What is it that you don't understand?
Your tree species is suitable for bonsai. Your plant is not.
The link to Google images you posted clearly show examples of malformed ficus with monstrous roots, S-shaped commercial ficus, and real ficus bonsai.

A lot of people get interested in the hobby through this plant.
People that then get serious about bonsai, give this away, keep is as a houseplant or let it die. And then buy a suitable plant

You *can* make a reasonable bonsai out of it, but it requires serious skill and time; There are plants with which it is a lot easier to get started.. Effectively.. If you want to learn soccer, do not start practicing with a golf ball.

leatherback wrote: You *can* make a reasonable bonsai out of it

I usually agree with you, but in this case I don't. A very experienced and skilled bonsaiist might be able to make something looking more like a bonsai out of it, but it would require a total make-over.

Effectively.. If you want to learn soccer, do not start practicing with a golf ball.

To continue the analogy - you can't make a soccer ball out of a golf ball.

Auk wrote: What is it that you don't understand?
Your tree species is suitable for bonsai. Your plant is not.
The link to Google images you posted clearly show examples of malformed ficus with monstrous roots, S-shaped commercial ficus, and real ficus bonsai.

what i didnt understand was that i had to ask like a moron one question after another and would get answers in a totally weird way. You dont look at the situation and say..

Hi there mate.. the plant you are showing is a suitable species though your plant looks like it is kinda too late or early or helpless etc etc to start with. You can grow that like any other ficus at home but if you want to try bonsai then try to begin with this that etc..

but throw in a bunch of names and what would you call it what would you not etc.. if it is a bonsai or not etc. When i see letters like you should try with this plant or that plant.. or this plant doesnt look suitable but you can try doing this and that and see what happens and such, it is good you know?? saying it is not a bonsai and dropping it there isnt really any help. Or giving a bunch of latin names without thinking if i can seperate which word is a plant and which word is just a state in growing proccess and which word is what?? And i can give you a bunch of other reasons why and what i dont understand.. About the msg i quoted above i would like to say it was the clearest so far and most helpfull. Though i still do not get in my tiny brain how come you see so much difference in between my plant and this one

www.bonsaitreeanswers.com/wp-content/upl...-ginseng-bonsai1.jpg

or this one

img1.tradeget.com/charkson%5CR90E6NL21fi...sengwith_grafted.jpg

or this one

www.ikea.com/us/en/images/products/ficus...3703_PE369262_S4.JPG

or this one

zimmerpflanzen-faq.de/wp-content/uploads...01/Ficus-Ginseng.jpg

I swear i dont get it. Either you or me one of us needs to see an eye doctor. Same body same leave same size same everything almost. I dont understand from gardenning or plants much but i can tell the 7 differences between the two pics and it is all about the backround i swear.

Auk wrote:

leatherback wrote: You *can* make a reasonable bonsai out of it

I usually agree with you, but in this case I don't. A very experienced and skilled bonsaiist might be able to make something looking more like a bonsai out of it, but it would require a total make-over.

Effectively.. If you want to learn soccer, do not start practicing with a golf ball.

To continue the analogy - you can't make a soccer ball out of a golf ball.

for example is there a way to cut this plant in a way that each part will grow seperately independent from one another? can i seperate them and start from a smaller and better state?? if yes then that can be a way to go for example. Explaining that and why is it late at this point for this plant etc.. would be really helpfull for me to learn why was this not okay and what is important when i am looking for a plant next time and such. But this way it is like im in front of a jury hearing if it is bonsai or not and suitable or not.. no word about why why not whats up with the plant and what should be the correct way etc.. no idea i follow the link and it tells me about ficus and that it is suitable for bonsai training. Cool.. i got a ficus now and i know that it is not a bonsai.. link says ficus is suitable and you say mine is not.. i guess i will need another site or forum to figure out the answers why not and how should it be.

There is no debate; The plant you show is exactly the same as the other plants you posted in that last rambling complaint on how we do not answer in a format that you can understand.

