Author Archives: jerry@bonsaihunk.us

Unusual style, Ficus ‘Mexicana’

Exposed root styles are one of may favorites.

This fig, Ficus that I call ‘Mexicana’ but whose real species name is unknown, is a root cutting of a mother tree. The original material was found in Mexico.

The exposed roots are interesting to my eye. The canopy is not yet clearly designed. At some future date I may have a better shape for this bonsai.

For now I enjoy it as an “unusual style”.

Ficus in an exposed root styling

What do you think?

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How I grow a bonsai from a cutting

There are many ways to acquire a bonsai tree. One way is to take a cutting from a suitable material and to propagate it. In this case the mother tree is a Ficus rubiginosa grown form a seed from Australia.

Cutting taken from the mother plant about three years before the photo, 2010

The mother tree has great bonsai characteristics so a piece of the mother tree was removed and rooted into the large white growing pot. It was allowed to grow wildly for some years and when the trunk caliper seemed about right it was chopped down and tilted to the side.

It re-sprouted new leaves and branches low down making it suitable for a small bonsai. This re-spouted bonsai was then kept in relatively small pots while the details of the branches and apex were sorted out.

New low sprouts made shortening to a small bonsai possible, 2010

Branch selection and apex sorting out underway, 2013

Progress could have been much much faster if I had left the small tree in a much larger pot but space in my indoor growing area is very limited.

Further growth and maturation of the design, 2014

You can see the result some 5 years later in the last photo. Please remember that this tree is not completed. One, foliage is large and has not been reduced during the training process. More ramification will be produced now that the basic structure has been formed. Another year or two and the tree will be near completed.

Tree is shaping up well. Leaves are not uniform in size as training is still underway, 2015

Lesson, developing your cutting into a bonsai in a larger container will help speed of the process, although better control of shaping may be achieved in the smaller container.

Ficus virens Lipstick Ficus, White Fig

Ficus virens has many common names; Lipstick Ficus in India and White Fig in Australia. Whatever it is called it is a huge tree growing in its native environment. It can stand alone as a single trunk tree or exist as a strangler fig with many aerials. The most famous trees of this species are the Cathedral fig and the Curtain fig in Australia.

Ficus concinna is another fig species that has similarities to Ficus virens. It also has red new leaves and is used extensively in the Philippines for bonsai. There it is called Red Balete. Under my care growing in a plant room Ficus concinna is superior to Ficus virens. Ficus virens can lose some fine branches for reasons unknown.

Ficus virens can make good larger bonsai. Leaves reduce well in container culture. Some cultivars show extensive red or bronze coloring on the new leaves. Unfortunately this lovely red color does not persist for long as it fades into a dark green as the leaves mature.

Ficus virens is not often available as plants in the US so all my trees are grown from seed. The following are all about 11 years old and beginning to show signs of becoming good bonsai. All the trees are under 7-12″ tall or about 30cm.

Photos below are of seed grown Ficus virens. First shot is without leaves to view the branching.

Reverse taper

Trees ideally should have a wide root base that tapers up into the trunk. A bulge or lack of proper taper often ruins the visual flow from the rootline to the apex of the tree and is called reverse taper.

In this case several root cuttings of Willow Leaf fig, Ficus salicaria, were bound togeter in about 2006 and fused together to form a larger trunk accomplishing in a shorter time than it woud take to grow the same diameter trunk in my plant room. Fusion was helped greatly by using a large container and allowing free growth of the tree.

The first shot is taken in 2009 when the fusion was successful but the fusion was not totally complete.

2009, with trunks partially fused

A picture of the tree in 2014 shows good fusion and a reverse taper with the roots and base of the tree appearing narrower at the left side of the base than a bit farther up the trunk.

2014 showing the left side of the base of the tree with weak footage

2014 showing the left side of the base of the tree with weak rootage

Three roots were moved around from the left front and left back of the tree. Two of the three roots were fused to other roots at the base and a chisel was needed to separate them from the base, allowing the roots to be moved. One root at the back was just up-rooted and moved around to the left side.

The lowest root on the back was simply dug out and easily moved around to the front

Side root is fused to the base – it is separated with a chisel

2015, the moved roots now enhance the base of the tree and eliminate the reverse taper

Developing a bunjin/literati fig

Starting with this rather young rooted cutting of Ficus ‘Mystery’ I hope to one day develop a bunjin or literati style bonsai. The rooted cutting is now about two years old.

Ficus ‘Mystery’ from an aerial root cutting

After a quick trimming a nice line has developed in the trunk. Possibility #1

Possibility #2

Possible design #3

Possible design #4

Which of the designs seems to be the best to your eye?

To learn more about bunjin/literati styles see http://www.bonsaihunk.us/info/Bunjin_literati_Style.html

Ficus rumphii, a rare bonsai subject

This is a Ficus rumphii, an unusual and rare bonsai subject in the west. This specimen is about 8 years old and seed grown.

Leaves are large but reduce with defoliation. There is some random branch die back suggesting that this may not make the best bonsai subject.

The bark is a rather stark whitish brown.

Ficus rumphii, about 12″ tall with most leaves removed

Defoliation of my Ficus rubiginosa, PJ fig

I have had this fig for many years. In the last year or so I have just pinched out areas that needed restraining and left other areas to grow out to create heavier branches where needed.

You can see the wide variation in the leaf size depending upon how the branch was maintained.

Ficus with leaves varying from small to large

Now defoliated so that branch posiition can be assessed and wired into position if needed. New leaves will come in smaller in of uniform size.

Ficus ingens, Red Leaved Fig

Ficus ingens is a fig found in Africa and it is often growing over rocks and is thus called a “rock-splitter”. The leaves are moderately large with a wavy edge and prominent yellowish veins. Its main attraction are the new leaves which come out varying shades of red. The spring flush is a very attractive growth with the tree covered with red leaves.

As a bonsai it is not the easiest of subjects as its leaves reduce but not extremely well. Branching is not dense so the growth tends to be rather open.

The red leaf color seems to be accentuated in bright light.

Leaves are large for this small sized bonsai

Leaves are attractive with a wavy edge and prominent main veins

The bonsai when defoliated shows the beginnings of proper structure for a slant style

Ficus infectoria or is it Ficus virens

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Multiple trunks fused together from separate seedlings

Ficus infectoria is an invalid name, according to the botanists, and should technically be called Ficus virens. This material shows a coarser grower than some of my other virens. It seems to be quite happy in container culture with no special needs.

This bonsai is actually 3 or 4 root fused trees that were grown from seed. The seedlings were never separated to their own containers so that over time the root and bases fused to form one tree.

Defoliated once or twice yearly to improve branching, produce smaller leaves and to allow visualization of the branches

As the trees grew they naturally fused to each other so that now this is one root connected tree.

Root cuttings

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Some species of Ficus will grow from pieces of root. This is fortunate as repotting of figs is required every few years to maintain the health of the tree. At this time thick and unnecessary roots can be removed and rooted to form new plants.

A root cutting is shown from a Willow Leaf fig. The bonsai is now about 10 years old.

Willow Leaf fig from the root cutting removed 10 years ago

This root cutting was removed from a bonsai tree and grew into the above tree

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Fig trees and tropicals as bonsai