Tigerbark Ficus
Ficus come in a variety of shapes, sizes and styles. Very easy to find in garden centres and a popular indoor tree. I have found them difficult to kill. They root well from cuttings and enjoy having a good ‘hard’ branch prune…
And don’t worry about all that white sap. It dries quickly to seal any cut wounds…though it is not so easy to remove from a new shirt 🙁
The key issue for potential owners is the minimum temperature of 15C. Apart from that, they don’t mind low levels of light and absolutely thrive once the growing season starts and they get to see regular sunlight.
| Position | Pruning / Repot | Feeding / Water | My Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
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I keep the trees outside till the temperature starts dropping to 15C as they thrive in the summer weather. Once inside I keep them close to well lit areas to keep them growing. In low light they become fairly dormant.
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Repot: Every 1 to 2 years in spring, using a a peat based soil mix. They put out lots of new root growth if healthy.
Pruning: Like the chinese elm they grow quickly. Cut back to 3 or 4 leaves once a branch grows beyond 8. Only leave if you are branch thickening. They are tolerant to heavy pruning and bud readily from below cut sites. They bleed a white sap - DONT WORRY. It is just a little messy!! |
Water: I check the soil and try to maintain a moist level. They do come from rainforests so are fairly water tolerant. If your house is hot then feel free to mist for humidity levels. Feeding: Throughout the growing season using solid pellets. Nothing in winter or if sick. |
Wiring: Can be carried out best on green branches as they harden quickly. Look out for branch thickening and wire scarring. Propagation: These are the easiest tree to take cuttings bith branch and root anytime. They are also suitable for air-layer. |
Pruning and Defoliating my Ficus Bonsai
Today I challenge myself to leave the wire in the caddy and start developing my Tigerbark Ficus using ‘clip and grow’ techniques. A full defoliation and increasing ‘sun glare’ are just a few of the highlights of pruning like Nigel
Making a Root-on-Rock Bonsai
Root-over-rock bonsai this time of year? “Why not”, I shout back, having just enjoyed a great video from Mexico @bonsaijardin4744 My Tigerbark Ficus cuttings are thriving indoors and seem just the thing to experiment on as the dark nights close in on Grantham.
This large Ficus has been in my collection for about 3 years and has had extensive root pruning and branch reduction (Subject of a blog post). In late 2018 I noticed it and many of its ‘siblings’ had encouraged a growing population of greenfly. Unchecked these bugs can cause massive damge to the foliage and lead to death of the bonsai. I decided to completely defoliate the tree as every leaf was infected and most were dying. It wasn’t the best time to do this but I felt there was no other option.
The three pictures were taken within a month of each other and show how rapidly the Ficus recovers from defoliation and a greenfly infestation. The actual leaf prune took place during the last week of October. I also used this opportunity to bring the tree back to ‘basics’. I removed all of the crossing and unwanted branches allowing space to develop appropriate tertiary branching…I hope 🙂
The original tree is shown in the top left corner.
External References & Links:
https://www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species
http://bonsai4me.com/species_guide.html
http://www.herons.co.uk