Bonsai is een artform, not cookie-cutter products. The fact that you can produce so many examples of look-alikes of the plant you bought, shows that is it not a bonsai. It is a mass-produced plant.

Explaining why, is effectively explaining what bonsai is about. And no. I am not a tape-recorder with a rewind button. It has been explained over and over again on the forum. Did you even do a search?

It is NOT a good candidate to create a bonsai in the original meaning of the word. A talented artist can create bonsai out of almost anything, and given time, also out of a ginseng ficus. See e.g., adamaskwhy.com/2014/09/24/this-was-a-gin...ood-bonsai-subjects/ .

So in conclusion: Can a bonsai be created out of a ficus ginseng? Yes. If you remove all ugly grafts, let it grow out and start training. Just like any other plant. But it will take time. 10, 15 years if you are not in the tropics, to make anything convincing. Taking that into account, I couls also ask: Is this suitable for bonsai? Because development time to get to be a convinving bonsai is similar:



The question you need to ask: Do you want to grow bonsai, or do you like the ficus you bought and you just want to have that. In general, ficus is suitable for indoor cultivation. It is not great, but it will survive. I have started a project with a mass-produced ficus retusa, and am trying to see how for I will get with a 6 euro ficus. Note, this is NOT one of the grafted species with thick roots. But this is 1 1/2 years apart:

Thanks for your great and informing way of posting. I didnt want a ficus tree because i got one already but i wanted to try what this bonsai is.. ( that was how little i knew when i was buying ) After that when i wanted to see how do i take care of this plant, i found out that what i have isnt a bonsai because there isnt a single plant that stands for bonsai. Mine was just a plant which could be a bonsai or needs attention to turn into a bonsai.. not a little piece of bush but perhaps a little tree in the pot. Neither when i was buying nor after i was totally convinced that this was a proper bonsai because no matter how ignorant i am about the subject, almost anyone can tell bonsai must be something which makes you go wow it looks like a real grown up tree.. and i was aware that it cant be this cheap and shouldnt be looking like this. After figuring out that it is a form of art and can be done with many different plants etc.. i looked at my plant and it is still pretty small and since it is a ficus which is suitable for bonsai training ( as far as ive seen in the site and online ) i tought i should give it a try. When i posted my first post i noted there that i am still reading the site and the forum and meanwhile untill i figure out how to handle it some tips can be usefull. So yes ive read quite a bit and still reading. Most of the information can be found under other topics where people had problems asked questions and got answers. I dont know how many topics are there with how many seperate posts complete one subject but i hope you guys dont expect people to read 10 topics over 1000 posts to put up their minds about one single plant and do it for the every other.. come oon i have patience for the plant growing in 10 years but i am not okay searching 1000 pages to find somewhere in between that this plant should be watered in a different way for example.

About mass production i would like to ask something. Because again you are talking super confusing. Who cares about mass production possibilities? Just because it can be produced like that.. does it mean that plant has no chance to be a bonsai?? if bonsai is an art form why does it matter? If i go in the forest and pick a little suitable tree from the forest wont it be mass product full of look alikes smaller bigger variations around it? I mean just because someone is producing and sending it to market in thousands.. does it mean that it is a bonsai or not a bonsai?? I dont know about bonsai much okay but bring me your bonsai and i will multiply it into thousands of the same plant.. and i guess if you train each one of them carefully they can be all bonsais.. no?

About ugly grafts and ugly shapes etc.. excuse me what is ugly? Is it an art or does it depend on someone's taste? if bonsai means tree in a pot.. simply if it is a tree.. can you tell me which tree is beautiful and which tree isnt??

