These ficus retusa ficus trees are indoor varieties, ideal for beginner gardeners starting their Bonsai hobby because they tolerate under/over watering. Contrary to popular belief, Bonsai Gardening isn’t difficult. We usually respond to this by telling people that it is possible to kill anything, but given that, here are a few helpful facts:
If you are just starting out and planning on keeping your bonsai inside most of the time you need a tropical tree. A succulent, like Mini Jade is good to start with. Very generally speaking, if the roots collapse from lack of water you are likely to see a ‘freeze dried’ look to the leaves or needles. This will happen quite soon after the roots get too dry. No, you will need to transplant it.
We usually respond to this by telling people that it is possible to kill anything, but given that, here are a few helpful facts: If you are just starting out and planning on keeping your bonsai inside most of the time you need a tropical tree. A succulent, like Mini Jade is good to start with. As plants from sub-tropical and tropical areas, Figs are not frost hardy and need to be grown indoors when day or night temperatures are lower than 15°C; for much of Northern Europe this means that outside placement is only possible during June and July.
Figs suitability for indoor growth is largely due to its tolerance of poor humidity levels and poor light levels that prevail in our centrally-heated homes. This tolerance to poor light is largely due to the native habitat of many Figs on the forest floor, shaded by the forest canopy above. It should be noted though that Figs will not grow well in poor conditions; the better the humidity and light levels are, the more vigorous the plant is.
Important Ficus varieties for Bonsai
FICUS SALICIFOLIA / Narrow Leaf or Willow Leaf Fig - Small, narrow leaves that produce excellent branch ramification. Is capable of producing good basal rootage and excellent aerial root formation in humid conditions.
FICUS BENJAMINA / Weeping Fig - Oval, thinly leathery leaves, easily available but less desirable as indoor bonsai. Has a habit of not taking severe reduction; reductions to the trunk and the branches should be made gradually. Also defoliates easily when stressed. Branches will quickly dieback if no foliage is left on them after pruning or defoliation.
FICUS RETUSA VAR. MICROCARPA / Chinese Banyan - Bears oval, glossy, dark-green leaves up to 10 cm long though these reduce with ease.
FICUS MACROPHYLLA / Morton Bay Fig - Bears glossy, dark-green leaves and small red/orange flowers. Readily produces aerial roots given high humidity levels.
The ficus is an indoor tree that does not endure frosty conditions. It can be kept outside in the summer as long as temperatures are above 60°F (15°C). It requires a lot of light, preferably full sunlight, so be sure not to place it in a shady location. The temperature should be kept relatively constant. Ignore labels stating your Ficus needs watering every day; you need to water on observation. The Ficus should be watered generously whenever the soil gets slightly dry. The Bonsai Ficus prefers room temperature soft water and it can tolerate occasional over- or underwatering. We advise daily misting to maintain humidity, but too much misting can create fungal problems. The warmer the placement of the fig during winter, the more water it needs. If it’s kept in a cooler place it only needs to be kept slightly moist. Continue reading about watering Bonsai trees.
Fertilize every two weeks during summer, and every four weeks during winter if the growth doesn't stop. Regular pruning is necessary to retain the tree’s shape. Prune back to 2 leaves after 6-8 leaves have grown. Leaf pruning (defoliation) can be used to reduce leaf size, as some Ficus Bonsai species normally grow large leaves. If a considerable thickening of the trunk is desired, the Ficus can be left to grow freely for one or two years. The strong cuts that are necessary afterward don't affect the Ficus' health and new shoots will grow from old wood. Larger wounds should be covered with cut paste. Wiring and bending thin to medium Ficus branches is easy due to their flexibility, but you should check the wires regularly as they can cut into the bark very quickly. Strong branches should be shaped with guy-wires because they can be left on the tree for a much longer period.
