Repotting Two Ficus Religiosa Bonsai, July 2016
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- čas přidán 20. 07. 2016
- I repot two different Ficus bonsai, one with a well developed root system, the other with a medium quality root system.
This is the second re potting video of the large tree. It was re potted two years ago. Check out the playlist section of the channel to see previous videos of this tree. - Věda a technologie
Officially educated!! Great video Nigel. The medium size repot certainly helped me with my tendency to find nursery stock. The sheer amount of pruning was a little scary but I trust your techniques.
I'm also finally realizing why my Ficus trees died this winter...repot in summer only!! Lesson learnt. Future tropical trees owe their lives to you. You have their thanks.
That white pot with the cracked glaze is my favorite. Thanks again for these videos!
Nigel, Great root work again.
Most enjoyable Nigel thanks for sharing. 😁🌳
Nice video. I'm glad to see the bonsai in the small black pot is doing well. It looks like you have a lot of ficuses!
Hi Nigel . Always enjoy you videos , especially your updates. Haven't seen one yet on the white desert ash trees, hoping they're growing well for you. Cheers
Very nice Nigel!
Great video! you should do a tour of your benches on of these days!
Nigel Saunders, The Bonsai Zone
159K subscribers
You da best !!!
Haha! My girlfriend started knitting last year, so I have also discovered the perks of knitting needles being both cheap and sturdy aswell as coming in a range of sizes :) Great video Nigel, thank you!
Your girlfriend should start a CZcams channel for knitting! My daughter started knitting this year also, I hope she doesn't find me using her needles I permanently borrowed.
Does anyone know if the second tree he showed is still alive? i can't remember seeing it on his channel anymore :(
Always loved ur Ficus Religiosas! Hopefully the 2 cuttings I got a TBS will grow well this year! They're a bit oddly shaped so no idea how to get them natural looking like yours, have to let them get big and strong and hope for back-budding I suppose!
I love working ficus.
Congrats on obtaining such nice root base on the larger ficus! That pot is beautiful also.
Seeing you cut ALL those roots off the medium ficus made me cringe! You are brave! Haha
funny stuff. after I posted I heard you say "...this mix has more perlite in it." patience is a virtue.
This mixture is just for the greenhouse. Soil stays wet longer in there with all the humidity. I think this mixture would dry out too fast outdoors.
What organics do you put in your soil. I watched one of your videos where you said you were using a 50/50 mixture of perlite and turface.
Nigel, thanks again for your work. Seems like most of the time you do not wire the trees in the pots. In what situation do you use wire to support the trees.? Thanks, Jack
Nigel, sounds like your local bird agrees with you. LOLOL
Yes indeed!
Hey Nigel,
Are you based in Canada? I am in Utah and am Wondering Where you would recommend getting good stock(cuttings or plants) for ficus bonsai. Most of what I find tends to be the household variety of benjamina. I thought it was cool that you have a tree that you grew from seed all those years ago. I just recently ordered a bunch of Maple, Elm, and dwarf Pomegranate that I am very excited about.
Nigel, @ 16:36 I noticed a thick root. Is this something that one should work toward reducing back towards the trunk or is it a specific design aspect of this tree?
I live in California do you think late August is too late to repot my ficus religiosa sir?
Sir which soil using for peeepal tree.
Black soil or Red Soil
I see only two of them . Wear Is No.3 ?
Nigel - what was the potting mix this Ficus religiosa was in ?
this guy is literally the bob ross of bonsai
Thank you, I'm a fan of the late Bob Ross!
nigels "happy little accidents" phrase is "and here i go"
Nigel, what organic soil components do you use and when do you find it necessary to use organic soil components?
I don't use organic material in my soil and if I do, I'll use pieces of composted pine bark. I haven't found any difference if I use it or not. Here is how I water and fertilize....
czcams.com/video/gXIIpxUqxdY/video.html
Nice video as always!
I was wondering what "radial pattern" really means, I understand that the roots should be out to the sides and flat, but not being a native English speaker I feel like I'm missing some of the meaning of the word radial.
Thank you for sharing all your videos and knowledge!
