Cultivation Methods and Care Techniques for Bonsai Ficus

Ficus is one of the flagship bonsai of Lingnan bonsai, and has always been favored by bonsai enthusiasts. The author has devoted years to the study of ficus bonsai, and now describes its cultivation methods, and welcomes correction from fellow enthusiasts.

1. Selection of materials

There are three sources of ficus bonsai material: wild stumps, cuttings, and seedlings. This article mainly discusses the cultivation of wild stumps. The collection time for wild stumps is between February and October each year, among which April to July is most suitable. During this period the climate is mild and the air is humid, the stumps take root and sprout quickly, and the survival rate is high. The collection site for wild stumps should be chosen at the foot of hills, beside villages, at field corners and similar places, where ficus bonsai are often subject to livestock gnawing and trampling and human felling, the trunks are crooked and the trunks are ancient and peculiar, making it relatively easy to find stump material suitable for bonsai. Generally speaking, as long as the stump ends naturally, after one or two years of careful cultivation, aerial roots will grow, and after making up for the deficiencies, it will also grow into an unexpectedly good stump bonsai. When collecting stumps, be careful and cautious with old stumps, do not damage the roots too much, and obtain fine roots as much as possible to increase the margin of safety for survival. There is not much worry with young stumps; even if cut randomly from the middle section, they can still survive. The longer the young stump, the better, with great plasticity, and even ordinary-looking stump material can be cultivated into a very good bonsai.

2. Care

After wild stumps are collected, they must be dealt with as soon as possible, and pruning and selection should be carried out according to the stump material and cultivation goal. Ficus has strong vitality and wounds heal quickly, so stump trimming can be done in one step. Stumps can be planted in pots or in beds, and if conditions permit they can also be planted in the ground, and ground planting grows faster, allows more pruning times per year, and takes shape faster. The cultivation medium for stumps is generally required to be loose, breathable, and slightly acidic black stone powder mud, river sand, construction stone powder, coal cinder, etc., and these growing soils are relatively easy to obtain. For stump cultivation, just cover the roots with the growing soil; for inserted trees, a depth of about 3 cun is suitable. After watering with the settling water, place them in a cool, wind-sheltered place for care; those planted in the ground should be shaded with a cover. In early spring the weather is relatively cold, so it is best to use plastic film as a bag cover, which better ensures survival. During management, water according to weather conditions, keeping the growing soil moist but not waterlogged; excessive waterlogging easily causes the roots to turn black and necrose. Under normal conditions only then will the stump sprout and take root. Ficus first sprouts and then grows roots, so do not be misled by appearances and neglect management. After the sprouts grow to 5 cm-6 cm, gradually let the stump adapt to sunlight and restore normal management. Sometimes when the author has collected too many stumps, after trimming, the stumps are placed in a wind-sheltered, cool, and humid place without growing soil, and the stumps are sprayed with water twice in the morning and evening to promote sprouting and rooting; after the roots are thick and the sprouts strong, they are then transplanted into pots.

3. Fertilizer and water management

Ficus is a tree species that likes heavy water and heavy fertilizer and can tolerate both drought and moisture; it can grow in stone cracks and can also grow in water. After the stump enters normal care, use decomposed human and livestock manure and urine or rotted cake fertilizer as topdressing, applying it outside the roots once or twice a day. When transplanting or changing pots, rotted chicken manure, soybean cake, and bone meal can also be mixed into the growing soil as base fertilizer. Sufficient fertilizer will make the branches and trunk grow quickly and thicken quickly, allow more pruning times per year, and achieve the goal of shortening the cultivation period. Water management is also very important. Although ficus tolerates both drought and moisture, management should not be neglected because of this. After survival, long-term waterlogging of ficus easily causes only roots to grow and no branches or trunk. During the dog days, if not watered for two or three days, the tree will not die, but once watered, the leaves will wilt and fall, affecting growth. Therefore, water management should follow "see dry, see wet," and during the dog days water once in the morning and once in the evening each day.

4. Pruning

For a wild stump to become a stump bonsai, pruning is a very important procedure. In the first year, first cultivate its root base and nurture its essence, only removing buds that are not in the right position; only after the branches grow thick and lignified in the second year can scissors be used. Pruning is primary, tying is secondary, and pruning once a year is suitable; for those with vigorous growth, scissors can be used twice, and after the forked branches growing from the shortened branches become thick and strong, prune again. Repeated in this way, if pruning is appropriate and skillful, within four years a good bonsai will appear in your hands.