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Got this little pepper plant from my mother this weekend, threw it into a nicer pot because it's so wee and stumpy. I think I'm going to try to train the top branch lower (there's really only one) and add some moss perhaps to clean it up even more. It looks super funny when it's bearing fruit because it's so small. According to mom it's about 5 years old.
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Jul 1, 2014 17:45
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Anybody know any posts online from somebody overwintering tropical pines indoors? I'm sure it can be done, but better to work with some info than go into it blind. I have a few ideas already that I think will work, but would love some extra advice/experience.
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Jul 13, 2014 12:02
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Hi, I'm crossposting from the Plants in General Thread, but I figured it might be relevant here even though it's underwater. Here's some bonspiration. Pale Wind, Takayuki Fukada. Japan. 2013 IAPLC Gold Prize More beautiful aquascapes here: http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2014/01/the-incredible-underwater-art-of-aquascaping/
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Jul 14, 2014 22:06
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jadebullet posted:I am still a beginner at this though so I do have some questions. I have read that I should work on the trunk first, then start shaping the branches and leaves later, once the trunk is established. The look that I am going for is a straight vertical trunk that ends in some nice full branches at the top. Anyway, upon inspecting the tree's shape I noticed that at the top of the current trunk there are 4 branches all meeting at the same junction, with the narrowest one being the one that continues vertically. Currently I have rotated the tree so that the leaves connected to the vertical branch will get the most sun as I want that branch to continue onward as the upper part of the trunk. I was wondering if you guys had any tips and tricks to help give that branch some priority in growth without potentially killing the tree. You're doing the right thing by giving that particular side more sun. Only other way to really prioritize growth would be to prune bits off of other parts of the tree you think are doing well enough as is so that nutrients will be rerouted. kedo posted:Question about ground cover for my new bonsai which I have yet to kill! It's worth a shot, but most of the time moss is the go-to for groundcover. Kind of a pain in the butt for us folks in warmer climates, but a lot of grasses, ferns, and succulents that seem like they could be good groundcover simply can't cope with the watering associated with bonsai. They either drown or dry up. On the bright side, a bonsai never NEEDS to have groundcover to be an acceptable tree, so there's always that. BizarroAzrael posted:Talking of grass, something has sprouted in the pot next to my tree, should I do something about it? Its pretty quickly gotten taller than the tree. Go ahead and pluck the grass. It's considered a weed that will suck nutrients and water from your soul. Should come out just fine with bonsai soil being so loose and all, but if you don't get the roots don't worry too much about it and just try again when it grows back. As for the flowers you mentioned, what kind of plant are you working with? A plant CAN flower itself to death, but it sounds like since they die so quickly that your plant isn't wasting too many nutrients on the flowers. If anything though, feel free to pick them off just so the plant stops directing nutrients there. SaNChEzZ posted:I think I'm going to try to train the top branch lower (there's really only one) and add some moss perhaps to clean it up even more. It looks super funny when it's bearing fruit because it's so small. According to mom it's about 5 years old. If anything, fertilize the little guy. Seems like it'd be real cute when it fruits like you said it does.  unprofessional posted:Anybody know any posts online from somebody overwintering tropical pines indoors? I'm sure it can be done, but better to work with some info than go into it blind. I have a few ideas already that I think will work, but would love some extra advice/experience. I don't have any articles off-hand, but the only easy solution I know of is to keep them in a garage or shed where snow/frost won't murder them, and to bring them out during the warmer parts of the day. But that's not always an accessible option, so if anyone has any tips for that I know both you and myself would be happy to have that knowledge. EagerSleeper posted:Hi, I'm crossposting from the Plants in General Thread, but I figured it might be relevant here even though it's underwater. Here's some bonspiration. I actually tried out aquascaping back when I was with my last girlfriend. Had a nice microtank setup going with a Fluval Spec 5 gallon. Saw pictures like that and attempted to use Java Moss on some old wood, but never could get it to take. Still though, stuff like that is a great example of how the aesthetics of bonsai can be appreciated in other artistic mediums. Mr. Soop fucked around with this message at 04:07 on Jul 22, 2014 |
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Jul 22, 2014 04:02
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jadebullet posted:So I recently purchased a Trident Maple bonsai from Brussels Bonsai and it seems to be doing pretty well on my balcony which gets just enough sun in the morning and is shaded for the noon and afternoon sun. See how you have a little bump at that junction of the four branches? That's because any fork with more than two branches will swell and create ugly inverse taper. Pick two, chop the rest. In terms of shuttling growth, you can do that through pruning and partial defoliations, but that's kinda tricky and limits growth overall. A couple of Peter Adams' books have good advice on trident maple design, as does Evergreen Gardenworks. https://www.evergreengardenworks.com/trunks.htm kedo posted:Question about ground cover for my new bonsai which I have yet to kill! Ground cover is usually grown for display purposes and only put into the pot when actively showing the tree. Much of the year your trees should not have it over them. I would not suggest deliberately growing grasses in the pot, but sometimes I get lazy about plucking them out and it doesn't seem to harm the trees. Crocoduck fucked around with this message at 03:14 on Aug 3, 2014 |
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Aug 3, 2014 03:06
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How should I go about trimming my ficus? It's survived a year somehow after I panicked when it lost all but two of its leaves during its first winter and I started fertilizing it. Now it's growing pretty steadily and the roots are starting to come out the bottom of the pot. What shape is most traditional for a ficus to be trimmed into and how should I go about trimming the roots?
