Can't thank you enough for this video, your vision and craftsmanship are inspirational. The "root-over-former self" style is a new level of originality. If it works, which I would anticipate, I think you just figured out a sneak attack method of generating the cascading aerial root style with the rather convenient omission of your previously outlined steps involving optimization of top growth, soil and air humidity etc. It may be much faster than waiting for natural aerial root growth, particularly if ambient conditions aren't normally conducive. Your videos are always full of surprises and things I've never seen or heard of in bonsai - Thanks
everything you just said is what i was thinking! you are a little more articulate than me so, thanks Mark, for saying what i was thinking, ha-ha.(i am tired of lol)
I've seen all sorts of fusions on youtube.. Some required a trunk to be driller through.. This one however I think will be the best! I believe that the way you left the lower part of the roots to just hang down without being tied, will make the trunk beautiful and I am sure that eventualy you will not be able to tell that there was any grafting going on.It is very good that you are documenting this procedure.
As a beginner hobbyist in bonsai, I have to say this is the craziest, most satisfying thing I've seen. Can't wait to see the future result -- subscribed!
hahaha. i smile on this video. i really like your video. from you using a tooth brush and clean all of the leaves infected with insects (few previous video), then the frost kill half of the tree. u cut it back short. tried to root the remaining top part and it's now rooted. u then restyling the bottom of the main trunk. and now.. you use the top part to fused it into the bottom part again. i'm actually quite impressed with your ways of bonsai. i guess if it's for others, they had already thrown away the half dead ficus since long time ago. you really show us some valuable teaching here, not just about bonsai, but about how life should be in this way. i guess everybody should be living their life just like the ways you make your bonsai. just never give up on anything. really learned so much from your video. thanks.
It will be a good experiment. I am happy you choose this way of developing the tree and not another when the trees would growing in the independent pots. The way you choose is more innovative and interesting to look for it forward.
The monster is just starting to get new leaves for the summer. I'm hoping it grows really well, they are always slow at adjusting to a change of conditions, going from indoors to outdoors.
you make it look a million times easier than it actually is..hats off.. eagerly waiting for an update on this when you take off all the foil and rubber.. :)
Good morning Nigel, thank you so much for your creative and imaginative work. I told my wife you remind me of another creative Canadian Red Green, so we now salute you with great affection, the Red Green of bonsai. The only thing missing, duct pape 😜 👏, jack
yeah..i just saw a gecko on the bottom of my computer chassis resting for his recovery due to tail and leg amputations. his legs part kind of like getting darker color. he is NOT my pet. they are everywhere in my house. i believe they breed from generation to generation. i live in a tropical area. this funny gecko somehow make me uneasy so i blow some smoke from my cigarrete into the bottom chassis and after the 3rd time, he ran away so fast and hit the wiring, thought maybe there is some fire gong on the forest. hahahaha.
Hi Nigel, this will be a great improvement on a great tree. Looking forward to see how it progresses. I absolutely love Benjaminas, I've got around 7 myself (all cuttings from an original mother plant which sadly died) I've fused 2 together & planted over a rock. I've got 1 which has a decent root base but no real top so this project has given me a great idea as to which direction to go. So thanks for that mate!
Hey Nigel. With Benjamina you must always leave growth beneath where you prune. Its the only way to keep the branch alive and to get back budding on these. If you no growth is left on the branch or trunk that is pruned, that branch or trunk will die back.
Hi Nigel, I'm super excited about this particular project.. I really can't wait to see how it will turn out. Hopefully you saved it and it won't look like a Frankenstein tree 😜
Nigel, I've been watching your videos for a few months now. It's great to be able to look at the progress of your projects. I enjoy your conversational presentation, as I often answer your questions with you when you talk about deciding to cut or keep a particular branch. Thank you for sharing your techniques with us. I'm really excited about this project. How long do you estimate you will need to keep the foil wrap on?
That looks amazing, cycle inatubes are use full for all manner of thinks . I use sections on water but taps cuts down on splashing. Good luck with your project ...
