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Hi Everybody, I've been caring for my Ficus Ginseng now for roughly 4 months. I bought it with this white powdery substance on the leaves thinking I could easily wash it off with some water and a fine cloth. However this was not the case, I cannot clean it from the leaves without injury to the tree.

If anybody could please advise me on how to remove it I would very much appreciate the advice.

Also, This is my first ÃûæÂÖ±²¥ and I have no experience so please leave some discussion on idea's of shaping this tree and how I should go about the design. I would like to keep growing the trunk outwards and thicker.

PICTURES:
Leaves with white substance:


Fresh leaves with no substance by the looks of things:


Approx. 2 weeks in my care:


Approx. 4 Weeks in my care, Freshly prunes and watered:

for the future, please post your pictures directly on the forum. That way, in the future, people can still see them.

You probably water them over the leaves, or you spray them a lot. Stop doing that. What you see is calcium carbonate, or schale. Nothing to worry aout. Just ugly.

The young leaves do not look too healthy. Check for pests (any small webs around?) or look into your watering scheme.

Note, what you have here is a regular houseplant, and has nothing to do with bonsai, even though commercial sellers like to label them as bonsai.

leatherback wrote:
Note, what you have here is a regular houseplant, and has nothing to do with bonsai, even though commercial sellers like to label them as bonsai.

What here takes this one away from bonsai?

SpencerM wrote:

leatherback wrote:
Note, what you have here is a regular houseplant, and has nothing to do with bonsai, even though commercial sellers like to label them as bonsai.

What here takes this one away from bonsai?

google for "ficus bonsai" and see for yourself..

what you have is often referred to as Ikea bonsai.. it's a 5€ houseplant..

Cronic wrote:
google for "ficus bonsai" and see for yourself..

what you have is often referred to as Ikea bonsai.. it's a 5€ houseplant..

Haha, I've had the basic "This isn't a bonsai this is a houseplant" instructional already! I was asking what specific characteristics of this particular plant make it so unsuitable for bonsai. It has thick roots above the ground, which I understand to be good, even if they aren't very pretty. The trunk is a straight but some are grown in that style, correct? It looks like the branches would need to be pruned and trained but based on the size, it seems like this one is still in the period where you would want it to grow before getting heavy into training.

I'm not trying to have the "Ikea says its a bonsai so it must be a bonsai argument."

SpencerM wrote: Haha, I've had the basic "This isn't a bonsai this is a houseplant" instructional already!

And you're posting on two forums, so you get twice the amount of answers!

I was asking what specific characteristics of this particular plant make it so unsuitable for bonsai. It has thick roots above the ground, which I understand to be good

Nope. These roots are not good. They are completely unnatural looking and very disproportionate.

A bonsai is supposed to be a realistic representation of a tree in nature. This plant does not even remotely look like a real tree.

even if they aren't very pretty.

Or, as some people might say: very ugly.

The trunk is a straight but some are grown in that style, correct?

Essentially, no. It isn't styled.

It looks like the branches would need to be pruned and trained

You can do that, but it will not improve the shape of the plant.

but based on the size, it seems like this one is still in the period where you would want it to grow before getting heavy into training.

Nope. This is what this plant was intended to look like. It is the finished (mass-) product.

I'm not trying to have the "Ikea says its a bonsai so it must be a bonsai argument."

It's what Ikea sells: a cheap mass product.

Thank you Auk.

Oh bummer...

Didn't you even read it ?



Wait... you did:

So helpful to see the differences side by side like that. Still so much to learn.

Then why ask the same question ?

Auk wrote: Wait... you did:

So helpful to see the differences side by side like that. Still so much to learn.

Then why ask the same question ?

Just to be annoying perhaps? So you would go into the discussion once again? Potential Troll Alert.