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Hi! I'm from Hungary, middle aged man and I have always been interested in bonsai trees. Also I have bought some, but unfortunately none of them stayed alive for too long. I have decided to "create" my own bonsai inspired by youtube videos. I had a quite deformed ficus sycomorus bought last summer. I got the tools and created a bonsai of that. (See attacehd photo.)
My querstion to any experienced bonsai experts: What do you think of the result? Is it good enough as the first one? Any ideas to change, modify it?
My question to anyone having experiences or knowledge about Ficus sycomorus: Why does it have very few leaves, not nice colour, leaves getting yellow and fall regularly and very quickly after appearing?
Thank you for your answers in advance!

That looks better than my first try. But a lot of improvement potential.

Windswept is one of the hardest styles to make look natural. If you stay in the hobby for a few years, I am sure you will laugh at this picture in a few years. But its a keeper, everyone that still has their first tree and continues to develop it has my respect.

I write from Portugal. Like all Mediterranean ficus Portugal and Spain ... (ficus carica) or North Africa - Egypt ... (ficus sycomorus) they need a lot of light (direct sun) and some heat. It is normal to lose leaves if there is a cold and wet season and a dry dry season, but they cannot be intermittently creating and losing leaf, it must be lack of light and heat, or thermal fluctuation peaks (there cannot be excess water - only wet soil). I¡¯m looking for a ficus sycomorus mine dried up years ago. Are there any websites or nurseries that sell it online?
Regards
Abilio

Thanks for your answer. Actually I bought it a year ago in a so called "botanic garden" for about € 4 in Hungary just to take home something from there. I have never checked it online but I suppose you can find somewhere.
It is rather interesting you wrote about its requirements, as during summer it was outside, quite a lot of leaves and I left it outside until late autumn, early winter nearly the first minuses. Then I put it into a cool, not very light place, unfortunately I forgot to water it sometimes but still looked ok. Now I put it into my new office a some weeks ago, started bringing new leaves but also they started to fall, although it is a warm, light office and I water it regulalry. That was the point when I decided to turn it into a bonsai, just for "fun". So I really do not understand what is happening with it, I will see in a few weeks.

Attention to excess water and lack of sufficient light. In Egypt, etc. these trees grow on the banks of rivers and streams or areas where the cool sheet is almost superficial but receives a lot of light and especially heat on the surface. Here in Europe it is not possible you have to compensate with more light and less water. I've done a lot of searching online and I can't find Sycomorus only the Carica of these I still have adult trees.

I see, THX! I will take extra care on water and light then (as much as I can in this climate). If you think I can check if they still sell Sycomorus where I bought it (just a few phone calls). If yes, I can arrange you one somehow I am sure. I will come back soon.

Ok. PZsolt thank you very much. I will pay the costs.

A suggestion: when you put it in the sun and on hot days, put a plate under the vase and put some water on the plate only when it has already evaporated. Instead of watering the substrate over the top it will simulate a little the habitat of streams like in Egypt, Ethiopia etc.

I have checked the botanic garden but unfortunately they are closed because of COVID and they couldn't tell me if they have this plant in the near future as it is not their main activity to breed and sell plants, it was pobably just a left one that they did not need at that time and they sold it. Nevetherless I wil try to cut one or two sprouts and make it root for you. For similar plants it is suggested to do in June-July the soonest, so I will try that and if it succesful, we can go on with it, if it is ok for you.

Ok. Thank you.For Ficus carica it is easy to take root, for Sycomorus it is a little more difficult I think I have read somewhere that they in Africa use pruning of thick logs buried deeply in "sand", here we have no material or climate for that.