I sound a bit irritating i know because i am quite irritated. Yes i want to learn for real and no i dont have a special situation with ficus but it was just easiest to find. I dont care about ficus but about learning and understanding bonsai. Therefor i am looking now for the information on the site also in the forum about what should be done when you get a plant.. at which time of the year you should wait ( like if i pick a tree from the forest for one year i must let it wait in the pot as far as ive learned ) and at what time of the year or in which conditions should i start cutting branches wiring etc.. and how should i feed my plant during this during that proccess.. im readin about those and i expected something more like

" your plant is a ficus.. it doesnt look very suitable for the bonsai training but as far as i see in the pics it is growing new branches.. you can try to wait this long and feed like this and if you see leaves growing here and there then you can leave it at a more or less sunny spot and start doing this.. after a couple of months towards spring you should do this and untul next summer or something you might start getting an idea about how you will style it and try your chance to take a first step into relatively bonsai ish territory with this plant.. bla bla bla...

some basic simple cool much needed information. It is july the 20th 2015 i am living in Vienna Austria the weather is good summer long and in winter it gets pretty cold. Not much sunlight during winter naturally in middle of the europe. My flat is at the north side of my building so all the windows are looking north so almost no direct sunlight. Plenty of light but no direct sun. Btw my hometown is a mediterrinean coast town and we got bananas even avocados growing. When i look at the pics one of the most impressive ones is the pine bonsai. And next week i will be there and even planning to collect some super young pine trees to see how it works with them. So outdoor and tropical variations are also interesting to me. So i guess i dont need to explain much further than this and spend some more time checking out the stuff you listed for me above. Thanks for the response.

bara wrote: Most of the information can be found under other topics where people had problems asked questions and got answers. I dont know how many topics are there with how many seperate posts complete one subject but i hope you guys dont expect people to read 10 topics over 1000 posts to put up their minds about one single plant and do it for the every other.. come oon i have patience for the plant growing in 10 years but i am not okay searching 1000 pages to find somewhere in between that this plant should be watered in a different way for example.

Yet you expect us to give the same answers all those 1000 times, because you are not willing to look for it?

bara wrote: About mass production i would like to ask something. Because again you are talking super confusing. Who cares about mass production possibilities? Just because it can be produced like that.. does it mean that plant has no chance to be a bonsai?? if bonsai is an art form why does it matter? If i go in the forest and pick a little suitable tree from the forest wont it be mass product full of look alikes smaller bigger variations around it? I mean just because someone is producing and sending it to market in thousands.. does it mean that it is a bonsai or not a bonsai?? I dont know about bonsai much okay but bring me your bonsai and i will multiply it into thousands of the same plant.. and i guess if you train each one of them carefully they can be all bonsais.. no?

No, not really. You take a picture like Rembrandt Sunflowers. It is being replicated by the thousands in China. Yet only the original is worth millions. The replica's are not. Why would that be? Art is not the same as replicating something that was done before.

bara wrote: About ugly grafts and ugly shapes etc.. excuse me what is ugly? Is it an art or does it depend on someone's taste? if bonsai means tree in a pot.. simply if it is a tree.. can you tell me which tree is beautiful and which tree isnt??

In bonsai, any visible grafting scar is unwanted. With these mas produced trees they are invariably done in a very poor way, often having rusting metal markings in the bark. Anybody who takes bonsai somewhat serious will tell you that transition is ugly. Just because it is art, does not mean 'all goes'. Bonsai si not just a tree in a pot. Read more. Try to understand.

bara wrote: I sound a bit irritating i know because i am quite irritated. Yes i want to learn for real and no i dont have a special situation with ficus but it was just easiest to find. I dont care about ficus but about learning and understanding bonsai. Therefor i am looking now for the information on the site also in the forum about what should be done when you get a plant.. at which time of the year you should wait ( like if i pick a tree from the forest for one year i must let it wait in the pot as far as ive learned ) and at what time of the year or in which conditions should i start cutting branches wiring etc.. and how should i feed my plant during this during that proccess.. im readin about those and i expected something more like "your plant is a ficus..

