Hello!
I tried to comb the forum for an answer already but most posts seem to be a little too specific to the authors. I just got a ficus and had a few general questions. Most things I've read on watering suggest feeling the soil for when it feels dry, but mine has a layer of rock that is impossible to get under without breaking it out, water is able to get in but not my hands.
My tree also seems to have gone a while in the greenhouse I bought it from without being pruned, there are wild branches and a lot of roots coming out of the trunk and finding their way down, is there a specific time I should be pruning or can I do this whenever?
There is some white build up on the top of the leaves that I'm assuming is calcium or salt left behind from some water, do I need to make a point to keep this from accumulating?
Will appreciate any tips, thanks!
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Rydemaster33
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Gnome
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Rydemaster33,
Hello and welcome. You hit upon one of the worst aspects of commercially prepared bonsai, the glued on top-dressing. It should be removed ASAP for the very reason yo mentioned and others as well. I've never been forced to remove them but try a screwdriver and/or a pair of pliers.
No hurry to prune anything although Ficus can be pruned at nearly any time especially if they are growing well. The White film is very likely hard water stains as you surmised. Mine get this if I mist them and they never seemed to mind.
Norm
Hello and welcome. You hit upon one of the worst aspects of commercially prepared bonsai, the glued on top-dressing. It should be removed ASAP for the very reason yo mentioned and others as well. I've never been forced to remove them but try a screwdriver and/or a pair of pliers.
No hurry to prune anything although Ficus can be pruned at nearly any time especially if they are growing well. The White film is very likely hard water stains as you surmised. Mine get this if I mist them and they never seemed to mind.
Norm
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Rydemaster33
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- Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2010 10:08 pm
Thank you for the reply! Just a few more questions=) I started to remove the top layer, but it's rather thick and if I take it all out the trunk will be around 3/4 to one inch above the soil, and I'd have no clue what kind of soil to replace it with as I have no idea what's in there.
As far as pruning, how much of a branch do I remove? I'm getting branches that are much paler green and the leave seem to be much larger than the rest of the plant.
There is a bit of moss surrounding the base of the trunk, is this aesthetic or something I should keep? if I remove the rock top layer it will be hanging off the tree.
Thanks again!
Edit: Are there any other disadvantages to commercially prepared bonsai? My plant was rather expensive and worry if it's doomed to struggle
. If you're willing I'd like to post a picture soon and get an assessment on my plant! 
I'm really happy to have found this forum, very cool of you all to help!
As far as pruning, how much of a branch do I remove? I'm getting branches that are much paler green and the leave seem to be much larger than the rest of the plant.
There is a bit of moss surrounding the base of the trunk, is this aesthetic or something I should keep? if I remove the rock top layer it will be hanging off the tree.
Thanks again!
Edit: Are there any other disadvantages to commercially prepared bonsai? My plant was rather expensive and worry if it's doomed to struggle
. If you're willing I'd like to post a picture soon and get an assessment on my plant! I'm really happy to have found this forum, very cool of you all to help!You should try to fill the extra space with some type of free-draining material. I personally use coarse mulch for my ficus, because they are pretty tolerant of moist growing medium, but there are lots of options. Is the soil underneath is a dense, peaty, soil mixture? If so you should probably eventually replace that with something more free draining, but I wouldn't advise doing it before the plant has really had time to get used to its new location. Like I said, ficuses will tolerate more wet soil mixtures.
As for the pale branches, that's just the way new growth comes in on these plants (I actually kind of like it because I can see where the tree is focusing its energy), but they will green up as they mature. The size of the leaves is probably just the plant trying to grab some more light. How much light is it getting? If it is getting adequate light then there are ways to reduce leaf size, but again I wouldn't advise that until the plant has had some time to adjust.
Ficuses are strong growers, and you can prune them pretty much any time, and at any point on the branch. When you prune a branch, it will put more effort into any buds that are left and you will get a new branch at that point. This is useful for keeping the foliage compact. You can even get the same effect by just pinching off the bud on the end of a branch.
My advice is to give the tree a week or two to just hang out and get used to its new environment, replace the lost soil, make sure its getting enough light, and get a feel for how often it needs to be watered. After that if there are no problems you can pretty much go crazy, because these trees can take a lot of abuse. The only two things they don't handle well are:
1. cold air or drafts, anything under about 60 should be avoided
2. changes in location. pick a good spot and stick with it. If you have to move it, say moving it from outside to inside, do it gradually. It takes me about a week in the fall to move my ficus from the outside to the inside.
I would love to see your tree. If you need any help posting them just read this thread, it should give you all the info.
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3724
As for the pale branches, that's just the way new growth comes in on these plants (I actually kind of like it because I can see where the tree is focusing its energy), but they will green up as they mature. The size of the leaves is probably just the plant trying to grab some more light. How much light is it getting? If it is getting adequate light then there are ways to reduce leaf size, but again I wouldn't advise that until the plant has had some time to adjust.
Ficuses are strong growers, and you can prune them pretty much any time, and at any point on the branch. When you prune a branch, it will put more effort into any buds that are left and you will get a new branch at that point. This is useful for keeping the foliage compact. You can even get the same effect by just pinching off the bud on the end of a branch.
My advice is to give the tree a week or two to just hang out and get used to its new environment, replace the lost soil, make sure its getting enough light, and get a feel for how often it needs to be watered. After that if there are no problems you can pretty much go crazy, because these trees can take a lot of abuse. The only two things they don't handle well are:
1. cold air or drafts, anything under about 60 should be avoided
2. changes in location. pick a good spot and stick with it. If you have to move it, say moving it from outside to inside, do it gradually. It takes me about a week in the fall to move my ficus from the outside to the inside.
I would love to see your tree. If you need any help posting them just read this thread, it should give you all the info.
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3724
I love ficus. There indestructible and a great tree for a beginner. I have a few threads here regarding mine. Please, post up a picture so we can see what we're working with.
[url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=21858]Defoliating a Ficus[/url]
[url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=20584&highlight=]Had some fun with a ficus[/url]
[url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=21858]Defoliating a Ficus[/url]
[url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=20584&highlight=]Had some fun with a ficus[/url]