Welcome to the wonderful world of Willow Leaf Ficus (Ficus Nerifolia) bonsai! Eric shares what he finds so exciting about working with this tropical species. If you’re interested in learning how to create a small Willow Leaf Ficus (WLF) tree with amazing nebari, this video is for you!
00:00:45 Eric shares an example tree that he’s been working on for 12 years. It began as a cutting given to him by his teacher, and he’s been alternating between growing it out and cutting it back.
00:01:09 One of the properties Eric really likes, is that (WLF) make really good nebari.
00:01:56 Eric begins with starter plants in 3″ containers and get down in to find lots of large roots.
00:03:10 WLF like more organic matter in the soil, then Eric typically uses in his soil mix. He recommends between 40-50% coco coir, to create more fine roots.
00:04:11 When WLF are cut back they can create larger cluster of branches – reduce those to 1-2 to reduce problems (e.g. reverse taper)
00:05:44 Eric cuts almost the entirety of the largest roots, to encourage the plant to make finer roots.
00:06:58 Remove a few higher roots to produce a better-looking nebari.
00:07:59 The larger the roots are, the further you want to cut them back.
00:08:38 Why you should think that this amount of cutback is NOT ridiculous.
00:09:05 Eric pots two of the starters with the largest bases into cement bonsai containers.
00:09:56 What do you think of them? Eric says they’re not that interesting, so he cuts them both WAY back.
00:10:50 Why did he do that?
00:11:10 Eric moves on to WLF in 1 gallon cans. They’re bigger but he is expecting a lot of the same principles.
00:12:47 Cutting back “to stubs”.
00:13:38 Largest scars and callousing discussion.
00:14:46 All four of the larger WLF are cut back and Eric repots them into small containers to focus on building nice branching and crowns.
00:15:26 Care for Willow Leaf Ficus – keep ’em warm with plenty of light and don’t let them freeze!
Thank you for watching! Please like and share this video with your bonsai community! You can order Willow Leaf Ficus starters from Eric and Bonsaify: https://www.bonsaify.com/products/willow-leaf-ficus-bonsai-starters