Hello Zende, radial means like the spokes of a wheel, the roots emerge perpendicular from the surface of the trunk, the roots do not come out on an angle (crooked) This way the roots do not cross each other. Here is a video on this.....
czcams.com/video/AcSu8SUQ0kE/video.html
I know you have a root over temple bonsai, but do you have any root over rock ones? I bought some nice rocks at an aquarium and I'm hoping to plant the kapok trees over them. Root over rock just looks so beautiful to me.
I did have a root over rock ficus, but I got tired of carrying the tree with the rocks below, it was really heavy! I removed the rocks and it is just in the soil now, but it is nice and light. I do like the style and it can look amazing.
i wanted to ask howcome u are calling "soil" since i am seing only some type of small rocks ! i need to mention i have no ideea about that kind of soil or any other ones ! thanks for answering and good job !
Bonsai soil is a very porous mix that often resembles fine gravel. Everyone seems to have their own mix and this can depend on what's available in your area. Mine is a 50/50 mix of perlite and turface. It has no organic material.
Hi Nigel, really admire your radial root system idea. I just repotted my new Ficus and discovered that it has "multiple" trunks. With that said, it was quite dissapointing that I couldnt acheive one radial root base as I planned. Instead I somewhat created a few pads of radial roots (for each trunk), would this be just as effective for the trees development? I really like the braiding of my ficus, thus why I didn't prune off everything except the initial tap root, or trunk.
Yes a radial root system around each trunk will work fine. As the trees grow and thicken, it may develop into a single braided trunk and you will slowly get a nice single radial root system.
Amazing, thank you for reaching back out.
What is the contents in your bonsai soil.
It's been like 3 months since I potted my ficus Benjamina tree and it already filled the pot with the roots. Should I repot?
I would only re pot if it is hard to water and the tree is drying out too quickly. A pot bound ficus will help you get aerial roots if you want them. I think generally once a year is plenty soon enough for a most trees and most conditions. If I had a really large tree in a very small pot or a tiny bonsai in a tiny pot, re potting might have to be done more than once a year. If your tree is healthy and you can water normally, I re pot every summer or every other summer.
it looks like you are using a different soil mix than you usually do. (more white-ish pieces) I am still trying to find a mix that works for me. currently, one part each of perlite, lava rock, pine bark compost, and little stones I sifted from the sand box. I also add one tablespoon of slow release plant food per 1/4 cup of mix. does this sound like a good Mix to you? (I was wanting to try the kitty litter as a sub for akadama, but for some reason I can't find any, it's either the clumping kind or its scented or whatever.)
I get my turface at the Farm supply store. It is used for cleaning up oil spills in garages, a soil additive and also cat litter. It is a fired clay particle and doesn't break down easily. It comes in a 50 lb bag for 16.00 dollars. I think you can get it at automotive supply places also.
+Nigel Saunders; you know, I think you mentioned that before. I kinda feel like a horses rear end, lol, don't know why it slipped my mind, but thanks again.
+Nigel Saunders I've found a pRoduct called OilDri and some cheap kitty litters work as calcined clay in my mix, but for the sifting! Thanks for another great video.
How old were these trees when u made this video
wash the base of trunk with copper sulphate solution to prevent rot, which might be a common problem of tropical trees in your area.
great video and even more the sound of nature and the birds. I have been watching your videos for inspiration and hope to start my own bonsai. thank you for all your videos. I live in New Mexico a dry and hot climate, which type of trees do you recommend for me to start with?
I would start with a Ficus tree, they love the heat and a as long as you keep them watered, they should grow well. You can also try some trees and shrubs that are native to your area or ones sold at your local nurseries. Here is a good article on growing bonsai in a hot dry location.......
www.phoenixbonsai.com/PPlants.html
Nigel Saunders thank you for the information, will be reading on it. once again thank you and hope to show you my trees when I get started. have a wonderful and bless day.
Another great video! I am very intrigued by the ficus religiosa. Where did you get the clump of these trees that you have mentioned in prior videos? Or if not available, cuttings would be greatly appreciated!
Ben
Hi Ben, I can bring you one at the next meeting. The trees were from Belgium nurseries, long ago.
+Nigel Saunders Thank you! See you then!
