I got this ginseng ficus from a big box store for $40 and decided to repot it into a bonsai pot. In this video, I walk through my entire process from start to finish. Enjoy!
It's interesting how those wire scars actually give this trunk a very ancient look. Should look great once the top and side branches start to develop. Cheers!
It’ll be a challenge keeping the two species separate. Especially with how much it is wanting to back bud on you. Should be a fun new winter project for you, Toy.
When heavily carving back a chop “plateau “ to make the angle more seamless, I just swab the cut with-hydrogen peroxide on a cotton pad to clean the cut….heals and colors over in a matter of days. Just to be safe….never get any rot that way….though ficus are pretty tough. As evidenced by all the machete cuts on yours!! Great find!!👍
I got one of these too and am pretty excited about it. Also interested to see the different things people do with did with theirs - maybe we check back in a year to see what people came up with.
I almost feel like you should lop one of them off all the way down at the first bend. That exaggerated “S” shape screams “mallsai” and just doesn’t feel very elegant. May be fun to keep one as is, and the other as a chop job!
Glad you're doing this! I have a smaller version that I got for Christmas, and I have no idea what to do with it. Just repotted, and it looks pretty good at a better angle, but that foliage! How can I find a leader in what looks like a grown out crew cut?!
At Costco there was these but bigger for 140! Posted it on my Facebook group and everyone said that they were overpriced and these weren’t really bonsai lol, I still think the bonsais look beautiful though
@@BonsaiBoise agreed! Price was a bit much. Thanks for making this video, I didn’t understand what grafting was and you explained it very well, thank you
can you do an update on how these are doing? I just got... the SAME plant and im looking at starting to trim it. curious how they're doing and if you did an air layer
Greetings from Nampa ID 😄. My mom recently got a ginseng ficus. (I'm new to bonsai but now she's asking me a bunch of questions like I'm an expert). Looks very different than yours, are there different verities?
Yours might be one of the shorter ones with big exposed bulb type roots? I wouldn't say they are different varieties per se, but yours might be a graft like mine is. (Assuming it's the kind I'm thinking it might be). And that's a good thing! If you want to email me some pictures of it I might be able to help you identify it. Bonsaiboise@gmail.com
It's interesting how those wire scars actually give this trunk a very ancient look. Should look great once the top and side branches start to develop. Cheers!
Thanks! And yeah I agree, I actually like the imperfections on this.
Such a cool pair of trees. Love the nebari of Thor. Can't believe it was hidden.
Thanks! Yeah it was a nice surprise. Oden was nothing like Thor.
It’ll be a challenge keeping the two species separate. Especially with how much it is wanting to back bud on you. Should be a fun new winter project for you, Toy.
When heavily carving back a chop “plateau “ to make the angle more seamless, I just swab the cut with-hydrogen peroxide on a cotton pad to clean the cut….heals and colors over in a matter of days. Just to be safe….never get any rot that way….though ficus are pretty tough. As evidenced by all the machete cuts on yours!! Great find!!👍
I got one of these too and am pretty excited about it. Also interested to see the different things people do with did with theirs - maybe we check back in a year to see what people came up with.
Ficus bonsai nice,thank you for sharing, i'm here to support for you
I almost feel like you should lop one of them off all the way down at the first bend. That exaggerated “S” shape screams “mallsai” and just doesn’t feel very elegant. May be fun to keep one as is, and the other as a chop job!
Couldn't agree more. The other one, (Odin), is being left to just grow grow grow.
@@BonsaiBoise nice!
Bonsai ginseng ficus... Intresting mr
Thank you for sharing... Very nice bonsai
Very nice Base
Glad you're doing this! I have a smaller version that I got for Christmas, and I have no idea what to do with it. Just repotted, and it looks pretty good at a better angle, but that foliage! How can I find a leader in what looks like a grown out crew cut?!
At Costco there was these but bigger for 140! Posted it on my Facebook group and everyone said that they were overpriced and these weren’t really bonsai lol, I still think the bonsais look beautiful though
I saw those ones too and they were a little bigger than these, but not proportionate to the price difference. At least in my opinion.
@@BonsaiBoise agreed! Price was a bit much. Thanks for making this video, I didn’t understand what grafting was and you explained it very well, thank you
can you do an update on how these are doing? I just got... the SAME plant and im looking at starting to trim it. curious how they're doing and if you did an air layer
It's on deck for the near future. I just moved so everything is upside at the moment, but will be getting back to it soon.
Greetings from Nampa ID 😄. My mom recently got a ginseng ficus. (I'm new to bonsai but now she's asking me a bunch of questions like I'm an expert). Looks very different than yours, are there different verities?
Yours might be one of the shorter ones with big exposed bulb type roots? I wouldn't say they are different varieties per se, but yours might be a graft like mine is. (Assuming it's the kind I'm thinking it might be). And that's a good thing! If you want to email me some pictures of it I might be able to help you identify it. Bonsaiboise@gmail.com
I got 4 of this at home. So Cheap that it is difficult and do not buy them
Tell me about it. I was tempted to back and buy a handful more.
@@BonsaiBoise learn from my "mistakes" 🤣