Repot your Ficus tree during the spring, every other year, using a basic Bonsai soil mixture. Ficus tolerates root-pruning very well. Cuttings can be planted at any time of the year, but they have the highest success rate during mid-summer growth. Air-layering will work best during spring, in April through May. Ficus trees can fuse by placing branches, roots, or trunks together and applying some pressure. This technique is known as approach-grafting and it can be used to form appealing structures. You can tie many young plants together to fuse them and build a single strong trunk. Fig tree branches and roots can also be grafted quite easily. If the growing conditions are ideal, you can even take aerial roots from one part of the tree and graft them into a different position. For faster healing, or closing of large wounds, young plants, shoots, or aerial roots can be grafted across wounds. An experienced grower can work on fig trees with a nearly unlimited range of creative freedom, which considerably increases the appeal of growing Ficus retusa as a Bonsai plant.
Acquisition of ficus ginseng Bonsai: Ficus plants are available as cheap Bonsai or pot plants in nearly every home-improvement store or nursery. Mass-produced cheap Bonsai usually come with a lot of problems, like ugly scars from rusty wire that dug into the bark, unattractive shapes, often poorly grafted branches in odd positions, bad soil, and sometimes inappropriate pots without drainage holes. When you buy from specialized Bonsai traders you’ll most often find high-quality Bonsai that have been well cared for.
Fig species are quite resistant against pests, but they are still susceptible to several issues depending on their location, and time of year, especially in the winter. Dry air and a lack of light weakens the Bonsai Ficus and often result in leaf drop. In poor conditions like these, they are sometimes infested with scale or spider mites. Placing customary insecticide sticks into the soil or spraying insecticide/miticide will get rid of the pests, but a weakened Ficus tree’s living conditions must be improved. Using plant lamps 12 to 14 hours a day, and frequently misting the leaves will help in the recovery process.
Depending on where you look, there is different information as to the exact number of existing Ficus tree species. The most popular one for Bonsai is the Ficus Retusa. It’s often shaped with an s-curved trunk and has dark green oval leaves. Similar Ficus varieties include; The Microcarpa, Tigerbark, Willow leaf, Golden Gate, Religiosa, Benjamina, and Taiwan. The Ficus Ginseng is another popular tree with a thick, pot-bellied trunk, similar to the Ginseng root. Sometimes it is grafted with Ficus microcarpa leaves (combining it to a Ficus microcarpa ginseng). Some figs trees can grow very large with a crown circumference of more than 1000 ft (300 m).
All fig Bonsai species share a milky latex sap which leaks from wounds or cuts. The tropical figs are evergreen trees, small shrubs, or even climbing plants. Some of them can produce nice flowers, while most Ficus species have hidden flowers in small receptacles from which their fruits grow. Only specialized pollinating fig wasps can pollinate those hidden flowers. Most Ficus Bonsai trees can produce aerial roots in their natural habitat, also called 'banyan tree', which are often presented in appealing Bonsai creations with many aerial root pillars or root over rock styles.
In this article, we show the progression of several figs including with aerial roots: Styling a Ficus. To enable aerial root growth in our homes a humidity of nearly 100% must be achieved artificially. You can use a glass cover, a fish tank, or a construction with transparent sheets for this purpose. Aerial roots grow down vertically from the branches and develop into strong pillar-like trunks when they reach the soil. The leaves of most Bonsai Ficus species have special pointed tips from which the rainwater drips off. The leaves can vary in sizes of between 1-20" (2-50cm). In most cases, fig-trees have smooth gray bark on their trunk, but there are a few species or varieties with special bark patterns, like the Ficus microcarpa Tigerbark.
To see images of the many varieties of Ficus, check this article: Top 10: Ficus Bonsai trees. Something to be aware of is that Ficus Ginseng Bonsai plants are poisonous for animals, especially if they eat the leaves. If you have pets, make sure to place your Ficus out of their reach. Likes summer outdoors in Chicago area, which means not excessively hot. I live less than 3 miles from Lake Michigan, and frequently get Lake Effect cooling from the Lake all summer. I finally installed air conditioning only 3 years ago. Did not need it until recently. Tolerates cold down to upper 30's. Light frosts were tolerated without total leaf drop, but clearly there was some damage to growing tips due to frost.
