In this blog post we’ll demonstrate how to create beautiful Bonsai out of humble, mass-produced Ficus trees.
The Ficus is by far the most popular tree chosen by beginners, as it grows well indoors. Most trees sold as Ficus Bonsai however have obvious flaws that were created during the fast development of these trees. They are often propagated in large nurseries in China, where lots of movement is created in young trunks, and then they are left to grow out several meters tall to thicken the trunks quickly. A year later the trunks are chopped back to create small trees, and young shoots are selected to shape the new branches. This results in small, thick trunked Ficus trees, with a massive wound at the end of the trunk and a few undeveloped branches. One term used by experienced bonsai growers for these trees is ‘Malsai’.
For beginners at the art of Bonsai however, these trees are great; they are strong, can be kept in the living room, grow fast and are quite cheap. But even for the intermediate to advanced bonsai enthusiasts, these trees can be a source of low-budget material to build great bonsai. In this article we’ll show how to develop a refined Bonsai out of a cheap imported Ficus tree. It all started with placing the Ficus tree in a large container and let it grow out unimpeded for 1-2 years. This way, we develop the branches and make sure the tree is healthy before we start working on it.
