erm... landmine Oo hahaha You always make me laugh in the end :D but during these kind of video's my mouth and eye's are wide open with the amounts you cut back. One fine day I'll be just as brave as you Iqbal :D Thank you for yet another educative video. x
Hello Karin, Glad you like the humour and the bonsai work. If you watch again, the cutting back of the branches was done in two hits, they were shortened and then shortened again. One day you will be doing exactly what I am doing, just keep practising. Thank you for watching and commenting. do share as well if you are able to in your groups. Cheers. IK
Hello Nigel, This tree belongs to her indoors and she never did any thing with it so I had to tackle it. Waiting for it to start back budding. All the best Iqbal
You sure did crop that fig and you weren't even slightly resisting it. I'm looking forward to a review of this tree in a couple months time to see the progress. I'm not sure if you were first or last born.... but, I'm glad you weren't near that land mine. Good to see you and your good works.🌻🐝🌻🌻
Hello Jeannie, The fg needed the drastic work, will do an up date when its recovered and leafed out. i am not the first or the last, but in the middle of my siblings. As always appreciate your comments and wit. Cheers. IK
I have a potted fig for 5 years that I'd like to convert to a bonsai. It's early October and it's been outside all summer and getting ready to go dormant, drop leaves. I usually put the plant in a dark place in the basement for the winter and bring it up in March when the buds start to swell. Is it a bad time to root trim and put in a large bonsai pot for the winter or wait til spring?
Yes it is a bad time as the tree is about to go into dormancy, if it hasn't yet done so. The roots you prune will not heal over winter months and can be bad for the tree health. Best time to repot is the spring.
Hello Khansaab again. This has much better audio. Very bold trimming. It has motivated me pick one fig and train for bonsai. In tropical are like Bangalore it should do well. Thanks for the vedio
Hello Vaman bhai, Thank your feed back, much appreciated. The common fig, this is the one you see in peoples gardens and has fruit, is the one this bonsai tree is. You can take a branch cutting and stick it in a pot with decent soil mix and it will root in no time. For you I would recommend that you work with species local to you as they will be easier to grow and train. Let me know of how you get on with your fig tree. All the best IK
Hi Chris, the cat litter I use is a particular brand and is manufactured suing clay fired to very high temperatures and the clay turns into pinkish granules which have the same volcanic qualities as the Japanese Akadama. I use this in its pure form with out adding anything else as it is easy draining and does retain some moisture. I have been using it for about four years with very good results. My large trees an Acer, a Trident Maple and and Arakawa Maple have been in it for the last four years, with very good results. I was introduced to pine bark by members of my bonsai club as some of them had been using it for many years. At repotting its easier to remove than the bonsai soil mix. I still do use bonsai soil mix , which I make my self and the ingredients are: Akadama, Pumice, Crushed Lava rock, Pine Bark or John Inness no. 3 compost. Let me know if you are in the UK and I will post a link for the cat litter as it is a specific brand. I hope that that helps. Cheers Iqbal
Hi Yep Yep, Thanks for watching and your support. Please see my answer to Chris Conn. Do let me know if you are in the UK and I will post a link for the cat litter I use as it is a specific one. All the best Iqbal
This is a Piece of art Iqbal..Kaash, I could prune my bonsai trees as you do.I have never seen such a beautiful Bonsai of fig. Here, we have so many varieties of fig, And in upper hills much more.Our colony is full of smaller species of many kinds.Now a days they are laden with fruits...Very tasty of course. No one used to eat them n I encouraged them n now everyone is eating figs😊still I'm not aware if they are poisonous or good for health😉 Hope you are enjoying life.Yes you are, your afterthoughts n bonsai both explain everything. All the best
Hi Anita, With your climate, you could have a fig tree like in in as little as five years starting with a branch cutting. I have three big fig trees in the garden, started about six years ago from a branch cuttings. They produce loads of figs every year and are delicious. In the west these are a delicacy. Health wise I have not been very well with high temperature and an infection, its been going on for three weeks now. The doc is having tests done, the temperature is OK now. Its a holiday today so at home resting and did the Quince Video. Best wishes X
I'm very new in this - just got a Cherry Blossom Bonsai Tree as a present and really don't know how to take care of it - I discovered your channel and I am getting very excited about Bonsai Trees - So beside my orchid collection I'm starting a Bonsai collection - I checked out a lot of your videos and learned so much in just a few days - thank you so much for that. I do have a question ( maybe silly for wintered Bonsai hobbyists) - why did you opted for the big rocks instead of stabelising the roots with wires as you usely do - thank you
Hello Hilde, welcome and am delighted you are starting out in bonsai. Bonsai is evolving from the traditional ways things are done. There are other things you will notice I do differently when you see my older and newer videos. I did not use the wires as I wanted the tree to secure it self in the pot with new roots. Once this has happened the big stones are removed and it looks no different to the trees whose roots are secured by wires. I also want to start exposing the roots and when the wires go over them, as the roots grow the wires cut into them and when exposed to create a nebari, the damage is visible. At every repot I putt the tree out of the soil by about one to two centimeters. I hope that helps. Look forward to more of your comments and feed back. Cheers IK
mikbonsai your welcome I have a lemon tree in its nursery pot I'll send a pic of it on my instagram can you recommend how I can turn it into bonsai ? And do you know anything on a lavender starflower Bonsai I have one those too.
