Ginseng Ficus bonsai pruning: A year into the development of my Ficus microcarpa bonsai
Vložit
- čas přidán 29. 12. 2021
- I'm pruning my Ficus microcarpa ginseng bonsai through the year and showing the effects of each trimming.
Pruning is an important aspect of ginseng Ficus care and is necessary both in the bonsai training phase and for maintaining mature bonsai trees. Ginseng Ficus bonsai pruning may have to be performed several times a year because Ficus microcarpa is a vigorous grower given the right conditions.
My Ficus ginseng bonsai is in the early stages of development and I'm currently developing it's main trunk by using the clip and grow approach. I let it grow freely, then prune it back hard to obtain a natural trunk movement and taper.
In case you're wondering what happened to the large ginseng Ficus cutting, it was cut into several pieces and I'm propagating the cuttings for a future bonsai project.
All videos regarding the development of this Ficus microcarpa bonsai can be found in the dedicated playlist: • Ficus microcarpa ginse...
My winter setup includes a Mars Hydro 120/60 cm (4'/2') grow tent and an SP3000 grow light. Mars Hydro products are available here:
USA: mars-hydro.com
UK: marshydroled.co.uk
AU: marshydroau.com
EU: marshydro.eu
CA: marshydroled.ca
You can use this 3% discount code : ODDBONSAI
#ginsengficus #ficusmicrocarpa #ginsengficusbonsai #ficuspruning
A very professional looking video Stefan! The tree has made such good progress, it's such an important step growing the trunk and primary branches!
Thank you very much Nigel! True, even if it's going to be a slow way of building the main structure I the result should look more natural. It still has a long way to go but I am satisfied with what I got this year. Next year's growth should make the trunk line even more clear and we should also see some taper.
Thank you for all the videos and for taking the time to putting them together. I am very patiently waiting for an update.
I agree with Nigel, Stefan, your videos are high quality. Impatient to see how this little guy progresses; not a great trait when it comes to bonsai though!!! Best wishes, Kate
Thank you for your kind words Kate. I'm constantly trying to improve both on the horticultural side and the video editing part. It's feedbacks like yours that help me understand if I'm making any progress or not.
Patience is just one of the skills that have to be learned when growing bonsai. I'm still working on that part myself but found that having more trees is a good workaround. 😁
All the best!
Stefan
Please keep this series going, progress is fun
Will do for sure! Thanks!
That little ficus loves to grow and back bud! What a fun tree. Great job Stefan! 👍
Thank you Jay! Yes, Ficus microcarpa is notorious for it's back budding ability. I wish my Ficus benjamina would get at least 10% of the back budding I got on the ginseng.😋
Great video - very thorough and detailed coverage of the early development of this tree. Looking forward to the next instalment!
Thank you! I'll try to make the next videos as detailed as this one. An update on this ginseng will be coming sometime this winter.
This is so helpful for understanding the bonsai process!! Your videos have been the best in helping me get started :)
Thank you Sarah! I'm very glad to hear my videos helped you and I hope you can apply some of the techniques in training your trees. Do you also have a Ginseng ficus bonsai?
I enjoyed the steps you followed. And yes Bonsai needs patience.
Thank you Mr. Samar. Yes, patience is one important ingredient. I'm still trying to learn how to be have more patience in some cases. I always want to do too much at once.
Bought my first ficus. I’m an excited bonsai noob trying to soak up knowledge and inspiration. Thanks for this great video. Looking forward to checking out all your videos. Cheers from sunny Arizona.
Best of luck with your bonsai growing! Greetings from Romania on a cold autumn day! 😊
What an aggressive lil’ bugger! It sure gave you lots of temptations/options to change your mind on the structure. Great discipline bringing it back! I’m looking forward to seeing how those roots developed. Until next year...
Thanks for the education, Stefan
If that sacrificial leader would have gotten a bit thicker and if it wouldn't have had such a leggy growth (long internodes) I probably would have been tempted to keep more of it. 😋 I'm also very curious what lies below the soil surface. I can see a lot of roots on the surface but it's hard to tell where they come from.
Your videos are so relaxing to watch, even for someone that isn't a bonsai lover!
Thanks Linda! Glad you like them. Who knows, maybe you'll get to like bonsai too. 😋
Really great instructions over time. Thank you!!
