| Author |
Message |
    
Treelover
My Favorite Photo
My Garden
| | Posted on Monday, March 26, 2007 - 05:25 pm EST : |   |
When you go looking for shrubs try and find ones that a central stem. Doesn't matter if there are lots of branches coming off it low down as they can be removed. But many shrubs are really multi stemmed and have no trunk. And as for the watering rule,well if its in a pot or container then they will want a lot of water,especially in summer. That only applies if you have bonsai in pots tho as they have very shallow root systems.
Treelover
- County Durham,UK,
Zone "8/9"
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Greth
| | Posted on Saturday, March 31, 2007 - 12:50 pm EST : | |
As far as I gather Jesse, while things are in big pots or 'grow boxes' just water as normal for a potted plant. Once they move into bonsai pots the pot should be free draining, won't hold much moisture, so gotta water daily or at least check them. For my climate, where summer temps are extreme and humidity is down around 5%, I may have to water twice daily, as I already do for seeds and tender things.
Sometimes they are put into a tray of wet sand or similar to keep em watered in the hot weather.
Been collecting lots, I now have maybe 20 prebonsai, olives, oaks, ash, elm, a rosemary and a sweet myrtle. Going to pick up some radiata pine and hawthorn too, soon. The rosemary went into a 'real' bonsai pot, kinda a joke for our anniversary. It is 3" high, just a baby. One olive has great roots and the 'right' branch structure, that one is in a shallow growing pot preparing itself for bonsai life, the rest are just growing bigger in normal pots. This is not the olive already shown. There is another olive I deeply desire, growing on the side of the road near here. It has a base about 5 inches diameter, tapers quickly to a thick trunk, then has nice branches well placed. Could look like a 20 year old bonsai in less than a year, if it survives transplanting. Will need DH and maybe a rope tied to a car towbar to get it up, tho. Easter weekend. We got hold of the camera but couldnt get it to work, will try again next weekend.
I made a bonsai potting mix by sieving normal potting mix to remove the fine stuff, and, don't laugh, using grit from an anthill for better drainage. My advice from this is don't disturb an anthill.The grit is good, but I should have raked it into a heap away from the anthill first, then left it for a day or two. The ants were not impressed, fortunately this is the ant variety which bites but does not sting. The bad guys have a bite like a beesting, hurts for hours.
I should also update my profile pic. Jessie is much bigger now, so is the wall, and the plants on it. Most of the wall just needs backfilling, then I will plant things and have the whole area a cascade of green, well, maybe.
Greth
- South Australia,
Zone "?"
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Bonsaifan
My Weather
My Time
| | Posted on Saturday, March 31, 2007 - 03:37 pm EST : | |
Yea I'm love Indiana. I don't have to worry about creatures chewing on me. lol. I need to actually put up a pic on my profile. I saw a Japenese Weeping Cherry. Fell in love.
Bonsaifan
- Indiana,
Zone "6"
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Bonsaifan
My Weather
My Time
| | Posted on Thursday, April 05, 2007 - 08:39 pm EST : | |
I'm finally going back to the nursery. Man life's busy. But right now I've just been trying to learn all I can and right now it's picked up cold again. 20-30s
Bonsaifan
- Indiana,
Zone "6"
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Greth
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 11, 2007 - 07:57 am EST : | |
Okies, here is olive #1 again, now with that annoying low branch removed so you can see the rest of the structure better.It has started some new growth since being potted, so happily establishing. You can (sortof) see the stump of the removed branch at the centre of the photo, sorry its a bit dark. Someone on the bonsai forum suggested leaving a bit of stump, as olives are prone to dieback. The left of the two main branches is the thicker, I am now siding with Larry that it might be better to remove it and let the rest grow as semi formal upright. The branches on the right branch would spread out to form a good crown I think.
This second poor beggar was a willow some idiot potted in pure sand. It was dying back rapidly when I bought it ($3= price of loaf of bread) I had to remove about 6" of dying branch, you can see what is left in pic 2. When I bought it, there were only the few leaves at the end of the branches, all those new shoots have happened since it got home and was instantly repotted into something more nutritious. Hoping for more back budding so I have a goodly number of branches to spread out and see if I can get it to weep charmingly. (Yes, I know, 5 years or so) Trunk is probably nearly an inch in diameter.
Greth
- South Australia,
Zone "?"
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Treelover
My Favorite Photo
My Garden
| | Posted on Friday, April 13, 2007 - 09:59 am EST : | |
That willow looks good, and willows being willows it will have a major thirst and will drink like crazy. Also it is crying out for a major chop!
Treelover
- County Durham,UK,
Zone "8/9"
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Bonsaifan
My Weather
My Time
| | Posted on Friday, April 13, 2007 - 10:57 am EST : | |
My lil serissa has been flowering and its growing like a weed. I also went and got the stuff for air layering but I can't find any vitamin b solution. Not nessisary but would like to use it none the less. You guys no where I can get a bottle of it?
