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When and how to prune Ficus Bonsai

13 years ago

Hi!

When is the best season for pruning ficus bonsai? autumn winter spring summer or anytime the plant needs remodeling?

And How should i do this? I heard i schould trim shoots back to three leafs, or should i trim the way that thplant will look best?

Thanx for the advice.

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Comments (4)

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
13 years ago
For hard pruning, the month previous to the plants most robust growth is good timing, as long as the plant is healthy & has good energy reserves. Minor pruning and touching up can be done any time, but the months with the greatest amount of light are the best times. Try to avoid pruning when you can in the late fall or during winter. The plant needs the photosynthesizing machinery (leaves) and will shed the leaves that aren't pulling their weight (those that are net users of energy as opposed to net producers).

For maximizing ramification, I usually wait until a branch has at least 4 leaves on it & then cut it back to 2 leaves. If you're growing under lights, you might wish to consider removing any lanky growth that may have occurred over winter when you move the plant outdoors in late spring early summer - when night temps are reliably above 50-55*.

Al
sjon
Original Author
13 years ago
I bought this plant yesterday. It seems to be in tip top condition. B.t.w. it is a ficus microcarpa. The plant has about twenty shoots with about an average of eight leaves on. So should i trim those shoots back to three leaves?
I am sorry but i am a beginner in the world of bonsai.
So thanx for replies!
GREETZZZ
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I agree, the tree on the left looks like a procumbens juniper and the other looks like a ficus. Seeing as you bought them from a store like home depot I would recommend checking the soil. Most retail stores like wal-mart, home depot, or target put a layer of glued together rocks on the surface of their bonsai to prevent the soil from dislodging during shipping. I would recommend chipping the plants out of that and possibly repotting it. Those plants are normally growing in high moisture retaining potting soil, not the usually granular bonsai soil that most of the trees prefer. As for the moss.... I usually tree-sit (or guard if you prefer) at area bonsai shows (mostly state fair and the recent MABA show in Milwaukee) and have personally seen beautiful trees overlooked for any award because of having too much moss, poor quality moss, or even moss on the trunk of the tree. I have also discussed with many people the various aesthetic and horticultural uses for moss. The moss in the photos looks like shade-grown moss which is too coarse looking for bonsai and there is way too much for the composition of these trees. I would recommend removing it for the simple fact that it's shaggy looking and will most likely harbor pests and fungus. It also very likely that the moss isn't growing on the soil surface, it was probably just placed there to prevent the tree from drying out in the store. You'd be better off grinding up dry moss and sprinkling it on the soil surface and have it grow on there from spores. If you are newer to bonsai I would recommend that you check out your local library and get some books on bonsai (there are many good ones out there) and join a local bonsai club if you can. Not only are bonsai clubs great places to expand your knowledge on bonsai through the knowledge of others, but most clubs will gladly help you out with your trees if you have any questions. My favorite part of club meetings is talking to fellow members about their trees and discussing ways to style and train them. Here is a link that might be useful: bonsai info at dallasbonsai
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Whatever you do, don't soak it in the sink, don't immerse it, and unless you're only watering your aralia once a month, I can't believe it's still alive either! Whoever told you to dunk plants/trees to water them is all wet :-). You water from above, like nature, just do it enough so it comes out the drain hole and you'll know all roots had a drink. Both your trees dislike being watered too often, though how often to do it will depend on how dry the top inch or so gets how quickly, and not knowing what soil mix you have, it's hard to say, but the mix should be fast draining - you don't want rotting roots. I absolutely suggest you read up on Ficus, Aralia and bonsai however - a good place to start would be "Bonsai4me.com - species guide near the top, then Ficus, because you can't treat them like house plants and bonsai is not something you learn in 3 easy steps... a lifetime is more like it! Yes you may reduce the leaves, but again, until you know more, do nothing. Don't water on schedule, but when a fair amount of soil has dried... watering a half sodden tree will kill it faster than anything. And water slowly - don't just dump a glass in there. And... all that stuff you've seen about pruning, etc... they should explain that when it's done it's done for a reason, not just because it's a 'bonsai'. Something else for you to investigate! Have fun. This post was edited by moochinka on Sun, Sep 28, 14 at 19:38
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What a grower perceives as a bonsai specimen changes as his/her abilities change and exposure to the world of bonsai increases. At the entry level, small tree liners in bonsai pots are considered bonsai specimens by the beginner. As you grow in the hobby, your view of the liner in a pot changes as it relates to the individual's view of what constitutes a bonsai, but it's my feeling that someone's more discerning view should never override a beginner's view of what constitutes a bonsai or discourage a beginner from the satisfaction of being able to say "I practice bonsai". The essence of bonsai centers on the use of techniques used to transform a living thing into art, into something that represents a thing we might find in nature and evoke the feeling that the tree has a story to tell. That might sound far fetched, but once you've stood in front of a world class bonsai composition, you'll understand how evocative a plant can be. Is there a way to make a small ficus cutting grow into a Bonsai? Yes, of course. All bonsai were once cuttings or seedlings or propagated in some way. Many of the world's very best bonsai were collected from the wild. Many growers try their hand at bonsai, few persist because they find it too difficult to keep their trees alive, let alone healthy enough that they'll withstand the regular maintenance work it takes to keep the trees small and compact. When I was first exposed to the trees displayed at a bonsai show, by accident, my immediate reaction wasn't "I want to know how to do that", it was, "I HAVE to know how to do that". I was that taken with the artistry. I urge anyone willing to make the effort to increase the amount of personal satisfaction to be had from interacting with plants to try bonsai, but know too that it's a commitment. It isn't something you just DO - you have to want to work at it so you can get to where you can count on your plants being around long enough to make something special of them. Al
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Your best bet would be to begin some research of the many of good web sites you'll easily find on the Internet. It's really a bit too complicated to answer on a forum like this. You'll be able to study lots of photographs, too, with a bit of web searching.
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
13 years ago
How you proceed depends on your goals. If you want a tree that looks like a little bonsai now, and if it's in good shape, as far as reserve energy, I can make some guesses. If the tree is to be grown in one of the upright styles, you can eliminate any branches you know aren't going to be a part of the immediate composition and prune the top 1/3 of the tree back hard. The middle of the tree can be wired so the branches begin a little upward movement, and only prune the lower branches lightly, but wire them down so they're fairly horizontal.

If you want a chubby trunk & plan on chopping it back - let it grow until next summer & only wire the branches you know you'll use in the composition.

There's really no way to tell if the generalities I offered fit your tree or not, w/o seeing a picture of it.
head_cutter
13 years ago
(different growing conditions) however, I have a small one which is just being messed-with as a cascade for the past few years. Al is right about the pruning, they respond to it well and ramification is pretty easy over a few years. I totally defoliate twice a year (you may be able to do once a season) and leaf size has been reduced quite a bit.

If you google it you will come up with a ton of images which may help with styling ideas for the future.

Bob

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