Spec me a Bonsai Tree...

MajorMaccas

MajorMaccas

MajorMaccas

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Suffolk, UK
I want to get a bonsai tree, I find them really stylish, and it would fit perfectly in my room.

I've looked around, seen a whole price range for stupid money, but don't really want to spend more than £60ish. There's all sorts of varieties, as there are all different types of normal trees, but I want one like you would find in the savanah, with big wide spread out planes of leaves, maybe at a few levels not just on top.

http://www.veeriku.tartu.ee/~ppensa/Acacia1.jpg

:D
 
Get yourself something like a Chinese Elm to start with, Bonsai Trees are not just something you can laeve in the corner and expect to sit there and look pretty, they require good conditions, good light, you need to be careful about over and under watering and they need to be pruned so they don't turn into bushes.

a lot of Bonsai trees are simply not able to live indoors due to humidity/heat levels.
 
utajoker said:
i got one from tesco £8 it didnt go well
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LOL, I work there, and I've seen them. Not the style I want anyway.

I'm aware of the care they need, it will be right infront of me most of the time, on a shelf above my desk, with a window opposite (about 4ft away, yeh tiny room).
 
Cyberstrike2027 said:
LOL, I work there, and I've seen them. Not the style I want anyway.

I'm aware of the care they need, it will be right infront of me most of the time, on a shelf above my desk, with a window opposite (about 4ft away, yeh tiny room).
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Honestly I would check out some bonsai forums, ask people who know more about them.

By the way, don't be surprised if the style you want isn't suitable for indoors, there are only a limited amount that can stand being inside all year around.
 
Another vote for Chinese Elm. Mine started to die off a bit (lost all its leaves) so I bought a larger pot and some new soil (some special stuff they're meant to like :p) and it came back to life :D

Got all my bits from Green Dragon, as recommended on here before.
 
Duke said:
Another vote for Chinese Elm. Mine started to die off a bit (lost all its leaves) so I bought a larger pot and some new soil (some special stuff they're meant to like :p) and it came back to life :D

Got all my bits from Green Dragon, as recommended on here before.
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Yep, Green Dragon are awesome, I got my last one their (An Elm as well), unfortunatly it died due to my room simply being too hot (insulated attick room) so I gave up on the idea, will probably get another if I move.
 
I always wanted of these, but aren't they notoriously hard to keep alive? Probably don't stand much chance in my room as I managed to kill an Ivy!
 
neoboy said:
aren't they notoriously hard to keep alive?
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It depends, they are very dependant on their environment, too hot/cold too humid/dry, pot too big/too small, direct sunlight, I mean if you get lucky then there is no reason then wouldn't be fine, one of the guys in my office has one and it died after about a week, but then magicaly came back to life and is now readily turning into a shrubbery because he refuses to prune the bloody thing.
 
It took a while to get mine in the right place, but also we have hard water here so I have to water it from rain water collected which helped it.
 
We have the hardest water anywhere in the country here :( You turn the tap on too much and it'll take the head off your toothbrush! :p

Does that affect it? Can always get distilled stuff, or collect rain water if it matters a great deal. Come to think of it, there's all sorts of chlorine, that thing to help your teeth, and other assorted chemicals chosen by the government that everyone "needs" in tap water... maybe rain water would be a good idea.
 
Cyberstrike2027 said:
I want to get a bonsai tree, I find them really stylish, and it would fit perfectly in my room.



http://www.veeriku.tartu.ee/~ppensa/Acacia1.jpg

:D
Click to expand...

Most bonsai trees, being trees, will be much happier outside. Indoor ones never do as well, they're harder to keep alive even for experienced people. But if you're sure...

Avoid all ones from supermarkets, B&Q and places like that. Don't buy one in a tiny pot, it'll only need repotting. Don't buy one with anything manmade stuck to the soil. Moss on the surface is generally a good sign. Where in the country are you?
 
k3wt said:
how long will it last in the pot before you have to switch it out to a larger one?
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The whole idea of Bonsai is that they stay small through pruning. If you prune the leaves properly and repot and trim the roots regularly it shouldn't need a larger pot for a long time (so long it is in a suitable size in the first place).

If you don't prune / trim roots and put it in a big pot, eventually it will just grow into whatever the normal size for the plant is.

Plus pretty much what khimbar and others have said
 
Ive had mine a good few months now. Paid about £30 for it. Did some research on the basics of keeping them and looking after them. Having to trim it quite regularly :)

Last week before trimming:

photo131h.jpg


After trimming:

photo136e.jpg
 
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