Ficus - Air Layering

I had brought this ficus tree already last year from IKEA of all places. It was on offer in the sale section for only 40€. The condition of it then was much the same as it is now with growth at the top and the obvious lost branch at the bottom. The tree has many faults but the size of the trunk was the main reason I decided to buy it and then see what I could do to correct those mistakes.


The main faults with the tree are the clear marks in the bark made by the wire that was used to shape it, the unnaturally looking shape, which is not what I like personally, and then the large untreated cuts.

I was originally planning to repot the tree in a more shallow pot so that I could replace the soil with my own bonsai soil mix, but I have now decided to leave that until later in the year and instead start with phase one of my plan to turn this ficus into a better looking bonsai.

This first phase is to remove the top section of the tree that is clearly out of style with the lower part of the tree. I could simply just cut the top section off and throw it away but this straight section offers the possibility for me to get two bonsai from this one tree. To achieve this because of the size of the truck I would need make an air layering. This requires me to remove a section of the bark and then surround this area with a plastic bag filled with moss so that the new roots can grow.


I wanted to remove as much of the straight section as possible so I made a cut quite close to the join with the lower part of the tree. There was a untreated cut in that area that I removed before making two cuts approximately 2 times the diameter of the trunk.


Then using a sharp knife I removed the bark completely. It is important to remove all the underlying cambium layer, which is the green material under the bark. Failure to remove this completely could result in a lack of roots and therefore an unsuccessful air layering.



After the plastic bag was placed around the cut it was filled with moss and then the top closed. Small holes were made in the top in a few places for me to water the moss. During the next 6-8 weeks I will need to keep the moss nice and moist.



Once the top section has been removed I will review again what is the next phase. Personally I do not like the look of the unnatural bends so if my first attempt at an air layer is successful then I may do another to remove another section by cuttin the trunck as shown in the photo below. Let's see first how the first one turns out.

Weeping Fig #2

I recently purchased this fig (Ficus Benjamina 'Wiandi'). I believe the type to be 'Wiandi' because of the very brittle branches and roots. I wasn't aware of this brittleness when I purchased the tree and it was only a few days after I had purchased it I was looking at potential shapes for my next bonsai challenge when a branch located near the middle simply snapped off in my hand.

I then searched the Internet for the types of figs with brittle branches. Two names came to the front, Ficus Benjamina 'Wiandi' and 'Rianne'. After reading about these figs on the Internet it was clear that I would not be able to wire this tree. One job less I suppose :). The good thing about this fig is that the branches grow in all directions with plenty of leaves and the the trunk and branches grow in a twisted pattern.

The first thing I wanted to do was repot the tree into a more shallow pot. I had no idea how much of the existing container the roots had developed but to my surprise the roots where fairly compact and located near the surface.

I decided on a red oval pot for this fig. The height of the tree is approx. 40cm high and the pot size is 25cm.

Because the branches are so brittle then the same relates to the roots. This made it difficult to apply wiring around the base to keep the tree in the required position in the pot. I broke a couple of the larger roots that I wanted to keep because of this brittleness.

I was a little afraid that the tree would loose many leaves because of loosing so many roots but apart from a few leaves, mainly from the lower branch, it has kept all of it's leaves. I watered the tree everyday during the first week or so to maintain a good supply of water. I also feed the tree the same day it was potted and then again a couple of weeks later.

Weeping fig

This fig (Ficus benjamina 'natasha') was purchased from a garden centre. All three figs were included in the same pot.

I repotted these figs in the spring. The roots were quite tangled together being potted in the same pot, but I managed to separate them enough to plant in this pot. The figs now need some wiring to improve the look, this I will do in the next couple of weeks.