HAHA this is soooooo great Nigel. Im not a a fan off everything your doing in terms of Bonsai. But this on really inspired me. I don't realy like ficus cause they don't have seasons/ don't lose their foliage but I might buy one just to try something like this.
Thanks, I do grow some very strange trees! The four seasonal looks to bonsai trees is one of the best visual shows there is, as long as winter doesn't end up as their last season, as it can be very rough at times!
i love this, although i don't usually like grafts, either. for an air layer, everybody says to wait six months before removing the foil and cutting the branch, is that about how long you will wait? i am eagerly awaiting an update. you gotta let us know, for good or ill, how this turns out. I think it will be awesome, i have great faith in your work and techniques.
I love this video i really love tropical trees and im impressed Mr. Nigel you have alot of tropical trees i dont know how do you get them ! hhaha if you wish i can send you some one seeds see you !
I did a trunk chop on my ficus benjamina so that it grows new shoots from top and leaving some lower branches.but it's not growing any shoots from top leaving the top part naked and it's growing from the left branches from below. Please suggest on what to do for growing from top....
Nigel, the work you do amazes me more everytime. I'm currently look into a ficus cutting however mother looks a bit down in the dumps (UK no sun) so going to boost health when sun comes and get a few cuttings for my own. If I were to plant the cuttings close together would they infuse together to make an interesting design? Keep up the great videos man.
Hi Nigel, very informative video. Does the variegated Ficus benjamina have the same characteristics as the non-variegated ones? How does variegated ones react to trunk chop? Is it difficult to get new branches on the lower part of the trunk? I'm afraid to chop my benjamina. I started bonsai just three weeks back. I'm from India.
I almost lost my Ficus Benjamina. I let it stand in cold air current and at one moment it lost all leaves! Only two leaves survived from whole plant, but then, later like pheonix, it regained all lost leaves and started live even more than until that moment.
Hey Nigel, Great Idea. I think I saw Bonsai Iligan use a mixture of mud and peat moss to pack around the roots and keep them in place. Would that work for this tree or would you not want to put mud against the trunk?
The seeds need to be kept warm and humid, I would try on of those greenhouse style growing trays and keep it outdoors in full sun. Some people have success, others don't. It may depend on the seeds you use and the condition of them.
✂The video is of high quality, including content. Thumbs up! I would like to know what brand of pruning shears you use in this video. Thank you for your patience.
Hello Vince, I'm hoping that it will be set in place by the end of this summer. It just needs a good summer of strong growing for the roots to firmly grip the original trunk.
Yes you can, if you want the braided trunks to look more natural, you can wrap them in sphagnum moss and plastic and the trunk will grow new roots that will cover up and fuse with the braided section. If the tree is healthy and has good conditions for recovery, you can cut the trunk down in height to create a shorter tree. Here is an article on cutting back.... www.bonsaihunk.us/info/Reduction.html
Thank you I will try the sphagnum moss since I really want to thicken the trunks too, it's not healthy enough for me to risk cutting, I got the poor thing for free from my work place it was on its way to the garbage bin during renovations. It as not being getting a good amount of daily sunlight or received good care in at least a year
That's the bottle top watering system. There are many places that sell them, here is one... www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=53711&cat=2,66758&ap=2
Amazing , Nigel I m from India how do you create aerial root layering to get amazing root of this plant. If you have the video of aerial root layering of this plant plant share me. I m subscriber of your plant and do see lot of video for learning purpose. Thank u.
Thanks Chavy Gardener, the corner of the room got too cold one night. The tree was right near the window that creates a cold spot. I have insulated the room better and installed a fan to circulate the air to prevent this from happening in future.
I would start with some of the native Ficus trees from your area, they make great bonsai and you may be able to collect a small one or get a cutting for free!
Hi Nigel, got any tips for a Chinese elm that keeps getting spider mites? I clean and spray it and the poor thing keeps trying to grow new leaves but the mites keep getting back after a few months. I have it indoors near a sunny window.
