and then disaster struck...

something wicked this way came last nite and wiped out my willow leaf ficus
(and it was pouring when i left for work, so i didnt notice until i got home):



either way i was going to repot it this year, but i wanted to go back into the same pot that i made, but thats not happening...
i also wanted to get rid of the fat tubular ugly root at the base, but wanted to wait until summer...
that too isnt happening... (good thing its hot and humid out as i understand that to be the time to work on tropicals... i hope)

its obvious what root i mean:



but it was a beast to remove without damaging the surrounding roots





but, better now with that root gone:





now i get to sit back.........................

and watch her drop all her leaves   
and try not to panic

any other upper midwest (north america) damage from the storms ?
(more stroms tonite)

kevin

Sorry for your ficus...but ficus is tough tree I think(and hope) your tree will recover soon.
FWIW, keep the tree in the garage for a week or so, avoid wind and give water less than usual.
To get the tree out from the garage, choose warm sunny day and get it used to outside gradually.
This is what I heard from a professional for taking care of wounded bonsai.

I too like your ficus without that fat root 

thanks nekotoban !

i did know about keeping the tree sheltered from direct sun, wind etc, but not the watering less !

he is sheltered, but we have much rain coming, so i will get him back in the garage for a bit.

thanks again !!!
kevin

p.s. i still get a kick out of being able to receive comments and advice from people on the other side of the globe !

here in the US, it seems every generation has a nickname (the ME generation, generation X, the baby boomers, etc etc)
and i have begun to call the current generation "the Sci-Fi Gen" because it seems like we are living in one of the old
science fiction movies of my youth in the 60s and 70s   

Don't worry it will live. I sure would have planted it deeper though in order to start some ground layering. I would start replacing all of those fat roots with finer rootage.

hey man - great screen name !

my only worry is that these willow leafs can be finicky, so i am pretty sure she will drop her leaves, but not seriously worried about survival...
plus she is a "rescue" from an elderly ex-member of the local club, so i am extra fond of her and would hate to be the one to lose her...

she has quite a good amount of fine roots, so not much worry there and the exposed roots were part of the design plan from when i first got her.

now - onto your avatar... it looks like an icy water/shore shot with a breaking wave in the background...
so i looked at your profile and looks like you are a surfer too ?

kevin

I am a surfer although I get the chance to go less and less these days. The pic was from my surf trip to Lake Erie more than a few Thanksgivings ago. The waves would crash and spray up on to the marina where it would then freeze in to some interesting formations. It also happened to be where the waves were best because they dredge to keep the marina passible during the boating season, so there was a nice steep bank for the waves to crash on.

gonna take this to the PMs   

For Wisconsin "Ficus Season" has begun, it is safe to do major work now. Don't bother protecting it from sun, now is a good time to do a total defoliation, root prune and styling, then set it out in full sun and sit back and wait. 2 weeks and you will see new buds and leaves everywhere. In shade the back budding won't be as dramatic. Work it baby....work it hard.

with the past couple days of weather and what is in store,
i have to ask: "what is full sun" ?   

beer city snake wrote:with the past couple days of weather and what is in store,
i have to ask: "what is full sun" ?   

Hihihih I think we are sitting in the same boat...... floating away....

For the first time in my life I saw black bamboo culms snap in the wind...they fell right in between all my mame and shohin bonsai, without moving one pot.....  

Love and light

very lucky indeed my friend !

meanwhile, i can attribute mine to either laziness (which anyone who knows me would contest),
or stupidity (which anyone who knows me would contest a bit less),
but i have "pot locks" which inconspicuously secure a bonsai pot to the bench...

but they only work if they are actually installed and not left to sit on the bench   
they should have been more specific about that in the instructions.

haha hahahha hah you are funny again this morning Kevin.

I know the stupid thing about securing...will one never learn....

Last years storm....

   

beer city snake wrote:with the past couple days of weather and what is in store,
i have to ask: "what is full sun" ?   

It is that time of year when you see all the white sky change colour, and it turns a shade of blue. One very bright circle in the sky then works like a giant bulb. THat bulb we call sun.

In the Netherlands it is expected to come out on July 33 between 2 and 3PM this year

 

    

Kevin,

Ever thought of taking every thing off except that first branch? Would make a lovely trunk line. Literati ficus . . . . . who woulda thought!

Cheers,

Andrew

PS: from the other other side of the world!  

hey andrew from the other side of the world !!!
do you know andre from that same part of the other side of this same world ???
he's in our little collective... small world !!! no matter what side of it you are on !

anyways, no i had not thought of that, but considering it's origin and how it came to me,
i would just like to retain (a refined version of) the original design when it was handed to me...
... by somebod'ys grandmother  




oh, yeah...

and keep it alive.   

Don't know Andre personally, no, but I suspect I'll meet him one day. Time will tell.

Cool - no worries. Have fun with the tree.

"fun" being the operative word !

take care
kevin