Ficus sur - not so common species used in bonsai.

When I started doing bonsai in 2009 I chopped everything:

Today I will probably not bother with starting material like this - but at that stage I had nothing else!

One valuable lesson I learned from this, was, if it is possible, to work of chops to buds:


In the above pic one can see the cambium rolling over and when it has closed, no bulging or taper problems will be seen.

Another experiment I tried, was to fuse branches coming from the same bud:


The experiment failed, only one branch fused:

Today I will not try fusing branches again, growing a branch the normal way is much faster!

This is the tree in November 2009:


I have repotted it in a shallower container. It should not have done that because the tree still had a long way to go. I repotted it again in 2012 into a bigger container:


From there I regularly defoliated the tree to get some twigs growing. The species normally back bud only to the last leaf - defoliating it I got at least two buds to pop(2012):


This is the tree today after been cut back and defoliated again:


I will have to discipline myself when the tree bud out again. The upper most bud will only be allowed to form one visible leaf before the growing tip is pinched. It seems that the species tips are very dominant and will prevent lower buds from growing out.

Will update in about a months time.

Any comments or advice welcome.

Lennard

Lennard,

I like it, and enough to want to work on it.

Why not get rid of all that bondage, and pot it in a very large container, grow out those branches aiming at proportion.
Let the trunk double or triple and use the rule of 2/3 first branch to the trunk, as a guide, going to the second branch as 1/2 to the trunk and so on.

Just use some simple grow and clip, for about 3 to 5 years, see what happens.
Until.
Khaimraj

* Root placement is like what ?

Hi Lennard

Another nice tree, I had to laugh when I saw the distribution map on FigWeb      


Why has the trunk lost that white sheen?

Khaimraj Seepersad wrote:
Why not get rid of all that bondage, and pot it in a very large container, grow out those branches aiming at proportion.
Let the trunk double or triple and use the rule of 2/3 first branch to the trunk, as a guide, going to the second branch as 1/2 to the trunk and so on.

Just use some simple grow and clip, for about 3 to 5 years, see what happens.

* Root placement is like what ?

Thanks for the reply.

I am not in a hurry to plant it in a bonsai pot soon. I would be an good idea to plant it in shallower but much wider pot for now - that will also help building the nebari.

The "mother tree" in the garden is more than 50 years old. When I compare this tree, with a Ficus sycomorus of the same age also growing here in the garden, I can not help to observe that this species does not form massive trunks and nebari, but they do grow upwards very fast.

You have probably noticed that the trunk barely thickened over this period. The best would be to let some sacrifice branches grow out, close to the nebari, to at least widen the nebari.

With time, and a bigger pot, the trunk will get thicker.

?

Lennard

GerhardGerber wrote:Hi Lennard

Another nice tree, I had to laugh when I saw the distribution map on FigWeb      
Why has the trunk lost that white sheen?

The tree is flaking now and that is why one see more green.

Rustenburg must have been part of the warmer regions many years ago. Our town is still protected from cold by the mountains.

There are still some isolated pockets where you get the same kind of terrestrial orchids growing as you will find in the warmer regions. I am also keeping secret an area where you find Baberton Daisy growing naturally.

Thanks for the kind words and reply.

Lennard

looking good flat top style Lennard.

regards,
jun  

Hi Lennard

There are still some isolated pockets where you get the same kind of terrestrial orchids growing as you will find in the warmer regions. I am also keeping secret an area where you find Baberton Daisy growing naturally.

Reading that made me want to explore the area, I can't even remember what it looks like.
After the Trans Kalahari road opened I stopped driving that route to JHB.

There's a part of the Angolan Highlands that extend over the border into Nam, after studying the Namibia Tree Atlas this area completely fascinated me, as all isolated pockets of vegetation do....   

Cheers
Gerhard

GerhardGerber wrote:
There's a part of the Angolan Highlands that extend over the border into Nam, after studying the Namibia Tree Atlas this area completely fascinated me, as all isolated pockets of vegetation do....   

You also have a few Ficus species growing in Namibia?

Lennard

Your tree is looking really good Lennard, I love it.  The thickness of the stem doesnt bother me ad all, so    Khaimraj, hihihihihi

Ficus species occur  all over Africa,  Ficus sycomorus also growns there! Can you believe it.  I think Namibie has about 15 different Ficus species, but almost all of them also grows in the rest of Africa.  I have seen Tickey creeper near Ais Ais clinging to the the sun baked .  When they old they actually pull away from the rocks standing on their own almost hovering, growing with the contours of the rocks.  Beautiful!

Love and light

Hello Andre',

and a Hihihihihihi HUH? to you -   

Actually, I discovered that who ever came up with the guide for 1" to 5" or 1" to 6" [ 2.5 cm to 12.5 or 15 cm ]
as trunk to height goes, had some horticultural reason for doing so.

Whenever, I get close to that set of proportions, it becomes easier to achieve very dense branchlets and with full sun naturally small leaves.
Probably due to large abundance of food supplied and nutrients made???
Later.
Khaimraj

Very nice progression Lennard. I like the tree.
I have one of this species with the same situation. A long straight trunk that I chopped back but probably not short enough.
Time will tell if I can make it into a bonsai.
Watching your progression closely.
Jerry

Dimensions of branches or trunk dont bother me also, it is really nice tree to watch.
Good job, Lennard!
P.S.: Seems like a branch is missing at right?   

Jerry Meislik wrote:Very nice progression Lennard. I like the tree.
I have one of this species with the same situation. A long straight trunk that I chopped back but probably not short enough.
Time will tell if I can make it into a bonsai.
Watching your progression closely.
Jerry

Thanks Jerry.

A lot of my trees I collected/bought, in the beginning, were just for the experience of doing the techniques I learned.

When it comes to the age of my trees, I am still a beginner.

But I have experienced that with time, even the worst material will mature into something - and that can happen overnight!

Thanks for the kind words - really appreciate it.

Lennard

Sakaki wrote:Dimensions of branches or trunk dont bother me also, it is really nice tree to watch.
Good job, Lennard!
P.S.: Seems like a branch is missing at right?   

Thanks.

The side where the branch is missing, is probably going to be the front in future.

The branch coming right at us, is going to be the first left side branch.

Lennard