Insects can be a real problem! It's best to spray regularly with soap and water every 4 days for 3 weeks. I mix 1 part dish soap with 40 parts water. Spray all over and under the tree including the surface of the soil with a hand pump mist bottle. After letting soak for a few minutes, rinse the tree and the soil clean with water with another spray bottle. You can do all this in the bathtub. Regular spraying will kill all your insect problems. The reason you need to spray regularly is to kill new insects that emerge from the safety of their eggs.
It is doing really well! Here is the playlist for this tree, you can see all the latest updates and work done to the tree at the end of the list. th-cam.com/play/PLQouTWwmTQow33hNUHMspuLIADinmz-mM.html
It might work using different variations of a ficus species. An post in the link below warns that you will get different bark textures and suggests growing cuttings from the same plant and using these cuttings to graft back onto the parent tree. www.bonsainut.com/threads/are-these-too-ficus-the-same-sub-species-and-can-they-be-grafted-together.11768/
I don't really remember where I got it, I think it was part of a children's gardening kit. I've looked for another, but can't find one anywhere. I've had this one for 25 years now!
Excellent. Didactive video.Amazing. Nigel good evening according to my country India. Nigel I have urgent query from you how tall a normal natural bonsai should be , 12inch, 16 inch ya more than that . I am now working on ficus Benjamina and the plants is 3 years old but neglected and it's 26 inch height ( as it kept in a shady place ) recently 1 months ago I bring it in my rooftop terrace here it gets full day sun but lower parts no branches and also leaves. It has 6 to 7 aerial root goes down the soil. I decided to chop it as here now monsoon begins . How much height should I keep I can't decide and how I get lot of branch and leaves please help me . It's potted in simple loamy soil and organic fertilizer found here. ( Mustered cake dust, cow dung compose such as ). How can I stop Upward growth and downward branch and leaves. Expecting a good suggestion urgent basis . deb.kolkata, India.
Bonsai can be almost any size, I've seen some that you need a ladder to prune. These are called Imperial size bonsai. minnesotabonsaisociety.org/2018/02/11/bonsai-styles/
Nigel, having watched a lot of bonsai-related videos lately, I have to say that yours are my favourites, both inspirational and practical.
David M F Chapman ย
Can't thank you enough for this video, your vision and craftsmanship are inspirational. The "root-over-former self" style is a new level of originality. If it works, which I would anticipate, I think you just figured out a sneak attack method of generating the cascading aerial root style with the rather convenient omission of your previously outlined steps involving optimization of top growth, soil and air humidity etc. It may be much faster than waiting for natural aerial root growth, particularly if ambient conditions aren't normally conducive. Your videos are always full of surprises and things I've never seen or heard of in bonsai - Thanks
everything you just said is what i was thinking! you are a little more articulate than me so, thanks Mark, for saying what i was thinking, ha-ha.(i am tired of lol)
I've seen all sorts of fusions on youtube.. Some required a trunk to be driller through.. This one however I think will be the best! I believe that the way you left the lower part of the roots to just hang down without being tied, will make the trunk beautiful and I am sure that eventualy you will not be able to tell that there was any grafting going on.It is very good that you are documenting this procedure.
As a beginner hobbyist in bonsai, I have to say this is the craziest, most satisfying thing I've seen. Can't wait to see the future result -- subscribed!
Thank you Mr. Simms, so far all is still green!
This is ridiculously cool. Instead of root over rock it's root over tree! I cant't wait to see how this works out!
Thanks Jonathan, I hope it works well, we'll find out by next year!
hahaha. i smile on this video. i really like your video. from you using a tooth brush and clean all of the leaves infected with insects (few previous video), then the frost kill half of the tree. u cut it back short. tried to root the remaining top part and it's now rooted. u then restyling the bottom of the main trunk. and now.. you use the top part to fused it into the bottom part again. i'm actually quite impressed with your ways of bonsai. i guess if it's for others, they had already thrown away the half dead ficus since long time ago. you really show us some valuable teaching here, not just about bonsai, but about how life should be in this way. i guess everybody should be living their life just like the ways you make your bonsai. just never give up on anything. really learned so much from your video. thanks.
