Hey guys I'm new too this thread and new to botanicals in general, it's a new hobby of mine and.to.properly take care of my new bonsai i need to properly ID it, it.came with no info, do any help Would.be.greatly appreciated! Maybe aftwr we figure out what kind it is i can start to get info on care anf.such.. Well thanks look.forward to.responses :-)
any tree can become a bonsai, there are as many dif varieties, as there are trees. however, the ficus, is most common in north america, as it grows very fast, and needs constant trimming. the art of bonsai, is to control the growth, height, and shape of how you want the tree to look. most are kept in a shallow dish, with minimal soil,and as much of the roots exposed as possible. until your plant has more leaves, i wouldn't recommend trying to shape it just yet. it is however a mess, for a bonsai, too much going on...when you decide how you want it to grow, (as there are dif styles of bonsai) then you must decide which branches to keep, and what to cut off, leave some 'dead wood' as this is often considered attractive by bonsai owners, as it gives the effect of a natural tree. cutting and shaping will help your tree form its shape. i recommend buying some bonsai wire, pointed snipers, and some fancy display items to set the scenery of your dish, like birds on a fibre optic wire, looks like they are flying around when the wind blows....i have a dif scenery for every season and holiday, my fav is drunken santa and his mangled reindeer hit the tree with santas sled, which i will post closer to christmas, and hollowe'en is the bloody carnage at the bonsai tree... you can make these items from femo yourself, or buy them in china town. if you need any help, just pm me, and we can chat about your tree...
Ok, so would you know if this is a ficus, and the leaves mostly.fell off and I was thinking because of transportation or maybe its because its winter now I don't know... I'll just watch and see if they grow back or not soon
the leaves will drop for many reasons, winter being one of them. if it was outside during a cold night frost, this could be the reason. however, it looks like your tree may be suffering from being moved to a less sunny area, only way to tell is to buy some solar bulbs from the local hardware store, at $5.99 each, and put them on your tree, if it begins to grow, its lack of light. i dont recommend feeding, until new growth is visible, you should see new growth within 5-7 days of proper lighting for 12 hrs min, until healthy again.
Oh ok thanks :-) yah I got this specific bonsai at the local hardware store and the lady wrapped a bag over the branches to protect it on the way home, either way when I got home a bunch of leaves fell off with the removal of the bag, but when I picked.them up they were dry all the leaves that fell off were dry and the good leaves were still fresh and not dried up and ready to fall off.
after many years of dying plants and trees, i now no longer buy from either nursery,grocery store or hardware stores. i would rather ask for a clipping or start mine from seed these days. i am not sure if its the change in temp or lighting from the store to the house, or if its the dry air in the stores, but for some reason i have had issues with them all. some have even brought bugs and fungi into my grow rooms, even after they were treated for bugs and such. when someone gives me a tree from a nursery, i always remove the soil and toss it out, not even in my compost, ( bag it tightly) wash the soil off your roots, and treat with a mild fungicide, then re-pot. if soil is hard to come by, and you have to use outdoor, or the same soil it came in, bake the soil for at least 4 hours and at 475 degrees to kill all the bugs, eggs, and unwanted seeds. also just in case this tree is not long for this world, take a healthy clipping, and place in soil, no rooting hormone is necessary, as these trees could be rooted in water, or stones with water. good luck
Does anyone on here have bonsai that they would like to send a clipping to, or know of any good places.that are reputable with a good selection of bonsais?
depending on where you plan to keep it, ( outdoors/indoors) and your temp zone, will determine the type of tree you should get. i have both indoor and outdoor rooted/unrooted clippings i could send you. i also have seeds from a gigantic 3 lbs pine cone that i have just harvested. the tree it came off of is 14m around at base, and an evergreen, so i could send you some of those seeds, as well as a lemon tree clipping, and a fig tree or olive tree clipping. the lemon trees are evergreen, and can be brought indoors when the weather changes, but will need added light to keep from dropping its leaves. any tree can be made into a bonsai, as bonsai is the art of manipulating the growth and size of your tree. evergreens grow slowly at first, but once they are about three years old, the base will swell from the bottom up, and they need constant tying down and clipping to maintain size and shape. here is a picture of the lemon tree i can send you, ( but it will have to be bagged, or it wont make it intact, so you will need a pot to plant it in) and a couple of my newest trees, started from clippings. i also have a new clipping that just rooted i will send you as well, its only a couple inches tall, as its a branch i removed. once the tree has some 1-3 inch long branches, it will be time to pick the shape, and type of tree you want. the offset trees, and the semi-cascading, or fully cascading trees are considered the most sought after. off set, the tree when planting it,( not in centre of dish, or pot,) as its bad luck. there is a web sight called bonsai empire, and they have tons of info on shaping, placement, deadwood, cascading and all the how too questions every new bonsai enthusiast should know. pm me your mailing address, and when i go to victoria next week to see my oncologist i will put them in the mail for you. ( mail sent from salt spring can take up to 68 days to arrive, as they wont send out the mail until the bin is full...lol)
i feel the need to mention that i keep the babies (lemon tree and others started from seed) under florescent lights, at 6-12 inches from pot, then i move them into my legal medical grow room. the room is on a 12/12 cycle, with 8-10 1000w hps lights, with co2. i prefer to grow in soiless mix and coconut choir 1/5 coco-choir),i use advanced nutrients hydroponic food,( you really do get what you pay for...) as you can see how healthy my trees are, and grow incredibly fast under these lights. reg indoor solar bulbs that fit reg light sockets and use no more electricity than a 60w bulb, will do just fine, as its a small plant. when i use these bulbs, i keep them only 8 inches from the tree, 2 feet away as the instructions say, is just too far. here is my fav trick for getting a awesome truck, without using twine or wire...by putting a stone under one side of your tray/pot will cause the tree to grow on an angle, as it straightens to reach the light, and rotating the stone around every two weeks,will give your tree a crooked corkscrew trunk... i am posting a pic of my exemption, just so the police dont get their panties in a knot over me discussing my medicine....as well as some older shots of my braided large leaf maple trees, and a knotted trunk one that is 2 years old. i use the large leaf maple because it grows bark and a thick trunk fast, and is easily manipulated to remain small in height. enjoy!!
