AusBonsai

Hi all,

Bought this fig today and i think it will make a great shohin.
Which front do you suggest? Also can i repot and root prune it now?
Or
Also can anyone tell what exact species is it?

Looks to be a Tiger Bark Fig.
Figs are hardy, I'm no expert but I'd say do the usual, small prune & pot up - all depends on the end size you want etc.

Very difficult to ID figs from just the leaves. There are several species where the leaves look very much alike.

It is too late to repot figs up here where it gets cold in winter so I would leave it until November but maybe if you're in a warmer suburb down there you might just get away with it.

Your second option for front looks like the main trunk is going towards the back. That can make building an attractive looking canopy difficult.
I think I'd go for option 1 at the moment, even with that big root showing. After all, one of the key features of these figs in nature is the large, buttressed roots.
Your chosen front may change as the tree grows and fills out so it probably does not really matter which side you choose now.

Its too late to repot now, our night temps have droped wait until Nov/Dec
Cheers
Kirky

Thanks guys. Can i slip pot it? Also does slip pot mean just put it in another pot or can i scratch off some of the existing soil and add little of my own mix etc?

bonsaeen wrote:Thanks guys. Can i slip pot it? Also does slip pot mean just put it in another pot or can i scratch off some of the existing soil and add little of my own mix etc?

Just add it to a larger pot...you can add your own mix around it inside the bigger pot and try not to disturb the roots

Regards
Wal

bonsaeen wrote:Thanks guys. Can i slip pot it? Also does slip pot mean just put it in another pot or can i scratch off some of the existing soil and add little of my own mix etc?

Yeah mate, slip potting will be fine.

Slip potting doesn't mean no root disturbance, it just means minimal root disturbance. Figs are pretty hardy so raking the edges to loosen up the roots a little won't hurt this guy at all. Just be aware that if the new soil is a looser mix (less fines) water will have trouble penetrating the existing root ball.

Yes the mix i am using is loose in the sense its free flowing. In that case should i take most of the old soil out?

Slip potting in Melbourne will not achieve anything. Figs don't really grow in winter here just leave it as is. And wait until nov/dec
Cheers
Kirky

I am surprised it too late to repot already there.
figs can be repotted up until the over night temps get below 15 Deg and i wud have thought you will still have a month before getting to those temps.

My vote in variety will be PJ as it does not have red in the new shoots like Morton Bay fig

Ken

My figs have already slowed down. I'm giving him advice for Melbourne.
Mine sit on concrete in full sun all day every day. Just for the warmth.
Cheers
Kirky

Ok against all the good advice i still repotted but didnt disturb the roots. The reason i did it is that i had a feeling the roots werent doing well in that cheap mix and it was pretty neglected at the nursery and my fears were confirmed while repotting as alot of the roots looked very dry. Anyways i hope this little tree survives.

Should i keep it indoors at night and in shade during the day for a while? Give it some liquid fert?

have you looked to see if it's grafted? i have one similar ficus retusa graft microcarpa

No dont think its grafted. I have left it in garage for the night where its a bit warmer.

I think you've made the right decision, which was a decision. You're going to have a lot of times where there is something that you need to do, but you won't be sure if you want to.

If your tree lives or dies (it won't die) you will have learnt something.

If the mediums are different, I would always recommend teasing out some of the roots to make sure they move into the new soil. Was the soil around the roots hard packed? To make sure water penetrates to the centre of the root ball I would recommend submerging the pot when you need to water.