Thank you Vince, hoping to look back some day and say it was a good learning experience!
That was so cool how you put that back together. Can't wait to see it's progress.
I will be taking a peek at the progress of the tree soon in a video.
Very robust and promising this ficus and in the hands of a great master ... will have no other way, but success ... congratulations friend Nigel.
Thanks Tonny and Wallace!
Franken Ficus! So cool! Six years later it looks amazing.
Nigel, very impressive bonsai as per usual, the ramification on the root base is really quite something.
Thanks, it's slowly improving!
wow thats a pretty incredible idea can't wait to see how it turns out!
It will be a good experiment. I am happy you choose this way of developing the tree and not another when the trees would growing in the independent pots. The way you choose is more innovative and interesting to look for it forward.
Thanks, hopefully everything will go well!
Hi sir im a big fan of u have been seeing your vids for 3 years it helped me in developing my bonsais please post some more vids
Thank you Maverick, lots more to come in 2020!
Sir you replied🤩thanks
Im waiting to see your new vids❤️👍
I will name it Benjamina Frankenstein! Muahahahaha! I'm eager for updates on this tree! Well done Nigel, love your videos
The monster is just starting to get new leaves for the summer. I'm hoping it grows really well, they are always slow at adjusting to a change of conditions, going from indoors to outdoors.
you make it look a million times easier than it actually is..hats off.. eagerly waiting for an update on this when you take off all the foil and rubber.. :)
Nigel, I have some ficus collections. Your videos are very useful to me. Thank you.
Thank you Pradeep, lots more to come!
GREAT!!! It's going to be a bet beautiful bonsai tree. Thanks Nigel.
Thank you Anita.
Good morning Nigel, thank you so much for your creative and imaginative work. I told my wife you remind me of another creative Canadian Red Green, so we now salute you with great affection, the Red Green of bonsai. The only thing missing, duct pape 😜 👏, jack
17:39 this moment describes my whole life.
that's what u get for playing with time travel marty.
yeah..i just saw a gecko on the bottom of my computer chassis resting for his recovery due to tail and leg amputations. his legs part kind of like getting darker color. he is NOT my pet. they are everywhere in my house. i believe they breed from generation to generation. i live in a tropical area. this funny gecko somehow make me uneasy so i blow some smoke from my cigarrete into the bottom chassis and after the 3rd time, he ran away so fast and hit the wiring, thought maybe there is some fire gong on the forest. hahahaha.
haha!
Excellent work Nigel. As always, you are unique. Love to see this tree growing further.
Hi Nigel, this will be a great improvement on a great tree. Looking forward to see how it progresses. I absolutely love Benjaminas, I've got around 7 myself (all cuttings from an original mother plant which sadly died) I've fused 2 together & planted over a rock.
I've got 1 which has a decent root base but no real top so this project has given me a great idea as to which direction to go. So thanks for that mate!
Good luck with your trees John!
Thanks...Always enjoy your work...
Thanks Nigel, I really like watching all of your videos. :)
Hey Nigel. With Benjamina you must always leave growth beneath where you prune. Its the only way to keep the branch alive and to get back budding on these. If you no growth is left on the branch or trunk that is pruned, that branch or trunk will die back.
Thank you, I'll be careful to keep some green!
That´s a really nice project. Can´t wait to see how the roots are doing this year! :) I love your portulacaria afra forest in the background.
Thanks, I'll try and take good care of it!
Hi Nigel, I'm super excited about this particular project.. I really can't wait to see how it will turn out. Hopefully you saved it and it won't look like a Frankenstein tree 😜
im looking forward to how interesting this tree is gona look.. I cant wait to see the progress.
I am getting addicted to your videos. 😧
You may need bonsai therapy!