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Aug 4, 2014 01:15
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Minenfeld! posted:How should I go about trimming my ficus? It's survived a year somehow after I panicked when it lost all but two of its leaves during its first winter and I started fertilizing it. Now it's growing pretty steadily and the roots are starting to come out the bottom of the pot. What shape is most traditional for a ficus to be trimmed into and how should I go about trimming the roots? I didn't see your ficus. Sounds like it's kinda weak, I might just spend another year fertilizing it and growing it, maybe slip pot it into a larger pot. Ficus can tolerate really intense pruning, including multiple complete defoliations per year. I guess what I'd recommend is posting a picture. Depending upon how developed your tree is, you might be jumping the gun. In general, you grow something out to thicken it and you chop it back to force it to ramify. In terms of style, they're really suitable for most, although they don't do deadwood well. My favorite ficus are either Taiwanese or banyan style:  
Crocoduck fucked around with this message at 06:53 on Aug 4, 2014 |
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Aug 4, 2014 06:50
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Minenfeld! posted:How should I go about trimming my ficus? With a pair of reasonably sharp scissors. I just removed 95% of a a pair of 2yr old ones. I repotted at the beginning of June and the extra soil and fertilization made them utterly explode. A week after the trim-ocalypse they're now sprouting new branches and buds.
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Aug 4, 2014 23:25
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Here it is:  It's a lovely picture, I apologize. You can see how the foliage isn't that thick from when it almost died. Last summer it started growing aerial roots that are not very thick. I'd like those to get thicker if possible.
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Aug 4, 2014 23:29
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Minenfeld! posted:Here it is: Honestly this will never be a good bonsai. Sorry. These little onion shaped ficus are mass produced and just don't have the qualities that will make for a good tree. There's a couple things you could do with it though; maybe take some cuttings and let them grow for a few years, allow them to thicken and get some girth on them. I dunno. Personally, I'd just learn how your tree behaves, how it grows, and in the meantime save up for a proper tree. The leggy growth you're getting is most likely coming from a lack of light. Are you keeping it inside? Ficus truly like to be outside during the summer. Lots of water, lots of fertilizer, lots of sun.
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Aug 6, 2014 18:09
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Crocoduck posted:Honestly this will never be a good bonsai. Sorry. These little onion shaped ficus are mass produced and just don't have the qualities that will make for a good tree. There's a couple things you could do with it though; maybe take some cuttings and let them grow for a few years, allow them to thicken and get some girth on them. I dunno. Personally, I'd just learn how your tree behaves, how it grows, and in the meantime save up for a proper tree. I concur. Those big-root shaped ficus are popping up more these days, and unfortunately they don't make good bonsai at all. The cuttings you can make from could be very viable for a future tree, and it's also a plant you can practice pruning on.
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Aug 6, 2014 19:26
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Those little aerial roots showed up last summer about a week or so into a hot, humid heatwave. I keep the ficus outside until the low temperature dives below 50 degrees F. I've been meaning to try and do some cuttings of local trees but I never seem to get around to it. What would be a good bonsai that I could keep inside? And where should I get it?
