Hello people!
I'm here to share my new tree project from scratch on this Ficus Microcarpa that I collected 3 months ago from a dead tree's bark.

It has been growing untouched since I got it, I fertilized (with organics) about a month ago and it has been getting thicker faster than I expected, so today I decided to give a little movement on the trunk with the wires pretty lose, just in case.

​My plan is to make it over rock, but as natural as possible for a Ficus on it's environment, I mean, a tropical feeling style with a soft and simple trunk movement and a umbrella like crown, maybe laying a bit. Of course, that can change over the years. :silly:

This picture is from the day I've got it, it is the left toothpick.
The other two on the right side are Ficus Organensis, which are healthy and growing freely.

That's earlier today, as you can see it's full of new leaves and branches and getting bigger each day.
Well, I guess that will be it for a few months, for now I'll just keep an eye for the time to remove the wire and let it be until next spring.



Any advice will be apreciatted, but the main point is just to share the progression with you guys and laught a bit on my sticks that I call tree.

Fun project.

If you want this to grow over the rock, it might be worthwhile to plant it over the roch as soon as possible. You want the roots to mold to the rock, and the more topgrowth you have, the better the molding will happen.

Thank you leatherback!
I didn't have a propper rock by the time I potted it, I'll do that later this year by spring.

Hello People... Just a little update on the ficus project... Suprisingly for me, it has been growing and thickening even tru' winter, which is almost ending here...
Didn't made any major prune or anything, however I think it will need some work next month, when I pretend to attach it on a rock and select the best branches to start. Also makes me happy to see those little gems on the trunk (almost can't see on the picture), seems propper if I choose to cut it back down.

As always, any tip or opinion will be aprecciated!
Cheers.

Just a quick update, thanks for all tips so far, and of course, for the coming ones if you feel like.

> Tree has received it's first branch wireing, mostly to open it's branches, and add some potential for the future, maybe some of the branches can be removed at some point, but well, they would do some nice cuttings or layerings with movement already if that's the case...




> Tree has been unwired, since the growth is getting faster as it is spring.




> As the tips pointed up, I tied some of the branches, planning to keep it just for a month or two... It has been thickening nicely, base is about 1,5cm... Haven't removed those little lower branches slowly forming because I'm now considering use them to thick the lower part of the trunk, for the sake of tapper.




P.S.: That on the leaves is just Copper Sulfate...

Hello ppl.
Just updating this tree.

It has been thickening fast so far, I chose to repot it, so I could see how roots are developing, and give it a slightly bigger pot as this one was seeming a bit small already.

Roots seems ok, with just a few longer and thicker ones, I just shortened those a bit to balance it's growth, no major root pruning for now, as they seem to be growing on the right places (theres's a root growing on the empty space behind the nebari, so I'm happy with that).

The way the radial roots spreaded made me give up on the over-rock idea, because the roots are showing me a better way...
Still on the idea of an more naturalistic Ficus, low umbrella shape canopy, like those Vietnamese/Taiwanese Ficuses Bonsai.

Learning a lot with that tree.
Hope you are enjoying this progression as I am, hahaha.
Cheers, and a happy new year for all of you!

Great increase in trunk size and that in only 3months time! I wish my ficusses would do that.

Rorror wrote:

Great increase in trunk size and that in only 3months time! I wish my ficusses would do that.

Thank you Rorror!

No secret on it, it’s on full sun, soil is mostly organic with a bit of fine gravel, on a oversized pot for training.

Barely prunned, just directed a few branches.

Organic fertilization only so far, with Castor Cake and also Chicken Manure.

Albas wrote:

Rorror wrote:

Great increase in trunk size and that in only 3months time! I wish my ficusses would do that.

Thank you Rorror!

No secret on it, it’s on full sun, soil is mostly organic with a bit of fine gravel, on a oversized pot for training.

Barely prunned, just directed a few branches.

Organic fertilization only so far, with Castor Cake and also Chicken Manure.

And a climate many of us envy!

Tropfrog wrote:

And a climate many of us envy!

Definitely!