Bonsaify | Willow Leaf Ficus WOW!

Welcome to the wonderful world of Willow Leaf Ficus (Ficus Nerifolia) bonsai! Eric shares what he finds so exciting about working with this tropical species. If you're interested in learning how to create a small Willow Leaf Ficus (WLF) tree with amazing nebari, this video is for you!
00:00:45 Eric shares an example tree that he's been working on for 12 years. It began as a cutting given to him by his teacher, and he's been alternating between growing it out and cutting it back.
00:01:09 One of the properties Eric really likes, is that (WLF) make really good nebari.
00:01:56 Eric begins with starter plants in 3" containers and get down in to find lots of large roots.
00:03:10 WLF like more organic matter in the soil, then Eric typically uses in his soil mix. He recommends between 40-50% coco coir, to create more fine roots.
00:04:11 When WLF are cut back they can create larger cluster of branches - reduce those to 1-2 to reduce problems (e.g. reverse taper)
00:05:44 Eric cuts almost the entirety of the largest roots, to encourage the plant to make finer roots.
00:06:58 Remove a few higher roots to produce a better-looking nebari.
00:07:59 The larger the roots are, the further you want to cut them back.
00:08:38 Why you should think that this amount of cutback is NOT ridiculous.
00:09:05 Eric pots two of the starters with the largest bases into cement bonsai containers.
00:09:56 What do you think of them? Eric says they're not that interesting, so he cuts them both WAY back.
00:10:50 Why did he do that?
00:11:10 Eric moves on to WLF in 1 gallon cans. They're bigger but he is expecting a lot of the same principles.
00:12:47 Cutting back "to stubs".
00:13:38 Largest scars and callousing discussion.
00:14:46 All four of the larger WLF are cut back and Eric repots them into small containers to focus on building nice branching and crowns.
00:15:26 Care for Willow Leaf Ficus - keep 'em warm with plenty of light and don't let them freeze!
Thank you for watching! Please like and share this video with your bonsai community! You can order Willow Leaf Ficus starters from Eric and Bonsaify: www.bonsaify.com/products/wil...

[@infinitewonder305]

I bought my first Bonsai Willow Leaf at age 11 I saved 50$ bought it with a nice ceramic pot and little Chinese figures looked like a village so awesome I’m 39 now and it’s still there going to pass it on to my son

[@TheBonsaiZone]

So awesome Eric, I wish more bonsai nurseries took care of the roots like this!!! Most are 80 percent roots and 20 percent tree!

[@Serentropic]

I absolutely agree! These are exactly the sort of starter bonsai I wish I'd found starting out a couple years ago. At that time, all I knew about were mallsai, expensive specimen trees, and garden center/nursery stock. So it's awesome to see trees like these and what Left Coast Bonsai has been doing ... affordable, beginner-friendly trees that are really set up for success, and still a great option for intermediate or advanced practitioners who like starting young enough to really guide the design along.

[@stephencreswell229]

You should do a video on making those cement pots! A video on sharpening tools would be great as well.

[@joegarland4885]

Although I m the U.K. and can’t buy any of your wares I still enjoy watching and learning from your unique way of growing bonsai Thank you for all your videos.

[@jesusarmendariz9128]

Thanks for sharing!!

[@DavesBonsai]

Loved this video. I’ll be getting some of these soon! Happy New Year!

[@zavn1187]

It would be great to see what any of these look like 1 year later after such a hard cutback.

[@Bonsaify]

I think I only have one left - we did a release of these later last year and sold most of them. I do have a lot of WLF potted in 3" that we'll have ready for sale later this year. I'll see if I can come up with another WLF video sometime in the next few months.

[@JesusChrist4ever]

Great video! Happy new years

[@Dovietail]

Thanks for the great tips on my favorite! 😊

[@juliantovar7845]

I bought one of the starters from the site of this exact tree, back in September. Arrived well received and it continues to thrive. I haven't done much to it yet but have recently begun to look for inspiration. Great timing on the video, I'll put what I just learned to good use. Awesome info, and wonderful work.

[@amadeo_amadeusbonsai]

Really nice trees, the power of Ficus are awesome

[@Evan-tt5kk]

Just got mine in the mail from you, thanks! and oh wow Nigel is here, I watch him a lot too

[@kosnk]

Just bought a couple of smaller Willow Leaf Ficuses in my local area (not US) after your recommendation. Can't wait to see them grow! Thank you for sharing the tips!

