Bonsai - Ficus microcarpa "Golden Gate"

On May 2nd, I attended the Louisiana Association of Bonsai Societies meeting in Shreveport. After a morning demonstration on a Japanese Shimpaku juniper and following lunch, people broke into different groups to work on various trees.  The President of the Shreveport Bonsai Society (http://shreveportbonsai.org/)  helped me with a small fig tree (Ficus microcarpa "Golden Gate").  

We pruned the ficus, removed most of the leaves (they should grow back within a few weeks), and wired the remaining branches to help the shape of the tree.  The pot is 5.25 inches long, 4 inches wide, and 2 inches deep.  The finished tree is 10 inches tall from the soil level to the apex. The wires around the base of the pot were added before I left Shreveport to help hold the ficus for the trip back home to Ruston.  I will probably wait a couple of weeks to remove the wire from the base of the tree and pot, but the wires on the branches will probably stay on for up to 6 months. If the wires begin to cut into the tree, I will remove them earlier.

This tree will take another couple of years to start getting real good.  Bonsai does not go fast!  I will post more photos of this tree in the future.