Bonsai -- Show and Tell

[cactuscarl]

This is my bonsai cereus Peru its the large form not the miniature one. I found it about 4 years growing in strait sandstone and looked kind of bonsai then its probably about 10-15 years old

[Change]

Breaking News !!!!

Newcastle Bonsai Society's annuals show is on at Charlestown Bowling Clubs Lincoln street Charlestown, from 10am to 5pm Saturday the 3rd and 10 to 4pm Sunday the 4th.

[myco]

you better get some good pics for poor little old me over here in W.A. then

[incognito]

I cOncur!

[Change]

[incognito]

3rd one from the bottom, any IDEA what is? I Likey

[Alice]

That's a banksia Incog. I used to have one almost exactly like that, similar size and taper too.

If you are prepared to fork out $50 at bunnings you can create that almost overnight, their big (300mm pots?) banksias they get occasionally at 2m tall plants all have that mad taper at the bottom. Just chop them off at about 25-30cm where the trunk thins out, and bend up the uppermost branch to form the new top. Very pliable branches when thin, despite the gnarled look. Pretty sure I lost mine to Phytophthora. Common with bansias, not sure how it got there but the dieback was consistent with that pathogen. Branch structure was coming along nicely too, dammit.

Edited November 7, 2012 by Alice

[DeadStar]

i just got an old ficus from my parents, it'd be around 40-50 years old i guess. it's in really poor condition aside from the repotting the branches are long and thin with only a few leaves at the top, any ideas how to restore it to nice foliage?

edit: here it is;

 

Qualia, if that fig was mine. I would chop all the branches off and just leave the trunk. It has a nice taper to it.

Figs back bud really easy and you will get branches closer to the trunk that you can keep pruned and keep a more compact tree suitable to bonsai.

Before any of that though, i would repot it into a much biger pot with good bonsai mix, give it some seasol and put it in the shade for a month and then out into the sun to recover slowly until next year. Then chop it! Not a quick fix sorry

My 2cents

Edited November 15, 2012 by DeadStar

[qualia]

thanks deadstar, i'm pretty nervous about chopping it all back tbh, the last i want to do is kill it, but i did repot it and pinched the top buds and a lower branch came to life, i'll shift it to the shade like you say though, cheers.

Not a quick fix sorry

nothing about bonsai is quick, that's part of the beauty of it imo.

[DeadStar]

i dont blame you for the nervous, i would be also. It is a nice trunk though and has great potential

[Change]

New Bonsais

Cut Leaf Mulberry

Picea Alberthiana "conica"

Banksai Serrata

Sargent Juniper

Old Bonsais

[WoodDragon]

Deadstar.

If you're concerned about the vigour of the fig a repotting and tip prune is a good first start. From my own experience with weak figs (much weaker than yours appears) overpruning can be detrimental - although a healthy fig can be mutilated and recover.

Bonsai is all about patience and hearing the plant, so take the time to sit and listen...

[DeadStar]

Deadstar.

If you're concerned about the vigour of the fig a repotting and tip prune is a good first start. From my own experience with weak figs (much weaker than yours appears) overpruning can be detrimental - although a healthy fig can be mutilated and recover.

Bonsai is all about patience and hearing the plant, so take the time to sit and listen...

 

I think you have the names mixed up woodDragon. I wish i owned this fig but yes if it was mine i would nurse it back to health for a year and then chop it

[WoodDragon]

Ah yes, I see now, it was Qualia's.

[Change]

Today all my bonsais have been moved off the green house racks to make room for new projects.

This is the whole family

[myco]

sowed out some boab seed today for future bonsai projects

first time try with boabs wish me luck

[qualia]

i took a couple of cuttings, one i think of a soap nut and another one i have no idea what it is,

still looking pretty green even after today so should be good to go i reckon,

[2meke]

hey dreamtime lookin good. i have the same picea. i wouldn't bother with wire on that one. i took some wire off after a year and the branches sprung back to exactly where they were. just clip n grow for them. they get nice and bushy. if the needles brown up in the hot weather spray the foliage with water. they do drop their 3rd year (i think) needles.

with conifers like them that can handle it a sharp spray with the hose give the foliage a good blast all over to help dislodge any bugs that try make home in there.

damn a boab would be cool. just found this site, going to try get some seeds going.

http://www.boabsinthekimberley.com.au/boab-trees/

[Change]

I wasn't sure which way to go about styling the picea.

Thanks for the advise 2meke.

[myco]

hey dreamtime lookin good. i have the same picea. i wouldn't bother with wire on that one. i took some wire off after a year and the branches sprung back to exactly where they were. just clip n grow for them. they get nice and bushy. if the needles brown up in the hot weather spray the foliage with water. they do drop their 3rd year (i think) needles.

with conifers like them that can handle it a sharp spray with the hose give the foliage a good blast all over to help dislodge any bugs that try make home in there.

damn a boab would be cool. just found this site, going to try get some seeds going.

http://www.boabsinth....au/boab-trees/

 

it says $5 for 6 seeds

theres a guy on ebay who i got them from

pretty sure he has them for $3 for 10

just search bonsai seed on ebay and the same guy has all sorts of seeds wich are good for bonsai

i got a bunch of different things off him

[incognito]

From what I understand boabs can take 15 years before the trunks start to swell?

[myco]

yeh the boabs are definately going to be long term projects

[incognito]

Good luck! My sister gave me a bonsai oak tree for my birthday recently, love it! I'll post pics as soon as I get my home Internet up and running.

I've also got a grafted banyan fig from eBay which I've potted up for the roots to get bigger.

[incognito]

Received a "sausage tree" Kigelia africana in the mail, gonna give it a go at bonsai. What soil mix do u guys recommend? I've been reading that cat litter is the go on a uk site, do any members have experience with using it as a bonsai mix? Recommend a brand??

Also does anyone have any bonsai pots (2) thy I could buy or trade? They r very expensive online!!

Also can anyone recommend a good bonsai

Book for beginners??

Edited December 12, 2012 by incognito

[2meke]

i'm having a go at doing some oak air layers this year, i think they have heaps of potential.

http://www.amazon.co...p/dp/0754821803

thats an amazing book. very cheap too. some can be quite expensive.

bonsai soil is generally aprox 5-15mm sieved potting mix with some fine gravel/akadama. the specific mix would depend on your climate, size of your pot and species being grown. if you get your mix just rite you can use it for most trees.

see if theres a local bonsai club and go along to their meets. it's normally just a bunch of dreary old farts but you'll learn alot and will probably get the chance to buy some good trees to work on for next to nothing. try not to buy "finished" trees, it kinda takes the fun out of it.

Edited December 12, 2012 by 2meke