FIKUS

If a man does not live in the tropics then having a tropical tree is always a challenge. I challenged myself six years ago when I bought a Ficus retusa; this is still my only tropical tree. It is a high-quality material, which has never been grafted, and it is also narrowing naturally. Any commercial bonsai from large department stores don't have such qualities, of course.

 

Če človek ne živi v tropih je tropsko drevo vedno izziv. Sam sem si ga postavil pred šestimi leti, ko sem nabavil fikus vrste retusa; ta je še vedno moje edino tropsko drevo. Gre za kvaliteten materijal, ki ni bil nikoli cepljen, prav tako pa je tudi njegovo ožanje naravno. Vsi komercialni bonsaji iz veleblagovnic takšnih kvalitet seveda nimajo.

 

Ficus retusa, January 2007

 

The first few seasons have passed in the adaptation, finding the right place for overwintering, learning what tropical tree needs actually are. The first serious styling I made in July 2009, when it was first time defoliated and fully wired.

 

Prvih nekaj sezon je minilo v prilagajanju, iskanju pravega mesta za prezimovanje, učenju, kakšne so pravzaprav potrebe tropskega drevesa. Prvo resnejše oblikovanje sem opravil julija 2009, ko je bil prvič razlistan in v celoti ožičen.

 

2009 - first defoliation and styling

 

This was followed by a new era of development and in 2011 a new defoliation and styling were performed. If i'd live in the tropics, I'd defoliate it three times a year, but in temperate regions such a drastic intervention comes only once every two years. The development is correspondingly slower ...

 

Sledilo je novo obdobje razvoja in 2011 novo razlistenje in oblikovanje. Če bi živel v tropih, bi ga razlistal trikrat na leto, tako pa pride ta drastični poseg na vrsto le enkrat na dve leti. Razvoj je temu primerno počasnejši ...

 

2011 - after second styling

 

This time the third defoliation and styling were done. Now the tree has a silhouette similar to what I put on the ultimate goal: a tree in the style of Taiwanese ficus. Another defoliation or two so that the crown structure will be more dence and we will be there ;-)

 

Tokrat je prišlo na vrsto tretje razlistenje in oblikovanje. Zdaj je silhueta že podobna tistemu, kar sem si postavil za končni cilj: drevo v slogi tajvanskih fikusov. Še kakšno razlistenje ali dve, da se struktura krošnje še zgosti, pa smo na cilju ;-)

 

2013 - after defoliation and before styling

after styling

on a black

development 2007-2013

 

 

P. S.: Matej has worked on dwarf spruce. Now he is doing the homework, he will brought the result back to atalier before the summer!

 

P.S.: Matej je delal na pritlikavi smreki. Zdaj dela domačo nalogo, ki jo bo v ataleje prinesel pokazat še pred poletjem!