Maybe you should show basic understanding, before expecting in-depth info. We see this tree several times each week (Look for help my bonsai is dying). It gets tiring meeting argumentative people who think they know better than people who have quite a bit more understanding of the topic.

www.bonsaiempire.com/origin/bonsai-infographic
www.bonsaiempire.com/origin/what-is-bonsai
www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/ficus

Again, the link you posted yourself contains all the information you need.
Let's have a look at some samples that I found on the first page of resuls that - I repeat - I found using the link YOU posted.

1. Ficus microcarpa Ginseng, "Ginseng" style

Mass product. The roots are monstrous and out or proportion. There is a clear trunk-cop, where the top was cut.
Has a clear graft and a tuft of leaves on top. Does not look like a real tree at all. Cannot be considered a bonsai:



2. Ficus microcarpa Ginseng, S-shape

Mass product, Ikea sells them. Has been trained in an S-shape. Doesn't have the ugly roots the Ginseng has. Has better branches, but is very symmetrical. Does not look like a tree in nature. Not unique pieces of art, as you can see in the photo they all look identical. Therefore cannot be considered or even mallsai, but rather a shaped houseplant.



3. Ficus Microcarpa, S-shape, mallsai

Mass product sold by garden centers and malls - hence the word 'mallsai'.
Imitation bonsai, usually S-shaped, often with a very typical branch placement (first branch halfway between the first and second bend'. Like 2), but not as symmetrical. Often comes with rocks, fisherman and other nonsense to make it look fancy. Not good bonsai, but you could find some useful starting material if you're lucky.



4. Ficus Microcarpa, bonsai starter plant
LB has already given an excellent example of a starter plant that is on its way to become an interesting bonsai

5. Bonsai
Masterpiece that has been in training for many years. Looks like a massive old tree in nature.
You will never be able to create this out of your 'Ginseng':

leatherback;

about counting you got the idea wrong.. i was saying that i need to look through 1000 posts to find one answer which is one of them. But i really hope you dont have to write each answer 1000 times.

I hear what you are saying with replicas mass production and issues around it tho if that is a bonsai and if i achieve that it means i learn something right? even if it is a replica and not worth anything and nothing near original or really beautiful but maybe a first step into the idea. am i wrong with that?

I understand and respect your point about the repeating proccess of same issues every week over and over. And yes i am one of those argumentative people though no i dont think i know better. I just think that the approach was really poor and no to judge that i dont need to know better. I had similar arguments with many people at university about the fact that just because proffesors know better it doesnt mean that they are good at teaching or approaching people. In one of the posts above there is a link to a blog about a ficus plant. While reading that blog i didnt have any questions or random curiosity because it was all explained in a really simple way and it was super clear. Simply acting like i know better is not really something i would be proud of and i am sorry if i looked like that.

auk;

i dont really think you understood me. My topic name is TOTAL BEGINNER with a ficus.. yes it is mass produced. yes it is ugly. yes it sucks and wont ever look like that masterpiece you posted and yes you can find this and that in ikea and such stores. Is this so called ficus type plant suitable for bonsai training?? ( a bunch of links are posted and yes ficus is a plant which is suitable ) is my plant a ficus? yes we cleared that aswell. If i start trying my chance with this plant would it hurt anyone? no but perhaps i can learn why this one isnt so good why are you against it and play with it and end up with a shaped houseplant maybe. But while i am doing this out of what i learned in a few monts maybe i will be trying another plant which is choosen more carefully and gonna take care of that better and instead of ending up with a shaped houseplant i will end up with a bonsai?? I am actually pretty sure i will add up more plants as i learn more and every one will be improving the ones before and i will be making less mistakes. Once again i am a beginner and if anyone here think that i expect a tree like the one you posted ( the master piece ) out of my random plant.. i swear ive been on this planet before, didnt come out of the cave yesterday. This is a nail on the problem. I dont have stupid dreams like that.. i am trying to learn and i dont need a masterpiece out of my first plant. Maybe not even a bonsai at all.. but experience. I hate myself for being so stubborn but i hope we will understand eachother better in time.