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Aug 6, 2014 22:59
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Minenfeld! posted:Those little aerial roots showed up last summer about a week or so into a hot, humid heatwave. I keep the ficus outside until the low temperature dives below 50 degrees F. I've been meaning to try and do some cuttings of local trees but I never seem to get around to it. What would be a good bonsai that I could keep inside? And where should I get it? Unless you're willing to mess around with large metal halide lamp set ups, there's not really any good way to keep and develop a bonsai indoors. You can bring them in occasionally, even overwinter them inside, but a life spent indoors means leggy growth and not much of it.
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Aug 7, 2014 00:34
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I don't mind outdoor bonsai. I'm just worried about protecting the tree through Connecticut winters. I've been thinking about trying to get a cutting from some of the local pine trees. Or perhaps a maple.
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Aug 7, 2014 01:39
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Minenfeld! posted:I don't mind outdoor bonsai. I'm just worried about protecting the tree through Connecticut winters. I've been thinking about trying to get a cutting from some of the local pine trees. Or perhaps a maple. I'm in Pennsylvania, I understand your apprehension. I lost a few nice trees last year during the winter, I think at some point it's just a risk you have to take. Maples grow really well for me, as do white pines. Wisteria are quite vigorous, and my San Jose junipers are doing great. I've got some lovely azaleas here also, and they seem quite durable and vigorous. Consider starting some air layers of branches next late spring.
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Aug 7, 2014 01:42
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Does anyone have any advice about warding off slugs? It's been very rainy and humid here recently and when I go to check on the plant at around 12-1am (mostly to make sure its still there :/ I don't water at night) it's like a goddamn slug party on my poor maple bonsai every night. The partner is soft hearted and gets upset when I keep making him fling them over the fence.
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Aug 9, 2014 00:25
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Two "green" options using things found in your home: 1.) Ring of salt around the pot the maple is in. It's like a magic ward the slugs won't cross. Just make sure the salt doesn't contact any of the soil or the plant itself. The magic salt ring will work best if you have the pot sitting on something impermeable like concrete. If it's on grass or soil, the salt will change the soil chemistry and possibly damage any grass or plants. Another downside: you'll have to replace the salt whenever it rains. 2.) Beer. I'm not joking. You can make a beer trap for slugs by putting some swill in a shallow bowl or cup. They'll even go for the lovely brands. Google "slugs and beer" to see some trap design examples. Strongylocentrotus fucked around with this message at 08:59 on Aug 11, 2014 |
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Aug 11, 2014 08:56
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Strongylocentrotus posted:Two "green" options using things found in your home: These are both relatively effective, cheap methods. And it's always better to do things like these methods rather than spray pesticides or put out poison traps.
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Aug 15, 2014 05:22
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Strongylocentrotus posted:Two "green" options using things found in your home: Thanks for the tips, Strongylocentrotus! I was going to try tonight so I could report back on OPERATION: SLUG, especially after I found one of them trying to get in my front door last night (I live in a tower block complex, so all I can say is that our slugs are really determined), but we had another massive thunderstorm today which would wash away any salt/beer, so the maple will have to fend for itself a little longer 
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Aug 15, 2014 22:10
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Rolled Cabbage posted:Thanks for the tips, Strongylocentrotus! I was going to try tonight so I could report back on OPERATION: SLUG, especially after I found one of them trying to get in my front door last night (I live in a tower block complex, so all I can say is that our slugs are really determined), but we had another massive thunderstorm today which would wash away any salt/beer, so the maple will have to fend for itself a little longer Quite welcome! And regarding your unwelcome intruders...  You know what you must do.
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Aug 17, 2014 06:34
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So thanks to my current job I'm coming into a few different pine species that are seedlings. Has anyone had any experience with Japanese Red Pines (Pinus densiflora) or the Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus)? I know what can be done with the Japanese Red Pine but I've heard that it can be finicky, and I have no real idea about the Eastern White Pine in general.
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Sep 12, 2014 06:17
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Densiflora's an easy one to work with here in Michigan. Strobus is a great species, but it's a 5-needle pine with very soft needles, and generally not preferred for bonsai. I would work with a cultivar originating from a witches broom. Another good cultivar choice would be 'Niagara Falls', which has a weeping habit, but supposedly back-buds (though I am skeptical about this claim and will be testing it come spring). I could send you some scions of 'Niagara Falls', if you're set up for grafting. Does strobus naturally make it through your climate? I would've thought it would need more cold hours than you could naturally provide.
