The Art of Bonsai

Tag: Ficus salicaria

  • Air layering Ficus

    The easiest way to propagate most Ficus trees is to use cuttings. Cuttings of any size Ficus generally  will root. However, some people prefer to use an air-layering process as this can be a safer way to propagate a specific piece.  

  • A haircut

    Developing a bonsai requires many steps. One critical step is allowing the bonsai in development to grow wildly. This allows the tree to gain strength and to form branches that will be used in its development. Periodically the overgrown tree will be trimmed back, given a haircut to bring the design back to a more…

  • Reverse taper

    Trees ideally should have a wide root base that tapers up into the trunk. A bulge or lack of proper taper often ruins the visual flow from the rootline to the apex of the tree and is called reverse taper. In this case several root cuttings of Willow Leaf fig, Ficus salicaria, were bound togeter in…

  • Bar branches, yes or no?

    One of the most basic beginner rules is to avoid bar branches. That is to say remove one of two branches that appear on the same level but directly opposite each other. This rule as all rules for bonsai or any art form is often helpful in designing a basic bonsai for a beginner. In…

  • Fig leaves

    Ficus or figs are in a large family of plants showing many interesting and varied characteristics. One of the most interesting aspects of various figs is the leaf. Leaves can be large, smooth or hairy, glossy or dull and have many, many other variations. The photo below shows some fig leaves and their variation. The…

  • Twisting and turning design

    This is an exercise in bonsai creation that is just for fun. The plant is a Ficus salicaria, Willow Leaf fig,  grown from a root cutting. This was a very long root, perhaps 2 feet in length. Foliage has sprouted at the cut end but how to design a tree out of it? One possibility is…