Just purchased my fist bonsai tree. It is labeled “ficus bonsai” so I am unsure of the species (I read there are over 1500?!). My plant has a disproportionately thick truck with obvious (unattractive) signs of where the truck was cut for earlier trimming. Out of the trunk are short thin branches with healthy looking leaves. Do you have any advice on how to work the tree so that the trunk to branch radius is more natural and proportionate? Thanks!
It sounds like Ginseng Ficus, It is a variety of the Ficus microcarpa and many have a different ficus grafted to the root stock, but not always. I have several of these trees and you can check out the playlists for them to see the steps I have taken with them. Here is one of the playlists....
czcams.com/play/PLQouTWwmTQowdw8BxaYXaj9Q9T7pjwH7v.html
Nigel! This video just totally boosted my confidence. I just potted my first tropical finally out of its nursery pot and soil. Roots were a tangled nightmare, ( a lot worse than expected.) They ended out looking exactly like your ficus @ 17:40 lol very one sided. But its in good bonsai soil now and the weather here is hot and very humid. My only worry is lots of rain expected the rest of this week!!!! I'm keeping it outdoors but I am bringing it in the garage if rain is expected all day/night. I will run a fan to keep circulation as an added benefit. Does this makes sense? : / not sure if the tree would need to be constantly soaked if such little roots at this point might kill it? - Jake
Sounds like a good plan, too much rain can be bad for a newly developing root system. Many of Maples will actually go droopy after a lot of rain and then they perk up after the soil dries out a bit. The better care your tree gets, the faster it will recover!
Cool Thanks!!, I would think at least for the the first water cycle to let the substrate get rather dry before anymore watering. What about full sun Nigel? I keep doing as much research as possibly an I find most say to keep in a shaded area for at least 2 weeks? Especially after a major root prune/re-pot. The tree still has all of its leaves and are very droopy. But I have a south facing backyard with lots of sun and no shaded areas to really keep the tree except for my dark garage(lol...). I'm just afraid it doesn't need all that sun at this point. But will it be okay without any light? if this makes sense?
There is a little sunlight that peaks through the little windows at the top of my garage door but not much. I can supplement the light with a led grow light if absolutely needed. If so should I start the grow light on it now? -Thanks for the advice, sorry if I am overthinking this my first tree I want it to live!!! - (On the positive side the hard wood cuttings are all doing really good and have rooted!!! 👍)
Hi Nigel, after a piece of advice. Just starting to get into bonsai and have been gifted a couple of ficus. I have repotted one and taken some root cuttings . How best to get them to grow? At the moment I have them in a pot with a well draining potting mix covered in a plastic bag and sat on an indoor windowsill on the less sunny side of my house (it's mid summer here in NZ). Is this the best way or do you have any other tips? Should I be putting them in water instead? Loving your relaxed style and informative videos by the way. Keep it up!
Hello Mark, I have had no luck with Ficus root cuttings! I know it can be done, a good website is www.bonsaihunk.us/
There is an article on growing ficus from root cuttings......
www.bonsaihunk.us/ficusforum/FicusTechniques/FigTechnique67.html
Good luck!
Sounds like it's pretty hard. I'll persist for a while and see how it goes but will start a couple of normal cuttings as well. Thanks for the advice.
Nigel Saunders, The Bonsai Zone I mostly likely am confused. However, by “no luck” are you saying the root cutting in this video didn’t work out in the end?
Beautiful mr. Nigel .... what type is the soil perlite and what ?
It is perlite and turface mixed 50/50.
Nigel, I don't see you use wire to secure you trees to the pot, which most Western bonsai keepers do. I have seen many Japanese videos too and many of them don't use wire to tie tree secure to the pot. Any words on this?
I prefer to have the freedom of moving the tree and adjusting the position without the tree being wired in place. Wiring the tree into the pot can create some really nasty scars on the root surface. I have seen many beautiful trees with ugly wire marks across the roots and for me, that ruins the tree. When I am re potting, I like to feel the tree wiggle in the soil and then as I work the soil into the roots, I feel the tree firm up in the pot. I place stones on the soil surface to hold the tree in place until the roots get established. If you feel your trees will be dug out of the pots by animals or blown out by the wind, or intend on doing heavy wiring or trunk bending, then you should definitely secure the tree into the pot. I have not had a problem with trees coming out of the pot so far in 25 years. I generally leave stones on the soil, to secure the tees, for most of the growing season.
nigel, after you prune the roots do you put the plant in the shade or sun? and if shade how long?
