A Mini with Potential

[Dave54]

Hi everyone,
this little Fig featured in an article in my book "Bonsai Ramblings" with regard to trunk thickening.
It started as a commercially bought seedling and as I only wanted a mini tree with wide base, it has spent its entire life in a bonsai pot.
Only this season have I removed the sacrifice branches and begun to develop branches.
It does have its lowest branch as a rear branch at this stage, which may be removed later as its second rear is in a more correct position.
As I get older, smaller trees certainly have more appeal.
Potted into yet another Pat Kennedy pot ( no second grade pot here mate ).
I do enjoy minis and especially like them if their bases are wide as the shortness of height accentuates the wide trunk. I will post a few of my mini collection later
cheers
Dave

[Jerry Meislik]

Dave,
Nice tree in a nice pot.
Great work.
Keep us posted.
Jerry
PS what is the variety?

[Dave54]

Hi guys,
it is a Port Jackson Fig.
Thanks for the nice comments, I am happy that the leaf size has reduced to about 12mm in one growing season and against the fat little base, I think in another season or two might turn out OK
cheers
Dave

[MelaQuin]

I disagree about the pot. Since figs grow best in areas where there is adequate moisture and they love humidity, I think Pat's 'Distressed' pot, evoking our harsh outback terrain, is putting a fig in a scene in which it would not grow or grow well. You are trying to tell two different stories - like ice cream on a rare steak. Yes, the fig will be very nice. Yes the pot is superb. But together??? I honestly do not think it is a marriage made in heaven.

[Milehigh_7]

I disagree about the pot. Since figs grow best in areas where there is adequate moisture and they love humidity, I think Pat's 'Distressed' pot, evoking our harsh outback terrain, is putting a fig in a scene in which it would not grow or grow well. You are trying to tell two different stories - like ice cream on a rare steak. Yes, the fig will be very nice. Yes the pot is superb. But together??? I honestly do not think it is a marriage made in heaven.

Hi MQ, living in a fairly harsh climate myself I can say that ficus do quite well. In Phoenix AZ where 48-49C and single digit humidity is common, ficus microcarpa is a common landscape tree and they absolutely thrive. I live in Las Vegas Nevada just a bit cooler than Phoenix and I have several that thrive here. In fact they are among the toughest when it comes to the amount of heat stress they will tolerate.

Now they will never have the banyan look as the air roots don't develop in the low humidity but this tree is not a banyan style. I think it is a good look.

PS: What is wrong with ice cream and rare steak?

[aaron_tas]

nice taper and movement with the tree dave

isn't that a literati pot though

maybe it's the angle of the photo, but i would have to agree with lee

[Dave54]

Hi Aaron,
yeah could well be a Literati pot, however, I needed a pot firstly to fit the nebari in, and it was a spare pot, secondly the tree's trunk does have a rugged type appearance and personally I think the rugged pot marries well with it.
Any who collects naturally growing figs ( and this isn't one of them ) would find them growing not only on fence posts or in other trees, but out of gaps in craggy and rugged outcrops.
I must say that the potting of figs has always interested me, as when I used to attend shows I would see them in both glazed and unglazed pots. Guess what? now they are in Literati pots and I think it looks OK too, but maybe not to everyone's taste.
cheers
Dave

[aaron_tas]

hi dave

i made the point cause i have a tree in a very similar pot with a literati tree in it.

nice taper and movement with the tree dave

it's a very nice fig in a great pot.

since moving from sydney down to hobart (i couldn't really take my trees) it was quite cold, so i figs were not the best. now that i've moved to launceston, the summer seems hotter, so i might just give them a go

[Dave54]

Hi Aaron,
for what it's worth, my temperature variant is -5 to +43 degrees and some fig leaves do burn off in summer if I don't keep the water up to them. But only on rare +40 days.
On the other hand, usually after the tree's first winter, they tend to toughen up. Even though I try to protect as many as possible from frost, most figs are out in the elements all year unprotected.
I suppose if I were getting snow, that might be a different story.
good luck and thanks for the feedback.
By the way, just cause a pot is round and crinkley, I don't think it has to be a literati pot, even though it is an obvious choice for a literati style.
Maybe if Pat K reads this post, he can comment.
cheers
Dave

[aaron_tas]

the best thing about bonsai is that it is an artform, which leaves room for personal taste, and personal flair.

[Milehigh_7]

Hi Aaron,
for what it's worth, my temperature variant is -5 to +43 degrees and some fig leaves do burn off in summer if I don't keep the water up to them. But only on rare +40 days.
On the other hand, usually after the tree's first winter, they tend to toughen up. Even though I try to protect as many as possible from frost, most figs are out in the elements all year unprotected.
I suppose if I were getting snow, that might be a different story.
good luck and thanks for the feedback.
By the way, just cause a pot is round and crinkley, I don't think it has to be a literati pot, even though it is an obvious choice for a literati style.
Maybe if Pat K reads this post, he can comment.
cheers
Dave

I only took mine in when it got down around -7C. We easily go over 46C in the summer and single digit humidity. We go 10 months between rain. One of my trees was pulled out of it's pot and tossed across the yard by the wind. I stuck it back in the pot added a bit of soil watered well and it is still doing quite nicely. I am telling you they could not be any tougher if they were the silk ficus that tacky people have in the corner at their house.

[Dave54]

Hi Milehigh,
I totally agree. I used to joke to my students that if you kill a Fig, you have to hand in your bonsai license.
cheers
Dave

[Asus101]

I killed one once, I think he cooked. I had him in a green house for three days when i went to Adelaide. Must have had some unusually warn days and he cooked

[Leigh Taafe]

I nearly killed one - messed it up pretty bad.

Left it in the van overnight on a negative 8 degree night.

Actually - I had 3 in the van - they all got messed up! Still alive though - just need some re-growing!

Leigh.