Not from these branches, but have done in the past and have three big fig trees in my garden. Every year they produce figs as does this bonsai fig tree. The cuttings are incredibly easy to root. Thanks for your visit and watching bud.
Hello. I have a question. Why your Ficus is not going do die back if you remove all leaves an shoots? Or am i just to scared to do that? What type of Ficus was it?
Hello, This work was done on the 10th March this year. Its a Common fig, ficus Carica a deciduous tree. it goes into hibernation in autumn and starts to grow in Spring. The tree was just coming out of hibernation, that is the best time to repot and sort the roots out. These trees are very tough and if you take a cutting from a branch and stick it in soil and keep watering it, it will root, so the branches chopping and the root pruning not a problem with this particular specie. Do consider subscribing and look forward to more of your visits and comments. Cheers.
Hello Francisco, Thank you for your visit, support and comment. I know Andalusia well, as I used to holiday a lot in Puerto Banus and had a holiday apartment near the Marina. Greetings from London.
Hello Nancy, It is an old tree and I had let the branches grow as sacrificial branches, which thickened the trunk. I am now happy with the trunk thickness, so now it is time to sort the roots out, a lot of the roots were higher up and also growing from inside of the curve. What I did cleans the trunk and next repot when I pull the tree out by a couple of centimeters, it will be the roots in a radial form which will start to form the surface roots also known as the Nebari.
Hi Iqbal, In one of your previous video , you used cat litter as a potting medium .Does this not cause root rot as it retains a lot of water .The one cat litter I have here is Bentonite and it retains a lot of water .thanks for coming back to me
Hi Alain. The cat litter I use is a particular brand available in the UK from one supermarket. it is manufactured from clay which is fired to very high temperatures and it turns in to little granules and has the same qualities as the Japanese Akadama. It holds some moisture, just like akadama. I still make my own bonsai soil mix, but also use the cat litter and Pine bark on their own with out any mixtures. The cat litter I use you can see in this link: goo.gl/CMX7gJ I hope this is helpful Cheers
Al, Thank you for your visit and comment. Hope to see more of you, do consider subscribing and tick the bell icon if you have not done yet and you will receive notifications of my new videos. Look forward to seeing more of your comments. Cheers.
Omg that afterthought haha 🤣 really nice job on the tree, I have s small leggy oak needing this treatment I think, like what you did with the roots too, my jbp has some upper roots I don’t like the look of I may tackle next year :) thanks again for a great video and laugh at the end
Thank you Rob for all of it. Don't touch the JBP until next spring. Oak you can tackle any time, but do make sure the roots are kept wet by dunking them in water. Cheers and have a good Monday Bank Holiday. Cheers.
Hello Mr Singh, great to have a Punjabi speaking brother in the house. Thanks for watching and your visit. Hope to see more of your comments in the future. Cheers IK
I notice u have started bare rooting ur trees, nigel style, lol. Have u noticed them responding any differently after root work? I like the idea of bare rooting but been bit scared.
I have bare rooted trees before, but not so often. All that changed after I saw Nigel doing it. If you do the bare rooting in spring when its still a bit cold you are OK, the trick is not to let the roots dry out. I always keep dunking them in water to make sure they are always wet. Thanks you for your visit and comment. Cheers IK
Which months are the temperatures the lowest ? I guess you don't have winters like outs with snow. Can you tell me more about the cooler months and how low are the temperatures. Also is it in F or C ?
mikbonsai winter it gets down to about 12 c days and about 4 c nights at worst but only for couple of weeks, mainly about 22-10. I do get decent sun on back verandah in winter, about 4 hrs.
