Ficus salicaria

My large Ficus pumila

Forest planting of Willow Leaf figs

Willow Leaf fig

Ficus pumila in cascading style

Shohin Ficus salicaria

 

Bougainvillea does very well under MH lights

I find string pull-downs a very useful way to shape trees

Ficus Willow Leaf in front of one of Jerry's paintings

My sister bought me my first bonsai tree as a birthday present some 24 + years ago. I still have the tree and consider it my most cherished tree although I have her to blame for all the time and money her little present cost me from that time to today.

As an architectural / interior designer I was used to all forms of lighting flourescent, incandescent and metal halide light sources. Metal halide was generally used for industrial work and storage applications. My first grow space utilized flourescent shop lights mounted over a counter top with a couple of incandescent lights for the warm side of the color spectrum. I was able to grow certain orchids but found ficus bonsai trees did very well. Twenty four years ago I moved to a home and designed a grow room for orchids and ficus trees. I used metal halide light fixtures and found my ficus bonsai trees flourished. Orchids did not do well due to the bright light and the absence of the warm color spectrum. I soon concentrated on tropical bonsai trees giving up orchids.

My bonsai under metal halide lights and on metal carts

Fast forward to what I have today. I moved to a condo and was able to design a lower level design studio and seperate grow room. Everything in the grow room had to be automatic such as timers and automatic watering system as I was traveling each week for business. I now have a room approximately 24' square with dry wall, carpet tile flooring, suspended acoustical ceiling with six 400 watt metal halide light fixtures and two 250 watt metal halide light fixtures. I change light bulbs generally once each year making sure one of the bulbs has the warmer range of light. Ballasts are remote and in an adjoining room to help control temperature in the grow room..

I have lights on timers set for 16 hours per day year round. I am amazed that my trees know when Spring comes as they are not exposed to exterior lighting. May first I let my ficus trees get dry to encourage leaf drop. When the Spring spurt of new leaf growth does come I have a fresh crop of beautiful green leaves.

Water is no longer automatic but is a reverse osmosis system with a coiled hose and nozzle that I use for water.

Reverse osmosis system provides clean water for my trees

Plant stands are polished chrome metro units with casters. Making moving the trees quite easy.

Types of trees that I grow includeficus and bougainvillea. My Ficus Pumila is in fact one of the original bonsai trees from Dr. Seevers’ collection. Today the tree continues to grow vigorously. I keep the tree at an approximate height of 7" with a width of 9" to 15". The trunk continues to enlarge, (1" at the base), with great taper and twisting at the top of the tree. Each Spring I do a major pruning and stem examination and as illustrated in the photograph is now filling in very nicely. The container is a leaf green square with
bowed sides from Sara Rayners.

Each tree sits on a black drip pan.

I use whatever fertilizer I have at hand and give a very weak application each week or so.

The room also has a long counter for planting and trimming etc.

If I was to do this again I would have created a grow room similar to Jerry Meisliks.

Comments: Jerry is a great bonsai artist but also excels with his fine art paintings. To see Jerry's work click here.