Show your Bonsai

[robj20]

Species and location / facing window dependent.

North facing window would be my choice but do have a South facing.

 

[Raymond Lin]

North facing window would be my choice but do have a South facing.

Buddist Pine or Ficus.

Tropical or at least, ever green, not a maple or deciduous tree (one where leaves falls off).

Like this one.

https://www.herons.co.uk/Podocarpus-Bonsai-Buddhist-Pine

 

[beachBOYken]

Yop, it's where i plan to mine in the winter.

Here is what i learn.

1 - You must keep the roots above 28f/-2c, at that temp is where water freezes (its lower than 0c as its inside a cell, impurity brings down freezing). When it freezes is when the cell ruptures and when roots die, and plant dies.
2 - At 5c thereabouts is when the plant pretty much stops and slows metabolic rate due to the temp so for a tropical plant like a Ficus, when you see the weather report to see that it is going to be under 10C soon, bring it inside until Spring.

Remember to keep watering even through the winter, just not as frequently, don't let the pot dry out, it will still transpire water through the surface of the bark, even if it's a tree that loses all its leaves.

Thanks, they look great and apparently the Ficus bonsai is one of the easiest to keep.

 

[robj20]

Thanks, think I will definitely read up on all this and get something. Wife would love it over some flowers.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Thanks, think I will definitely read up on all this and get something. Wife would love it over some flowers.

Some Bonsai even flower and fruit. Technically you can turn any tree into bonsai.

 

[robj20]

Some Bonsai even flower and fruit. Technically you can turn any tree into bonsai.

Yeah saw that, olive tree.

Seems I need to look at indoor, that likes 15-20c as that's what out heating is set at plus like going in a window.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Yeah saw that, olive tree.

Seems I need to look at indoor, that likes 15-20c as that's what out heating is set at plus like going in a window.

I find a lot of places will try and sell a Chinese elm as indoors but the more research that I do, the more I can see that is wrong. Elms is a deciduous tree and the constant warm temperature is not good for its health long term. It should be kept outside or at least in the winter in a cold room with plenty of sun light like an outdoor green house. Ficus is a tropical tree so it is warm all year round and much more suited to indoor and in the nature they are in a jungle so it’s fighting against other dense growth for sunlight meaning they are happy on a window ledge.

 

[NoNameNoNumber]

Here's my first bonsai! The lovely better half bough it for my 30th a couple of days ago
Nothing fancy, just a Chinese Elm with a bit of moyogi going on. He doesn't live there, I just moved it out of the window for the pic.
I'll probably move it outdoors in the spring, I have an area of the garden I plan to grow a few native species yamadori from other trees I currently have in the garden (hawthorn, cherry and beech.) I'd also like to get an acer and maybe a pine to grow along side the elm.

I think (in my extremely limited wisdom) it wants more regular trimming in its growing phase to promote tighter smaller leaf growth. There are a few stragglers I want to get rif too but I'll leave it to settle a while first before I get creative!

Anyway...
Does anyone have any experience in creating their own yamadori?

 

[NoNameNoNumber]

So I've been getting some sticky 'sap' all around the elm. A bit of Google would suggest it has some aphids living on it, and that some soapy water should kill them.
I put the whole pot in an inch of mild soapy water, washed all of the leaves and branches by hand, then took it outside to give a powerful misting from all angles with the hosepipe. Hopefully that will clear it up.
There's been around 75mm of growth since the picture above so I'm happy that the tree is fit and well. Watering just enough to keep the soil feeling moist (every 2-3 days)

I've also bonsai'd what I think is a Ginseng Ficus that was found in a reduced section at a garden centre. Put it in a nicer pot with some proper bonsai soil from Herons. That;s taken on a growth spurt too, lots of new leaves coming through.
It's a bizarre and 'interesting' (in the voice of Peter Chan) tree so I'm curios to see how that develops.

 

[Maccapacca]

Tried a orchid in the ensuite niche which didn't do too well, new plan with a cherry bonsai. Probably should have got one size bigger

From herons as I drive past occasionally

 

[Johnny 7]

Hi all

I've been iin to Bonsai for around 20 years and whilst I love them, My fingers aren't very green!!

Here's one or two of mine (Most are Potensai- They have potential to become Bonsai!! )

I have a couple of indoor Bonsai (From hotter areas of the world than our temperate region) but have to say that outdoor are my fave, Acers being at the top of the list for their seasonal beautiful colours!!

Azalea in flower..

Larch..

Acer palmatum, Don't know the variety though..

A couple more Acers, Unknown varieties, There are so many cultivars of Acer palmatum that they won't all fit in a very thick book!!

Chamaecyparis..

A group Cotoneaster planting on Tufa rock, This is suppsed to depict a mountain top with trees growing!!

It's quite a lump to move about!!


Cheers, John

 

[Raymond Lin]

Hi all

I've been iin to Bonsai for around 20 years and whilst I love them, My fingers aren't very green!!



Cheers, John

That's amazing, I want them all

I just overcome my first winter, all my trees survived!

So to treat myself i bought a new European larch

I also bought a few random Acers from the supermarket last year and put them in a single container just before the winter in better soil....they too have survived

 

[Johnny 7]

That's amazing, I want them all

I just overcome my first winter, all my trees survived!

So to treat myself i bought a new European larch

I also bought a few random Acers from the supermarket last year and put them in a single container just before the winter in better soil....they too have survived

Very nice!!

I acquired a few more last year!

