Another Ficus Microcarpa "not the traditional taiwan style"..give your insight please

hello everyone,
i would like to share another design of my ficus microcarpa,give me your opinion,something to share to you,
regards,
alex
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Your tree is beautiful!. Since I can't see the total tree and pot, it is hard to tell of the pot is the right size to support this huge old tree. Perhaps a larger, more shallow pot would be better. Salut, Todd

hi todd,
its juzt a traing pot and your right about the size of the pot,thanks for sharing your thought,much appreciate it,
regards,
alex

I love the massive sub-branching and the view looking up into the tree. If you showed a photo and had pot hidden plus an outdoor background further away from tree, I bet any viewer could be convinced you took photo of very ancient tree(possibly oak) out in nature. Beautiful branching(definitely not a conifer..pads style) One suggestion: consider to prune some areas in canopy so you have more negative space. You could do this by varying different planes of foliage so that canopy supports 3 dimensional round appearance. That is a constant process for tree, inbetween periods of letting tree grow out and gain strength. Dustin Mann

Alex, on this side the Ficus trees, and there are many types, tend to form the overall shape you have, but with mini domes [ upside down bowls if you wish] all over. A little difficult to explain, easy to see if you know what it is. These shapes form the shadows [ valleys ] that give the trees motion. So even a big wide based triangle seems to be moving and alive.
[ speaking only about ficus trees in nature. ]

You can see the effect if you just watch a mature tree in the early morning or late evening, when the shadows are best.

This is what gives the greater illusion of tree.
[ I see the Chinese doing away with branches and leaves and working on the decorative shapes of the the trunk and roots.]

All that said, very fine specimen, and any suggestion I could make, would be to my personal preference.
Thanks for showing.
Khaimraj

*I found an interesting Ficus image from India, I will send it when I get time to a new topic for the group.

hello there friend,
any opinion and suggestion will treasured,
thanks,
regards,
alex

I like the tree very much. If we could see the tree defoliated I am thinking that all branches could be shortened back slightly and compact the overall image.
Thanks for sharing your tree.
Jerry
www.bonsaihunk.us

Jerry Meislik wrote:I like the tree very much. If we could see the tree defoliated I am thinking that all branches could be shortened back slightly and compact the overall image.
Thanks for sharing your tree.
Jerry
www.bonsaihunk.us

hi jerry.
will soon do that,still thickening its branches,will post it again in the near future,thanks for appreciating and sharing your ideas,
regards,
alex

Ogie,

Nice tree. Only one observation. The overall branching seems to be well positioned, but the thickness of the branches is too even.

As far as the traditional 'Taiwan Shape', there is not such thing. There are many forms of ficus training in Taiwan. Some are vine shaped, others in the shape of large mature trees. In recent years a deviation in form has been observed in ficus bonsai training. In order to emphasize the image of a large-mature tree, more detail is placed on the branches. About 15 to 20 years ago, most Taiwanese ficus bonsai were typically a huge trunk with stout-short branches. After observing old Jiao Shi Shu ( 教师树)(Teacher trees), the shapes began to evolve significantly. Proportion-wise, the trees displayed shorter trunks and a wider branch structure, very much like the trees they used as model/teachers. Below, a picture of the tree most Taiwanese use as inspiration for their Ficus bonsai.



Note the difference between trunk-to-branch ratio. Quite impressive. Also, the clouded profile of the crown is very beautiful.

A closer view of the branch structure.

Ah, you can see the multiple domes and the air around the lower branches.
Anyone who can do that with a under 3 foot tall, 3 foot wide Bonsai will be a genius, and if he/she can hold it for up to 3 years, exceptional.

Ficus, easy to grow, difficult to hold a design.

Love those surface roots in that image. Surface roots on my side often means - fall over in heavy breezes.

Thanks
is it Jose?

Below, another ficus. Not as beautiful as the previous one, but a good model for studying fine ramification and three-dimensional uneaven crowns. Also, not the difference between trunk girh and branch ratio. Almost 1-5, sometimes 1-7.

