Sara was suppose to be a gift for someone, but instead, barely survived an office environment. I came back from a long vacation to find all her leaves gone, and her branches dried. The person who purchased her said she was an expensive little thing and it was mine if I could save her. I took her home, loved her, and finally a sprig appeared. That was 2000.
I returned her to the place of purchase. A small budding nursery in Mississippi. It was recognized right off as a tree that was designed by an artist from Japan that visited the nursery when it first opened. The owner salvaged what he could, wired her up and then offered me contract work, taking photos of all of his bonsai collection for his website. During that work, I watched him nurse a 50 year old tree he had taken out of Montana. It had dead wood all along the base with one tuft of greenery flourishing at the top. Once healthy, he sold for a million to a man in Japan. A Japanese artist carved beautiful Asian relief into the dead wood. It sold again but for 3 million.
Sara has opened my eyes to the beauty of Bonsai.... Respect to those brave, patient, and calm enough to tackle the art.
She is a survivor and we need help to pull out her full potential. The soil has never been disturbed since I have had it. I have even returned to the original nursery, hoping to pay to have them re-pot and wire her, but they just gave me some advice about pinching leaves ( I fail at this!), sold me the best soil ever to top off the pot, and told me to fertilize.
Well, she is all top heavy. When I last visited and told them I had relocated to Florida, the cringed because growing conditions differ. There was some pruning done by them but this is the result. Long branches with top heavy canopy.
I do appreciate any advice, and direction. I Know I want to wire to help it look more like a tree but I don't want to mess this up... One day... I will carve Sara's face in the dead wood.
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picturesquefish
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Meet Sarah...
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- Sara, 30 yrs Golden Gate Ficus
Oh boy I'm going to upset somebody.
Picture, you have had this tree in your exclusive care since 2000?
You have picked out the old soil, and washed the roots out how many times? And replaced it with what exactly?
In top pruning, you pruned it back to its shortest & weakest terminal bud(s) when?.
Speaking only for myself. A deciduous tree not root pruned or repotted for 14 plus years will have a footprint of roots protruding out the bottom of the pot and may even have its root-ball lifted out of the pot by up to one inch.
Now I'm sure you love this tree. And I want the two of you to be happy together for the rest of your lives. But We need more science and less fiction. Among that how specifically you're are watering and where the tree now resides (as in a USDA zone at minimum).
Picture, you have had this tree in your exclusive care since 2000?
You have picked out the old soil, and washed the roots out how many times? And replaced it with what exactly?
In top pruning, you pruned it back to its shortest & weakest terminal bud(s) when?.
Speaking only for myself. A deciduous tree not root pruned or repotted for 14 plus years will have a footprint of roots protruding out the bottom of the pot and may even have its root-ball lifted out of the pot by up to one inch.
Now I'm sure you love this tree. And I want the two of you to be happy together for the rest of your lives. But We need more science and less fiction. Among that how specifically you're are watering and where the tree now resides (as in a USDA zone at minimum).
One a more compasionate note. I do think its ok to talk to your trees, and even to give them names. Yours looks to be a fig to my old eyes. Which was either propagated from a larger branch and-or severly chopped back at one time a few years back. The darker cut highlights a belly, that could be of either genesis.
The abscence of exposed roots makes a long habitation in a pot unlikely. Also the existance of darker material in the pot leaves little chance for a long residence equally speculative. Bark mulch decays. 14 years is an unnaturally long time to be in pot without breaking down. So, either its been repotted or its not as old as you were told.
That belly, the bulging place around a darker cut. Thats not usually concidered a beauty mark.
If he was my tree I would un-pot and comb out the old soil and replace that soil with either cactus soil or mix up my own dedicated bonsai soil of one part granite chicken (layer) grit, with one part sifted pine bark mulch with a pinch of osmocoat or other timed release fertilizer. I would carefully poke it back into root mass with a chop stick. I might check and replace the screen over drainage holes at repotting.
If he lived here in SE-OH in middle of May he would go out into sun and get watered daily after testing daily for dampness with that same chopstick.
Once a month I would chop branches back to a terminal leaf on the weakest and shortest branch untill I got a whole lot shorter tree and near to that bellied cut.
At some time, and I have waited years thinking about major cuts, I would chop below that belly, but I'd take my sweet old time getting there before making such a no-return cut. And I'd want a number of vigorously growing new branches up-and-growing before such a chop.
Three or four months of full sun and your figs leaves will be smaller, and there will be a heck of a lot more of them.
