Golden Gate Ficus

Hi!

I picked up a small Ficus 'Golden Gate' from a nursery near where I live. Is this a microcapa? Anyway, I thought the trunkline got un-interesting after the first branch on the trunk. So, today I chopped it above that branch. I really wanted to post this because there is currently a heated debate in another post about whether or not un-finished trees should be posted for everyone to see. This is probably years from being finished, but I thought I would post it anway. Here are the before and after pics.

Before:


After (top):


After (leftover branch wired into new leader):


This has been placed into a high humidity, bright greenhouse to fully recover. Full sun would be fine correct? Well, maybe not full sun as there is condensation on the glass. Comments, etc. always welcome.


Ryan

Ryan,
The best time to perform major pruning on tropicals is during the Summer; their active growing season. Since you have already pruned most of the tree, be careful not to over water it and don't root prune it until next Spring at the earliest. Otherwise, just watch it grow. It should survive the drastic pruning.
Best,
Todd

Yes, 'Golden Gate' is a cultivar of F. microcarpa. Hope it survives, but being in a greenhouse will help. Do you have a fluorescent light available?
Iris

bonsaisr wrote:Yes, 'Golden Gate' is a cultivar of F. microcarpa. Hope it survives, but being in a greenhouse will help. Do you have a fluorescent light available?
Iris

There is an incredible amount of humidity in the tank, so we'll see. I do have a fluorescent light available, but I figured it would be placed too high above the tree for it to matter. The walls of the tank are pretty high, so I assumed it wouldn't work. Moving it into the tank itself would not be the best, the humidity would destroy the light.

Well this tree survived and sprouted back everywhere. Here are some updated shots:

Dear ryan

Your little ficus looks healthy
Placing the tree in the pot like shown on the picture was good, but, if you had waitet a year, or preferably more with cutting off the rest of the tree. You would have had a better taper.

Kind regards Yvonne

Well, it looks healthy, but there's still a long ways to go. I think Ryan has yet to learn patience. <g> The chop would better have waited until next year.

Thank you both.

I know it will take many more years, but it's at least a start. I have learned patience after doing this for over 2 years, but I guess I just did not see what waiting a year would do for the taper. Oh well. Time to just sit back and watch it grow.

Hi Ryan,

I'd say take it out of the Bonsai pot and place it in a growth pot. Something that is deeper and leave it for a couple of years. That way you'll have to be less patient The growth would be much faster in a growth pot. Guess it's obvious isn't it?? Once there is sufficient growth of both the branches and the trunk girth, then you can take it out and put it back into a bonsai pot...

Ravi

Ravi Kiran wrote:Hi Ryan,

I'd say take it out of the Bonsai pot and place it in a growth pot. Something that is deeper and leave it for a couple of years. That way you'll have to be less patient The growth would be much faster in a growth pot. Guess it's obvious isn't it?? Once there is sufficient growth of both the branches and the trunk girth, then you can take it out and put it back into a bonsai pot...

Ravi

Hi Ravi, thank you for the reply. I guess I should have posted a better picture. The tree is actually in a decent sized growth pot, and all this growth has really just started about a week ago. It has been growing like a weed ever since:

It might do a bot better, Ryan, if it were planted in a shallower pot about half again that diameter. That way, roots would begin to learn that they should spread, not go down.

JimLewis wrote:It might do a bot better, Ryan, if it were planted in a shallower pot about half again that diameter. That way, roots would begin to learn that they should spread, not go down.

Never thought about that Jim, great idea, thank you.

If you don't have an extra large bonsai pot handy, go to the nearest garden center & ask for a bulb pan. A bulb pan is half the height of its diameter, & what we use for pre-training bonsai. Sometimes garden centers don't stock them, but if you inquire, they can spare a used one. Just sterilize it in bleach solution.
Iris

bonsaisr wrote:If you don't have an extra large bonsai pot handy, go to the nearest garden center & ask for a bulb pan. A bulb pan is half the height of its diameter, & what we use for pre-training bonsai. Sometimes garden centers don't stock them, but if you inquire, they can spare a used one. Just sterilize it in bleach solution.
Iris

Interesting Iris, I will look into that, thank you.