[@9daywonda]

Hope you have a prosperous new year.

[@BONSAIenCORTO]

Thanks.

[@ricbethsbonsai638]

Hi happy new year, congrats, this is one of mi favorites ficus in Puerto Rico, have various works of this tree

[@evanbarker5611]

Love this content. Thank you. I’ve been on this journey with collected Australia ficus, heavy root prune, cutting back to get more compact compositions. Pleased to see I’m on the right track.

[@Sir_Lewice]

Same here, I've been doing it for almost 4 years now. My best and first tree is a collected Mortan bay fig.

[@kawin9]

Wow. Socute.

[@Huynhbonsai]

Kỹ thuật tạo tác của các bạn tuyệt vời

[@Bonsaify]

Cảm ơn!

[@chrisswales1174]

Loved this video. Unfortunately it seems almost impossible to get willow leaf ficus in the UK. Would love to try grow one

[@josephgiordano5527]

Awesome species!!!! Will these bigger trees end up in your shop at some point in the spring? I have bought 2 trees from you already. The quality is great!!! Keep it up. I will be doing my best to support you! Also, my props to Eric posting the first bonsai video of 2023!🎉

[@Bonsaify]

Likely yes, these will end up on the store. I neglected to say that I will probably do a follow-up video before that happens - to show the reaction to the work to everyone.

[@jstoltenburg]

I love this, but it scares me to do it to mine! LOL!

[@Bonsaify]

It's not a slam dunk - but if you're in a hotter climate just provide some shade afterward and make sure they don't dry out. So far I think I'm still 100% success on this type of operation. I have a batch of about 25 if them that I did.

[@bonsaisn]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@markwoodard659]

Just acquired a willow leaf 89. Im guessing this is basically the same as what your working with

[@ravisop]

Thank you Eric. How did the trunk get so thick ?

[@Bonsaify]

The trunk of the older tree is helped along by the secondary low trunk - but they do this almost by themselves!

[@TonysBonsai]

Very interesting. I've just started my first ficus which is a tiger bark. Could I treat that in the same way as it develops?

[@BlueJayBonsai]

Hi Tony! You can majorly prune a tiger barks roots as well. But tiger bark don’t get the same potato roots like the willow leaf. So it’s not an apples to apples comparison (apples to potatoes? 😂)

[@TonysBonsai]

@@BlueJayBonsai thanks Jay. I think I'll leave the roots alone this year and take a look next spring.

[@LtDan-co5tk]

Awesome! What time frame is this scope of work?

[@Bonsaify]

I did this in winter - but it's actually better to do heavy cutback and repotting on WLF during the growing season - late spring through summer. In my case, I placed the trees in a heated greenhouse afterward which allows for more latitude in timing.

[@carloseduardoramosmidence3470]

Nice video Eric. Do you cover the large wounds?

[@Bonsaify]

Forgot! Will be an interesting test. They're in the greenhouse recovering.

[@jc-wx3sm]

Thanks for the vid. I have never heard it discussed, but in my vast one year of experience (not to brag), I have found my ficus have thickened a good amount even with a lot of top cut back. It rings trie with what you said about cutting it back to focus energy on the base. Why is it all I ever read is that nothing will thicken without basically growing a full sized tree before cutting it? Is it only ficus? are there other species?

[@Bonsaify]

There are some things that will thicken, this being an example. But, this is not a traditional species. Take something like Othonna arbuscula, they make thick trunks, as do many caudex plants, but they're not really suitable for bonsai. Generally in terms of traditional species, the techniques for making interesting and fatter trunks are known, but not widely adopted - I'm planning to share more on this channel.

[@ronniebruce9624]

So this goes against everything Ive learned. haha. Winter+root work+major cuts, all simultaneously. I have a grow tent thats stays warm, humid, and bright. Should I feel confident enough to do something like this on a clump style thats maybe 5-10 years old?

[@Bonsaify]

Aftercare is important here - They'll be in a minimum 55F heated greenhouse. You can do this in summer as you mention without supplemental heat. On your older tree - do it in summer.