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Sep 12, 2014 13:13
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Very happy with my little ficus. One of my smaller trees, and also one of my first. I think I've been working on it for four or five years now? Time flies. Will defoliate and wire tip to tip next year. Crocoduck fucked around with this message at 18:02 on Sep 13, 2014 |
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Sep 13, 2014 17:58
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unprofessional posted:Densiflora's an easy one to work with here in Michigan. I don't believe it's any particular cultivar; to my knowledge they were grown from wild-collected seeds. And I can't necessarily say that they'll grow well where I am in Oakland, although they do fine just across the bridge over in S.F. apparently. That being said I think they'd probably do alright here. I REALLY appreciate the offer for the scions and your advice, it's very kind of you. Sadly though I'm not at all set up for grafting operations.  Crocoduck posted:Very happy with my little ficus. HOLY SMOKES, this one is AMAZING! 
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Sep 15, 2014 22:52
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Mr. Soop posted:HOLY SMOKES, this one is AMAZING! Thanks man! I'm pretty proud of it, it hasn't had that much input or styling done by anyone but me. I think in another year or two it will be ready to bring to a show. We'll see though. Leaves are big, I'm still getting the hang of this defoliation thing. I think a key is MONDO amounts of light.
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Sep 15, 2014 23:43
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Minenfeld! posted:I don't mind outdoor bonsai. I'm just worried about protecting the tree through Connecticut winters. I've been thinking about trying to get a cutting from some of the local pine trees. Or perhaps a maple. So I'm a little worried about this too. Is there anything you can do to protect the tree... I don't know, wrap it in a warm blankey or something on especially cold nights? Someone (who admittedly probably doesn't know much about bonsai) got me thinking about this today saying things like, "But in that shallow bowl its roots are going to freeze!" I'm don't want my little baby maple to die in its pot. Will taking it inside on especially cold evenings mess it up? I am the worst plant owner.
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Sep 16, 2014 01:51
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Yes, taking it inside will make it force growth early, and then what are you going to do when there are spring snows and delicate new shoots? You'll be hosed that's what. Protect it from the wind in a shelter like a shed or a cold frame or a garage. Bury the pot in mulch, then bury that in snow.
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Sep 16, 2014 02:50
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Crocoduck posted:Yes, taking it inside will make it force growth early, and then what are you going to do when there are spring snows and delicate new shoots? You'll be hosed that's what. Protect it from the wind in a shelter like a shed or a cold frame or a garage. Bury the pot in mulch, then bury that in snow. Thanks, I'll give as much of this as I can on my tiny balcony a shot!
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Sep 16, 2014 04:16
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Crocoduck posted:Very happy with my little ficus. Sweeeeeet. I've been sticking to succulents, but your tree is making me want to try my hand at a ficus. Bonsai soil question for the thread! What kinds of soil mixes do you recommend for mame and/or shohin bonsai? All of my succulent "bonsai" projects fall into those categories, and I'm trying to figure out what to repot them into next spring. My current potting mix is an el cheapo, lazy homebrew of 1/3 horticultural grit to 1/3 lava rock to 1/3 commercial cactus soil, not sieved by size (like I said, lazy). I'm not thrilled with the drainage; I'm worried that the soil is compacting and the roots are getting smothered. Suggestions for other mixes, either DIY or premixed? Most of the bonsai soil recipes I've found online are meant for larger pots, and I wonder what would work best for mame and shohin-sized projects, particularly ones housing succulents.
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Sep 17, 2014 06:18
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Strongylocentrotus posted:Sweeeeeet. I've been sticking to succulents, but your tree is making me want to try my hand at a ficus. I like ficus a lot.    A lot, a lot. I should take some pictures of the rest. You should get some. This is the best article I've ever found on bonsai soil: http://walter-pall-bonsai.blogspot.com/2010/06/feeding-substrate-and-watering-english.html If you're not getting good drainage, I'd remove some of the organic mix from the commercial cactus soil. I've used straight akadama, I've used commercial mixes, blah blah blah. For shohin and mame plants, I kind of like a bit more organic matter in there though, just because their pots are so drat small that they dry out real quickly. How are the plants growing? Have you repotted them this year and actually gotten a chance to inspect the roots? If they're growing it's ok.
