Ficus Bonsai

Discussion in 'Indoor and Greenhouse Plants' started by grewal21, Jan 24, 2008.

  1. grewal21

    grewal21 Member

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    Hi there,
    I live in Vancouver, BC and I am looking to get into the art of Bonsai. I have been researching this topic for the past 2 months. I am looking for an indoor Bonsai and think that the Ficus would be best suited for me. I was reading up on the ficus and as they are tolerant of many soil and watering and light conditions. They are known to grow great "banyan" roots naturally, would it be wise to attempt the root over rock style as a beginner? What species of ficus would you recommend? Would spring be the ideal time to purchase a bonsai?

    Thanks a million!
     
  2. grewal21

    grewal21 Member

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    Ps- Would starting with a seed be a foolish attempt?
     
  3. Hannabelle

    Hannabelle Member

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    Raw material is a very polemic topic in the art of Bonsai!

    There is no reason you cannot make a lovely Bonsai from a seed, but it takes a long long time...

    I have no indoor Bonsai myself, but here is a link from Harry Harrington about the suitable Ficus species;-

    http://www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Ficus.html
     
  4. 1950Greg

    1950Greg Active Member

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    I have a ficus not sure the variety but it was labeled Weeping Fig. I have it planted in a grove style and have had it for 20 some years now. It needs only infrequent transplanting and seems to survive some abuse. The main problem I have had is light like most plants it reaches for the light and gives the bonsai a odd shape if not turned on a regular basis. If you go a head with this I would advise an over head light source of some kind when indoors.
     
  5. grewal21

    grewal21 Member

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    The Weeping Fig was what i was considering. Yes the light situation is a bit tricky I think I may attempt flourescent lighting. In the spring and summer put it outside when the days are really nice. Thanks a lot for the replies, greatly appreciated=)
     
  6. globalist1789

    globalist1789 Active Member

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    The definitive site for ficus would be Jerry's http://bonsaihunk.us/

    "weeping fig" is Ficus Benjamina. I understand that it has a bit of a bad rep for bonsai, but I love it anyway.

    If you are starting you will likely want to get material from a variety of sources. Seeds, nursery material, collection from the wild or the garden, and buying a tree had already been styled. If you live in Surrey, just take a trip to Japan Bonsai. There are a number of ficus there that you would like to see.
     
  7. 1950Greg

    1950Greg Active Member

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    Yes Japan Bonsai for sure. This guy should sell tickets to his garden centre he's a Master. I was a member of Vancouver Bonsai years ago when Takahashi was there, nice man and very free with information and I belive he runs the White Rock Bonsai now.
     
  8. grewal21

    grewal21 Member

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    I'll definately check that place out. Has anyone ever heard of Sunny Bonsai and know whether that's a good place to check out. I heard if you purchase a plant from there they provide free pruning and wiring (charge for the materials used) for the remainder of the plant's life.
     
  9. globalist1789

    globalist1789 Active Member

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    I go to sunny bonsai all the time, but only to buy materials. Sure, they do prune and wire for the whole life of the plant, but if you want someone else to do that for you then YOU won't really be doing bonsai, would you? Besides, they only offer that service so that people who don't know the first thing about the art or basic horticulture will still shell out for a tree. If you just want a bonsai for the sake of having one then get a plastic one. Bonsai is more of something that you do then something that you have. Much of the joy is in growing healthy trees in containers.

    You are much better off at Japan Bonsai. The owner there seems to be far more honest about his merchandise. The man at Sunny says that everything is 10 years old even when it is clearly less than 2 years from a cutting.
     
  10. grewal21

    grewal21 Member

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    Yeah I wasn't going to get it done by him at all times. I just thought maybe he would be friendly and full of advice since he does that for free. But I'll definately go to Japan Bonsai. I'm still researching so I won't be getting it for another month or two. Thanks a lot for the help!
     

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