It is best to place the trees in a spot that gets morning and evening sun, but is shaded during the hot afternoon sun. Most tropical trees will recover within a week and can be placed back into full sun, but keep an eye on them, if they start to wilt, place them back into the shade for longer. Most hardy trees can be left in the full sun after re potting in spring, as long as the leaves haven't come out yet.
Thank you very much for responding!
TOM
I always am a bit confused about the soil you put in , is that really soil ?(it doesn't really look like its got any soil content ). Though I've seen the video on Bonsai soil mix (was totally cool by the way ).
And the way you trim those roots off ,scares me a little :D .
Beautiful trees those are .. u know how to keep 'em small
Thanks Leonard, trimming and pruning can be very scary at first and it's always a balance between pruning too much and too little.
do you not write in the root mass and drainage screens, or do you just skip that part on the video?
No, I don't wire my trees in, or my drainage screens. I've never had drainage screens move once the soil is in place. I just don't see the point of wiring them in place. You need to un-wire them to get the tree out because the roots will grow through and around the screens. I don't wire the trees in because I like to feel the wiggle of the tree as I am working the soil into the root base. With a nice flat radial root base the trees are fairly stable to begin with, within a couple of weeks the roots grow enough to lock the tree in the pot. I don't like wire marks across the surface roots, I think it can spoil a good tree. I place rocks on top of the soil to keep the tree stable until the roots have grown. Wiring a tree in place is fine if done correctly and if you feel it needs it.
Hi Nigel, I have a "Ficus Religiosa" cutting that I would like to grow. Can you tell me how to pot it (should I add sand) and where too grow it, in direct sunlight or in a more shady area? I would like too grow it indoors. I am in the UK. Many, many thanks if you can help. Ben
They do require high light, a sunny South facing window id best in the winter and then if possible they should go outdoors for the summer. If you don't have enough light, a grow light may be required indoors. The soil should be sifted to remove the fine particles, if you can find some pre made bonsai soil, this would be best! Mist your tree often and only water when the soil starts to go a bit dry.
That's great. Many thanks for that. Please have a good day. Ben
Hi dear can you let me know where to get that tree ficus religiosia thanks .
You can order seeds on line here....
www.rarexoticseeds.com/en/catalogsearch/result/?q=ficus+religiosa
how come your treed never go in to shock, every tree i find in the woods or in the ditches, always go in to shock,
I place my trees in the greenhouse after re potting. They get a little less light and the humidity is very high. I also mist the trees many times a day. These ideal conditions help the tree recover quickly. If the trees were to go outside after re potting, I would place them in a spot that gets morning and evening sun, but not the direct afternoon sun. You can place a ventilated clear plastic bag over the tree that makes a small greenhouse also. Be sure if doesn't get too hot inside the bag for the tree.
is that a firework behind in background hahahahah
Which is called budhi tree ficus religiosa or ficus rumphii ?😊
The Bodhi tree is a Ficus religiosa,. A "real" Bodhi tree is one believed to have been grown from the cuttings of the original tree that Buddha became enlightened under.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhi_Tree
Here is information on the life of Buddha.....
www.biography.com/people/buddha-9230587
Hello nigel "the grandmaster of BONSAIs" 😊😊☺☺😇😇
Magnificent job done😍🙋
Dear elder brother, When will u do wiring on these BONSAIs? Please upload video of that, & i wanna share you pictures of my BONSAIs so plz give me links to connect you.
Thank you, you can send pics to...
thekwbonsaisociety@gmail.com
I like your channel and persue my passion as a gardener . I toed your method to repot the plan in shallow pot across all season in india . But i always enf up with a death . I tried multiple and failed everytime and could not save yhe tree. What are wrong step i am doing. Let me know your guidance can save lot of trees and my passion as a gaunder . Think you for inspitimg ppl like me
India have a very different climate to ours here in Canada. Most of my trees get special care after re potting, they are kept out of the wind, sometimes in the greenhouse. I am very careful not to let them dry out and they get misted in the afternoon several times until the trees resume growth again. The tree are always left to grow strong and vigorous before the root work and re potting begin. I try and re pot at the best time of the year for the tree if possible also. It takes a bit of practice to be able to prune the right amount of roots away and still have the tree survive. I have killed many trees with over root pruning or poor aftercare after re potting. I still seem to kill trees to this very day!
swarnima diwakar good luck with your bonsai!
how opd is ur tallest ficus religiosa sir??!!
