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Got a call from a friend Oct 31, 2004 about a ficus he wanted to give me. Bonsai had become something he had lost interest in and wanted to dump his collection. Got it home and gave it a good look over.

The tree was in a bad state of decline and quickly dying. It hadn't been repotted in years based on soil compaction and numerous dead limbs in the canopy. It looked as if it hadn't been fertilized in some time too. It was about 3 foot tall and 4 foot wide.

clickable thumbs
[url=https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/rjj/FRMK/a103104.jpg][img]https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/rjj/FRMK/th_a103104.jpg[/img][/url]
Immediately repotted in a different pot hoping to save it. Here it is April 12,2005.
[url=https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/rjj/FRMK/b41205.jpg][img]https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/rjj/FRMK/th_b41205.jpg[/img][/url]
It was now healthy enough for me to do something with. All winter I studied and fretted over the thin trunk and limbs with no branches until they were 12 inches or so away from the toothpick trunk.

Not a single person I knew thought I would go this far. Did this April 13,2005
[url=https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/rjj/FRMK/c41305.jpg][img]https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/rjj/FRMK/th_c41305.jpg[/img][/url]
Didn't want a completely bare trunk, so I left one branch to be the new apex.

Here it is today in a 18" water garden pot .
[url=https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/rjj/FRMK/d22407.jpg][img]https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/rjj/FRMK/th_d22407.jpg[/img][/url]
Last summer I did a thread graft for my primary branch. The lowest branch on the left.
[url=https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/rjj/FRMK/g22407.jpg][img]https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/rjj/FRMK/th_g22407.jpg[/img][/url]
Here from the back you can see where I got the branch from.
[url=https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/rjj/FRMK/e22407.jpg][img]https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/rjj/FRMK/th_e22407.jpg[/img][/url]
The apex is starting to heal nicely
[url=https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/rjj/FRMK/f22407.jpg][img]https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/rjj/FRMK/th_f22407.jpg[/img][/url]
I'll let the leader grow for a few years and chop again. Probably will do a few more thread grafts this summer also.

So do you guys think I'm a certified nut case like a couple of my friends?

randy

rjj wrote:
So do you guys think I'm a certified nut case like a couple of my friends?

randy

Yep, And I am loving it! [img]https://www.mainzelahr.de/smile/big/biggrin.gif[/img]

ynot

Randy,

Very inspiring, I hope some of our recent posters will view their own Ficus in a new light upon seeing this. Thanks for posting it.

Norm

Thanks guys.

I think having a much smaller canopy, say 24"-30" wide and about the same in height, will make the tree actually look bigger, more massive or masculine.

One person got very angry with me thinking I've ruined the tree. I don't see how. It had no potential and looked spindly and weak as it was. Five to ten years down the road it should be a quality tree.

randy

Randy,

Thank you for your posts. You seem very knowledgeable and your posts are very inspiring. From the looks of the backround in your pictures, it seems you have a large shelter of some kind to keep your trees in am I right? My guess is that black screen is to protect them from strong sunlight. Before I've never really been interested in ficuses but your posts have shown me that they are much better specimen than I previously thought.

I'm just as obssesed as you are and my mom laughs at how much time I spend researching and tending to my trees, so your not alone by any means.

Once again thank you for your posts and keep them coming I'm sure you have more to share .

Tom

constantstaticx3 wrote:Randy,

Thank you for your posts. You seem very knowledgeable and your posts are very inspiring. From the looks of the backround in your pictures, it seems you have a large shelter of some kind to keep your trees in am I right? My guess is that black screen is to protect them from strong sunlight.

Hi Tom

Yes, the screen is a shadecloth and it does two jobs, filter the sun and helps break a little of the wind we have.


I enjoy ficus. The Narrow leaf or Willow leaf may be my favorite.

Thanks for the nice comments.

randy

whoa! chop chop chop!! trigger happy, or should I say sisscor happy I am planning on doing something drastic to my ficus aswell. similiar to the vritual the ynot posted.

randy, you must keep this post updated I am very curious to see the result of this tree in the future

excellent post!

Dude... your work on this tree is intense. Pretty cool it can come back from that kind of pruning and thrive!