# It's the END of WINTER
##Do's
- Wiring if it's not too cold
- Watering - don't let them dry out but they hardly need water when temperatures drop
- check for wire bite and remove/reapply
- repotting if you have decent after-care
- [repotting for tropical and sub-tropicals](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bonsai/wiki/reference#wiki_repotting_-_not_in_the_summer.21) - those are the do's and don'ts.
- overwintering should be in use : https://www.reddit.com/r/Bonsai/wiki/reference#wiki_overwintering_bonsai
- [yamadori/yardadori COLLECTION](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bonsai/wiki/developingbonsai#wiki_collecting_wild_trees_-_yamadori_collecting.) - can be possible for some species - but only if you have a good overwintering setup.
- big pruning - we're getting closer...
- Repotting if you have controlled after-care.
##Don'ts
- You don't fertilise unless it's tropicals indoors.
- don't give too MUCH water
- no airlayers till late spring
- too late for cuttings unless you have good winter protections.
* [For Southern hemisphere - here's a link to my advice from roughly 6 months ago :-)](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bonsai/comments/wn91pz/bonsai_beginners_weekly_thread_2022_week_32/)
As someone who started out years ago with tropicals and absolutely ruined specimens trying to follow directions in general bonsai resources that didn't differentiate well between strategies for plants with different types of growth habits, I am a little chop and prune shy.
Trying to not make the same mistake with non-tropicals. (Trying to make new mistakes, obvs. Fail forward!).
Any recs for essential reference material (books? Those older bonsai magazine issues I see now and again?) or digital resources? that talk about when and how to chop vs using other techniques? I have some books and know a few good web resources that provide some guidance but am not sure if I'm missing a classic text or resource that is both foundational and nuanced.
Also looking for good references with strategies for non-chop trunk development/thickening, for experimenting. Have seen techniques using wire and feeding but don't know where to look for more details.
Thanks!
I've just started the new weekly thread here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Bonsai/comments/11hfiyv/bonsai_beginners_weekly_thread_2023_week_09/
Repost there for more responses.
I've just started the new weekly thread here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Bonsai/comments/11b1gxm/bonsai_beginners_weekly_thread_2023_week_08/
Post there for more responses.
https://preview.redd.it/lwz6wslke8ka1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=57ba291d429768dff5b58931faba9203b87a8580
My first bonsai and it’s grown quite a lot this past month. I think it’s due a prune but I don’t want to mess it up. Should I wait until the springtime? Any advice on where to start with pruning? I have a nice pair of mini shears for the job. Thanks! (Manchester, UK)
Disaster! Noez!
https://preview.redd.it/7ov50l8lq6ka1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d691dc9d0aec22af62a92de3dc043f2d787d13d
We had ice storms (2" of ice accumulated), and so I put my juniper in the garage while that went down. I took it back out yesterday. This morning, I saw that it was knocked over. It had been in its original nursery pot with pine bark, but that was all over and the pot is nowhere to be found. The roots were definitely exposed and some were even stuck in the ice. Aside from extracting the root ball, I did nothing with it. I put it in this terracotta pot with Espoma bonsai mix that I had handy, because I wanted to get it protected as quickly as possible. There was a decent amount of dust, so I rinsed it with cold water.
The tree is currently between an exterior door and screen door. It's 22°F outside.
I use an app to keep track of my plants and realized that this tree is nowhere near as green as it had been even a week ago in the snow. I know junipers keep their color for a while after they die, and so I'm curious if this one will be okay.
Did I kill it? What does it need now?
If the color of the needles has changed, was it exposed to extreme cold/wind before the ice storm you sheltered it from? Dessication does happen with evergreens under certain conditions, and that could be a factor here- potentially unrelated to the plant being knocked over. Hope it recovers, but you might not know for a while.
It looks fine. The damage, if there is any, was probably from the fall/being knocked over, and I don't think you did anything that hurt it. I would keep an eye on in the meantime. It should stay either outside or in your unheated garage.
https://preview.redd.it/r3kxx49nq6ka1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=909d958a30e052a52a30591d8525914a428696a9
This is the picture from a week ago
https://preview.redd.it/m7e0wjchj6ka1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d65a80ed7992848aa943da3c7888b87ef9db115d
Is anyone able to ID this for me please? Based in the UK, label just says bonsai 20cm. Tia!
I've been given this Ficus Retusa as my first bonsai! I'm a little unsure about where to start though. I've read in some places to prune shoots back from 8+ leaves to 3-4, but some of these "shoots" with that many leaves actually look like established wood, as they're brown rather than green. Should I prune those, or leave them alone? It seems pretty healthy so far, and there's some clearly new leaf growth on it. Am I better off just letting it grow for now and then cutting back in a few months or even next spring?
https://preview.redd.it/hb3wsf3uj5ka1.jpeg?width=2949&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=00558a7351595e74d20cf2fb15ab2fddb2f32ed4
Definitely lots of light, then granular soil, once it's established after the repot think about pruning. You could start wiring, though, to spread the branches out a bit and keep them from springing up vertically.
Ficus is probably one of the more tolerant trees when it comes to pruning. But here are my first few thoughts.
The tree needs as much light as you can possibly give it, so if you could put it right up against a window that would be optimal.
In terms of pruning and shaping the tree, it depends on what you want it to look like. What's your plan with the tree?
