I have been given a 25 year old Ficus bonsai and I have no idea how to care for it other than the watering and fertilizing. I will need to repot it which I feel comfortable doing. It is the pruning of the leaves that makes me nervous. So any help would be graciously appreciated.
Thank you for contacting the Toronto Master Gardeners and congratulations on your gift of an 25 year-old bonsai!
Our guide (The Art of Bonsai: A Toronto Master Gardeners Guide) summarizes the general principles behind caring for a bonsai; for more specific concerns, a great resource is the Toronto Bonsai Society. At their monthly meeting, held at the Toronto Botanical Gardens, bonsai techniques are taught to beginners; the society holds regular workshops and lectures too. For example, they have a video on renovating a Ficus retusa bonsai.
We wish you much pleasure and success with your ficus bonsai.