Ginseng ficus bonsai really inspires friends, thanks for sharing the knowledge
Thank you very much! I'm always happy to share what I do and know.
Just finding your content now, please keep it up, I'm hooked! Thank you.
Thanks! Glad you like the videos! I hope I can finish a new one this or next week. Cheers!
Wow! The plant is taking shape...Success, Stefan !
Not much of a change yet but it is slowly evolving.
bets pruning video on a ginseng ive seen on youtube! good job my friend!!!
Thank you my friend! Glad you found it useful.
Thank you 🙏. I love my ficus..
I'm also a big fan of plants in the Ficus family.
A beautiful process. Please continue, it's a pleasure to watch 🙂
Thank you very much! I will try to post updates on this tree at least every year.
Looking very good!!
Thanks!
Super, thank you!
Thank you too! Glad you liked it!
Like ficus bonsai
Thanks!🙏
Great work, Stefan! I like this little guy. I am curious to see it at repotting time. With this new tent, you can practically have 365 days of continuous growth.
Happy new year, my dear friend
Thank you Saro! I'm also looking forward to seeing what's hiding below the soil line. 😋 A grow tent will indeed allow you to grow throughout the year but, unfortunately, there's limited space in the tent and there's also a limit to how many grow tents you can keep at home. 😊
I wish you a very happy and healthy new year Saro!
Wow did it ever grow over this past year, nice job.
Thanks J! I didn't have much to do with the growing part but I take full responsibility for the pruning. 😁
This is so helpful in describing how to develop a standard bonsai we can all buy in big shops. Thanks!
Glad you found it helpful!
@@OddBonsai any updates?
Lots of useful information. Thank you :)
Glad it was helpful! 😊👍
Nice ficus bonsai,ficus growing the others, thanks for your sharing
Thanks! I'm really enjoying developing this one.
Nice decision to development your ficus 😍🙏
Thanks! I'm glad you agree. I prefer a slow development to get a nice and natural looking trunk on this Ficus ginseng.
I really love ficus of all kind they are good variety of bonsai, thanks for the video boss..
Yes, Ficus is a great plant genus. It conyains so many species suitable for bonsai.
Wow, what a perfect video! This thing has come along nicely. You just know it will explode in the spring. Cheers man, happy new year!
Thanks Colin! In theory the grow tent should allow it to resume normal growth sooner than spring. In reality...we'll see 🙂.
A happy new year! Looking forward to spring.
@@OddBonsai ah yes, the grow tent…how could I forget.
😁
if you keep this up you will have so many viewers in ~4-5 years time. 4real
Thank you! I try to make quality content. Like my trees, I'm also trying to grow in knowledge and skills.
Ginseng ficus sharing very good,,,
Thank you my friend!
Thank you for sharing 👍🙏
My pleasure! Glad you liked it! 🙏
That is fast growing the ficus my friend.
Yes it is. If it has all the right conditions it grows very fast.
@@OddBonsai yes...
Small bonsai vicus cute ...great job broo
Thank you, I'm glad you like it!
Какие интересные деревья вы выращиваете
Большое спасибо! Glad you enjoyed the video.
1st time I actually spotted the Romanian accent without a doubt. :D Great content, Ștefan, got yourself a follower on all channels!
Mulțumesc Marius! My English is far from being perfect but I didn't realize the accent was so obvious. 😋 Anyway, not trying to hide it. I'm proud to be a Romanian.
@@OddBonsai Oh, but it's a compliment! I concluded this is the "true" Romanian accent after watching all sorts of programming tutorials, all those guys had it - somewhere in between Spanish and Russian ones. No reason to hide it. :D Eu mulțumesc, chiar foarte tare canalul! Nu știu cum de l-am descoperit abia acum..
Întotdeauna mi s-a părut că accentul nostru seamănă cel mai mult cu cel al rușilor, dar este drept că nu am ascultat prea atent și alte tipuri de accent.
Mulțumesc pentru apreciere! Încerc să evoluez atât în ceea ce privește formarea bonsailor cât și în realizarea videourilor. Volumul de videouri de pe CZcams este imens și în continuă creștere. Și eu tot mai descopăr canale pe care mă întreb de ce nu mi le-a recomandat CZcams până acum. 😊
Nice growth, especially considering it is winter time.