![Fig bonsai care [Ficus carica] #2](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Idz6HLRQAF0/mqdefault.jpg)
![Fig bonsai care [Ficus carica] #2](/img/tr.png)
erm... landmine Oo hahaha You always make me laugh in the end :D but during these kind of video's my mouth and eye's are wide open with the amounts you cut back. One fine day I'll be just as brave as you Iqbal :D Thank you for yet another educative video. x
Hello Karin, Glad you like the humour and the bonsai work. If you watch again, the cutting back of the branches was done in two hits, they were shortened and then shortened again. One day you will be doing exactly what I am doing, just keep practising.
Thank you for watching and commenting. do share as well if you are able to in your groups.
Cheers.
IK
Great work Iqbal, a really nice tree to see!
Hello Nigel, This tree belongs to her indoors and she never did any thing with it so I had to tackle it. Waiting for it to start back budding.
All the best
Iqbal
Wow I didn’t realize Dr Joseph Mingele was still living!!! Beautiful fig bonsai thanks for your time and expertise!!🙏
You are so welcome.
Beautiful and purposeful tools, the right tool for the right job!
Absolutely !
Loved the re pot and very nice Fig tree.
Hi Jason, Glad you like it.
Very good video 😊
Glad you like it.
You sure did crop that fig and you weren't even slightly resisting it. I'm looking forward to a review of this tree in a couple months time to see the progress. I'm not sure if you were first or last born.... but, I'm glad you weren't near that land mine. Good to see you and your good works.🌻🐝🌻🌻
Hello Jeannie, The fg needed the drastic work, will do an up date when its recovered and leafed out. i am not the first or the last, but in the middle of my siblings. As always appreciate your comments and wit.
Cheers.
IK
🎨💎it's a diamond in the rough.
Thank you !
I have a potted fig for 5 years that I'd like to convert to a bonsai. It's early October and it's been outside all summer and getting ready to go dormant, drop leaves. I usually put the plant in a dark place in the basement for the winter and bring it up in March when the buds start to swell. Is it a bad time to root trim and put in a large bonsai pot for the winter or wait til spring?
Yes it is a bad time as the tree is about to go into dormancy, if it hasn't yet done so. The roots you prune will not heal over winter months and can be bad for the tree health. Best time to repot is the spring.
what a nice tree!!! very good video Iqbal.
Thank you my dear friend your visit and comment are very much appreciated.
Hello Khansaab again.
This has much better audio. Very bold trimming. It has motivated me pick one fig and train for bonsai. In tropical are like Bangalore it should do well.
Thanks for the vedio
Hello Vaman bhai, Thank your feed back, much appreciated. The common fig, this is the one you see in peoples gardens and has fruit, is the one this bonsai tree is. You can take a branch cutting and stick it in a pot with decent soil mix and it will root in no time. For you I would recommend that you work with species local to you as they will be easier to grow and train. Let me know of how you get on with your fig tree.
All the best
IK
mikbonsai Yes, initiated with spieces Now I have ten bonsai in collection. Looks like it grows sooner. I need to plan to protect from coming monsoon.
That is a hazard for small plants, perhaps a wind breaker and a small canopy to protect from heavy rains would do the job.
You seem to use pine bark or cat litter for substrate. What makes you choose one over the other and why not a mix of both? Thx
yes. i had the same question
Hi Chris, the cat litter I use is a particular brand and is manufactured suing clay fired to very high temperatures and the clay turns into pinkish granules which have the same volcanic qualities as the Japanese Akadama. I use this in its pure form with out adding anything else as it is easy draining and does retain some moisture. I have been using it for about four years with very good results. My large trees an Acer, a Trident Maple and and Arakawa Maple have been in it for the last four years, with very good results.
I was introduced to pine bark by members of my bonsai club as some of them had been using it for many years. At repotting its easier to remove than the bonsai soil mix.
I still do use bonsai soil mix , which I make my self and the ingredients are: Akadama, Pumice, Crushed Lava rock, Pine Bark or John Inness no. 3 compost.
Let me know if you are in the UK and I will post a link for the cat litter as it is a specific brand.
