First tree, just worked on it this week

With all the "first tree" talk lately, I thought I'd share mine. Many trees have met their demise at my hands, but oddly enough the first one is still with me from 1998.

Actually, I got this ficus "too little" in 94 as a house plant. Four years later I decided to get into bonsai, and so I put the two little twigs in a round blue pot. Voila! It was now a bonsai!


Some time later I decided to grow it over coral.

2002:


In early 2006 I cut it back and grafted a new leader on.


I also grafted on a lower branch:


This week I repotted it again:


I have a thread graft going to shorten the lower branch, obscured in the picture above. Here's a shot from behind:


And some admittedly unrealistic visions of the future:

Pootsie,
hi. its a very nice work, even the artwork is fantastic i love free hand drawings it really shows whats in your mind, and you wont forget it easily... i think your vision of your tree is very much achievable.
good luck.

regards,
jun

I recognize this was your first tree but you might get better success if you try with a Ficus microcarpa or F. nerifolia. Smaller leaves and better response to bonsai technique.

I noticed an interesting growth on the back roots. I had a F. Benjy that developed this and it soon spread throughout the tree. I ended up destroying the tree. Hope it is not a virus or bacterial infection in your tree.

jun wrote:Pootsie,
hi. its a very nice work, even the artwork is fantastic i love free hand drawings it really shows whats in your mind, and you wont forget it easily... i think your vision of your tree is very much achievable.
good luck.

regards,
jun

Thanks for the positive thoughts! The funny part is, I thought it was a bonsai in 1998 and now in 2010 I think it is a few years from being presentable. It's like time-travel!

Rob Kempinski wrote:I recognize this was your first tree but you might get better success if you try with a Ficus microcarpa or F. nerifolia. Smaller leaves and better response to bonsai technique.

Agreed, but this little fellow is still with me! I have a few nerifolia and microcarpa going right now.

Rob Kempinski wrote:
I noticed an interesting growth on the back roots. I had a F. Benjy that developed this and it soon spread throughout the tree. I ended up destroying the tree. Hope it is not a virus or bacterial infection in your tree.

This growth has been recurring for years and I keep removing it. You can see the scars in that pix. I, too, hope it does not spread. So far it has stayed in one spot and just keeps coming back.

I have wondered if removing the whole root might be for the best. Any ideas?

Thanks for looking out!

Great show of progression. I think your tree can come close to your idea. Looks good.

I have one F.benjaminia "Too Little" with that same type of growth. It seems to be some sort of gall. I should look into that.

Ed

EDIT ---

Found information on the ficus gall. Doesn't look good. I guess I should get rid of my infected tree to protect my healthy ones.

http://www.ehow.com/about_5100669_ficus-benjamina-tree-disease.html

EdMerc wrote:Great show of progression. I think your tree can come close to your idea. Looks good.

I have one F.benjaminia "Too Little" with that same type of growth. It seems to be some sort of gall. I should look into that.

Ed

EDIT ---

Found information on the ficus gall. Doesn't look good. I guess I should get rid of my infected tree to protect my healthy ones.

http://www.ehow.com/about_5100669_ficus-benjamina-tree-disease.html

That's what I did and mine was a very large F. Benjy.

YIPES!

I guess I'm going to take that root off and hope it hasn't spread (which it hasn't in about five years of recurring).

The pity about THAT root is that without it the clinging roots have no depth from my chosen front.
Looks Like I should graft another there.
At least my grafts have taken well so far.

pootsie wrote:YIPES!

I guess I'm going to take that root off and hope it hasn't spread (which it hasn't in about five years of recurring).

The pity about THAT root is that without it the clinging roots have no depth from my chosen front.
Looks Like I should graft another there.
At least my grafts have taken well so far.

Make sure you clean your tools with alcohol afterwards.
Good luck.

Does no one else see the dinosaur? Pictures 3-4???????

oh yeah... the stegasaurus. got a tapered neck. good for bonsai.