I have a ficus benjamina that I would like to encourage to grow a big
fat trunk. What should I be doing to help this along?

Scooter the Mighty: When you ask horticultural questions we will
need to know where (climate-wise) you are growing your tree. So
save some time and provide this information up front.
That said, if you live in the temperate northern
hemisphere, you probably have your Ficus indoors or in a
greenhouse for the winter right now.
Two things (OK, three things!) will help you have a big,
fat trunk. One is to grow the Ficus in the ground outdoors, at
least during the frost-free seasons.
The other is to cut it very short. This doesn't actually
make the trunk bigger, but it makes the perception of its size
bigger because of scale. And bonsai is primarily about perception
after all.
The third factor is time. While there are shortcuts,
bonsai is still a cultivator of patience.
Show us the before and after on the IBC Gallery sometime.
Alan Walker
http://bonsai-bci.com http://LCBSBonsai.org


-----Original Message-----
From: Scooter the Mighty

I have a ficus benjamina that I would like to encourage to grow a
big
fat trunk. What should I be doing to help this along?

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Alan Walker wrote:
Scooter the Mighty: When you ask horticultural questions we will
need to know where (climate-wise) you are growing your tree. So
save some time and provide this information up front.
That said, if you live in the temperate northern
hemisphere, you probably have your Ficus indoors or in a
greenhouse for the winter right now.
Two things (OK, three things!) will help you have a big,
fat trunk. One is to grow the Ficus in the ground outdoors, at
least during the frost-free seasons.
The other is to cut it very short. This doesn't actually
make the trunk bigger, but it makes the perception of its size
bigger because of scale. And bonsai is primarily about perception
after all.
The third factor is time. While there are shortcuts,
bonsai is still a cultivator of patience.
Show us the before and after on the IBC Gallery sometime.
Alan Walker
http://bonsai-bci.com http://LCBSBonsai.org


I live in Seattle, and the ficus is right now growing on my window sill
at work. With the direction the window is facing, It gets direct light
from about 1:00 on. I also have a small fluorescent light I put on it
in the mornings, so it doesn't have to go without.