I have had the tree almost 20 years and it was about half the height it is now. If the trees are left to grow they can thicken up quickly. I would agree with Raphael, maybe 30-40 years.
Sir there is no tamarind and ficus bengalenisis bonsais in ur garden y sir
I do have two Tamarind seedlings that were started last winter. They are growing well and I will be making a video on then soon.
I almost bought a Ficus bengalenisis recently, but I decided that I had better get my trees that I have, pruned down first to make room for it! I just have no extra space at the moment. I will be getting one in the future!
Are those fish tanks in the back?
Yes, I bought a bunch of them at the auction years ago, now they are just benches.
What do you use for the drainage mesh ?
I use the plastic flywire from old window screens.
Nigel Saunders Nigel do you take apprentices ?
No one has ever asked, but bonsai is a hobby to me, it would be best to apprentice with a professional.
Nigel Saunders but you are professional.
Zehao Wu Thank you, but I''m still learning just like every one else in bonsai.
Nigel, you know better than I, but cutting those large roots wont hurt the tree?
The tree is going in the green house. With the high humidity and slightly lower light levels, the trees seem to do fine planting them as large cuttings with little roots. If this were done any other time of year, the results would be fatal! It is a bit of a risk, but I think the trees will do well, if it doesn't, I'll still update the tree with a video.
Ok.
4:24 it starts to sound like you are in the middle of the rainforest!
I have a forest in the back yard so we get lots of bird activity!
How to grow ficus tree from cutting
I'll try and make a video on this! Thanks.
What is in your potting soil?
It is half, sifted perlite and half, sifted turface. To this I add 10 to 20 percent sifted organic matter. For coniferous trees I add composted pine bark and for deciduous trees I add compost. The sifting removes the fine particles and dust that clog up your soil. For trees that go in the greenhouse, I add less organic matter and rely on fertilizer more.
Nigel Saunders
"Ficus Religiosa" sounds like a Harry potter spell (sorry just wanted to say it)
It does sound like a spell, I'll have to try it out on my whomping willow!
Man, I would NOT want to be responsible for pruning that beast! Whomping willows are no joke! :P
Do you have ficus rumphii
I don't, but it looks like an interesting species, looks like they get aerial roots easily!
do you sell theese . iS THIS CALLED BODHI TREE ALSO.
Yes this is the same species of tree, but to be called a Bodhi tree, it should be a genetic descendant of the original tree. Here is an article that explains this....
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhi_Tree
wch is ur oldest tree in our collect sir??
My first tree from a seed is now 23 years old. My Austrian pine is about 35 years old. Some of my Ficus trees are 40 to 50 years old now. I'm not sure how old some of the collected trees are, but I do have one cedar tree that was 20 years old when it was given to me, that tree is now 40 years old.
+Nigel Saunders
from wch age u start collecting tree sir??
Saurav Basu I began growing bonsai at age 31, I'm now 54.
+Nigel Saunders
But u dont look like 54 bigg bro... U just look like between 35 to 40😊☺
Rahul Pandey Somehow I ended up getting older, I guess in life that's a good thing!
Hi Sir.! I'm from Philippines. and I am also bonsai Bigginer. I'm Just a kid. and I want to know how you started Making Bonsai's
I had a ficus tree start to grow all by its self in a Poinsettia pot at work. I likes the little tree so I dug it out and put it into it's own pot and watched it grow. I wanted it to stay small enough to stay in my windowsill at work, but had no idea how to do so. I stumbled across a bonsai book in the store. and was surprised to find that ficus trees could become bonsai trees. After that I began to get more trees, joined three bonsai clubs and started to go to bonsai shows. That was 25 years ago and I still have my first tree! Somehow it survived in my care all these years. Here is the playlist for my very first tree......
czcams.com/play/PLQouTWwmTQoySQ6udnExjnIkxlww48R9t.html
Medium
wire, not write.