Hi guys,

This is my newest acquisition... It is a Ficus Carica specimen. The previous owner was trying to style it as a ¿"ball of leaves"? I don´t know the correct name for this style because it doesn´t seem to fit any of those acknowledged by the bonsai´s aesthetics.

I would like to know your suggestions as for possible future styling. Anyways, this spring I´m going to repot it, so after that I won´t be touching it for real until next year, but still I would like to set a plan for the future. Oh, one more thing... The previous owner had defoliated the tree consistently and actually accomplished to diminished the leaves size accordingly... The third pic shows how small it is

Alain

i don't know about "ball of leaves" but if i had it i would cut the low branches off to leave a quite nice tapered trunk and then start to improve ramification...

the leaves are amazingly small

there may be better alternatives so i would wait for them.

hope this helps.

bob wrote:

i don't know about "ball of leaves" but if i had it i would cut the low branches off to leave a quite nice tapered trunk

Ha, nice Jaimin

When I said "ball style" I meant something like the one I show in this new picture, but with lower branches touching the ground. So, the reason why the low branches were kept by the previous owner is that he said that in his natural state, ficus carica tends to grow very low branches that "crawled" upon the ground and provide the plant with a look that is rather similar to a "Ball", whatever that might mean

So, I was wondering... Is it possible? And if it is... Is it reasonable? Doubts, too many doubts with this allegedly different style

Thanks Jaimin

Alain

Ball style... it exists, but not as a bonsai style... bonsai boy has 'm:


Indeed, it's got nothing to do with bonsai (and it's overprized too).

What the previous owner maybe meant (and of course I'm just guessing) may be that he was pursuing a natural style, something like this:


You could do the same, but a different style could be an option - like formal upright. Up to you I think

Nice little tree.

I think that producing small leaves has come at a cost.. Ramnification is not too good ..

I have a carica myself (Which keeps dying on my, ever since I had to dig it up from a garden without roots). But I can see from just that one plant that small leaves & ramnification do not go well together.

I would not keep the low branches. Trees tend to push growth to the top, and let branches lower down die-off.

Auk wrote:

Ball style... it exists, but not as a bonsai style... bonsai boy has 'm:

Indeed, it's got nothing to do with bonsai (and it's overprized too).

What the previous owner maybe meant (and of course I'm just guessing) may be that he was pursuing a natural style, something like this:

You could do the same, but a different style could be an option - like formal upright. Up to you I think

Yeah, I believe so too... Bonsai Boy tends to go way over any reasonable prices threshold. Also, looking at your first picture I don´t think that this one was the style the previous owner was looking for. However, inspecting your second pic I do believe that that one adjusts better to his (mine?) vision of a tree growing in its natural style. Anyways... I´m still looking for a decision to make.

leatherback wrote:

Nice little tree.

I think that producing small leaves has come at a cost.. Ramnification is not too good ..

I have a carica myself (Which keeps dying on my, ever since I had to dig it up from a garden without roots). But I can see from just that one plant that small leaves & ramnification do not go well together.

I would not keep the low branches. Trees tend to push growth to the top, and let branches lower down die-off.

Thanks man... When I saw it for the first time I really liked it. As for the lower branches... Well, I´ll seriously take your advise under consideration. The final decision haven´t come easy to me just yet. Now, a question...

Why do you think the ramification is not good? I actually thought that, even if it needed further development, it was already quite appealing. And...
Are you convinced that this is caused by the defoliation process? Why is that?

Thank you both,

Alain

well, i think leatherback is correct, but also to me, the whole nature of carica when i see one, is not ramified, even when grown as a garden plant. the plant as a garden tree looks like it is not well ramified, so to me, it is the nature of the plant. i could be wrong as i have no science to back me up but this is my opinion. i am sure leatherback can add a better answer than mine .

alainleon1983 wrote:

Why do you think the ramification is not good? I actually thought that, even if it needed further development, it was already quite appealing. And...
Are you convinced that this is caused by the defoliation process? Why is that?

Hm.. good questions. The first the easiest..

Ramnification could be seen as the amount of 'divisional branching'. The branches connected to the trunk are a primary branches. Side-branches of the primary branches are are secundairy; side of secundairy are tertiary etc. Good bonsai can reach 5th or even 6th level ramnification. In yours, I only spotted secundairy branches

I feel that defoliating too often reduces the energy available to a plant. And instead of breaking buds all over the branch (And thus creating side-branches), they result in only the terminal bud producing a set of (smaller) leaves.

But.. I am having trouble with getting my fig to settle down in a pot. So.. It is the best edible fig I have seen in a while.

leatherback wrote:

Good bonsai can reach 5th or even 6th level ramnification. In yours, I only spotted secundairy branches

I feel that defoliating too often reduces the energy available to a plant. And instead of breaking buds all over the branch (And thus creating side-branches), they result in only the terminal bud producing a set of (smaller) leaves.

But.. I am having trouble with getting my fig to settle down in a pot. So.. It is the best edible fig I have seen in a while.

Thanks man, glad to hear you like this fig tree

Now, 5th to 6th level of ramification you said? Uhmmm, long way to get there. After I read this I wento to look at my tree and you are right, I only spotted secondary branches and a few tertiary ones. So, yes... Still a lot of work to do. How many years you think this fig will take to reach a similar point of development?

As for the defoliation... Ok, understood. I think that there will be a compromise to make then... More buds to develop the side branches or reducing the leaves size. Up to me again, I think.

Thanks for your reply man,

Alain