Recently acquired willow leaf ficus

Snagged this one off eBay last week. Shipped in the cold from Florida to Indiana. Sent on a Monday and it arrived on a Thursday. It was packed in a bunch of styrofoam peanuts with no heating packets or anything, but it hasn't missed a beat so far. Yeah, I realize the base is weird and there is a big chunk of reverse taper where the aerial root was allowed to grow. I think it has character though. I'm gonna think about which side to use as a front. I kind of like seeing the space between the original base and that thickened aerial root. But looking at the pictures the side that disguises the hole and reverse taper probably looks the best.


Ficus salicifolia / nerifolia by Charles_Willis, on Flickr


Ficus salicifolia / nerifolia by Charles_Willis, on Flickr


Ficus salicifolia / nerifolia by Charles_Willis, on Flickr


Ficus salicifolia / nerifolia by Charles_Willis, on Flickr

Potential front?


Ficus salicifolia / nerifolia by Charles_Willis, on Flickr


Ficus salicifolia / nerifolia by Charles_Willis, on Flickr


It looks like it's planted in straight turface. I'm going to let it be for now. Eventually I will repot it into a better mix, probably pumice and lava rock 50/50 that a couple of my other willow leafs are in. They seem to like it quite a bit.

Any advice or opinions welcome.

I think this is a good candidate for a root over rock; with selective carving on the roots. Summer is the best time to do this ... which gives you time to find "the right rock".

I like th,e 4th pic as the front. if you can wire the large branch up right at the very top for a new apex.. then the small one could be a back branch..only my opion,,but then you would lose nothing.. maybe you could tie the base and let it fuse togather ??? nice tree show us what you deside.. take care john

Thanks, guys. I wanted to get it out of the turface it was planted in, so I decided that I would rather do it sooner than later. Upon repotting into half lava half pumice, I picked a new planting angle.


Ficus salicifolia / nerifolia new potting angle by Charles_Willis, on Flickr


Ficus salicifolia / nerifolia new potting angle by Charles_Willis, on Flickr

I think the semi cascade style is a good choice for this tree. Of course I still have the reverse taper bulge to deal with. I am thinking about cutting a piece out of it like a pie slice then cinching it back together with raffia or tape to heal back together. And I have that long piece of trunk that is pretty straight. That will eventually need cut back and grown back out I think.   

First of all, the name is Ficus salicaria 'Willow Leaf.'
Where do you keep it during the winter? My experience is that it likes fluorescent lights, right under the tube. Also, it likes a coarse mix (even in a very small pot) and half strength fertilizer.
Iris

bonsaisr wrote:First of all, the name is Ficus salicaria 'Willow Leaf.'
Where do you keep it during the winter? My experience is that it likes fluorescent lights, right under the tube. Also, it likes a coarse mix (even in a very small pot) and half strength fertilizer.
Iris

I'm aware of the botanical name. I'm fairly certain last time I posted one of my little ficus that you posted the name. I have a couple sets of four foot long T8 fluorescents in my basement that I've been keeping my tropicals under this winter. I think my mix before was too fine, but now have switched to a larger particle size. They grew, but I wouldn't consider them flourishing. In the warm months it will go outside with my other ficus. Once it starts growing strongly I plan on removing the excess growth that I don't need for the design.