Tilting the bonsai

Sometimes a bonsai creation works well and sometimes a gentle adjustment in one factor can result in a great improvement. In this case a seed grown Ficus natalensis in the exposed root style appears to work quite well. Making a simple adjustment and tilting the tree to the right improves the design immensely. The left or original image shows a pretty much upright tree that is static. Tilting the tree to the right makes the design a bit more unstable but also allows the movement of the trunk to be emphasized.

Ficus natalensis on left shows good stability while the image on the right is a bit more unstable but seems to help the flow of the trunk

Ficus rumphii

A very worthwhile fig to grow is Ficus rumphii. It is used extensively in southeast Asia for bonsai.

The pictures show two rumphii that I grew from seed and that are now 12 years old. The bark on this species is light  in color as contrasted to religiosa which has a darker grey bark. Religiosa also has a longer drip tip on the leaves.

Upright style of rumphii, about 16″ tall

Slant style rumphii,15″ wide, the curving roots on the left will be removed.

Growing Ficus from roots

One method to propagate new plants is from root cuttings. This is a thick piece of root that I cut off during the potting  process. I selected a root that showed some nice movment and planted the lower end into bonsai soil. I watered as needed and in 6 month’s time the end of the root sprouted new leaves and stems.

Not all Ficus will grow from root cuttings but one fig that does particularly well is Ficus tremula.

Left root cutting, middle same cutting after 6 months, right trimmed back to start the bonsai training

Ficus concinna a red leaved Ficus

Ficus concinna is one of the figs that has the reddest new leaves as well as being an excellent material for bonsai.

The following shot shows the tree, grown from seed, in old and then new foliage. The new foliate sprouts out red and gradually turns green over the next 1-3 weeks. There are other Ficus species that can have new red leaves but concinna seems to have individuals that can show very red or bronze new leaves.

Tree on the left with old leaves and new leaves showing quite red on the right.

Ficus ‘ExoticaJS’ initial styling

Ficus ‘ExoticaJs’, probably another cultivar related to Ficus salicaria, is a great material for bonsai. In 2013 I purchased a pre-bonsai and did an immediate rough styling. The first image shows the result of an hours’ trimming back.

The second shot shows the tree rin 2018.  It is beginning to take a nice shape. I think a few more years of training and it will be an attractive bonsai.

On the left after trimming it back quite hard. On the right the tree some 5 years later.                To learn more about growing figs buy 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 to create a bonsai form a long and thin plant

It is not easy to create a bonsai from a long and thin piece of material. One way is to use some heavy wire and shape the limber material to your desires. Be creative and try many different shapes. Some will be exciting and some will be losers.

In this case a root cutting of Ficus ‘Mystery’ was used to create an interesting bonsai.

On the left a root cutting of Ficus ‘Mystery’, center is the cutting wired for shape, right is the bonsai design beginning to take shape

Root-over-rock style

One of my favorite forms of bonsai is the root-over-rock design. It incorporates an attractive stone with nice texture and fissures and a bonsai tree growing over it.

In this case it is a Ficus ‘Mystery’ that was planted on this rock about 15 years ago. The original plant was quite boring and frankly ugly but over the years it is maturing into a lovely piece that surely will improve over time.

More secondary branching is needed to mature out the design.

The ugly cutting placed on the stone about 15 years ago

 

The same plant on the left before trimming and on the right after trimming and some wiring.

Ficus microcarpa development of cuttings

Here are two Ficus microcarpa bonsai of small size. Both were taken from cuttings from one of my large Ficus. They have always been in small pots so their growth has been slow. They are now more than a dozen years since having been harvested. The mother tree has provided many cuttings over the years.

 

A cutting removed from the mother tree at least 12 years ago

Another cutting  removed from the mother tree at least 12 years ago

Ficus microcarpa mother tree

In developing bonsai it is best to first start in larger containers for the early development of structure and size. Once structure and size are nearly completed the plants can be transitioned to bonsai sized containers for their final refinement training.

 

 

 

 

 

How to create bonsai figs

We all learn to appreciate thick trunked, massively tapered trunks in our first years in bonsai. I remember well trying to achieve this look with my trees and failing. I could neither afford nor find material that worked well for this style of bonsai.

In the last number of years I have come to appreciate and cherish trees made from young, thin materials that are relatively easy to find. In many ways these may be considered bunjin, literati or penjing type styles. In any case I hope you like some of them.

Long thin materials work well for these types of designs