I hope that that helps.
Cheers
Iqbal
Hi Yep Yep, Thanks for watching and your support. Please see my answer to Chris Conn. Do let me know if you are in the UK and I will post a link for the cat litter I use as it is a specific one.
All the best
Iqbal
mikbonsai in Utah I used the oil spill stuff they sell in auto stores. Same fired clay.
This is a Piece of art Iqbal..Kaash, I could prune my bonsai trees as you do.I have never seen such a beautiful Bonsai of fig. Here, we have so many varieties of fig, And in upper hills much more.Our colony is full of smaller species of many kinds.Now a days they are laden with fruits...Very tasty of course. No one used to eat them n I encouraged them n now everyone is eating figs😊still I'm not aware if they are poisonous or good for health😉
Hope you are enjoying life.Yes you are, your afterthoughts n bonsai both explain everything.
All the best
Hi Anita, With your climate, you could have a fig tree like in in as little as five years starting with a branch cutting. I have three big fig trees in the garden, started about six years ago from a branch cuttings. They produce loads of figs every year and are delicious. In the west these are a delicacy. Health wise I have not been very well with high temperature and an infection, its been going on for three weeks now. The doc is having tests done, the temperature is OK now. Its a holiday today so at home resting and did the Quince Video.
Best wishes
X
I'm very new in this - just got a Cherry Blossom Bonsai Tree as a present and really don't know how to take care of it - I discovered your channel and I am getting very excited about Bonsai Trees - So beside my orchid collection I'm starting a Bonsai collection - I checked out a lot of your videos and learned so much in just a few days - thank you so much for that. I do have a question ( maybe silly for wintered Bonsai hobbyists) - why did you opted for the big rocks instead of stabelising the roots with wires as you usely do - thank you
Hello Hilde, welcome and am delighted you are starting out in bonsai. Bonsai is evolving from the traditional ways things are done. There are other things you will notice I do differently when you see my older and newer videos. I did not use the wires as I wanted the tree to secure it self in the pot with new roots. Once this has happened the big stones are removed and it looks no different to the trees whose roots are secured by wires. I also want to start exposing the roots and when the wires go over them, as the roots grow the wires cut into them and when exposed to create a nebari, the damage is visible. At every repot I putt the tree out of the soil by about one to two centimeters.
I hope that helps. Look forward to more of your comments and feed back.
Cheers
IK
How is this tree looking today?
I sold it. Am in the process of starting new ones from air layering.
Iqbal that is a very nice fig tree nice work 👍
Thanks, it has loads of potential.
Cheers.
mikbonsai your welcome I have a lemon tree in its nursery pot I'll send a pic of it on my instagram can you recommend how I can turn it into bonsai ? And do you know anything on a lavender starflower Bonsai I have one those too.
Let me know when you post the pic on instagram. I have seen the lavender starflower Bonsai trees on RUclips, but never seen a real one up close.
mikbonsai
Ok I will I have the pic of the Lavender on my instagram it's in its nursery pot check it out see what you think ?
I have looked and posted a comment as to what you should be doing, I hope it helps. Do let me know your thoughts.
Nice healthy root system!
Glad you like it. Thank you for your visit and comment.
Nicely done Sir.
Hi Brett, I am glad you liked it.
Beautiful fig! Did you try to propagate the cutting?
Not from these branches, but have done in the past and have three big fig trees in my garden. Every year they produce figs as does this bonsai fig tree. The cuttings are incredibly easy to root. Thanks for your visit and watching bud.
Hello. I have a question. Why your Ficus is not going do die back if you remove all leaves an shoots? Or am i just to scared to do that? What type of Ficus was it?
It was a fig? I think that's what he called it- it sure does have the features of an old fig for sure.
Hello, This work was done on the 10th March this year. Its a Common fig, ficus Carica a deciduous tree. it goes into hibernation in autumn and starts to grow in Spring. The tree was just coming out of hibernation, that is the best time to repot and sort the roots out. These trees are very tough and if you take a cutting from a branch and stick it in soil and keep watering it, it will root, so the branches chopping and the root pruning not a problem with this particular specie.
Do consider subscribing and look forward to more of your visits and comments.
Cheers.
Enhorabuena saludos desde España preciosa la higuera aquí en mi tierra Andalucía hay muchas buen trabajo
Hello Francisco, Thank you for your visit, support and comment. I know Andalusia well, as I used to holiday a lot in Puerto Banus and had a holiday apartment near the Marina.
