Repotting “Big Mama”
This is my first Ficus nerifolia.I styled it initially in 2003.Ernie had the tree since the ’80s and somewhen later it lost its whole top due to a rare winter freeze in Florida.Reduced by half it actually started its bonsai career on its own..
The tree was entered in 2005 for the Ben Oki Award .
And in 2006 for the Certre Award.
Today it was time for the yearly transplanting.I defoliated the tree and prepaired a training box.The reason is that the tree needs some more space to correctly develop the surface roots.When you repot a ficus you need to take off as much as possible under the trunk to force lateral root growth.
Some roots need to be wired to grow correctly.
And the result.. 
Since the training box has a lot of drainholes I have to make sure the tree get’s enough water,also underneath the trunk.Therefore I soak the tree once a week thoroughly, additionally to the regular watering schedule.
The tree is leaving out all over..
