Mission Fig, (Ficus carica) bonsai – small size. Height: 10 inches; Width, at the wides side: 14 inches. Pot size 9.5″ X 2.5″ (round) Pot origin: Dick Ryerson, Los Angeles potter. Trunk diameter at the root base: 4 inches. Popular name: Mission fig, Common fig, Edible fig. The edible fig is one of the first plants cultivated by humans. There are Neolithic village sites dated 10,000 years-old, by archaeologists, that have the remnants of this plant. It is a small tree that grows 7-10 meters tall (30 feet), with smooth white bark and frangrant leaves. It is a Mediterranean tree, widely cultivated in from Spain, through Italy and Greece, further into the Middle-East, from Arabia, Afghanistan, all the way to India. It was also introduced to California by the Spanish missionaries, and became very popular. Today, they are thousands of cultivars, grown for the delicious fruit. It is a deciduous tree. I collected this tree as a seedling, from the Los Angeles County Arboretum, 21 years ago. Planted into my backyard, and worked on the trunk for a decade and half. This species is very prone to growing multiple trunks from the spreading roots. Every year, new trunks sprout from the base, so it is easy to create a mutiple trunk bonsai, or small grove. So, I decided to create a more complex design, in the form of a little grove. The tree has five trunks, the fifth one is very young. Odd numbers are preferred in bonsai, so the fifth trunk was grown for this purpose. The trunks are of different age and size, and they are all connected by a common root base. The fascinating thing abut this fig, is that the leaf size in bonsai cultivation can be reduced by a magnitude of 100. The leaf of a large fig tree is as large as this whole bonsai (10 inches). As the grower develops more ramification, the leaves become increasingly small every year. One can see that this bonsai already displays smaller and smaller leaves, and they will continue to get smaller in the coming years. This is a charming little tree, and will quickly take on a much more mature look, the next couple of years. The Fig is a prolific grower, it can be pruned several time in a growing season. It can also withstand hard pruning, and sometimes this is necessary, to develop a dense branch structure. Otherwise, this species has a sparse and coarse ramification. It has a “sculptural” form, and the exquisite leaf shape is a beautiful accent that surrounds the trunk. The owner will also be rewarded with edible fruits, growing at the base of the leaves. In the initial stages of a bonsai, when the branches are cut back often, in order to develop a crown, the fruits will not appear. But as the crown become more dense, and the leaves and internodes become smaller, it will require less and less pruning, and the fruits will start growing, year after year. The tree is growing in a beautiful Dick Ryerson pot. It is a perfect match, for this tree. I cannot imagine a better fit. The Common fig is a very easy species to grow, and it is suitable for beginners as well. It can withstand dry conditions and poor soil. I made many mistakes during these years, but the tree kept growing in spite of all adversities. For some reason, it is one of my favorite species, to grow as bonsai. May be because of the simple design that has a strong character, and looks very natural. It is hard to grow a fig bonsai that does not look natural, which is a treasured trait. The item “Mission fig Ficus carica bonsai small size” is in sale since Friday, July 31, 2020. This item is in the category “Home & Garden\Yard, Garden & Outdoor Living\Plants, Seeds & Bulbs\Plants & Seedlings\Bonsai”. The seller is “world_of_bonsai” and is located in Altadena, California. This item can be shipped to United States.
- Bonsai Species: Ficus carica
- Plant Form: Finished Bonsai
- Type: Broad leaf, deciduous
- Climate: Mediterranean
- Sunlight: Full Sun
- Genus: Ficus
- USDA Hardiness Zone (°F): 6 (-10 to 0 °F)
- Foliage: Broadleaf
- Indoor/Outdoor: Outdoor
Tags: bonsai, carica, ficus, mission, size, small
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