range of fresh tropical fruits and vegetables, including the legendary aromatic durian.

Our time in Thailand was spent with Montri and Jane Suksermongchai of Bangkok. They are good friends and have introduced us to many of the delights of the Thai country and culture.

On this trip we had time to explore Montri’s bonsai collections in Bangkok as well as his nearly completed Bonsai Garden, Suanphung Bonsai Village. Suanphung is named after a local tree and  is an extensive bonsai garden almost too big to walk around. It would take many hours to visit the numerous bonsai in the Chinese and Japanese gardens as well as bonsai lining both sides of the major roadways. There are also displays of garden stones, and newly constructed buildings. Needless to say there are also exquisite masterpiece bonsai including figs, Podocarpus, Adenium, Trident maple, Hibiscus, Wrightia religiosa, Tamarind and other species.

With my special interest in figs I was able to view many species used as bonsai including Ficus virens, microcarpa, benjamina, racemosa, religiosa and rumphii. Montri’s bonsai are in classical shapes and designs with the styles of bonsai varying from upright to cascade to root over rock. Many of the bonsai are of large or imperial size and not easily moveable by one or even two people. Pots are commensurately large and can be constructed of pottery, cement or carved from solid blocks of granite.

The individual gardens and buildings are done in elegant and tasteful designs consistent with the landscape and themes of the individual gardens while the quality of the bonsai is second to none in the world.

Once the gardens are completed a visit to them will be a must for any bonsai lover visiting Thailand.

Ficus burtt-davyi

Ficus burtt-davyi is a fig that is found in the southern parts of Africa. There are several common variants of this material available to the bonsai community. There are large, medium and small leaf cultivars that can be found.

This is one of the small leaf cultivars.

It is a very small plant of perhaps 3-4 inches/10cm in size and one of my smallest bonsai.

It is a worthwhile addition to any fig lovers collection.

 

Ficus burtt-davyi

Ficus burtt-davyi

How to thicken a branch

Often a branch on a bonsai is too thin. To thicken it allow it to grow wildly without trimming it back. Keep the rest of the tree trimmed as normal.

Once the branch is of the proper thickness it can be shortened back and proper taper and ramification can be developed.

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Red arrows point to the thickening branch

Red arrows point to the thickening branch

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The definitive reference work on Ficus
for bonsai. The book is a softcover, 8 by 10 inch volume, with 144 color pages, containing detailed information for the beginner as well as the advanced hobbyist.

 Click here for more information

How I grow a bonsai from a cutting

There are many ways to acquire a bonsai tree. One way is to take a cutting from a suitable material and to propagate it. In this case the mother tree is a Ficus rubiginosa grown form a seed from Australia.

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Cutting taken from the mother plant about three years before the photo, 2010

The mother tree has great bonsai characteristics so a piece of the mother tree was removed and rooted into the large white growing pot. It was allowed to grow wildly for some years and when the trunk caliper seemed about right it was chopped down and tilted to the side.

It re-sprouted new leaves and branches low down making it suitable for a small bonsai. This re-spouted bonsai was then kept in relatively small pots while the details of the branches and apex were sorted out.

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New low sprouts made shortening to a small bonsai possible, 2010

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Branch selection and apex sorting out underway, 2013

Progress could have been much much faster if I had left the small tree in a much larger pot but space in my indoor growing area is very limited.

 

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Further growth and maturation of the design, 2014

You can see the result some 5 years later in the last photo. Please remember that this tree is not completed. One, foliage is large and has not been reduced during the training process. More ramification will be produced now that the basic structure has been formed.  Another year or two and the tree will be near completed.

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Tree is shaping up well. Leaves are not uniform in size as training is still underway, 2015

Lesson, developing your cutting into a bonsai in a larger container will help speed of the process, although better control of shaping may be achieved in the smaller container.


The definitive reference work on Ficus
for bonsai. The book is a softcover, 8 by 10 inch volume, with 144 color pages, containing detailed information for the beginner as well as the advanced hobbyist.
 Click here for more information

Developing a bunjin/literati fig

Starting with this rather young rooted cutting of Ficus ‘Mystery’ I hope to one day develop a bunjin or literati style bonsai. The rooted cutting is now about two years old.

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Ficus ‘Mystery’  from an aerial root cutting

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After a quick trimming a nice line has developed in the trunk. Possibility #1

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Possibility #2

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Possible design #3

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Possible design #4

Which of the designs seems to be the best to your eye?

To learn more about bunjin/literati styles see http://www.bonsaihunk.us/info/Bunjin_literati_Style.html

 


The definitive reference work on Ficus
for bonsai. The book is a softcover, 8 by 10 inch volume, with 144 color pages, containing detailed information for the beginner as well as the advanced hobbyist.
 Click here for more information

Root-over-rock design

One of the most popular designs is the root-over-rock design where a tree or trees is growing draped over a stone.

In this example a Ficus ‘Mystery’ was placed on a rock about 9-10 years ago. It was a piece of a larger plant see http://www.bonsaihunk.us/info/BreakingUpIsEasyToDo.html

This section was frankly quite ugly and I almost discarded it. Rather than throwing it away I decided to place it on the rock. It was strapped to the rock with plastic tape and grown for years with most of the rock and the roots buried in soil. Over time the roots and the stone were exposed.

You can see the result in 2014. The bonsai has improved dramatically and one day may become one of my favorites.

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The ugly plant was strapped to this stone in about 2004

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The bonsai as seen in 2014

Root-over-rock designs can be done in many ways but the best and quickest results will be achieved with plants that have super aggressive root systems. Plants that grow slowly and have fibrous root systems generally will not succeed as root-over-rock designs.