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Sep 17, 2014 12:16
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Those ficus are so good. You tempt me. Will they grow near a windowsill or on a balcony? I'll try cutting down on the organics in my next batch of soil. I may also pull back on the horticultural grit because I get the feeling it compacts easily; it's the kind of sand that people tend to use as a decorative topper for succulent pots (this stuff). Some of the plants are doing okay but others have kind of crapped out, and I haven't been able to figure out whether it's light, soil, or watering that's causing the problem. My three different Crassula ovata plants have stayed pretty healthy. Two are indoors on windowsills with varying lighting, one is outside on my porch, all have the same potting soil. The plants having the worst time are in the two tiniest pots - a Crassula sarcocaulis 'Ken Aslet' and Crassula biplanata (the C. biplanata is only an honorary bonsai since I don't train or stage it). Both pots are 2" or smaller. They live on a west-facing windowsill that gets mostly full sun, and I water every 2-4 days, because succulents. Here they are:  Life is a struggle for this poor plant.  Spotting on lower leaves.  Before anyone asks, the pot came from the Miyazaki store in Kamakura, Japan. I regret nothing.  Reddening of leaves. Problems: 1.) Lack of new growth and overall slow growth 2.) Brown spotting on C. sacocaulis leaves and death of lower leaves 3.) Reddening and dropping of C. biplanata leaves Can't tell if I'm overwatering, underwatering, overcrowding, or leaving them in bad soil. Current plan is to repot them in the spring into a new, improved soil mix. But I could repot them sooner if you all think it would help. The C. sarcocaulis had poor roots when I potted it from its original pot to the mame pot last year, and the C. biplanata all grew from cuttings so I have no idea how good their root system is. Thanks for the link, it's a good read and going right into my bookmarks.
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Sep 18, 2014 02:23
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Overwatering, and I'd say repot them immediately. My succulent mix is 80-90% inorganic. You want something that dries almost completely between watering. I use a lot of perlite, but pumice is a great alternative. I have a feeling you're going to find some rot when you unpot those. Do a flush cut and pot them up in completely dry media. Check after a month or so to see if some roots have developed, then start minimal watering again. Make sure they're getting as much direct sunlight as possible. All should turn a nice reddish hue when kept in proper sunlight levels/dry media.
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Sep 18, 2014 15:06
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Also what sort of light are these getting?
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Sep 18, 2014 20:53
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All righty, I'll see if I can scrounge up some decent ingredients for a bonsai/succulent mix. I'm dreadfully limited by the few local nurseries, unfortunately, and most of them don't have good media available (I've only ever found pumice and perlite) or even premixed bonsai soil for sale. You guys ever had any luck with this stuff? Supposedly it consists of haydite (Expanded Shale), sand pebble, aged pine bark and turface. I suspect the C. sarcocaulis has rot or suffocated roots, yeah. Don't know about the C. biplanata... I messed around in its pot today to set a new little cutting, and the root system at the surface looks good, at least. No idea how things are at the bottom. Both pots tend to dry out within 2 days of watering. Lighting is pretty good, if anything maybe a little too intense. The window faces roughly northwest and gets a good 6+ hours of bright sunlight, particularly in the afternoon. These guys sit directly on the windowsill. I tend to rotate them throughout the week so they aren't getting uneven lighting.
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Sep 19, 2014 01:01
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you don't need to buy a special mix, just make your own up using pumice and regular potting mix, with a lot of pumice. I use that for all my succulents and it works fine.
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Sep 19, 2014 01:38
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I may give that a shot. Alternatively, in searching around for local bonsai resources, I just discovered a bonsai nursery about 20 minutes away from me that I somehow never knew existed. Says they have soil along with the usual trees, pots, tools, etc. Going to check it out when I'm in town next week and try to resist dropping too much  on more plants. Their website says they have ficus trees... (curse you, Crocoduck! Now I'll never be able to say no to a ficus.)
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Sep 19, 2014 01:52
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Honestly man, I wouldn't bother with trying to rehab your trees, I'd buy some nice stock if you really want to learn bonsai.
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Sep 19, 2014 04:47
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Crocoduck posted:Honestly man, I wouldn't bother with trying to rehab your trees, I'd buy some nice stock if you really want to learn bonsai. Seconded. That one guy you have is just barely hanging in there, and it'd take too much work for too little effort to resurrect him. Also, I am a grown-rear end man and I have to say that Miyazaki pot with Jiji on it is the most loving adorable thing. 
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Sep 19, 2014 05:57
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Very happy with how this tree is coming along 
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Oct 5, 2014 22:57
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Put my plants into their winter homes. Small deciduous trees go in a cold frame and larger stuff and pines get buried in the vegetable garden. A few odds and ends are in the green house, tropicals in the main house and a dawn redwood I stuck in the garage.  
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Nov 11, 2014 10:04
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