Ficus Burtt-davyi progress

This is a Ficus Burtt-davyi, current high 8 cm from rim of pot. The first picture was taken in August 2006 and the second today. The tree was kept in the same pot all the time with only one repotting. Notice how the trunk increased in girth even while it was in such a small pot. It still has some way to go in styling.

Jaco

Nice progression. But you need a better pot!!

Nice powerful little tree. Show us again in a season or two.

I wonder how the trunk increased in girth even while it was in such a small po t. And how It still has some way to go in styling

The trunk increased in girth because #1 it is a ficus and #2 it has been 3 years since the first photo. I love ficus as they are truly amazing trees and probably the best species for beginners. You can make them grow as quick as you want by putting them in a large container or restricting their growth by keeping them in a small pot. It is also amazing how well their leaves reduce in size. The advantage of keeping them in a small container is that you have plenty of time to decide how to style them and you do not have to work as hard to reduce the leaf size. This tree would look great in a shallower, oval bluish pot. Beautiful tree.

Thank you for the comments.

The increase in trunk girth is, apart from it being a fig, probably also because the pot was very large in comparison to the size of the tree, and fairly deep. The leafs of this particular Ficus specie reduces dramatically. I show a picture (from the top) of my tree and a cutting I made of the same specie. (I must admit that the cutting was grown in the shade up to now.)

I would like to achieve more ramifications in the tree and try to achieve some level of pads on it. Maybe not very distinct but more than just a silhouette as it is now.

I am looking for a more suitable pot to plant it into with the next repotting.

Regards.

Jaco,
Very nicely done and your future plans sound just right.
Keep up the good work.
Jerry
www.bonsaihunk.us

Jaco,

Nice little tree. Love to have one of those.

By the way, how did you manage to decrease leaf size? And how long did it take to achieve such small leaves?

Warren

Nice little tree Jaco, I don't have one of these but would think it worthwhile to look for good collectable specimens. Not sure of their range though, have you any idea?

Thank you for the comments

These are amazing trees as far as leaf reduction go. Once you start nipping out the growing tips the new leaves that grow are very small. You don’t actually have to do much, just nip and prune and the new leaves grow out small. With good ramification and lots of leaves the leaves can be as small as 4-5 mm.

They are indigenous to South Africa and mostly restricted to the south eastern areas of South Africa. I don’t know if they grow in other countries as well.

They are very easy to grow (like most figs) but can not take frost. They bud back very well on old wood. Trunks thicken up fast with the correct growing conditions. It is an ideal specie for beginners (like me) as they are very forgiving and like most figs are hard to kill.

Does anyone know where I can get my hands on a Ficus Burtt-davyi sapling? Thanks

Lazaro,
I bought a small one from Meehan's Miniatures, Maryland, USA. You could google the name and find their website. The other source is Durastone Nursery in Vero Beach, FL. Jim Smith is the owner and I believe he had something to do with bringing them to the US. He may have larger ones.
Geof

I'll second Geof's recommendation of Jim Smith's Dura-Stone nursery.

In my opinion, if you're East of the Mississippi and play with tropical bonsai, you have no excuse for not having visited Dura-Stone. Check that. If you're in North America and do tropical bonsai, you should visit Dura-Stone.

Enjoy!

PS: I was recently at Erik Wigert's nursery in N. Ft. Myers. I believe he had Burt-Davyii too. Another "must-see" nursery for tropicals.

I wish I could give you some Lazaro, but it is a bit difficult from South Africa. One thing I did not mention about the Burtt-davyi is that they are very easy to grow from cuttings. I hope you find some.

Lazaro Quintino wrote:Does anyone know where I can get my hands on a Ficus Burtt-davyi sapling? Thanks

I must concur with the statements about Dura Stone. My club did a field trip this summer and boy was I blown away. You should try to get your local club to do a FT too so you can possibly have a wholsale discount. Man o man what selection and prices!

Rob

Jaco, sorry for resurrecting an older thread, but I love this tree and I would really enjoy seeing an update after ~3 more years. I recently got my first Ficus burtt-davyi, and this tree is one of my inspirations.