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Large Fig to Bonsai

This is how the tree first came to me back in 2012. It had been grown for landscape use so no thought was given to branches, taper, etc. But it had a nice base and some good thickness to it. I haven’t got any after photos, but I assume I would have cut back pretty hard and just left it to grow.

In 2016 I took it to a workshop as part of the Native Symposium in Canberra and worked on it with Grant Bowie. As you can see, there was a pretty major chop leaving a massive scar. We discussed potential fronts and did some cutting back and some basic structural wiring.

You can see in the below pictures taken in 2018 how I grew a branch and then using grafting tape I brought it close into the trunk where the large scar is. I also let aerial roots grow from the area. I am hoping this will eventually help to cover the large scar up. 

Prior to the above photos it was in a Bonsai pot. I don’t have any photos, but it fell from its stand, smashing the pot and breaking the top of the tree. In the end it was quite fortuitous as it budded really well in an area identified by Grant Bowie that needed more branching. Any way, it lived in this basket for a number of years until I got another large pot and was placed into its current pot late in early 2020. It webs defoliated early this year (2022) and wired a few weeks ago (early April 2022). I like to wire in late autumn with figs, they won’t thicken as rapidly and so gives them longer to set before wire bites in too deep. The photos below are from defoliation , wild regrowth and after wiring.

Im looking forward to seeing it fill back out. I will keep on top of the regrowth to ensure leaf size doesn’t get too big in any one place and develop finer branching. It will probably get cut back to reduce the length of some of the branches in early 2023 to start its path to refinement. Next repot will also address the angle change.

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