Khaimraj,

Ficus trees are always evolving. The reason the style and structure is difficult to manage resides in the fact that the bottom portion of the trees seems to grow faster than the top. Because of this, the artist has to race against their fast patters and device techiniques to keep the proportions in order. In fact, they are hard to manage and aren't as easy to shape as people think.

Kind regards,

Jose Luis

hi there jluis...thanks again for the picture,another inspiration for the books

Hi,

This is really a great ficus! like Dustin said, it really reminds one of an old oak tree with those twisted branches and the gnarly trunk with the knobs and bulges. Also thanks to Jose Luis for showing the inspirational ficus pictures!

sulrich wrote:Hi,

This is really a great ficus! like Dustin said, it really reminds one of an old oak tree with those twisted branches and the gnarly trunk with the knobs and bulges. Also thanks to Jose Luis for showing the inspirational ficus pictures!

Hello zulrich...thank you for the kind words,all of your comments will be part of this tree future design

Hi Ogie, your ficus is really very nice. How old is it? Thanx zen

hi there zen,
when i got it only the body shape is the only thing,no primary branches at all,,no apex development,root and some nodes,i had for ten years already,still a long way my friend to make it near to nature styling.thanks for your response,
regards

oh wow i just love it! its very old and has a great trunk!(thats a winner tree in training) I would only give my advice if I were to see a bigger picture of the tree and trunk and roots etc... however I do feel this tree with a simple rounded canopy and maybe a mixed glaze blue pot...chinese really can make ficus look great btw.HAHA! 你会讲说中文么？hehe

杰遨-jie wrote:oh wow i just love it! its very old and has a great trunk!(thats a winner tree in training) I would only give my advice if I were to see a bigger picture of the tree and trunk and roots etc... however I do feel this tree with a simple rounded canopy and maybe a mixed glaze blue pot...chinese really can make ficus look great btw.HAHA! 你会讲说中文么？hehe

thank you for your thought,
regards,
ogie...i think a little mandaring is ok,i understand

Is this do you speak Manadarin ?
你会讲说中文么?

just curious.
Khaimraj

Khaimraj,

Yes. You should answer 我只会说一点点

Kind regards,

Jose Luis

jrodriguez wrote:Khaimraj,

Yes. You should answer 我只会说一点点

Kind regards,

Jose Luis

you're my man,but i do speak fluently,born philippine chinese,hope to see...

Alex,

you have inspired me to pick back up a 12 inch [ 31 cm ] trunked, 18 inch [ 45 cm ] tall and maybe a bit wider, ficus Natasha [ Christine? where is Ms. Iris for clarification ?] which I back burnered for a long time. I also just noticed that the cut has lead to 2 inches of the back going down to the base to rot away and now the tree is cannibalising itself.

However it looks to be able to make a very good old tree having fallen and created a raft of some sort.
It's in a cut off bottom to 6 inch [ 15 cm ], of a 55 US gal plastic barrel and I think I have a large enough black mica mix Korean made pot to repot it in.
When I transplant it I will show the results, but expect a least 5 years of decent training.

Thanks Jose. I only speak the Queen's English and local dialect. Rite yuh ah mun.
Stay well.
Khaimraj

Khaimraj Seepersad wrote:Alex,

you have inspired me to pick back up a 12 inch [ 31 cm ] trunked, 18 inch [ 45 cm ] tall and maybe a bit wider, ficus Natasha [ Christine? where is Ms. Iris for clarification ?] which I back burnered for a long time. I also just noticed that the cut has lead to 2 inches of the back going down to the base to rot away and now the tree is cannibalising itself.

However it looks to be able to make a very good old tree having fallen and created a raft of some sort.
It's in a cut off bottom to 6 inch [ 15 cm ], of a 55 US gal plastic barrel and I think I have a large enough black mica mix Korean made pot to repot it in.
When I transplant it I will show the results, but expect a least 5 years of decent training.

Thanks Jose. I only speak the Queen's English and local dialect. Rite yuh ah mun.
Stay well.
Khaimraj

wow and good to know that,we learn from each other...you take care,GOD BLESS