I’m taking the first steps for making a Ficus microcarpa ginseng Bonsai, that is, repotting the Ficus in proper Bonsai soil and pruning all the unwanted shoots to start forming a primary branch structure.
Ficus ginseng is commonly sold as a Bonsai. But is it really a Bonsai? In this video I start by discussing what is a Ficus ginseng and how it is grown. Then, having my own Ficus microcarpa ginseng specimen I take the first small steps to transform it into a real bonsai. I’m repotting the ginseng ficus into a larger pot using proper bonsai soil and bury the bulbous roots to enable the tree to grow vigorously. Next, I’m pruning back all the small branches to a bare minimal that should make the start of the primary branch structure.
This Ficus microcarpa project is a long term one as I first have to let the tree grow for a year or two to obtain a thicker main trunk from the current leader and correct the existing inverse taper as well as the size discrepancy between the roots and trunk.
Brussel Bonsai Golden Gate Ficus: Hello everyone! I’m Stefan and in this Odd Bonsai video I’ll be taking the first steps for transforming this Ficus microcarpa ginseng into a Bonsai. I’ll start by discussing what the Ficus jinseng act actually is and then continue with repotting and pruning this Ficus microcarpa. So let’s get started! Ficus ginseng is commonly sold as a Bonsai. But what is it actually? Plants sold as Ficus ginseng are actually Ficus microcarpa specimens with their bulbous roots exposed. It’s common for Ficus microcarpa and other Ficus species to form bulbous roots when grown from seed. This type of roots store water and nutrients and having them is beneficial to the plant. The ginseng name comes from the resemblance of these exposed roots with the Chinese ginseng roots. You can usually find two types of Ficus ginseng plants. The first type, that I have here, is the plant which had this trunk cut down to force the formation of new shoots directly above the roots. The second type is obtained in a similar manner with the only difference being that the branches are grafted on the trunk stump instead of growing them naturally. Notice the unattractive looking grafting marks. That’s why I bought a specimen without grafts. Now let’s see what can be done to transform this Ficus ginseng into a Bonsai. Some people like the looks of the exposed roots and just grow it as it comes from the nursery. However, many others, including me, don’t like this. So one common option is to cut up the roots directly at the widest point to remove the existing reverse taper. Another option is to cut out a ring of bark all around and use air layering to promote new roots before cutting off the unwanted part. I want to approach this a bit differently and keep the bulbous roots due to their benefits and position them where they’re supposed to be – underneath the soil surface. This means I will have to change the position of the tree in the pot to have the stump positioned vertically and the roots more horizontally. So the position of the Ficus should be something like this with the soil coming up to here. Let’s remove all the soil in which the tree was planted at the nursery and get on with the potting. I’ve probably said it before, but if you buy a Bonsai from the supermarket or a big box store you should repot it in proper Bonsai soil as soon as possible, provided that there is no reason to believe that repotting could do more harm than good of course. This Ficus microcarpa is planted in coconut choir which is great for water retention but tends to retain too much water, which in combination with improper watering could lead to the roots rotting. One thing I like about it though is that it’s pretty easy to remove. It’s been around five minutes since I started cleaning the roots and I’m almost done. I just have to wash off the remaining soil in some rainwater. Now with the roots all cleaned up I’m going to be placing the tree in this position with the soil coming up to here. I’ll be using this terracotta pot which is large enough to provide lots of room for the roots to grow in. The drainage hole is going to be covered by the usual drainage screen and then the soil can be added into the pot up to the level of the roots. Ok, let’s do a test fit now. The tree should be sitting something like this. I will just have to make some small adjustments. At this point I’m making sure that the soil is nice and compacted around the roots to prevent the tree from moving if the soil settles on its own. Then comes the rest of the soil and the final removal of any remaining air pockets. And as usual I’m watering the soil thoroughly before doing any further work. I will let the tree to grow wild for a while, but before doing that I have to sort out these branches and cut away the unwanted ones. So let’s go in for a closer look. The main trunk has divided into two branches at some point. I’m planning to grow this branch as the main trunk on this side and one of these branches here as the first lower side branch. So I will start by cleaning up any unwanted shoots in this middle area. Next I’m removing all the excess shoots in this area where I’ll probably have the first side branch. Now here’s a top view where you can see all the remaining shoots that overcrowd this area. I’m going to remove all but the ones required as the new leader and the side branch. I’m left with this branch as the new leader and these two which I’m leaving to choose from as a side branch. However, I have to shorten this longer shoot to prevent it from taking over as the leader. Now I want to clean up this stump on the new leader side. So I will cut it back a bit. That’s all the pruning I’ll do for now. I probably went a bit too far with this stump cut here but I’m hoping the leader will be fine. I will let the tree grow freely to gain vigor and thicken up the main trunk. And if required I will make small adjustments to the side branch. The overall plan is to make the trunk develop up to the point this inverse taper here is not visible anymore. Also, on the long run, the trunk should get to be proportional to the size of the roots. If my understanding is correct, the roots should not thicken up so much when growing naturally. I read that nurseries producing Ficus ginseng use various substances to aid the roots get to those proportions. If you found this video useful or want to share your opinion on this Bonsai project please leave a comment in the section down below. Also, if you liked it let me know by pressing the like button. That’s all for today. Thank you for watching and see you in the next Odd Bonsai video.