Bonsaifan
- Indiana,
Zone "6"
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Treelover
My Favorite Photo
My Garden
| | Posted on Friday, April 13, 2007 - 12:13 pm EST : | |
I never use it, but then again I wouldnt know where to get it from or what its for!
Treelover
- County Durham,UK,
Zone "8/9"
|
Bonsaifan
My Weather
My Time
| | Posted on Friday, April 13, 2007 - 01:36 pm EST : | |
oh. So you just use the hormone powder and leave it to that?
Bonsaifan
- Indiana,
Zone "6"
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Greth
| | Posted on Saturday, April 14, 2007 - 06:11 am EST : | |
I agree with you that it needs a major chop, Larry. The reason I didn't cut back those branches is as follows.
The tree was stressed and dying back rapidly on its awful diet of sand. It had had several bits of branch cut back as they died already. I wanted it to recover and have some decent growing time before it goes into winter dormancy (soon). I thought it might even be too late in the season already to get new shoots. Now that it has a chance to build up some strength, I will let it drop its leaves naturally in autumn, then cut those branches back while it is dormant. For now, it can build its strength back up.
Living in sand meant no moisture retention, and the poor thing was trying to survive extreme Aussie summer heat like that.
It wont hurt the final piece of trunk I will want to keep if I let those branches grow this autumn, and the plant needs the photosynthesis from those shoots before it goes into autumn dormancy.
Greth
- South Australia,
Zone "?"
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Treelover
My Favorite Photo
My Garden
| | Posted on Saturday, April 14, 2007 - 01:05 pm EST : | |
Yep, thats all I use, and some species(willows,forsythias) dont even need that Jesse!
Treelover
- County Durham,UK,
Zone "8/9"
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Treelover
My Favorite Photo
My Garden
| | Posted on Saturday, April 14, 2007 - 01:07 pm EST : | |
Ah yes Greth, I keep forgetting your in australia! While we're enjoying a warm spring(very hot actually today!) youre heading for autumn!)
But being a willow you could just leave it alone till spring then do a major chop and boy will it grow!
Treelover
- County Durham,UK,
Zone "8/9"
|
Greth
| | Posted on Saturday, April 14, 2007 - 04:03 pm EST : | |
Them's me thoughts, Larry.
Oh, I am sorely tempted to spend money. My favourite nursery has a juniper, normal nursery pot but this thing has a lovely trunk and is growing nearly horizontally, just begging to be a semi cascade or cascade. Unfortunately they want real money for it, over $20, sigh.
Greth
- South Australia,
Zone "?"
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Treelover
My Favorite Photo
My Garden
| | Posted on Saturday, April 14, 2007 - 05:30 pm EST : | |
I've yet to try a conifer,i always imagine they will just die on me!
Treelover
- County Durham,UK,
Zone "8/9"
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Karalyn
My Weather
| | Posted on Saturday, April 14, 2007 - 07:36 pm EST : | |
Larry,
Can a corkscrew willow root in sand also?
Karalyn Idaho Zone 6 |
Treelover
My Favorite Photo
My Garden
| | Posted on Saturday, April 14, 2007 - 08:11 pm EST : | |
Karalyn i have never heard of a corkscrew willow but if it is a willow it will root in moondust! Honestly these trees root so easy,my brother once brought a huge stick of willow home,and i mean it was like twice the size of a walking stick and a good 3 foot long. He just stuck it in his garden and its now a huge tree!
Treelover
- County Durham,UK,
Zone "8/9"
|
Bonsaifan
My Weather
My Time
| | Posted on Sunday, April 15, 2007 - 01:46 pm EST : | |
Wow. Fall. We're just getting into spring. Our fall doesn't come til like late October. And I'm gonna have to find a willow by the sound of it. Now after you air layer a tree what kind of soil/sand do you put it in?
My little Serissa is growing like a stinkin weed. It's nuts!
Bonsaifan
- Indiana,
Zone "6"
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Treelover
My Favorite Photo
My Garden
| | Posted on Sunday, April 15, 2007 - 03:51 pm EST : | |
Jesse once you've got roots after a month to 6 weeks you would remove the bit you want from the plant and pot up in good potting soil or sand. Ideally it should be as fine as possible as the new roots are really fragile.
Treelover
- County Durham,UK,
Zone "8/9"
|
Bonsaifan
My Weather
My Time
| | Posted on Sunday, April 15, 2007 - 08:50 pm EST : | |
Okay that's what I thought. Just wanted to make sure. ;) So I'm looking right now for pots and I'm planning in the next couple days looking for a thing to layer.
Bonsaifan
- Indiana,
Zone "6"
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Treelover
My Favorite Photo
My Garden
| | Posted on Monday, April 16, 2007 - 05:29 am EST : | |
Got any small leaved cherry trees or plum or crab apple trees in your garden? These are good for bonsai. I am planning to air layer a branch on my plum tree. The good thing about layering or taking cuttings from a mature tree is that the maturity of the tree is carrie over to the cutting or layer,so it should flower next year,when the tree does.(of course if you're training bonsai you don't want flowers at first but you get the idea)
Treelover
- County Durham,UK,
Zone "8/9"
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