Ficus in The cold north ( Denmark)

Hi everybody

This my 3 "ficus Natasha" trees. In 1989, I bought them as 3 small seedligs in one miniaturepot, in a supermarket. This was my very first trees. From the start I decided to train them in diffrent styles, just for the fun.
They have been in a bonsaipot allways. This is how they look now, they are between 25 and 32 cm. tall.
I keep them in a southwindow in the winter, and love to look at them when it is dark outside.

Very kind regards Yvonneficus_11.jpg" />04/ficus_10.jpg" />

Hi Yvonne.
Only saw one tree,the first two are missing,but the looks of it,nice ficus,i have a soft spots for ficus,love it,

a friend,
Alex

SORRY....I will try again

Excellent work. It is -- at least for me -- very difficult to develop aerial roots on a ficus outside of the tropics. Could you explain how you do it -- especially since these are not raised in a greenhouse?

I like the first one, especially.

Woah Yvonne,

!!!you dah woman !!!!

That is really impressive for indoor growing and up north.

Thanks for trying again.

My only suggestion would be, negative spaces for your branches and maybe fewer aerial roots. Would take away some of the bushy look.

And they are Natascha -- hey I have that variety - ha ha

Thanks very much for showing.
Guess I should take back up growing ficus.

Or is it the cooler atmosphere that is giving you such great results !
Until.
Khaimraj

Hi Jim Lewis and Khaimraj thanks for your reactions

The ficus has been kept in a Greenhouse every summer, when the temperature was about 38 degrees, I opened the doors.

This summer have I for the first time kept each tree in its own little seperate damp inviroment-house, wich has made the airroots grow much faster....This winter, will they for the first time be keept in theese houses indor in the south window, as it is so entertaining to see how they grow the airroots every day. But I will not know yet, how the trees will respond to this all winte.

Also have they every year, had a growlamp in the daytime, I will continue with this. The heather in the room, makes sure the temperature, does not drop below 18 degrees, and when the sun shines, is it nice hot.

What I think is important is, that the tree is not exposed to direct sun, but is allways kept under glass, as they weaken two times a year, when the leaves have to adapt to the new kind of light.

I used to have my trees standing ower a tray of water in the winter.

Maybe there are too many brand new airroots now, but I also think about how they will look as they fuse together. I will wait and see....From time to time, am I opening up the crownes, I will need to do this soon again.

My inglish is not that good, and I tent to use easy words. so, if some if my writing is not clear, then please ask again.

Very kind regards Yvonne

Yvonne,

perfectly understood. Once, again excellent work!

Thanks for showing and I just transplanted a Ficus Natasha to follow your example.

Thanks for the visual encouragement.
Khaimraj

I believe the correct spelling of this cultivar is 'Natasza,' the Russian version. It is commonly called 'Natasha.' It is a dwarf variety of the ubiquitous F. benjamina. In this country, if you are looking for a dwarf F. benjamina, you are more likely to find 'TooLittle' or 'Kiki.'
Those aerial roots are amazing. I think that in the US, if someone had the facilities to grow aerial roots, he would use one of the other Ficus species, like salicaria or microcarpa, which are probably harder to come by in Denmark.
Actually, I don't think the limiting factor there is temperature, since most of Denmark is in USDA Zone 8 (minimum temp. -12 to -7 C). The problem is more those long subarctic winter nights (shudder).
Incidentally, F. benjamina has nothing whatever to do with anyone named Benjamin. It is from an old Latin word for resin, because a resin was once extracted from its bark.
Iris

These are lovely! They look compact and aged.

Ms. iris,

I think on your side it is called Ficus Christine. Remember I said - think.
Stay well.
Khaimraj

*Thanks for the resin bit. Appreciated.

Good trees. Its nice to see someone close to me do that good with those trees.

Yvonne,
Your trees are quite wonderful. Keep up the great work and keep us posted on your efforts.
Warmest regards,
Jerry

Khaimraj Seepersad wrote:Ms. iris,

I think on your side it is called Ficus Christine. Remember I said - think.
Stay well.
Khaimraj

*Thanks for the resin bit. Appreciated.

There is no Ficus 'Christine.' We occasionally see 'Natasha,' or its sport, 'Wiandi.'
Iris

Yvonne Graubaek wrote:Hi everybody

This my 3 "ficus Natasha" trees. In 1989, I bought them as 3 small seedligs in one miniaturepot, in a supermarket. This was my very first trees. From the start I decided to train them in diffrent styles, just for the fun.
They have been in a bonsaipot allways. This is how they look now, they are between 25 and 32 cm. tall.
I keep them in a southwindow in the winter, and love to look at them when it is dark outside.

Yvonne, this is so fun, I did the exact same thing when I first got interested in bonsai! Only this was not more than 3,5 years ago. I'm not growing my Natashas as seriously as you are but your trees are encouraging and I'm really impressed with what you have done with them! Recently I gave up bonsai-ing mine and decided to keep them as houseplants but this post made me rethink that plan.

In my experience, the trunks fatten up slowly but the roots grow chunky in no-time. I can see how you worked around the root-problem in the first tree but how did you keep the roots in scale in tree 2 and 3?

I am happy to have inspired so many people...I look forward to see photos of results.

The trees has been kept in small pots all the time. The first pots was shallow shohinpots.
I transplant them every year, and never let one root become long and fat, as the trees grew bigger they had a new pot. I cut the roots very hard back every time, this way they can grow a lot in a small pot.

So, the roots is kept small... But the trees has been grown tall, and then cut hard back, many times. The trees has been grown as bonsai for many years. two or tree times have they had a extra restyle, and also tree or four times, have I taken the big cissor, and cut a new owerallshape of the crown.
On the "shokkan" can you still see, the tree had all brances, except the tree lowest, cut hard back this summer. This gives the tree more taper, and make the lower brances stronger. I do things like that all the times, whenever possible, to make the trees better.
Maybe I think, the roots and trunk, is not growing so fast any more, due to the airroots, they appear to take ower ( maybe)....So, make a good fat trunk, before you start up with airroots.

Kind regards Yvonne

Kind regards Yvonne

Hi Yvonne,

Nice meting you in China.

I like your ficus trees -they prove the adage "where there is a will there is a way."

Let see some of your other trees.

Rob Kempinski wrote:Hi Yvonne,

Nice meting you in China.

I like your ficus trees -they prove the adage "where there is a will there is a way."

Let see some of your other trees.

Hi Rob

And nice meeting you, you sometimes say very dry and funny things....
I can send a photo of one of my other trees,made the same way, at the same time...as you can see, there are some beginners faults, I need to correct. Maybe in 3 or 4 years will it be nice.
The tree is a "prunus communis" and had the seed attaced to the tiny trunk, as I took it out of the ground, way back then. The tree is now 31 cm tall, and 8 cm across the neabari.

Hi Yvonne,

Good job.
So nice to seeing that ficus can survive & happily in your country.

Yvonne,

thanks for posting the image of the Prunus c. Very effective technique, and very impressive tree. You may wish to keep them coming ....................................

Seriously though. Thanks again. I will be trying the root technique on some miserable ficus trees I have had for a long time. It would be interesting to see how they react to your technique.
Later.
Khaimraj

Hi Khaimraj

If the tree is long and no god. Would I make a airlayering instead...
Good luck.
Kind regards Yvonne

I like the Prunus, too. You are getting nice ramification, which isn't always easy on a Prunus species.

Understood and thank you very much, Yvonne.
Stay Well.
Khaimraj

Great ficus, Yvonne! Congratulations! Can you show us older photos of them?