The Attack of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Twilight Zombie Silkw

[David Cortizas]

A Chinese Bayan Ficus (Ficus microcarpa) minding its own business after a tough cold winter had put on some really good growth until ....



... the Teenage Mutant Ninja Twilight Zombie Silkworms made a surprise attack.



Regards,

Rob aka Bonsai Golfer
Check out my blog http://blogs.knowledgeofbonsai.org/rob_kempinski/

[David Cortizas]

Será verdad que este hombre ha usado gusanos de seda para defoliar su ficus????

[Jose O Rivera]

Nunca lo habia oido, suena interesante pero tendria que tener un ejercito de gusanos de seda para defoliar un arbol,

[puersbonsai]

hola impresionante ficus,a mí unas orugas enormes me defoliaro en una noche una serissa ,y desde ese momento a brotado como nunca ,me los tenfría que haber quedado ,jaja,eran unos gusanos ,grandes verdiblancos,con una especie de aguijón impresionantes un saludo

[johan]

Cuando comence en lo de los bonsai tenia como tres ficus, dos tiger y un benjamina, shohin. Y como para octubre de ese año, una mañana amanecieron sin hojas, fue impresionante ver los arbolitos destrozado. Investige para saber que habia pasado con algunos amigos y me dijeron que podia ser un lagarto o iguana, pero en esta area no hay muchos y como quiera los habrian tumbado al tratar de comerselos. Es la hora que no se lo que les paso.

[David Cortizas]

Yo una vez metí una iguana pequeña donde tenía los bonsais y es verdad que amanecieron sin una hoja, la iguana estaba debajo de una maceta durmiendo super gordita jejejeje.

Es buena idea para defoliar los ficus grandes...

[David Cortizas]

I defoliated and repotted this Indian Laurel Fig (Ficus microcarpa) over the last few days. Didn't count the leaves this time.
This was grown from a cutting about 22 years ago. I've had it about 13 years. I call it the "Flying Buttress Ficus."
It is about 40 inches (101 cm) across. I can't recall but I believe it is a 20 to 30 year old Japanese pot.

A few progression shots.
Before defoliating - lots of large and winter damaged leaves on the tree. The red and green lines on the lower left are drinking straws that have been slit and are used to precisely direct the aerial roots to mimic the taper of the trunk - almost all the straight aerial roots have been initially trained this way. The configuration of the roots is how this tree get its its name.



Partially through defoliating. You can see the smaller leaves on the top that were beneath the larger leaves. For the past several seasons, I have been letting my ficus trees grow unmolested through the winter. In March I defoliate and find that I get smaller leaves for most of the year with only minor trimming until early winter. Then the big leaves return and I let the cold do what it wants and in March repeat the cycle.



Leaves all removed but before trunk cleaning and repotting.



It had been about 7 years at least since I repotted this tree and I was expecting to see a massive root mass under the soil, but I was very pleased to see a very evenly distributed parcel of fine roots with only a few thicker roots needing to be removed, but no massive tubers. I can probably let it go and other 8 years before repotting. I put a layer of chopped sphagnum moss over the soil and then a thin layer of bonsai soil over the moss. This is to keep the roots tips moist until more green moss can form.



A view from above showing the branch ramification and radial placement.



An interesting camera effect. While I had the camera pointed down with a long shutter exposure the telephoto slid down on its own creating this interesting camera effect.



Regards,

Rob aka Bonsai Golfer
Check out my blog http://robert-kempinski.ofbonsai.org/

[david_meneo]

joder esos ficus pelados son muchisimos mas guapos que con hojas. Lo de los gusanos... es increible, me veo a David en vez de montar un estanque, montando un terrario con gusanos jajajaja

[David Cortizas]

En Japón había una especie de polillas gordísimas que ponían huevos en el anverso de las hojas de las gardenias, al poco tiempo amanecias con todas las gardenias perfectamente defoliadas, y es que ya habían nacido las larvas.

Evidentemente teníamos órdenes de matar cuantas polillas pudiéramos.

[Rosana]

aqui tenemos un gusanito verde defoliador de brotes de oleas.........jajajaaaa la madre que pariole

espectaculares esos ficus