Ginseng Bonsai
I was gifted a bonsai tree from my husband to celebrate the news that we were expecting. I have always liked plants, but at the same time I know hardly anything about them. I have had the plant for approximately 2 yrs and I just now found that the rocks and stuff that are glued on top need to come off. aside from watering it and giving it sunlight I've hardly touched it.. I want it to live so that when my daughter is old enough I can pass it to her as it is very sentimental to me. Please give any advice on what steps I should take to ensure its survival. Thanks!
jescika,
Congratulations on keeping it alive for 2 years. You must be doing the watering right and giving the right conditions for it to last this long. Does it look as healthy as you 1st got it? A picture of it would help a lot. I was just at Ikea yesterday a saw some really good looking Ginseng bonsais for $15 I almost bought one.
Ficus Macrocarpas are not picky about the soil but it should get re potted every 2 to 3 years. You may find that it's root bound by now. I have a 15 year old ficus retusa in half regular garden soil and half bonsai mix and it does just fine. I fertilize it with half strength fertilizer and keep it outside from spring to fall and bring it indoors when temp. falls below 55 degrees.
These types of ficus are for beginners and as long as you give it stable conditions, it will do fine indoors.
Congratulations on keeping it alive for 2 years. You must be doing the watering right and giving the right conditions for it to last this long. Does it look as healthy as you 1st got it? A picture of it would help a lot. I was just at Ikea yesterday a saw some really good looking Ginseng bonsais for $15 I almost bought one.
Ficus Macrocarpas are not picky about the soil but it should get re potted every 2 to 3 years. You may find that it's root bound by now. I have a 15 year old ficus retusa in half regular garden soil and half bonsai mix and it does just fine. I fertilize it with half strength fertilizer and keep it outside from spring to fall and bring it indoors when temp. falls below 55 degrees.
These types of ficus are for beginners and as long as you give it stable conditions, it will do fine indoors.
Thanks for the congrats and your reply.. It does seem to be just as healthy as when I first got it, though the leaves seem a little dingy when I thought that they were shiny when they were new.. Is that normal? Otherwise it seems to be holding up pretty well considering that I have no idea what I'm doing. Can you tell me what you mean by root bound? Also, what size pot should I buy to put it in? Any other advice would be greatly appreciated. I do have some pictures that I would like to post, however I don't see a place that can allow me to do that.. If anyone can point me in the right direction I would be very grateful.
Congrats on the good news! My little girl just turned 9. It's a wonderful thing. 
As for your ficus, use a cotton ball and water to wash off the leaves, or just spray it with a squirt bottle to clean off the dust from the leaves. My wife has a leaf polish she uses on her Golden Pathos that get dusty.
Also, keep an eye on [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=27952]this other ficus thread[/url].
As for your ficus, use a cotton ball and water to wash off the leaves, or just spray it with a squirt bottle to clean off the dust from the leaves. My wife has a leaf polish she uses on her Golden Pathos that get dusty.
Also, keep an eye on [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=27952]this other ficus thread[/url].
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jescika,
Welcome to the forum. If you don't mind could you be a little more specific WRT your location? I Googled Danielsville and the first hits came back Georgia but there is also a Danielsville in PA.
Now is a good time to re-pot Ficus. A pot that is a little larger, not necessarily much deeper, is usually a good choice for younger material. Here are two threads that may be of interest.
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3724
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3422
Norm
Welcome to the forum. If you don't mind could you be a little more specific WRT your location? I Googled Danielsville and the first hits came back Georgia but there is also a Danielsville in PA.
Now is a good time to re-pot Ficus. A pot that is a little larger, not necessarily much deeper, is usually a good choice for younger material. Here are two threads that may be of interest.
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3724
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3422
Norm