Now figs virtrue to nurserymen is their willingness to strike roots. Use your prunings to make more sara's.
The abscence of exposed roots makes a long habitation in a pot unlikely. Also the existance of darker material in the pot leaves little chance for a long residence equally speculative. Bark mulch decays. 14 years is an unnaturally long time to be in pot without breaking down. So, either its been repotted or its not as old as you were told.
That belly, the bulging place around a darker cut. Thats not usually concidered a beauty mark.
If he was my tree I would un-pot and comb out the old soil and replace that soil with either cactus soil or mix up my own dedicated bonsai soil of one part granite chicken (layer) grit, with one part sifted pine bark mulch with a pinch of osmocoat or other timed release fertilizer. I would carefully poke it back into root mass with a chop stick. I might check and replace the screen over drainage holes at repotting.
If he lived here in SE-OH in middle of May he would go out into sun and get watered daily after testing daily for dampness with that same chopstick.
Once a month I would chop branches back to a terminal leaf on the weakest and shortest branch untill I got a whole lot shorter tree and near to that bellied cut.
At some time, and I have waited years thinking about major cuts, I would chop below that belly, but I'd take my sweet old time getting there before making such a no-return cut. And I'd want a number of vigorously growing new branches up-and-growing before such a chop.
Three or four months of full sun and your figs leaves will be smaller, and there will be a heck of a lot more of them.
Now figs virtrue to nurserymen is their willingness to strike roots. Use your prunings to make more sara's.
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picturesquefish
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Never... lol... In the 14 years.
And HOW could anyone be offended by sharing knowledge?
Now mind you, I took it back to it's original nursery SEVERAL times within the 14 years, begging to pay for repotting and love. He snips a few limbs and we begin again. Well, 900 miles is too far for that.
I professionally photographed for the nursery in 2000 because of this mistreated tree, took classes at the nursery but not on this species (juniper), joined the Bonsai society and NO one ever wanted to touch it or re-pot it.
lol my own OCD was disturbed by this. 'Pruning' was the words they threw at me often.
It wasn't until YOU explained this process of pruning that my light bulb turned on. It has been 14 years afterall. I am humbly grateful. I will begin since it is in full bloom. Tampa, Florida guarantees tons of growing season.
The dark spot in the middle is when the original trunk was cut to save the tree and a tree cement was applied. Whatever the stuff is, it has petrified the wood beneath and around it. Nice hard dead wood great for carving. While at the nursery, I saw the same process for a bigger older tree. The nursery sold that tree to a person in Japan who had an artist carve a dragon on the dead trunk. Sold for Millions... I could only strive to respect this tree that much.
No roots grow out of the bottom, and since the photo she has tons of top heavy growth. Do you still think I should disturb the soil? The root on top has begun to protrude from the earth but I plan to moss that up for character. 25 years old.... I know it is unbelievable, but now I can make her look beautiful again.
I totally appreciate your reply. May you be blessed with tons of Green!
~Sincerely,
picturesquesfish
And HOW could anyone be offended by sharing knowledge?
Now mind you, I took it back to it's original nursery SEVERAL times within the 14 years, begging to pay for repotting and love. He snips a few limbs and we begin again. Well, 900 miles is too far for that.
I professionally photographed for the nursery in 2000 because of this mistreated tree, took classes at the nursery but not on this species (juniper), joined the Bonsai society and NO one ever wanted to touch it or re-pot it.
lol my own OCD was disturbed by this. 'Pruning' was the words they threw at me often.
It wasn't until YOU explained this process of pruning that my light bulb turned on. It has been 14 years afterall. I am humbly grateful. I will begin since it is in full bloom. Tampa, Florida guarantees tons of growing season.
The dark spot in the middle is when the original trunk was cut to save the tree and a tree cement was applied. Whatever the stuff is, it has petrified the wood beneath and around it. Nice hard dead wood great for carving. While at the nursery, I saw the same process for a bigger older tree. The nursery sold that tree to a person in Japan who had an artist carve a dragon on the dead trunk. Sold for Millions... I could only strive to respect this tree that much.
No roots grow out of the bottom, and since the photo she has tons of top heavy growth. Do you still think I should disturb the soil? The root on top has begun to protrude from the earth but I plan to moss that up for character. 25 years old.... I know it is unbelievable, but now I can make her look beautiful again.
I totally appreciate your reply. May you be blessed with tons of Green!
~Sincerely,
picturesquesfish