Initial root work and pruning for ramification on a future rubber tree bonsai.

A rubber plant is generally considered as not being a good candidate for a bonsai due to its large leaves. But there is such a thing as a big leaf bonsai and leaf reduction might be possible to some extent. So I'm making the first steps for training a plain rubber plant from cutting to a Ficus elastica bonsai.

An initial root work sets the foundation for a nice nebari. Then pruning is applied to stimulate rubber plant branching. When applied to a healthy and vigorous plant, pruning is the operation you need to make rubber plant bushy. So if you want to make rubber tree branch out even if you don't intend to turn it into a bonsai check out the results I got.

Along the way of this 9 month transformation of my Ficus elastica I also found that improper use of grow lights can harm your plants. Luckily I figured things out eventually after performing extensive tests on my grow light. As promised, here you can find the video where I review and test the Mars Hydro SP3000 grow light:    • Mars Hydro SP3000 - Extensive grow li...  

Use ODDBONSAI when buying a Mars Hydro grow light or tent to get a 3% discount:
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📷 Images used in this video:
Ficus elastica Roxb. ex Hornem. by Dinesh Valke, via Flickr, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, https://www.flickr.com/photos/dinesh_...
Chinese Banyan (Ficus microcarpa 'Retusa') bonsai by Sarah Stierch, via Flickr, licensed under CC BY 2.0, https://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahva...

#ficuselastica #rubberplant #rubbertree