Yes, I found microcarpa grows pretty well even in low light conditions. No wonder it's so often used to make bonsai trees.
Awesome
Thanks! Glad you like it!
it has a majestic base wow! more success to your channel🙏
Thank you so much 🤗Cheers!
Good work Stefan, the tree is looking good. I wish you good luck when it comes to sorting out the roots haha. Happy new year!
Thanks Xin! I can already see there was a lot of root growth so I'm probably going to need every bit of that luck next time I repot. 😋 A very happy and healthy new year to you too!
@@OddBonsai yes the roots grows really fast on ficuses!
Hope it grew roots in all the right places 😋
Great work 😍😍😍
Thank you! Cheers!
wow talk about patience
Good work. Love to see the updates. A happy new year to you from Pakistan
Thank you very much! A happy new year from Romania too!
Nice my friend
This is amazing vidio
You the best
Thanks! 🙏 I try to improve on my skills with each tree I work on.
Very good plant tutorial
Thank you! Glad you found it useful!
👍👍👍 amazing
Thank you! Cheers!
New Subscriber. Nice looking ficus. Great work. Thanks, keep growing
Thank you very much! Welcome to the channel! It's still in a veeery early development stage but I hope it will evetually make a nice bonsai.
Cheers and a happy new year!
Nice
Thanks! Cheers!
Awesome video! Happy New Year
Thank you very much! I wish you a happy and healthy new year!
Wow, amazing process..great work my friend...Happy new year..♥️👍👍
Thank you my friend and a very happy new year to you too!
I leave mine alone mostly, and prune it in the spring.
To dark and cold in Sweden . But itvis lovely
I left mine alone as well this year. No pruning since this video. Needs a pruning soon. :)
Waiting for the sequel
Me too!
Can we see an update? Really enjoyed watching and would like to see the progress!
would love to see how the ficus is doing now, I have 2 cute ficus ginseng and have no idea how to shape them so these updates make me get the idea much better.
I will have to work on my ginseng ficus this winter and when I do I will definitely make a video. Most probably it will be a pruning and repotting video.
@@OddBonsaiwaiting for the update video!
@@Anything3lse It's coming. Hopefully this month.
love it got my sub immediately
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
I love these videos. I wonder how the little guy is doing now
Great great work! this video reminds me how much work and discipline bonsai training requires, and patience too! That tent-lighthouse is a diy
construction?
Thanks! The grow tent is not my creation. I just assebled it. 🙂 I got it together with the grow light as a sponsorship from the Mars Hydro company which makes them. I made a video about the tent if you are inteterested: czcams.com/video/mpaQ_nVbHn8/video.html . I'm preparing a video on the growight aswell.
thanks👍👏 I'd like to see how this little tree has developed since then 🌱
Like last year, it just grows taller and taller, and I will cut it back at some point. I will try to post an update video sometime in winter.
@@OddBonsai great 😃👍🌴
👍🙂
Mantap kawan
Thanks!
Hi Stefan, I enjoyed the video. I have two Ginsing Ficus Trees, about a foot tall....I need advice on pruning them and the roots, and also about a white sticky sap that comes out from the trunk and seems to spread around the leaves....do I just wash it off? I need to identify what it is in order to correctly eliminate it, in case it destroys my beautiful little trees. They have a curved S shaped trunk on my trees. I need advice on the pot size, and how often I should pot up, changing the soil/compost, best thing to put in its pot, and whether it needs its roots trimming.
Thank you Tracey
Very neat! Did you keep the top microcarpa tree? It grows so well I guess you can get an better bonsai tree of it than the root base in 2 years time. I choose and buy ginseng ficus only for the top, graftet or direct shoot. I airlayer it when the trunk is reasonably thickened up. The roots are tossed. They fatten up more than the trunk and don't contribute to a good looking bonsai no matter how I style it.
Thanks! I made several cuttings out of that big branch that I cut off and I propagated them. I haven't decided what to do with them yet. I was thinking of trying out a fusion but I guess individual trees would be better since they are all of different thickness.
In the end, I might end up doing the same thing with my ginseng if I fail in smoothing out the transition from the root to the trunk. I just have to give it a try. 😋
Great video. Thank you. Any updates with this Ficus bonsai? Im very curious about that.
good work.. greetings🙏
Thank you! Cheers!