They were left untended during the hot weather as the owner was too ill to see to them, We used to have a little group of six of us that met fortnightly to repot/Trim/ wire etc our trees but Alan developed a cancer that took him late last year, His sister phoned us to ask if we wanted the trees so we went down but the majority had perished, We offered to water them for him whilst he was in hospital but he said no

Kiyohime Maple that would normally look like an umbrella!, The centre had died back so it's now a case of keeping it fed with an organic fertiliser and the gaps will get filled, There's already back budding down inside!

Much of this little Maple had died, The scars where I removed the dead wood can be seen as i've not yet put cut paste over them!

This Deshojo Maple seems to be one of the very few that didn't get any damage!, The buds are swelling at the minute!!

John

 

[Raymond Lin]

Very nice!!

I acquired a few more last year!

They were left untended during the hot weather as the owner was too ill to see to them, We used to have a little group of six of us that met fortnightly to repot/Trim/ wire etc our trees but Alan developed a cancer that took him late last year, His sister phoned us to ask if we wanted the trees so we went down but the majority had perished, We offered to water them for him whilst he was in hospital but he said no

Kiyohime Maple that would normally look like an umbrella!, The centre had died back so it's now a case of keeping it fed with an organic fertiliser and the gaps will get filled, There's already back budding down inside!

Much of this little Maple had died, The scars where I removed the dead wood can be seen as i've not yet put cut paste over them!

This Deshojo Maple seems to be one of the very few that didn't get any damage!, The buds are swelling at the minute!!

John

Hi John, lovely collection.

May I ask, how do you back bud maple? and when do you do it?

 

[Johnny 7]

Hi John, lovely collection.

May I ask, how do you back bud maple? and when do you do it?

Hi Raymond

I just meant that the new buds further back down the branch would appear then send new shoots up to fill in the gaps!

Most Maples will backbud prolifically, I have one that was in bad compost last year, It almost died, It threw many branches but I repotted it in to a better medium and it's budded out like crazy recently!!, Where I lost the whole bottom branch, There was about six bright red buds, I removed four as they would just sap energy when they're not needed, The two I left will be allowed to grow unchecked (That's if I ultimately need both- One of them may go too!) as then the branch with thicken up faster, It will be then clipped in a couple of years closer to the branch but after a bud so that it will push a new thinner branch out, This will give it the taper, I'll do that a few times changing the direction each time so it gives the branch some movement!!

I was groing a scarificial branch to thicken the bottom branch on a field maple, It was actually the thinnest yet the bottom one should be the thickest!!, It was at about five feet long and doing well when the wife came in and said i'd missed a big long branch on one of my trees so she clipped it off for me!

It's still the thinnest branch but now has four or five thinner ones coming from the end!

Here's the tree, The branch can't be missed now!!

I don't have a pic of the black eyes that she almost got!!



Cheers, John

 

[Raymond Lin]

Hi Raymond

I just meant that the new buds further back down the branch would appear then send new shoots up to fill in the gaps!

Most Maples will backbud prolifically, I have one that was in bad compost last year, It almost died, It threw many branches but I repotted it in to a better medium and it's budded out like crazy recently!!, Where I lost the whole bottom branch, There was about six bright red buds, I removed four as they would just sap energy when they're not needed, The two I left will be allowed to grow unchecked (That's if I ultimately need both- One of them may go too!) as then the branch with thicken up faster, It will be then clipped in a couple of years closer to the branch but after a bud so that it will push a new thinner branch out, This will give it the taper, I'll do that a few times changing the direction each time so it gives the branch some movement!!

I was groing a scarificial branch to thicken the bottom branch on a field maple, It was actually the thinnest yet the bottom one should be the thickest!!, It was at about five feet long and doing well when the wife came in and said i'd missed a big long branch on one of my trees so she clipped it off for me!

It's still the thinnest branch but now has four or five thinner ones coming from the end!

Here's the tree, The branch can't be missed now!!

I don't have a pic of the black eyes that she almost got!!



Cheers, John

Thanks.

I found that my acer quite difficult to backbud, it grows taller and longer, but I want more density inside the silhouette.

That is a pretty tree, must be very old looking at the trunk.

 

[Johnny 7]

Hi

A couple more!

This one was growing in a tub with about four more Acers, I removed them and put this in to the dish a couple of years ago, I got around to putting some wire on a few weeks ago and shaping it, It's an Acer palmatum 'Katsura', It has fabulous golden bronze foliage in spring, It was the first of my Maples to come fully in to leaf this year!! It still needs plenty of work and time to thicken up some!!

Acer palmatum 'Ukon', I really didn't think this was going to survive the winter as it was another from my mate that passed away, It's suddenly start with bud swelling, It's among the last to break bud!!, I tried wiring a few branches and the main one on the right snapped, Luckily not right through so I put some more wire on to hold the break together and covered the lot with cutpaste, The buds are still alive and swelling at the same rate as the rest!!

A common Juniper cascade, This wasn't well for years and seemed to be in a slow decline to an inevitable demise but last year it suddenly exploded in to growth, Had to remove loads to get some shape to it again!

Two Junipers, Little & large!!, The big one is common garden Juniper, The smaller one is 'Itoigawa', I won the small one in the club auction years ago!, By the way, The bigger one is a heck of a weight! I had to bring it to the back of out house on my own! It almost finished me off!!!

John

 

[NoNameNoNumber]

Wow, some beautiful trees, sorry to hear about your friend though!

Just goes to show how resilient these trees can be!

 

[Sam__]

These tree are beautiful! I kind of want to get into this now.

 

[NoNameNoNumber]

It's so addictive.
I got bought a Chinese elm 6 months ago, since then I've bought a Ficus that lives in the bathroom, and a 5-tree maple forest.
Can't stop looking at them!