In this video I describe what a sacrifice branch is and when you would need to have one. They can be used to heal scars or increase the thickness of a trunk in a specific area. They are extremely useful to use the power of the tree in order to make improvements to your tree.
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I was given a ficus tree a few years a ago because the original owner could no longer care for it. After years in my collection I finally was inspired to change the style of the tree and hopefully turn it into a great bonsai. It all started with a large rock in my yard and a very horizontal ficus.
Here is the before picture. As you can see the tree is just a shapeless mound and really needed to be restyled.
The rock had a rounded bottom so I chiseled it flat so it would sit securely in the pot.
Here is a video that shows how I went about creating the root over rock. Please keep in mind this is a strangler fig and is known for growing on top of other trees and the slowly enveloping them by lowering aerial roots to encase the tree. In this case the tree will slowly attach to the rock. Therefore I didn’t have to bury the rock to produce roots to cover the rock or wrap it in sphagnum moss to keep it moist.
Finally the finished (but not styled) Root-Over-Rock. It still needs to be wired out and some branches removed but I see great potential in this tree.
Proper watering and feeding will give more energy to the tree increasing the leaf size and vigor of the tree. However low lighting will also cause bigger leafs. When a tree does not receive enough light it will create bigger leaves to catch more sunlight. Also it will create longer internodes. Internodes are the lengths in between leaves. If the leaves can’t catch light they form longer internodes so the branches are longer to reach further for the sunlight.
Don’t worry though, you can control leaf size. Please take into consideration fertilizing issues because they will affect the results of your efforts in leaf reductions if you don’t. However look at the base of the stem of your leaves. You will notice a new leaf bud right there. Just like a shark tooth waiting to replace a lost tooth a leaf bud is ready to pop to replace a lost leaf. If you remove the leave the new leaf will come in 1/3 smaller. Remove it again and it will replace 1/3 smaller. Don’t do it too often, or during dormant periods and you will have much smaller leaves.
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