Very Nice 🌲🌲🌲🌲💐👍
Thank you! 🙏 Glad you like it!
Very informative. Thanks and God bless. How many hours of light do you give it per day?
Update would be cool
Morning broother,, coffe time
Good morning my friend!
Hadir bos.. Good..
Thank you!🙏
Nicely done! are you going to airlayer it?
Thanks! Not sure yet. I buried the tuberous roots to encourage de development of new roots closer to what I envision as the base for this tree. So for now is more of a ground layer. Next time I repot it I will check the results and I may try to airlayer if my first attempt fails.
We need an update!
great video was waiting for an update sadly i dont think there will be any 😶
Nice :) I am curious to see how the root system looks. Are you planning to cut of what’s beneath the soil?
Thanks! I'm wondering about the same thing😁. There will be some root chopping but I can't say how much yet. Even though they are ugly, my theory is that those potato roots are beneficial to the Ficus so I am going to keep as much of the original root as the future pot will allow. I'm hoping that some new finer roots will develop over to hide the potatoes. 🙂
@@OddBonsai that makes sense. I am going to update my Ginseng Ficus soon - I have some interesting ideas for development, mainly through creating aerial roots
Looking forward to seeing what you have in mind for it. Happy new year!
@@OddBonsai thanks - happy New Years!
Im sooo impressed! Where is the next video? ❤
Next video is in the making. I have the footage, just have to find the time to edit.
@@OddBonsai can’t wait to see the progress! 🙂 you have inspired me to cut my ficus today and I have left him with just one leaf 😳😅 let’s see! Greetings 😊
When you repotted, did you just place most of that trunk under the soil? Or cut most off?
The tuberous root is still there. Just buried in the soil. You can see how the microcarpa was repotted in this video: czcams.com/video/DL4MJqoBZnM/video.html
For the future I haven't yet decided if I'm going to keep it or cut it. We'll see when I do the next repot.
what soil components are you using for this project?
Any updates!?
I am new to bonsia and love watching your videos. I recently bought a ficus ginseng from a local Walmart/Asda. I am wanting to repot I am going to use a combination of a mainstream bonsia mix and put some akadama in too. Would this be OK and is it OK to do it at this time of year as it is a indoor mature plant.
Thank you very much! The mix you have in mind sounds ok. Ficuses in general like the soil to retain a bit more moisture but without it being wet or holding too much water. If your Ficus ginseng is in a good health state I would say it's fine and even recommended to repot it. The soil they usually come with is not that good.
@@OddBonsai thank you it is in good health but want to repot it with better soil and a better pot.
@@brig1332 This will surely give it good start .
I am wondering how does it look under the earth. I hope you will make a video about the repotting.
I'm also curious to see how the roots have developed. Not sure when I will repot it but when I do I will for sure document the process in a video.
Would love an update, just bought one a few weeks ago, as my first plant.
Any updates on this tree? Very curious to see how the root system developed after being repotted so deep.
No video update yet. It grew in the grow tent for a full year so I should be working on it soon. It's just a matter of finding the time to do this. :)
I would have chosen the central shoot for building the new trunk, it had more graphic curves … the right shoot has a weak curve of a « dog leg ». type
Hello Stefan! Im following a similar path for my ex-ginseng ficus and its time for its reposition, what kind of soil mix do you use?
I planted this one in a mix of perlite, vermiculite, pumice and potting compost, but it's already too compacted after one year so next time I might use much less compost or replace it with pine bark.
@@OddBonsai so you are dropping the organic matter percenage in order to make the roots grow slower? Isn't it essential for the leaf-trunk growth?
I don't want roots to grow slower. I'm just trying to improve drainage. I apply fertilizer regularly so the amount of organic matter does not influence nutrient intake that much.
@@OddBonsai oh i see, thanks for the info
My pleasure!
Nice video
I just wanted to know, in how many days new shoots are coming??
Love from India
Do you have any specific soil recommendations for a ficus?
It depends on your watering habits/schedule but you want a well draining mix with components that are good at retaining moisture. For example a mix containing pine bark, potting soil and some perlite should be ok. My ficus ginseng is planted in potting compost + perlite + vermiculite and pumice (equal proportions).
hi! do you use any food for the plants? or it's not necesarry and they can grow healthy without it?
