Scarred Big Fig..

[bonscythe]

Thanks pasquale , I will have to drop in there and get some.
Did some carving today, cleaned up the wound nicely and took a little bit of the rolling cambium out on a slant for drainage.
Wood hardener on the clean wood and fingers crossed
Cheers all

[sreeve]

Hi Bonscythe,
I am not sure where you live in Sydney and which Bonsai nursery is closer. I have bought it at Megumi's, seen it at Lee Wilsons and also at Ray Nesci's and I think at Leongs

Personally I prefer the tube, although I also have used the pot stuff which is more like plasticine.

Another cut paste which many prefer is made of bees wax (whihc includes growth hormone) although I dont believe you will find this at any of the bonsai nurseries.

Good luck, Regards
Steve

[bonscythe]

Thanks Steve, I will check at either Nesci's or Leong's as I have never been to Lee Wilson's
Honey isn't thick enough to hang around on the bigger cuts which is a shame, I was quite happy using it
After searching for the beeswax option you mentioned, I have just found a different site which recommends using beeswax melted with olive/vegetable oil.
Or plasticine mixed with oil/petroleum jelly..
Has anybody tried these alternate cut-pastes on this forum
Cheers

[sreeve]

Sorry Bonscythe - I may have misled you slightly.

I am not 100% sure that one of the alternatives I have used is bees wax even though it does feel like it.
It is a purpley waxing type product which is easy to apply.

According to the container it is called “Kendon Grafting Mastic BZ” and is / was produced by Kendon Chemical & Manufacturing Company Pty Ltd
71 McClure St Thornbury Victoria.

I bought mine on the Central Coast and don’t know where it could be bought in Sydney.
My father made contact with the manufacturer and bought a whole heap of it and I know some of our learned friends on here are also using it.

Personally I reckon the Japanese stuff you can buy in a tube at the bonsai nursery is better, but then again everything is about personal choice. Just like soil types, applicable prices to pay for stock etc etc.

Do whatever suits you and your style.

Just to be antagonistic, perhaps you don’t even need to use any cut paste. Last time I checked, mother nature had clean run out of the stuff and all the trees with broken branches in the bush had to go without from now on, I hope they make it ….

Good luck finding what suits you best

Regards
Steve

[Jamie]

hey mate


i wouldnt stress to much about a cut paste on ficus, they should grow that quick that they will roll over in no time at all
i have never used a cut paste before, i did try it a while back with a home made mix of plastecine and oil but i took it off as it seemed to hold way to much moisture around the cut and it was starting to rot the bark, not good.

jamie

[bonscythe]

Thanks for the tips Steve, I will look into it when I get the chance.
I agree about the mother nature knows best but she also has a host of little mongrels that can get into open wounds and cause more dramas. I think trees in my care need all the help they can get..

I'll take your word for it on the plasticine/oil mix Jamie, just wanted to know what other's experiences were.
Yeah, I know what you mean about the Ficus spp. healing quickly. Some of my other plants arn't as vigourous though so I am thinking of those poor buggers..
The big wound on the front of this tree is all cleaned up now and has had a coat of wood hardener. Ended up carving out the softer parts and gave a sanding back to fresh wood again. The sanding rings on the rotary tool were perfect for the job
Just want these branches to grow...
Cheers for the help again guys

[bonscythe]

Hi all,
Just a little picture for an update of this tree.
After defoliation, some areas turned out much better than others..but with careful pinching and turning those weaker areas to the sunnier side I have seemed to be able to twist the tree's arm/branch to providing me with some growth in the areas it was lacking!

ScarfaceF 22-4-10.jpg

Any opinions or virts. for the future are very welcome!
Cheers

[roka]

Mate your here milking ideas, but you really know what you are doing.Keep it going with your gut instinct. To me it is looking very nice, and powerfull in near future.Trust your sense of style, this is going to be a ripppper. You just have to keep it flowing and stop thinking too much.Again very nice tree 5+ not yet but soon.Gret work so far champ

[bonscythe]

Mate your here milking ideas, but you really know what you are doing.Keep it going with your gut instinct. To me it is looking very nice, and powerfull in near future.Trust your sense of style, this is going to be a ripppper. You just have to keep it flowing and stop thinking too much.Again very nice tree 5+ not yet but soon.Gret work so far champ

Hi Roka, I hardly think I am 'milking ideas' but if you think so...
I am only offering what everyone else does, and that is for people to give some constructive criticism, I don't believe that I 'really' know what I am doing, yet.. Otherwise I doubt I would spend all this time on here looking at other's trees.
I know your statement was not intended to be harsh but 'milking ideas' is not something I want to do..nor do I think others on this great forum are dairy farmers
Thanks for the encouragement though