Ficus Fusion

[luigonz]

Here is a little Ficus macrocarpa I found at the local grocery store.
I am attempting to take this assortment of trunks and make two fused trunks.

I've seen the thread with the Ficus b. fused from 5 to 1, so I guess I'll try with a my macrocarpa.

[img]https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_i9XEkrvkzPk/TFoImn2TMEI/AAAAAAAAA8I/1W91D9qvZEM/s1600/DSC08278.JPG[/img]
pre-dismantlement.

[img]https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_i9XEkrvkzPk/TFoImMJRf0I/AAAAAAAAA8A/-bfHcSOOy_Q/s1600/DSC08279.JPG[/img]

tree #1 which consists of three of the larger trunks.
the sloppy wiring is temporary, I need to invest in descent wiring.

[img]https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_i9XEkrvkzPk/TFoIl-kUQTI/AAAAAAAAA74/oFIaj7x0XwE/s1600/DSC08282.JPG[/img]

tree #2, most of the foliage was left on the tree to speed up recovery.
although I'm not sure whether I should prune heavily yet.
I couldn't avoid having barred branches with this tree. I think might lower the first branch on the left, once it gets more established.

Perhaps I'll wait until spring of this year to heavily prune back these two trees.

suggestions are welcomed.

[linlaoboo]

luigonz,

I enjoyed looking at your project. Thanks for sharing. It inspires me to attempt it if they sell this type of trees around where I live. I have ficus retusa and golden gates which I have put through trunk fusion. I also have a green island starter that looks more like your ficus m except the leaves are more round. I agree you should let it grow out a bit before doing any heavy pruning. Letting everything grow will help the trunks fatten and fuse quicker. After sometime you can prune more of the top growth so it will be more in scale like a real tree with the right taper.

[moulman]

If you want these to fuse, do NOT prune at all. Let them grow wild, they will fuse much faster that way. Don't prune anything until they have formed one trunk. I say this from experience, as I have done this several times.

Expect at least 18 - 36 months before full fusion. Prune, and you can double that.

[luigonz]

hey guys thanks for the advice!

I will wait and let them grow

[luigonz]

some back budding on tree #1
[img]https://img26.imageshack.us/img26/2670/dsc02906jh.jpg[/img]

[img]https://img715.imageshack.us/img715/2500/dsc02905g.jpg[/img]
view of tree #1

this is a follow up of tree #1, unfortunately one of the trunks I was trying to fuse has died.

So overall there is one live trunk in each container. I might try and combine the two live trees into one container( with the dead trunks) this summer.

Any suggestions on when I should attempt this repotting,I've read on a few sites that ficus should be repotted in the spring.

currently I am in central texas.

[JTred]

I really like the second one. Did you scrape down to the cambrium layers? I have never done any grafting and I don't know how necessary that is.

[Victrinia Ridgeway]

I really like the second one. Did you scrape down to the cambrium layers? I have never done any grafting and I don't know how necessary that is.

Trees will fuse by contact alone... but it takes a very long time. The easiest and most effective thing to do is remove the bark and carefully match your seams together.

V

[luigonz]

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here is tree #2, combining tree 1 and 2 might be harder than I think. the last time I tried to wire more than 1 trunk together a few of the smaller trunks died off. I think combining will provide the quickest increase of girth on the final composition.

[bonsaiboy]

Careful with that wire. If left on for too long it can cause scaring. Ficuses are especially prone to this because they can thicken up rather quickly.

[TomM]

I agree with bonsaiboy and Victrinia (in the Crape Myrtle thread). Wire wound too tightly could ruin your project. Ficus will swell so quickly in the growing season that the wires will cut into the tender new growth.

I hate to have you rewire again so soon. Carefully cut the old wire off. Consider getting some green floral tape. Wrap it around the trunks before applying your new wire. Wire less firmly and use only a 45 degree angle for the wire. This extra padding should help.

[luigonz]

I decided to combine the two pots into one tree. here are a few shots of the tree as it exist now. I have loosed the wires keeping the 4 trunks together. and have employed some guy wires to keep the growth from rising.
I plan on leaving this tree alone for about a year or so then try to style it.

I'm not sure why the leaves are turning yellow, I just repotted it and gave it a 15 30 15 slow release grain fertilizer.

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