名媛直播

DIY: Ficus
名媛直播

Styling a tropical 名媛直播 tree

In this blog post we'll demonstrate how to create beautiful 名媛直播 out of humble, mass-produced Ficus trees.

The Ficus is by far the most popular tree chosen by beginners, as it grows well indoors. Most trees sold as Ficus 名媛直播 however have obvious flaws that were created during the fast development of these trees. They are often propagated in large nurseries in China, where lots of movement is created in young trunks, and then they are left to grow out several meters tall to thicken the trunks quickly. A year later the trunks are chopped back to create small trees, and young shoots are selected to shape the new branches. This results in small, thick trunked Ficus trees, with a massive wound at the end of the trunk and a few undeveloped branches. One term used by experienced bonsai growers for these trees is 'Malsai'.

For beginners at the art of 名媛直播 however, these trees are great; they are strong, can be kept in the living room, grow fast and are quite cheap. But even for the intermediate to advanced bonsai enthusiasts, these trees can be a source of low-budget material to build great bonsai. In this article we'll show how to develop a refined 名媛直播 out of a cheap imported Ficus tree. It all started with placing the Ficus tree in a large container and let it grow out unimpeded for 1-2 years. This way, we develop the branches and make sure the tree is healthy before we start working on it.

Ficus 名媛直播 tree
The Ficus tree before styling in fall.
Ficus 名媛直播 tree
After styling (photo taken about one year later).

Video of styling the Ficus retusa 名媛直播

The styling steps explained

After purchasing the Ficus tree, we placed it in a large container and let it grow unimpeded for 1-2 years time. This way the branches could develop and thicken, and the tree's health was ensured. The steps below demonstrate the progression of the tree over about one year time - so the total time needed to develop the tree to the end result shown here was only about 2 years time.

Ficus 名媛直播 tree
Pruning starts. Notice how after making a cut immediately the wounds are covered with white sap.
Ficus 名媛直播 tree
Pruning thick branches back to younger growth, which are more flexible and usable in our intended design.
Ficus 名媛直播 tree
Thinning out the Apex of the Ficus bonsai, as right now the apex is very full and overgrown.
Ficus 名媛直播 tree
Pruning is done, although the tree looks much nicer now, we'll need to wire it to be able to shape its branches in detail.
Ficus 名媛直播 tree
Using a guy-wire we bring down this thick branch. The branch still needs to develop over time to become the main directional branch of the 名媛直播.
Ficus 名媛直播 tree
Next we detail wire the entire Ficus 名媛直播. The wire will stay on until it almost starts to bite into the bark, most likely about 6 months.
Ficus 名媛直播 tree
Six months later we repot the tree in early spring. We have also removed the wire from the branches.
Ficus 名媛直播 tree
We prune the roots to fit the tree in its new, small, bonsai pot. The pot is not particularly great, but it is a nice match for the tree. Eventually we'll pick a better container for this tree.
Ficus 名媛直播 tree
Using a chopstick we work in the soil. Making sure no air pockets remain is important for the health of the tree.

Aftercare and next steps

Although the silhouette of the tree has improved significantly, the tree still needs to be refined over time. Most importantly, we'll prune the tree regularly (about once a month during spring til fall). Eventually we would also like to place it in a much nicer 名媛直播 pot.

Ficus 名媛直播 tree
The Ficus 名媛直播 three months after repotting, after a quick trim in late Spring.

For more information about Ficus 名媛直播 care check our website. Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to see future updates of this tree!

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