[@jrclapper]

I bought one of the starters and performed this pruning. It responded well and has shoots coming out everywhere and has very dense with foliage. Do I let it go for now or do any branch selection? Wondering what my next step is and when. Thanks!

[@Bonsaify]

Yeah, funny enough I was just looking at the same thing because I have about 50 of the 1-gallon can size that I cut back and now look like that. I brought a few into my garage and may end up making a video soon. But basically, you want to do thinning and branch selection, maybe a little wiring, and then let the branching you keep run. Then come back a few months or a year later and do hard cutback again. The branches on the mature tree I showed at the start were built that way. And actually they're due for a hard trim again so I could use that as an example.

[@jrclapper]

Thank you! I’ll look out for the part 2!

[@headcasechad]

Great vid - I was wondering about your concrete pots - ? Did you make them ?

[@Bonsaify]

Yes, we do make them.

[@headcasechad]

@@Bonsaify ok cool - could you please do a vid on this - it would be great - or tell me how ? I just want to make a heap to transfer my cuttings into

[@Bonsaify]

We have largely ceased making them - they work well for some species (like ficus, juniper, pine) but seem to have adverse effects on salt-sensitive species. Nothing dramatic, but any container that doesn't 100% support the plant is a problem. I believe it's the same old problem of lime leaching from the cement after it cures - I used a microdensifier to seal the containers but it didn't 100% prevent the problem. I may start making them again - especially since I have about 20 bags of concrete waiting. The rough process for me is/was - make a 3D CAD design, 3D print a master copy, smooth/finish the master, create a platinum silicon mold - two part (lid and body) They are cast upside down normally, but you can do it either way. Upside down puts the bubbles and defects on the bottom. Fill the mold with your choice of cement - I used an HPLC cement that is self-leveling. Use silicon mold release, artist pigments for color and make sure they are light-fast (most are powder added to the mix.) There are a lot of makers on Etsy selling concrete items - and there are some great options out there for mixes to use with faster/slower cure times. The HPLC mix I used took 24 hours before I could de-mold it. A lot of the molding supplies are from a company called Smooth-On. I found a shore 50 was good, easy to demold, but less durable. A shore 80 Polyurethane seems to last forever but it's a lot harder to demold and if you forget the release agent you're screwed.

[@dkstott29]

I'm curious about how long it'll be before there's new growth on those plants. I just purchased a 10 inch tall willow leaf in a 4 inch pot. It definitely needs the potato roots cut. I'm hesitant to go full chop on it. 🤔🤔.

[@Bonsaify]

If you do it all at once, during the growing season - it'll take a month or two before you see much growth. The buds emerge slowly. But - the hotter and more humid the faster it happens. If you do it in winter, be sure you have a greenhouse/indoor heated area and supplemental lights.

[@dkstott29]

​@Bonsaify thanks, it'll be in our 3 season room for a week or so to recover from the root pruning. After that, it'll be outside here in Connecticut in full sun until September.

[@borismaiorov3358]

Aluminum tape over large wounds works well. I always read, and did, that tropical trees work better when transplanted in the middle of the summer. Are you doing this now because theses trees are inside? On a related question, what about real willows for bonsai?

[@Bonsaify]

Willows🤦‍♂️ If there's one genus that will drive you crazy it's willows. Maybe I'll do a video explaining why NOT to grow willows as bonsai.

[@Serentropic]

Tropicals blow my mind, haha. I came into bonsai from conifers and everything I knew about trees was predicated on the assumption that trees grow from twig buds and only twig buds. So the idea that you can cut almost any part of a tropical and it will just ... turn into more tree ... is still rather alien to me. It almost feels like cheating in a bonsai context, haha. But I'm finally warming up to them. I actually just bought a couple of your corkbark p. afras with the hope they'll give me something to do over the winter while all my pines are sleeping. This looks like a pretty neat species too! I think I've been unfairly biased against ficus in general since the ones I've seen just don't usually "look like trees" to me and my Northwestern sensibilities. But that's a silly bias since you can clearly adapt their growth habit pretty freely and you've made them look like a joy to work on. Taper and nebari that comes naturally is exactly what we want from a bonsai species, right? And it'd sure be a nice reprieve from my darn pines that require occult rituals to develop good taper in. So I might just grab one of these too once one you put the slightly more mature ones up for sale. Thanks for another good video! Would love to see some on the p. afras and seiju, still :)

[@Bonsaify]

All the secrets to creating a fat pine base are contained in my forthcoming book "Pine Bonsai: Illuminati, Free Masons, and Sir Mix-A-Lot Share Their Secrets".

