How to make a hydroponic bonsai ficus? Detailed method and step-by-step explanation
The ficus is a plant that loves moisture. In nature, ficus trees mostly grow beside ponds and rivers, with one side of the roots growing on the bank and the other side soaked in water. Based on this characteristic, many bonsai artists have created superior hydroponic bonsai. Hydroponic ficus bonsai come in two forms: stone-attached water culture and flat-root water culture.
(1) Stone-attached water culture. Choose a stone with good water absorption (generally sandstone, sea-mother stone, or reed-pipe stone), and the stone's shape should be elegant, then plant the ficus on the stone. The ficus roots cling to the stone, and the roots grow along stone holes, stone grooves, and carved stone crevices. Through one to two years of growing in a deep pot or a pot-within-a-pot, the roots and the stone become tightly united. In April or May of the second or third year, repot and remove the soil, then move it into a water pot for care and viewing. The water pot is relatively shallow, so be careful to add water frequently and apply granular fertilizer. When potting, place the stone-attached ficus leaning left or right according to the tree's form, so that the large sweeping branch hangs over the water, like a tree stump growing on a stream stone.
(2) Flat-root water culture. Choose a ficus bonsai that is short and sturdy in trunk, already shaped, with well-developed thick roots and many roots arranged attractively. Remove the soil to expose the roots, trim and arrange the roots, spread them into a claw shape, and plant in a square shallow pot for cultivation. Through one to two years of growth, many fine roots and fibrous roots grow neatly at the cut root areas, and the flat root base can steadily support the crown, then in April or May of the second or third year remove the soil, place it in a water pot for care and viewing.
The hydroponic bonsai pot is relatively shallow, so be careful to add water in time and change the water frequently. The ficus growing season is from April to October; during this period, apply about 30 grams of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer each month, and several foliar feedings can also be done, that is, spraying the leaves with potassium dihydrogen phosphate liquid fertilizer at a concentration of (5-10) x 10 to the power of 5. Because hydroponic ficus lacks soil and has fewer nutrients, after 3 to 5 years of cultivation, if the tree is found to be growing poorly, it must be replanted in soil to restore vigor, and afterward, depending on the tree's growth, it can be placed in a water pot again for viewing. Hydroponic ficus bonsai have poor stability, so when pruning, the crown should be cut shorter to improve stability.
How are hydroponic ficus bonsai made?
How are hydroponic ficus bonsai made?
The ficus is a plant that loves moisture. In nature, ficus trees mostly grow beside ponds and rivers, with one side of the roots growing on the bank and the other side of the roots soaked in water. Based on this characteristic, many bonsai artists have created superior hydroponic bonsai. Hydroponic ficus bonsai come in two forms: stone-attached water culture and flat-root water culture.
(1) Stone-attached water culture. Choose a stone with good water absorption (generally sandstone, sea-mother stone, or reed-pipe stone), and the stone's shape should be elegant, then plant the ficus on the stone. The ficus roots cling to the stone, and the roots grow along stone holes, stone grooves, and carved stone crevices. Through one to two years of growing in a deep pot or a pot-within-a-pot, the roots and the stone become tightly united. In April or May of the second or third year, repot and remove the soil, then move it into a water pot for care and viewing. The water pot is relatively shallow, so be careful to add water frequently and apply granular fertilizer. When potting, place the stone-attached ficus leaning left or right according to the tree's form, so that the large sweeping branch hangs over the water, like a tree stump growing on a stream stone.
(2) Flat-root water culture. Choose a ficus bonsai that is short and sturdy in trunk, already shaped, with well-developed thick roots and many roots arranged attractively. Remove the soil to expose the roots, trim the roots flat and arrange them, spread them into a claw shape, and plant in a square shallow pot for cultivation. Through one to two years of growth, many fine roots and fibrous roots grow neatly at the cut root areas, and the flat root base can steadily support the crown, then in April or May of the second or third year remove the soil, place it in a water pot for care and viewing.
The hydroponic bonsai pot is relatively shallow, so be careful to add water in time and change the water frequently. The ficus growing season is from April to October; during this period, apply about 30 grams of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer each month, and several foliar feedings can also be done, that is, spraying the leaves with (5-10) X 10-5concentration of potassium dihydrogen phosphate liquid fertilizer. Because hydroponic ficus lacks soil and has fewer nutrients, after 3 to 5 years of cultivation, if the tree is found to be growing poorly, it must be replanted in soil to restore vigor, and afterward, depending on the tree's growth, it can be placed in a water pot again for viewing. Hydroponic ficus bonsai have poor stability, so when pruning, the crown should be cut shorter to improve stability.
Hydroponic ginseng-like ficus bonsai are favored
Ficus: a large tree, up to 15-25 m tall, with a trunk diameter at breast height of up to 50 cm, and a broadly spreading crown; old trees often have rusty-brown aerial roots. Bark dark gray. Leaves thinly leathery, narrowly elliptic, dark green and glossy on the surface, entire. Figs borne in pairs in leaf axils or in the axils of fallen leaves, yellow or slightly red when ripe, oblate, with 3 basal bracts, broadly ovate, persistent; male flowers, female flowers, and gall flowers all borne within one fig, with a few short bristles among the flowers; tepals 3, broadly ovate, style nearly lateral, stigma short, club-shaped. Achene ovoid. Flowering period May-June.
Xinhua News Agency, Suzhou, August 17, 2006. On August 16, a young woman was displaying a hydroponic ginseng ficus bonsai. Recently, a ficus bonsai resembling ginseng appeared in a hydroponic flower shop on Pishi Street in Suzhou City, and was favored by some customers. This bonsai uses ficus as material and is carefully pruned by horticultural experts; its shape is unique and its form is vivid.