Ginseng fig ( Ficus microcarpa ) , also cognise as curtain figs , ginseng ficus , Amerindic laurel wreath , or Chinese or Malayan banyans , are incredibly popular as bonsai specimens .
That ’s because they have a thick trunk that look like it took C of long time to develop , but actually takes under a tenner – pure for the impatient bonsai artist .
They can also be develop indoors , unlike many species grown as bonsai , which must be levy outside . On top of that , they adjust well to mold and are generally vigorous and knotty .
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It comes as no surprisal that this is often a pop species for multitude concerned ingetting started with bonsai . you may often find them pre - potted and shape , at both specialty retail merchant and grown - box giants , ginseng figs are just perfect for the purpose .
If you are n’t familiar withgrowing Panax pseudoginseng figs , match out our guide .
In this template , we ’ll discuss how to grow these plants as bonsai . Here ’s what I ’ll cover :
What You’ll Learn
Ca n’t hold back to enjoy your new specimen ? Let ’s plunge in .
Ginseng Ficus Basics
In the wild , ginseng ficus trees commonly start their life as epiphyte , which intend that they anchor onto other plants for support .
As the trees age , they send down ethereal roots that cast anchor into the ground . They wean themselves from the emcee tree diagram and transition to life as terrestrial trees .
These aerial roots can mimic trunks and are part of what helps produce the “ aged trunk ” look that makes this species so highly measure as bonsai .
They can also develop small fruit , which is an exciting increase to any display .
Though the trees can get up to 100 feet grandiloquent and twice as wide in the wilderness , with persevering pruning you could keep them extremely minor .
There are many cultivar that have been specifically breed with bonsai in psyche , or you’re able to always go with the species , which is just as wanton to train .
you could buy pre - made bonsai rather than mold your own . Check out this gorgeous 32 - year - old specimenat Bonsai Boy .
‘ Green Island ’ Ficus Bonsai Tree
Or bribe a small , unshaped plant so that you may enjoy the procedure of creating a bonsai from first to finish .
If you require to be even more involved in the process , you’re able to circularize your own plant . Most people opt to propagate theirF. microcarpaplantsvia cuttingsor air layering .
Once you have your plant , it ’s time to pot it up .
Choose a Container
You ’ve probably seen the Brobdingnagian categorisation of bonsai containers out there . They fare in all shapes and sizes , and various materials and colors . The only real restriction you have is size .
You require to pick out a bay window that is small enough to keep the tree contained . The size bet on the size of the tree you ’re working with . Generally , I adjudicate to break up something that is about the same breadth as the canopy of the tree .
Of course , if your plant is just a spindly little control stick with a few leaves , you ’ll want to choose something small .
In that display case , you could start with a received four- or six - inch oval or rectangle pot .
Black Ceramic Bonsai Pot
Something like this black rectangle potfrom Bonsai Boywould be a double-dyed starter .
The ultimate shape is , of row , up to your artistic vision , but you need to create a gumption of correspondence .
If you ’re going to create a somewhat tears industrial plant , you ’ll plausibly need a tall and minute pot . A more traditional tree diagram shape typically call in for a wide ellipse or satisfying muckle .
But , like I said , you ’re only bound by your imagination and the size of it of the plant you ’re form with .
If you decide to go with something unlawful like a piece of cupped bark or a casing , make certain it has drainage holes . Nothing will kill a bonsai quicker than poor drainage .
you’re able to pot anytime you want , but spring , summer , or early nightfall is near .
The plant goes at least partially dormant in the wintertime and wo n’t be working on establishing itself as quickly as we want it to .
To repot , dispatch the plant from its existing container and brush or wash away all of the pot medium . Trim off any ancestor that face dead , soft , or damaged . Then , keep trimming until you ’ve removed about a third of the root .
Place a drain screen over the drain hole and softly set the new - trimmed plant life in the toilet .
Mesh Screens
you could make your own screens by slue up some mesh fabric , or you could buy them atplaces like Amazon . They impart packs of 100 two - inch screens from LE TAUCI .
occupy in around the roots with soil .
finger free to buy some soil formulate for houseplant or tropical plant if this is your first bonsai . If you ’re up for a bit more of a challenge , you’re able to craft your own .
Our guide will take you through the process step by step .
Watering
Once you have your works solidly in place , it ’s time for the most finicky part of raising bonsai : lacrimation . Because the plants are in such a restrain space , it ’s easy to under- or overwater .
Too much andyou risk of infection theme rot , which can seriously harm or even toss off your plant life . Too small and it will struggle or even potentially die .
Each meter you water , you want to swamp the pot . This can be done either bybottom wateringor filling the pot with water until all of the substrate and the stand of the trunk is wet .
Then , let the surface of the substrate dry out before you add water system again .
Over time , you ’ll be able to lift the pot and say by the weightiness whether it ’s prison term to body of water or not .
You ’ll also find that your flora uses water more tardily in the winter and more quickly in the summer , especially if it ’s in unmediated Dominicus for any portion of the day .
Sun Exposure
If you keep your plant life indoors full - time , it will do best in morn sunshine and smart , collateral light the rest of the daytime .
