Scarred Big Fig..

[bonscythe]

Hi all,
Just bought this large-ish fig the other day and thought I'd post it up for some opinions/criticism/help..

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As you can see, I have stripped it back a fair bit, with confidence after reading Leong's Fig book about 100 times
Just hoping it shoots back well now. It's about 20cm across the widest-point at the base and around 55cm high. I left the big knobby bit on top as I had to take large chunks of trunk off the back where the excessive branching used to be.
The big scar on the proposed front worries me a little but Leong suggested I get some wood hardener and apply yearly. Has anyone here had any experience with the spray-on applications? If so, what advice can you get me?
Cheers, any thoughts greatly appreciated..

[anttal63]

nice scythe; at an educated guess i would think that scar will be almost gone in 3-4 yrs. are there signs of rot at all?

[bonscythe]

Thanks Ant!
Some of the wood is a little soft to press compared with other parts that seem ok, so I'm not sure.
A thing that worried me is that the day after I brought it home (had it on the other side of the yard as some weak form of quarantine ) I found a colony of tiny ants going mental around the wound and the soil line. Flooded them with water and I haven't seen much of them since, I was suspicious as they seemed to be loving something around the tree.
Showed a friend who is knowledgable on plants and he saw some little holes which I hadn't noticed which might indicate an insect of some sort burrowing into the softer wood. As I can't see them, I don't know whether to ignore them or treat them, and if it's the latter, how to treat them?!
Any ideas?
Thanks

[Petra]

Hi Scythe,
nice find mate. if this was mine, i would make a feature out of the scar on this fig. Id make it broom style with the scar carved out,and blackened to have it look like it was in a fire. I made a quick vert to show my meaning. I would also plant it out in the ground to grow more branches. hope this inspires you. Cheers!

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[anttal63]

ok first thing, with a dremil and steel brush or burl is get the rot out and down to clean wood again. make sure the bottom is carved to a taper with fall so that water runs out and does not collect. now that you have done that how are the borer holes looking make sure you brush and blow dust out to reveal. there is stuff you can pour into hole. sometimes you can squishm poking a wire into the holes. im sure pup was saying he uses fire, blow torch. leave the rolling cambium alone when carving except if you got to open up the bottom for water run off. if you burn them out protect the live tissuse by covering with play-doe
the areas around what needs burning. after burning clean up again to clean wood and apply wood hardner brushed on. seal any open tissue with cut paste. if it starts again b4 the scar heals this process must be repeated.

[bonscythe]

Thanks Petra, I definately want to try and make the scar feature somehow in the front of this one, I like your virt
It has definately opened my mind to other options for styling this tree. After seeing all of the figs at BonsaiSouth I wanted to try and get that tiered pad-style branching going on this one, but now I'm not as sure.
Ant, first things first, I'll have to fork out and buy a dremel. Is there any particular model/size which will suit bonsai best? I don't know anything about them really..
That sounds like something I can attempt though, given your description!
Missus is a pro at making play-dough so she might have to help out too
Thanks heaps for your help

[Jamie]

just a little thing here that i think you are all looking over, this is a fig, it has soft wood, it will need hardening for sure if you are to make it a feature, but it will be even harder to keep it that way, it will actually heal over in not a great deal of time even with the size, i think you would be better off just getting rid of the soft pulpy wood harden it off with a wood hardener and then let it heal i reckon.

just my thoughts on the topic.

as for the padded levels of foliage you shouldnt have a problem with getting them. you are already on the right track for sure and if you can get a hold of leongs book, for 40 odd bucks it is worth its weight in gold, every time i look at it i find something different and it covers so much in a great pictorial detail that it is one reference i dont know how i have been going without it for so long.

jamie

[Jamie]

just a little thing here that i think you are all looking over, this is a fig, it has soft wood, it will need hardening for sure if you are to make it a feature, but it will be even harder to keep it that way, it will actually heal over in not a great deal of time even with the size, i think you would be better off just getting rid of the soft pulpy wood harden it off with a wood hardener and then let it heal i reckon.

just my thoughts on the topic.

as for the padded levels of foliage you shouldnt have a problem with getting them. you are already on the right track for sure and if you can get a hold of leongs book, for 40 odd bucks it is worth its weight in gold, every time i look at it i find something different and it covers so much in a great pictorial detail that it is one reference i dont know how i have been going without it for so long.

jamie

[anttal63]

thats the latest and greatest model. damn thats bcheap now.


http://www.mytoolstore.com.au/dremel-se ... pAodhxQ48g

[bonscythe]

Thanks for your input Jamie , your right about the healing over, I should of mentioned before that I would like the wound to be covered but more to make a feature out of where the healed scar from the wound will be. The other side is a bit howsit goin with some wounds and ugly bits here and there so I hope to keep this side as the front somehow.
I love the negative space on tiered branching figs, might need a few more branches in better places on this one first. Some of them are almost bar-branches and i don't know if it will like much more pruning than I have already done, best to wait I think as this is my biggest potensai yet and don't wanna see it go down health-wise.
Thanks for the idea but I have had Leong's book for a while now, I mentioned it in the original post It's definately worth the $ as you said

[bonscythe]

Thanks for that link Antonio, I will go to the local hardware and check out their range. Might check out eBay too as they usually have a bargain or two to be found. Don't know if I'll be able to afford that particular one but I definately will look into it as I don't want to risk the odds that something ridiculous will happen if I don't act soon-ish
Dremel here we come..

[Jamie]

mate,

the tree looks very healthy from the first pic before the groom, you could honestly if you wanted to take it back to a bare trunk and then watch it bud from all over the place, it just depends on how long you are prepared to wait to see either a good tree, or a great tree.
going back to a stump then selecting new shoots exactly whenre you want them would be the way to go if i were to do it, but thats me, and doing that will slow the healing of the wound, one way or another that wound will eventually heal over no mater what.

JMO.

jamie

[bonscythe]

if you burn them out protect the live tissuse by covering with play-doe
the areas around what needs burning. after burning clean up again to clean wood and apply wood hardner brushed on. seal any open tissue with cut paste. if it starts again b4 the scar heals this process must be repeated.

Just been scouting around for a dremel rotary tool, found a new dremel 300-N for around $70, that would suit bonsai eh?

Found wood hardener at the hardware store, saw the price
Couldn't find any cut paste though?
I have searched on the internet but cannot find any that arn't called 'Bonsai Cut Paste' etc.
Are there any cut pastes for non-bonsai trees that might be a bit cheaper or easier to source?
Cheers all

[bonscythe]

Update, if any one is interested..
I bought a 135w rotary tool, a 11 piece dremel carving engraving kit and some spray on wood hardnener.
Is it ok to do carving during the heat of the day provided I care for the tree afterwards...
Or should it be done later in the day to minimise stress, on me and the plant?
Still can't find any cut paste, where do the AusBonsai people source it??
Thanks again everyone

[pasquale]

I have seen cut paste in Flower Power nurseries.