Nigel, I've been watching your videos for a few months now. It's great to be able to look at the progress of your projects. I enjoy your conversational presentation, as I often answer your questions with you when you talk about deciding to cut or keep a particular branch. Thank you for sharing your techniques with us. I'm really excited about this project. How long do you estimate you will need to keep the foil wrap on?
Great Idea!! I am looking forward to see the final product.
Thanks Jose, I'll be sure to make a follow up video!
That looks amazing, cycle inatubes are use full for all manner of thinks . I use sections on water but taps cuts down on splashing. Good luck with your project ...
The root over ficus style ficus has come a long way
frankenbonsai!! great vid Nigel!
HAHA this is soooooo great Nigel. Im not a a fan off everything your doing in terms of Bonsai. But this on really inspired me. I don't realy like ficus cause they don't have seasons/ don't lose their foliage but I might buy one just to try something like this.
Thanks, I do grow some very strange trees! The four seasonal looks to bonsai trees is one of the best visual shows there is, as long as winter doesn't end up as their last season, as it can be very rough at times!
ficus is the greatest of all trees. you can grow a forest with a single ficus plant . The tree has strongest desire to live .
you translated the tree in detail i like it
Thanks Gede!
Cant wait to see how this turns out! Currently fusing some ficus microcarpa. U cuttings over a porous rock I found at beach.
Sounds good L.A. hope it works out well!
it would be great if you make 2nd video on this project and update us when u removes foil and rubber :)
It will be like taking the bandages off after plastic surgery! A follow up video will be coming possibly this fall.
Another beauty. Thanks for sharing!
id love to see a video of your plant room!!
i love this, although i don't usually like grafts, either. for an air layer, everybody says to wait six months before removing the foil and cutting the branch, is that about how long you will wait? i am eagerly awaiting an update. you gotta let us know, for good or ill, how this turns out. I think it will be awesome, i have great faith in your work and techniques.
ky0
ky0yy
It's alive ? This video was 4 year. . very inspired 🙏🙏🙏
I've never seen this method before (i'm fairly new to this). Looks great!
Thank you, I'm going to have to prune the top of the tree soon, it's getting very tall!
looking forward to an update vid!
Please do a plant room tour! It would be nice to see an overview of all these projects and trees as a whole.
I will be doing a bench tour in early summer this year.
It's gonna be awesome! Great vision on that one!!!
Thanks, I'm hoping all goes well.
Is there fertilizer in the water bottle or is it just yellow water that you used at the end to water the tree?
Anyways, keep up the good work.
une idée génial j'espère que ça va marché .merci pour vos vidéos et vos conseils. big kiss from french :=p
How come when remove the tree, it looks like soil with gravel, but when you put it back, you put in just plain gravel? How does that extra dirt form?
great video nigel!
but i think the inmer part will be dying as the roots of the top get thicker cause they dont let light and air in
I cant wait for a update video.
So far all is still green and growing.
I love this video i really love tropical trees and im impressed Mr. Nigel you have alot of tropical trees i dont know how do you get them ! hhaha
if you wish i can send you some one seeds
see you !
Thanks!, you can send me an email to...
thekwbonsaisociety@gmail.com
thanks ill do it
Very cool! I can't wait to see how it works.
I sure hope it works well, I'll have to be careful to keep it misted and watered!
This is a wonderful challenge and hoping it works.Can't wait to see the results after a year maybe.
I did a trunk chop on my ficus benjamina so that it grows new shoots from top and leaving some lower branches.but it's not growing any shoots from top leaving the top part naked and it's growing from the left branches from below. Please suggest on what to do for growing from top....
Mother Nature freezes and splits trees sometimes, father Nigel fuses them well. I will give more credit to you this time :)
Nigel, the work you do amazes me more everytime.
I'm currently look into a ficus cutting however mother looks a bit down in the dumps (UK no sun) so going to boost health when sun comes and get a few cuttings for my own.
If I were to plant the cuttings close together would they infuse together to make an interesting design?
Keep up the great videos man.