I use fertilizer on all my plants. Without it they will start to show signs of nutrient deficiency and their growth will be affected. If organic soil is used, there is a certain amount of nutrients that the plants can extract from it but it doesn't usually last too long.
Hello! Thanks for the video! When can we expect a new one with the changes?
I have the footage, just have to put it all together in a video.
Dose the jen cen bloom
Is it necessary to have this kind of growing area in winter? I don't have room for it, unfortunately.
You don't have to use a grow tent. Winter is usually a period when indoor plants stay more or less dormant or grow very little due to low light conditions. A grow tent is just a way to go around this and make your plants grow strong even during winter months.
Until this winter I did not have a grow tent and even now I cannot fit all my plants inside it. So don't worry about not being able to use one, you can still grow bonsai without a grow tent.
Can you describe the soil mix you use? Thank you.
It I remember correctly, for this ficus Microcarpa I'm using 25% perlite, 25% pumice, 25% vermiculite and 25% potting compost. However, the percentage of potting compost is still to high and a year after potting the drainage is already not that great.
Sa incerci sa aplici taieturi pe scoarta, linii verticale, la calosare vor da un aspect de copac batran si caracter trunchiului.
Multumesc pentru sugestie. Cred ca am mai citit/auzit de varianta asta pe undeva, dar nu am testat sa vad ce rezultate poate sa aiba aceasta practica. Ai incercat sa faci asta pe ficus microcarpa?
@@OddBonsai da, pe ficusi, pe portulacaria afra si crasula ovata
Me having my first Bonsai and really having no idea on how to prune and wire: "hmm... do I really wanna cut this one leaf?" - *feels bad*
This guy: "Let's just cut it ALL down, except THIS one leaf!"
It wasn't exactly down to one leaf but you got that's a pretty good summary of the video. 😎
How you prune depends on why you prune. If you're pruning for maintenance then you probably only remove a few leaves or the tip of the branches. When the plant you're working with is just a large root with a few thin branches then you have to work on developing the trunk. Some just let one of the branches grow long and thick and use that straight branch as the trunk. I want to create a trunk with some natural looking movement and that's why I'm developing it bit by bit even if it looks like it just gets chopped for no reason at all.
@@OddBonsai i bought mine at a local supermarket and the root is already twisted quite a lot. They cut it in a very strange shape lol.
It's a money making industry. Their goal is to produce ginseng bonsais as fast as they can so they can sell them. One employee probably ends up grafting 100 or more in a single day. So no time for nice looking cuts. :) That's why I didn't get one of the grafted ones. I think it's mission impossible to find one that has a nice looking graft. The best you can do is cover the grafting point with aerial roots.
@@OddBonsai Well... at least it wasn't expensive, so I guess I just use it as my first Bonsai project with no regrets if it goes south :D
Don't dismiss it just because it has a defect. I've seen trees that looked really bad turn into great bonsai. I'm sure you can turn your ginseng ficus into a nice bonsai.
Great video! Where did you get the pot?
Thanks! I got the pot from a large home and garden store called Hornbach. It's a large chain of stores present in many European countries.
@@OddBonsai Thank you but unfortunately I don't see any here in the US.
Yes, I think they only have stores in Europe. Try to search online for terra cotta pots with Greek patterns. You probably won't find the exact same pot but maybe you can find something similar.
Update on ginseng ficus bonsai?
Any updates yet?!
need an update for this plant
Will do. It really needs a pruning and maybe a repotting too so there will be a new video coming this winter.
It takes how much time to thicken the main trunk sir....??
There's bo easy way to answer this question. It depends on the growth rate. If your ficus microcarpa grows fast and vigurous you could reach a good thickness within a year or two. If you want to get fast results plant it in a larger pot and provide the best growing conditions.
Thanks
Can the cuttings be propagated?
Yes, they root easily. You can put them in water or directly in soil.
Update PLEASEEEEE
It's time for un update, i am curios to see the progress for 2022????
There's nothing much to show as an update, I just made this video a few months back in winter. The leader grew to 20 or 30 cm tall but that's about all. There will be for sure a detailed update at the end of the growing season like last year.