How Do You Care For A Golden Gate Ficus Bonsai?
How do you get aerial roots on ficus bonsai?
The simplest technique of fostering aerial roots is to keep the bark moist and maintain high humidity by spraying the entire tree together with the soil whenever the tree is watered. High humidity, persistent warmth and moisture buildup on the branches stimulate aerial root growth from old wood.
Other techniques for aerial root production include caulking or gluing the soil to the pot or simply using a round pot. In addition, cutting back roots may encourage new growth on any remaining lateral roots.
You may prune back by about one third of the main trunk, leave the stump and allow it to grow out again. Ficus bonsai roots are typically thin and long, so you don’t need to prune them too severely.
Instead, you may prune away whole areas of roots to encourage new growth as well as create an illusion of bonsai age.
How do you care for a Golden Gate ficus bonsai?
The first thing that you need to know about this ficus bonsai tree is that it is not true to its name. The Golden Gate ficus bonsai tree is not actually a ficus at all but instead it is a variety of Ficus microcarpa.
This means that while it can be planted in pots as an indoor plant, the real benefit of growing a Golden Gate ficus bonsai tree will come if you consider it as an outdoor plant. The following are the factors to consider when caring;
Sunlight
You will need to provide your Golden Gate ficus bonsai tree with a lot of sunlight. The amount of sunlight that it will receive will depend on the climate where you are and what season it is. If you live in a warm, tropical climate then you will provide your plant with at least 5 to 6 hours of direct sunlight every day.
Soil
The soil that you use for your plant will also vary depending what it is that the plant will be exposed to. You can use either potting mix or you can use soil that has been prepared specifically for bonsai trees.
Watering
What you need to do is allow the soil to dry out before watering it. In general, the soil should be watered about once a week if it is indoors and depending on how much sun that your plant receives, you can water it more often.
Fertilizing
You will want to fertilize your plant once a month if you are using liquid fertilizer. You should fertilize it every 3 months if you are using granulated fertilizer as this does not break down as fast.
Temperature
The plant will also need to be protected from temperatures that are too high or too low. It should not be exposed to temperatures that are below 60 degrees Fahrenheit and it should not be exposed to temperatures that exceed 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you follow these simple steps, then you should have no problem growing a Golden Gate ficus bonsai tree. If you would like to learn more about this subject, then you can contact local nurseries in your area and they will be able to help you and answer any questions that you may have.
Humidity
You should not ever let the humidity level go too high. If the humidity gets too high then the plant will begin to rot.
If you notice that your Ficus bonsai is beginning to wilt and droop, then you need to know how to repot a ficus bonsai tree and how often to repot a ficus bonsai tree and what you need to do in order for it to be repotted as often as possible.
Propagation
You can propagate your plant easily by taking cuttings and planting them in soil. However, this is not the easiest way to grow a Golden Gate ficus bonsai tree.
The easiest way to propagate it is by taking 15-millimeter cuttings and inserting them in a pot. Make sure that you remove all of the old growth from the area before doing so and water your plant well before planting the cuttings. Once that is done, keep your pot in a warm location for about 4 weeks until new shoots appear on your ficus bonsai tree.
Repotting
The best time to repot your plant is during the late fall or the winter. This will allow the roots to recover and allow the plant to become stronger before it needs to start growing leaves again. Repotting should be done once in every 2 years or so and you should do this when your plant is still small. When you are repotting a Golden Gate ficus bonsai tree, then you need to remove all of the soil from around its root ball.
Pruning
You can prune your Golden Gate ficus bonsai tree as you would any other type of ficus bonsai tree. Do this in order to keep it healthy and strong. The main purpose for pruning is to remove any dead and diseased branches so that the health of the plant will improve. In addition, you can also prune off any branches that are crossing over each other and causing issues for the plant.
Pests and Diseases
If you want to know what pests and diseases to look out for when caring for your plant then you should look on the internet or ask an expert. While it is possible that pests can infect the Golden Gate ficus bonsai tree, it is not extremely likely because most pests are a problem for outdoor ficus trees.
There are many other things that you need to look out for in order to keep your Golden Gate ficus bonsai tree healthy and happy. Some of these include diseases and pests.
How can you grow a ficus bonsai tree from cutting?
Ficus bonsai is one of the easiest plants to grow from cuttings since the plant almost always produces roots when it is placed in water. It does not matter whether you are taking leaf or wood cuttings – the results will be similar. The following are ways to Ficus bonsai from cutting;
- Fill a glass with water and ensure that the water is at room temperature. Remove a leaf or a small section of wood from the Ficus bonsai tree and place it in the glass of water.
- Cover the glass with plastic wrap or another clear covering so that no light will enter, to prevent algae growth. You may place it outdoors if you do not have room indoors to monitor it.
- Change the water when it becomes cloudy, but keep the cutting submerged all times.
- Remove the cutting when it is well rested, which may take a month or two – depending on the size of the cutting and on your patience.
- Cut a section of bark away from your brownish-black bonsai cutting, avoiding any greenish parts since this is where the Ficus roots will form.
- Place in a plastic bag with moist peat-moss and place in a warm place for about one week to allow new root growth to develop.
- Once the roots are formed and as you begin to notice new growth, plant the cuttings in potting soil. For smaller cuttings, fill a plastic bag with moist peat-moss until barely full and place it in a warm place for about one week.
- For bigger cuttings, place them directly into the 5-gallon pot that is sized to accommodate the width of your cutting.
- Keep the soil moist and do not allow the plant to dry out.
- Regularly pinch off any unwanted growing tips to encourage new growth along the stem of your cutting.
- After two months you will have a new cutting with roots showing.
- Be patient until the root system is established and after three months your cuttings are ready to be planted into indoor potting soil.
What is the best soil for Ficus bonsai?
A sandy clay soil is the optimal medium for ficus tree growth. This type of soil will be capable of retaining water and nutrients while also allowing excess water and nutrients to drain away.
The main thing that you need to do when looking for the best soil for your bonsai is to ensure that the soil retains moisture and drains well.
You also need to ensure that the potting soil has a pH level of between 5.0 and 6.5 without being either too acidic or alkaline, as this is important for plant growth.
If you do not have any potting soil specifically for bonsai trees then you can use a standard houseplant potting mix. In addition, you can also use compost that you have made at home and add potting soil to it so as to ensure that it has the right pH level for ficus bonsai.
The best kind of soil that you should use is one that contains small particles and is well aerated which will mean that there are more spaces between the particles of your potting mix.
To ensure that your soil stays moist and full of nutrients, you should put a layer of peat moss at the bottom of your pot. You can also add a layer of vermiculite which has the same properties.
A more organic type of soil for ficus bonsai is one that contains the bark and wood shavings from dead ficus trees. In addition, you need to add some small pebbles to this soil in order to give it more texture.