Love this idea! Similar to doing a root over rock.
cool! oh btw i was going to email you about my cuttings but it seems they are alive with new growth =p
Very curious to know how this tree is doing now
Great bonsai sir keep safe and God Bless 🙏
Many many thanks!!!
I'll be really curious to see how this works out.
Surprised no one commented about the plant to your right saying it's the devil lettuce..
Hi Nigel, very informative video. Does the variegated Ficus benjamina have the same characteristics as the non-variegated ones? How does variegated ones react to trunk chop? Is it difficult to get new branches on the lower part of the trunk? I'm afraid to chop my benjamina. I started bonsai just three weeks back. I'm from India.
I almost lost my Ficus Benjamina. I let it stand in cold air current and at one moment it lost all leaves! Only two leaves survived from whole plant, but then, later like pheonix, it regained all lost leaves and started live even more than until that moment.
They can be sensitive to any changes around them, but they usually recover. It is scary though!
good idea! beautful bonsai
Hey Nigel,
Great Idea. I think I saw Bonsai Iligan use a mixture of mud and peat moss to pack around the roots and keep them in place. Would that work for this tree or would you not want to put mud against the trunk?
Dear Nigel, i just purchased a ficus from Costco. Which source can I look up which ficus it is? How to know if it's grafted? Thank you
What a great idea!! 👍🏼👍🏼
So the Aerial roots of a ficus benjamina tree are vines
Hi Nigel,
I am going to grow ficus benjamina from seeds, can you give me any advice on starting those seeds.
Thanks
The seeds need to be kept warm and humid, I would try on of those greenhouse style growing trays and keep it outdoors in full sun. Some people have success, others don't. It may depend on the seeds you use and the condition of them.
Hi, what's the difference between the benjamina and the microcarpa?
Ithink that the fusion is a great idea
Good day sir,can i ask what soil are you using for your bonsai? thanks!😊
✂The video is of high quality, including content. Thumbs up! I would like to know what brand of pruning shears you use in this video. Thank you for your patience.
The are a special edition Fiskar pruner! Thanks!!!
Thanks, Nigel! 👍
Great idea. I love it...
roughly about how long would it take for the whole top part to fused into the bottom part of the tree?
Hello Vince, I'm hoping that it will be set in place by the end of this summer. It just needs a good summer of strong growing for the roots to firmly grip the original trunk.
i see. thanks.
I cant wait to se the result of that in....i dont know how long will it take?
I think it will take a year or two. That's a long wait, hopefully it will be worth it!
Great ideia!!congradulations
Thanks Webster!
Think I can turn a 4 foot tall ficus benjamina into a bonsai? It's one with braided trunks
Yes you can, if you want the braided trunks to look more natural, you can wrap them in sphagnum moss and plastic and the trunk will grow new roots that will cover up and fuse with the braided section. If the tree is healthy and has good conditions for recovery, you can cut the trunk down in height to create a shorter tree. Here is an article on cutting back....
www.bonsaihunk.us/info/Reduction.html
Thank you I will try the sphagnum moss since I really want to thicken the trunks too, it's not healthy enough for me to risk cutting, I got the poor thing for free from my work place it was on its way to the garbage bin during renovations. It as not being getting a good amount of daily sunlight or received good care in at least a year
Great work! What is that bottle attachment you use for watering?
That's the bottle top watering system. There are many places that sell them, here is one...
www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=53711&cat=2,66758&ap=2
Amazing , Nigel I m from India how do you create aerial root layering to get amazing root of this plant.
If you have the video of aerial root layering of this plant plant share me.
I m subscriber of your plant and do see lot of video for learning purpose.
Thank u.
Here is a video on this!
th-cam.com/video/I2bwGRxzdgE/w-d-xo.html
@@TheBonsaiZone
A good human being from abroad takes care me it feels me great . You can touch me 919434247055 at whatsapp if you do .
Best Regards .
Nice! now wait some years to see the results jeje (:
Thanks Aldo, I'm sure time will fly by quickly!
can we grow ficus Benjamin by cutting ?
Yes cutting grow fine in soil or water, if the weather is warm sunny and humid.
