AusBonsai

Hi everyone, went down the park with kids today and found this tree in a pot by the creek. I don't take trees from parks and local creeks and that, but being in a pot and not native (quick google told me that), I didn't see the harm. But any way, got him home and quick google of 'long leaf ficus', and there was it. Ficus Binnendijkii 'Alii'. Heaps of information and tree care info, but now I need some advice on where to go from here bonsai wise. (only got into bonsai two or three months ago). And how to get from a 7ft tree into a bonsai pot.

The trunks are 35mm and 32mm dia, and the plant and pot look 8ft tall. The leaf in the photo is 200mm long. From what I found on the net, they're a slow growing fig, roots espeacially (will air layer ok, just takes longer), and love to be root bound in pots. I'm after people advice and opinions on what to do with it. I'd like to air layer two trunks, hopefully grow them together, and get some roots out the sides. I can put it in the ground, 500mm pot, or that polystyrene fruit box in photo. And also how much roots can and should I remove, and top growth also, and how do I encourage roots to grow out the sides? Either way, I think it's about time for a repot.

And has anyone here bonsai'd one of these before?

Feel free to answer the questions I don't know I should be asking too, if you don't mind. Flying blind here.

Thanks
Tim

P.S. Sorry everyone. Forgot to downsize tree from right, behind and leaf. Will repost them.

Here's the other photos guys. Better late then never

Tim

Tim.C wrote: how to get from a 7ft tree into a bonsai pot

Time and patience.
I would reduce some of the rootball and get some decent soil into it, into the poly box and then plenty of food and seasol. I don't know whether you should trunk chop at the same time-not familiar with that species of ficus.
When u do chop I'd be thinking it would need to go just above where the first branch is low down.
Take plenty of cuttings.


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Thanks Isitangus, tomorrow morning I'm planning to repot it. It's sittng in a shallow season bath at the moment. Ran out peat for my mix, otherwise it would have been in the box by now. But the more I look it, the more options of what to do with it come up, and then how to achieve that

I also thought if I used the box if I should cut it down in height. By about a third. It would make it 220mm inside. Would that make the tree grow roots out more than down, or would I be better off leaving it deep and planting it on top of a tile? Or neither?

Hi Tim,

I've never seen Ficus Binnendjkii 'Alii' for sale however I have seen Ficus longifolia 'Alii petite' available. Maybe the same species (Ficus experts may help out with ID)? I would reduce the foliage as you have reduced the roots, let it recover, feed it up and develop a plan before you do too much work on it. If you can't wait to get stuck in and you think your trunks are heavy enough then cut it back hard and see how it goes.

I have F. longifolia and it responds quite well to root work, I have not done a hard trunk chop on mine yet as they are much smaller and I want a bigger trunk.

Have fun.

Ent

Ent wrote:Hi Tim,

I've never seen Ficus Binnendjkii 'Alii' for sale however I have seen Ficus longifolia 'Alii petite' available. Maybe the same species (Ficus experts may help out with ID)? I would reduce the foliage as you have reduced the roots, let it recover, feed it up and develop a plan before you do too much work on it. If you can't wait to get stuck in and you think your trunks are heavy enough then cut it back hard and see how it goes.

I have F. longifolia and it responds quite well to root work, I have not done a hard trunk chop on mine yet as they are much smaller and I want a bigger trunk.

Have fun.

Ent

Hi my name is waen I live in Darwin, started a very slow journey northwards in Hobart 62 years ago, I'm a bit keen on the figs as a family, a hardy bunch. Bunnings Darwin have both variants for sale at the moment. I bought the non 'petite' for cuttings at this stage, no rush to make a bonsai out of it .We see it quite a lot up here in shopping centres in pots, has a very upright conical habit it would seem but I've never noticed a larger one in a garden or park .W