However , these works can be adapted to full outdoors sun or direct lightheaded indoors if you take . Just stick in it to the brighter exposure step by step over a few weeks .
alfresco , these plant grow in USDA Hardiness Zones 9a to 11b . Alternatively , you’re able to keep the plant outdoors during the summertime and fetch it in during the winter .
If you decide to move it in and outdoors , be sure to make the transition gradual when moving it outside .
If you bring it alfresco abruptly , without a changeover period , it can be emphasize and will be subject to leaf burning or shock .
rather , bring it out for an hour and then back inside . The next day , add an hour .
Keep adding an hour each day until the plant can digest the light exposure and conditions you intend to keep it in .
Pruning
Pruning is both the scariest and most rewarding part of nurturing bonsai , in my opinion .
It take a life to get the hang the art of shaping and snip a bonsai . There are courses and Bible entirely dedicated to teach the art .
I do n’t say that to overmaster you , just to let you know that we belike ca n’t cover up everything you need to know in this guide .
If I had to add up it up , the art of bonsai pruning is to shape the tree in a style that make it take care like a natural specimen – but in miniature .
Of course , it can be a dramatically curved , windswept , or dramatically aged specimen , but it should bet like something that would appear in nature .
When you lop , you ’ll need to use blank tools and do it gradually . Visit our guide for a full walk - through of the process .
Once you reach the maximum size that you need , you ’ll require to remove the plant from its pot every few years and trim down the roots so that it fits in the mass without becoming root - bound . This is how you restrict the size of it of the plant .
Take out any dead or mushy roots and reduce the root nut so that it is slenderly small than the container you ’re keep it in .
You also need to trim the canopy slightly to reduce the load the roots need to patronize .
Repotting
bet on how quickly your plant life grows , you might need to upgrade the slew size of it every few years . It ’s up to you when you want to stop upgrading the size and keep a industrial plant the size that it is .
You ’ll need to remove the plant from its existing container and rationalise the roots and maybe some of the branch . Then , repot the plant in fresh potting medium .
You also need to fertilise your works , a process that wediscuss in our pathfinder .
Cultivars to Select
Sellers do n’t always name a cultivar name . Sometimes you ’ll find plant are just sold under the metal money or common name .
But with a little searching you may normally situate some interesting cultivars , some of which were bred specifically with bonsai in mind .
Kaneshiro
This especial cultivar was bred by the well-thought-of bonsai creative person and one of the founders of the World Bonsai Friendship Federation , Haruo Kaneshiro , specifically as a miniature option .
‘ Kaneshiro ’
It ’s a cross between ‘ Retusa ’ and ‘ Crassifolia ’ and it limit out sizeable aerial rootage and has smaller , more oval leaves than the mintage .
Bring a 17 - year - old specimen homefrom Bonsai Boy .
Golden Gate
If you desire to keep your plant outdoors for all or part of the yr , ‘ Golden Gate ’ is a impertinent choice .
It ’s tolerant of swings in temperature and of wind , so it wo n’t be appall by the conditions in the big out-of-doors .
‘ Golden Gate ’
And no , the leaf are n’t halcyon . They face similar to the species .
channelize to Amazonto seize a four yr honest-to-goodness plant in a ornamental container .
Green Emerald
With its super thickset , heavy leaves and willingness to fruit readily , this cultivar makes a really nerveless bonsai .
allow for it enough visible light and you ’ll have half - in fruit to wow anyone who checks out your industrial plant .
‘ Green Emerald ’
It also develops lots of freehanded aery roots , which only add together to its coming into court .
lend home a 66 - year - old specimen trained into a beautiful upright piano shapefrom Bonsai Boy .
Green Island
‘ Green Island ’ is beloved as both a shrub outdoors and as a bonsai .
It ’s naturally summary and stays under about three foot tall and broad without any exploit on your part . So you may see why it lend itself to bonsai .
‘ Green Island ’
The redundant - buddy-buddy leaves make for an interesting display .
cull up a started specimen that ’s about eight years oldat Bonsai Boy .
Mini Flat Leaf
You ca n’t find a better choice than ‘ Mini Flat Leaf ’ for creating a bonsai out of a laurel common fig tree .
It stays under a foot magniloquent and takes on a cascade down maturation habit . It has extremely compendious growth and correspondingly pocket-sized leaves that are flat and glossy .
The Indoor Bonsai Lover’s Go-To
I love the art of bonsai , but sometimes I ’m deplorable that most of my tree diagram have to persist outside .
It ’s just too cold and drizzly to look up to them during January . But nin-sin genus Ficus can give ear out indoors all yr and will be no defective for the wear .
Plus , you get the gratification of watching your tree diagram mature in an accelerated timeline .
It bring decade for some tree species to look cured in their bonsai pots , while Taiwanese banyan looks mature within just a few years .
I hope this guide set you on the veracious path towards gain the most of your Panax schinseng genus Ficus . These trees are a pleasure to work with .
If you ’d likemore information about how to like for bonsai trees , we have a few other guides that might give you some good ideas , such as :
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Kristine Lofgren