Any time I put it outdoors for the summer, new aerial roots form. Local humidity varies from 40% to 90% with most common being 60 to 80% outdoors. Not desert dry, not Florida or Louisiana humid. Indoors, I like to keep paint on the walls, so indoor humidity is usually quite low. Branches want to be dead arrow straight. They have a poor memory, like a politician, it takes several years of wiring and re-wiring to get a curve to set. But once a curve has set, enough wood has formed, the curve will stay. This is a deciduous but tropical Ficus. It tends to loose 100% of its foliage January, February and part of March. Then a flush of new growth starts and its like having a deciduous tree explode with growth. While leafless it is not necessary to water the tree at all. One year I put it on my attic stairs, cool and dark end of December to get it out of the way, I did not remember it was there until May, I watered the leafless tree and it burst into growth all over. Took a little damage, lost some fine twigs, but for being forgotten, I was quite happy it survived. I would say its biggest draw back is its tendency to dead arrow straight branches, and strongly resisting any bending that takes a branch below horizontal. Everything wants to reach up. If you keep these traits in mind, most styles are appropriate, especially 'banyan style' and most upright styles. Cascade is a poor choice for this species. Individual, group and forest plantings are appropriate for this species. Due to its aggressive surface roots, mixed species planting may or may not work.
This starter kit includes all the essential components for maintaining and pruning your bonsai tree. Bonsai, which translates to "tree in a pot," originated from China and Japan. This beautiful Golden Gate ficus bonsai tree is actually not as difficult to take care of as one may think. This 10" Taiwan Ficus bonsai tree features a trained "S" shape and soft glossy leaves. This beautiful ficus bonsai tree is actually not as difficult to take care of as one may think.
For a quick visual guide, a schematic showing common Ficus bonsai shapes helps beginners understand training styles like banyan, upright, and informal upright. The images illustrate how aerial roots develop and how to position branches for balance and forest-like canopy.
Indoor Bonsai care
Video guidance on selecting a starter Ficus, watering regimes, humidity management, and pruning sequences can boost practical understanding for new growers.
Acquirement of ficus ginseng Bonsai: Ficus plants are available as cheap Bonsai or pot plants in nearly every home-improvement store or nursery. Mass-produced cheap Bonsai usually come with a lot of problems, like ugly scars from rusty wire that dug into the bark, unattractive shapes, often poorly grafted branches in odd positions, bad soil, and sometimes inappropriate pots without drainage holes. When you buy from specialized Bonsai traders you’ll most often find high-quality Bonsai that have been well cared for. Fig species are quite resistant against pests, but they are still susceptible to several issues depending on their location, and time of year, especially in the winter. Dry air and a lack of light weakens the Bonsai Ficus and often result in leaf drop. In poor conditions like these, they are sometimes infested with scale or spider mites. Placing customary insecticide sticks into the soil or spraying insecticide/miticide will get rid of the pests, but a weakened Ficus tree’s living conditions must be improved. Using plant lamps 12 to 14 hours a day, and frequently misting the leaves will help in the recovery process.
If the growing conditions are ideal, you can even take aerial roots from one part of the tree and graft them into a different position. For faster healing, or closing of large wounds, young plants, shoots, or aerial roots can be grafted across wounds. An experienced grower can work on fig trees with a nearly unlimited range of creative freedom, which considerably increases the appeal of growing Ficus retusa as a Bonsai plant. The tropical figs are evergreen trees, small shrubs, or even climbing plants. Some of them can produce nice flowers, while most Ficus species have hidden flowers in small receptacles from which their fruits grow. Only specialized pollinating fig wasps can pollinate those hidden flowers.