Amazing!!! Ficus lovers
Thank you, I think the tree will look really good some day!
Just subscribed, nice Ficus! Is the die back from draughts?
Thanks Chavy Gardener, the corner of the room got too cold one night. The tree was right near the window that creates a cold spot. I have insulated the room better and installed a fan to circulate the air to prevent this from happening in future.
Olá bom dia! É possível fazer fusão de troncos com ficus benjamina igual de faz com ficus microcarpa?
Hi Nigel, how did this went out. Is there an update video available?
th-cam.com/video/Ni10rwmrFWI/w-d-xo.html
I guess I found it
it's a cool tree can you advice any tree for a indian weather
I would start with some of the native Ficus trees from your area, they make great bonsai and you may be able to collect a small one or get a cutting for free!
Hi Sir. How many months back did you prune back the areal roots?
The aerial roots were pruned back for ramification about 4 years ago.
Aarch I can't take this suspence! Did it work?
Check here for an update!
th-cam.com/video/aXkWhSbAe_g/w-d-xo.html
thx
Do you have a continuation result video of this tree?
Hello Felix, each tree on the channel has a playlist, here is the one for this tree....
th-cam.com/play/PLQouTWwmTQow33hNUHMspuLIADinmz-mM.html
Wow
It's amazing!
*Bob Ross of Bonsai*
Nice work🙏🏼
Hi Nigel, got any tips for a Chinese elm that keeps getting spider mites? I clean and spray it and the poor thing keeps trying to grow new leaves but the mites keep getting back after a few months. I have it indoors near a sunny window.
Insects can be a real problem! It's best to spray regularly with soap and water every 4 days for 3 weeks. I mix 1 part dish soap with 40 parts water. Spray all over and under the tree including the surface of the soil with a hand pump mist bottle. After letting soak for a few minutes, rinse the tree and the soil clean with water with another spray bottle. You can do all this in the bathtub. Regular spraying will kill all your insect problems. The reason you need to spray regularly is to kill new insects that emerge from the safety of their eggs.
Nigel Saunders thank you, I'll try it!
I would use wet sphagnum and electrical ties around it.
Is it ready??!!!
It is doing really well!
Here is the playlist for this tree, you can see all the latest updates and work done to the tree at the end of the list.
th-cam.com/play/PLQouTWwmTQow33hNUHMspuLIADinmz-mM.html
Would this work with 2 different species of ficus trees?
It might work using different variations of a ficus species. An post in the link below warns that you will get different bark textures and suggests growing cuttings from the same plant and using these cuttings to graft back onto the parent tree.
www.bonsainut.com/threads/are-these-too-ficus-the-same-sub-species-and-can-they-be-grafted-together.11768/
I've always wondered. Where did you get you root rake, and where can I get one like it.
I don't really remember where I got it, I think it was part of a children's gardening kit. I've looked for another, but can't find one anywhere. I've had this one for 25 years now!
Nigel Saunders ok, thank you!
The franken ficus!
Excellent. Didactive video.Amazing. Nigel good evening according to my country India. Nigel I have urgent query from you how tall a normal natural bonsai should be , 12inch, 16 inch ya more than that .
I am now working on ficus Benjamina and the plants is 3 years old but neglected and it's 26 inch height ( as it kept in a shady place ) recently 1 months ago I bring it in my rooftop terrace here it gets full day sun but lower parts no branches and also leaves. It has 6 to 7 aerial root goes down the soil. I decided to chop it as here now monsoon begins . How much height should I keep I can't decide and how I get lot of branch and leaves please help me . It's potted in simple loamy soil and organic fertilizer found here. ( Mustered cake dust, cow dung compose such as ). How can I stop Upward growth and downward branch and leaves.
Expecting a good suggestion urgent basis .
deb.kolkata, India.
Bonsai can be almost any size, I've seen some that you need a ladder to prune. These are called Imperial size bonsai.
minnesotabonsaisociety.org/2018/02/11/bonsai-styles/