[@Serentropic]

@@Bonsaify Ahaha. I also just noticed you already have dwarf jade videos, I just didn't look hard enough!

[@tobywilson4876]

Its very hard to get these in Europe sadly :( would love one! Anyone know where I might get one in the UK?

[@scipio109]

Try Herons Bonsai

[@mayconbonsai]

Tem necessidade de passar pasta cicatrizante nós cortes das raízes ?

[@Bonsaify]

No.

[@mayconbonsai]

@@Bonsaify thanks

[@recoilrob4765]

Eric, at 3:25 you state we should use 40% cococoire but when you repot the trimmed plant at 9:30 it looks like 100% akadama. Please clarify.

[@Bonsaify]

Ah - for growing I use 20% coco / 80% perlite (although the proportion as I mentioned can be up to 40% coco since these didn't like the leaner mix.) For things going into bonsai pots I switch to akadama mixes. Here is a video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJK3i3uOgLV5m7c

[@iPheek]

I did this exactly to a willow Leaf ficus and the tree died 😂 I don’t know what happened. I’ll have to try it again.

[@Bonsaify]

I did it to about 20 of them. They all survived, but I had them in a greenhouse afterward (and before.) One of them that I sold was shipped to a customer, then returned then back in the greenhouse - that one died, all the others lived. But I'm pretty sure it was the combo of double shipping that killed it.

[@iPheek]

@@Bonsaify ahh shipping does effect sometimes. Greenhouse does help a lot! I think for me it was the heat this summer. We reached over 100 the whole summer. I’ll have to try it again! I also had a problem rooting tiger bark ficus this year.

[@pjaphethvelilla1286]

Where i can buy like that plant? Thank u

[@Bonsaify]

we sell them on Bonsaify.com!

[@KillerBearsaw]

Is there an update on these?

[@Bonsaify]

Actually, the small ones in this video were listed for sale on our website earlier this month - but I have not done a video update. .www.bonsaify.com/collections/bonsai-for-sale?page=1 But, it's on my to-do list!

[@nanukvas]

I can't find the video on your preferred soil mixes?

[@Bonsaify]

Here ya go: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJK3i3uOgLV5m7c

[@nanukvas]

@@Bonsaify Thanks for the link. The soil mix tutorial was very helpful. Do you ever use pine bar in your soil? I see it's a staple for many bonsai enthusiasts.

[@Bonsaify]

Pine bark (or other bark also) can be a good soil component for growing mixes. However, it is not ideal for mature trees because it breaks down eventually. In a growing mix the period before it rots is long enough to be useful. In a mature rootball, you'd have to be excavating it out every time you repot.

[@dougfre2393]

Same questions as above. Since you are not doing this in the heat of summer would you recommend supplemental heat, like a heat pad for the roots? Also it seems like this would be more acceptable for a vigorous, young tree than on an older established tree?

[@Bonsaify]

Yes, on both counts. Aftercare - I'll have these in a heated greenhouse with a minimum temp of 55F, so they'll do well. You could keep them indoors in a warm spot with supplemental lights. In terms of young/old - I've actually done this same operation (just the roots) to that older tree when I had to get it into a bonsai pot. I ended up cutting of 95% of the roots, kept it in a greenhouse afterward and no problems. If you can't provide the heat now - then wait until it's warm to do this.

[@questionablecooking7019]

ayo where the 1 gal cans on the website at sir ??

[@Bonsaify]

Hi! We don't ship gallons - it's silly expensive. If you're local I can sell you a couple.

[@jjasperchan]

Willow leaf ficus ? More like potato root ficus

[@Bonsaify]

🤣 Iz funny coz iz true.

[@johnnnyboo7105]

What time of year would you do hard cuts like this

[@Bonsaify]

Spring/summer. Depends a bit on your climate, but they react quickly during that time. These were in my greenhouse after I did this in winter and they grew slowly until recently, when they took off again.