Greetings from London.
Thanks for this video ,I have 2 tree fig ,How can send you picture Tell me some this my tree fig good Fo bonsai ?
you can post them in my fb group:
facebook.com/groups/mikbonsai/
I would have left the roots to thicken the trunk in that area at the dirt line. Don't do that? I'm just a beginner so I'm asking.
Hello Nancy, It is an old tree and I had let the branches grow as sacrificial branches, which thickened the trunk. I am now happy with the trunk thickness, so now it is time to sort the roots out, a lot of the roots were higher up and also growing from inside of the curve. What I did cleans the trunk and next repot when I pull the tree out by a couple of centimeters, it will be the roots in a radial form which will start to form the surface roots also known as the Nebari.
love the tree, do you know by any chance which variety it might be?
I'm getting Violette de Bordeaux fig for the same
Its common fig.
Hi Iqbal, In one of your previous video , you used cat litter as a potting medium .Does this not cause root rot as it retains a lot of water .The one cat litter I have here is Bentonite and it retains a lot of water .thanks for coming back to me
Hi Alain. The cat litter I use is a particular brand available in the UK from one supermarket. it is manufactured from clay which is fired to very high temperatures and it turns in to little granules and has the same qualities as the Japanese Akadama. It holds some moisture, just like akadama. I still make my own bonsai soil mix, but also use the cat litter and Pine bark on their own with out any mixtures. The cat litter I use you can see in this link: goo.gl/CMX7gJ
I hope this is helpful
Cheers
Bonito ejemplar.. saludos desde España
Thank you my new friend, you too have a nice bonsai channel, I just saw your video before replying.
Greetings from London
Iqbal
Please show this tree, wenn it has shoot out again! Thanks!
Will do an up date when its recovered and in leaf.
Nice work )
Thanks bud.
Nice job sir, happy treeing to you 🌲
Hey Michael, thanks for dropping in and your support much appreciated.
Cheers.
Well done.
Al, Thank you for your visit and comment. Hope to see more of you, do consider subscribing and tick the bell icon if you have not done yet and you will receive notifications of my new videos.
Look forward to seeing more of your comments.
Cheers.
nice video
Hello Nayna, Glad you like it.
Nice tree! What kind of fig is it?
Hello Mitch, its a common fig, ficus Carica. It did produced fig, just like my big fig trees in the garden.
Very nice
Thank you .
Thank you for all your great info! Do you change soil per difference of tree?
For most of the deciduous trees I have been using cat litter or my own bonsai soil mix. For pines and junipers, I tend to use pure akadama.
Omg that afterthought haha 🤣 really nice job on the tree, I have s small leggy oak needing this treatment I think, like what you did with the roots too, my jbp has some upper roots I don’t like the look of I may tackle next year :) thanks again for a great video and laugh at the end
Thank you Rob for all of it. Don't touch the JBP until next spring. Oak you can tackle any time, but do make sure the roots are kept wet by dunking them in water.
Cheers and have a good Monday Bank Holiday.
Cheers.
Nice information
Hello Mr Singh, great to have a Punjabi speaking brother in the house.
Thanks for watching and your visit. Hope to see more of your comments in the future.
Cheers
IK
I notice u have started bare rooting ur trees, nigel style, lol. Have u noticed them responding any differently after root work? I like the idea of bare rooting but been bit scared.
I have bare rooted trees before, but not so often. All that changed after I saw Nigel doing it. If you do the bare rooting in spring when its still a bit cold you are OK, the trick is not to let the roots dry out. I always keep dunking them in water to make sure they are always wet. Thanks you for your visit and comment.
Cheers
IK
mikbonsai i am in queensland australia what season be best here? Its pretty hot in spring lots of 30 degree days.
Which months are the temperatures the lowest ? I guess you don't have winters like outs with snow. Can you tell me more about the cooler months and how low are the temperatures. Also is it in F or C ?
mikbonsai winter it gets down to about 12 c days and about 4 c nights at worst but only for couple of weeks, mainly about 22-10. I do get decent sun on back verandah in winter, about 4 hrs.
Butyfully u Hav shape Sir jiii..
Asgar bhai, thank you for watching and your support, delighted to have you here.
😄
Thank you for watching.
Hahaha,,thats a good joke,,
Glad you like it.