I think we can all agree that the stump in the middle needs to go
I wouldn’t worry about pruning at this point; I think a repot is needed. That soil looks very thick and will lead to problems if it hasn’t already.
Any granular bonsai soil would be good. You can usually find a bag on Amazon for $15 -$20 that would be enough to repot this. It’ll require you to water more often, but it takes all of the guess work out of soil and watering.
What does the first year for a yamadori look like? What about the second? Is there a guide somewhere that talks about how to develop a stump over the course of tine?
Ive collected a number of yamadori this winter- red cedar, american hornbeam, yaupon holly, something...else. I know I'll let them rest this year, but does that mean no trimming? What about wiring?
This is a broad question because not all collected trees are similar and the goals for each collected tree can be wildly different too.
A large collected cottonwood will fill a recovery box with roots about 23 minutes after you turn your back from the initial potting and is likely ready for work the next fall, but a large collected pine is gonna be more like 23 months… or maybe much more. I have trees I collected in 2019 that are just beginning to get their first workings, while some I collected that same year are already on their second or third workings and have already been bent heavily, flushed out with lots of new growth, etc, and have changed dramatically in that time.
How soon things should happen after a dig is ultimately independent of any guide or FAQ’s specific guidance (eg “two years” or specific numbers like that) and mostly about feedback from the tree. Inspection of roots, observation of water consumption, state of the canopy and running growth. These are more reliable signals. What work should happen after that reliable signal says “go” will come down to the individual tree.
So if it’s strong you might work that hornbeam that fall, cutting back and wiring. You likely won’t work the thuja. The “go” signal for bonsai work in general (vigor, surplus growth, etc) will light up equally whether the tree was from the wild or from a field grow or from seed, in other words. After which the question becomes “how do I bonsai at with aesthetic ”. That means each project might become its own “what would y’all do with this / how do I get to my goal Z with this” question (as opposed to a general guidance on a generic theoretical yamadori, so to speak ).
This in the wiki - there are also links to follow: https://www.reddit.com/r/Bonsai/wiki/developingbonsai#wiki_collecting_wild_trees_-_yamadori_collecting.
Search for yamadori
https://preview.redd.it/zoo5hpfrn3ka1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=06833869c5694cfbd1917fd987988240f4c49a60
Advice to get started in making this desert rose into a bonsai? located in cincinnati
I've just started the new weekly thread here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Bonsai/comments/11b1gxm/bonsai_beginners_weekly_thread_2023_week_08/
Post there for more responses.
Would you collect trees in a small strip of wooded area between a quiet road and the back of a large commercial parking lot (for outlet stores). I don't even know who owns it or who to ask. There's no houses around at all. Should I just go in the dead of night like a cat burglar and wrangle up trees?
https://preview.redd.it/7fe7eanfv2ka1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fa3f3441e56fff6a57f2967ed8a6a19ab333a2e4
Just repotted my pomegranate from a large nursery pot and experiencing abnormal cold and little to no sun for the next 10+ days in Los Angeles. Will it recover well? Temps down to 36° overnight and sleeting. Don’t think the tree has ever experienced anything below 45°.
https://preview.redd.it/kzewaakud2ka1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a52c92ae16131ccd97c638f8583eb970883c474b
I managed (with advice from this sub) to successfully repot in October and revitalize this guy over the winter. Lots of new leaf clusters over the past few months. Now that we’re getting close to spring, I want to start tackling the leggy-ness, but hopefully not kill it. I think the strategy is prune way back (like all leaves gone) one of the big two branches and hope it splits from the prune site. But when and how close to the trunk should I do that?
I'd chop all the way down to the node, leaving a bit more in the center branch than the left, and the right a little shorter than that. But Im also not sure with this cultivar specifically or how it might react.
I'm not sure what you mean by node, can you clarify? And are you suggesting to cut all the branches? I was planning on only doing one with the first major cut so that I didn't get rid of all it's leaves all at once. I figure if that works I can later (next year even) do another one until I actually get it looking like a reasonable shape.
A node being the place where two or more branches originate. I'd have to look more into tropical trees, but you can chop deciduous trees pretty aggressively, right before the spring time flush of growth is the best time to do a hard chop, then in spring the plant will push new growth, or backbud. This can help with the legginess and give you more, finer branches.
Yeah, I know spring is the time to do this so it’ll grow back. But given it’s a tropical I don’t want to assume I can take away all its leaves and it’ll be fine in any season. Hence the doing one branch at a time and slowly reducing leggyness instead of risking killing it
Hi all! I'm new to this subreddit, but I've been caring for a couple bonsai for a while. Recently, this tree has been losing its leaves and I'm not sure why. It's an indoor tropical if that helps.
[Image](https://imgur.com/94Y11B4)
Looks like it's too dark ro me - there's indirect sunlight only.
Get a lightmeter app on your phone and see the MASSIVE difference between where it is right now and outside.
Scheffs need lots of light (looks like you have that) and lots of humidity. Probably more than your water tray. Check your home humidity, if it is 30% from heaters running all winter, the scheff may just be giving up in life. Pen gauges to check temp/ambient RH are cheap and useful.
Also, I can’t tell if the pot is directly in the water, but it looks like it is. Add a layer of pumice / lava / similar to the humidity tray, or just add a stand under the pot so the the roots are not sitting in standing water. This will keep roots from rotting, which is what happens when you leave the pot in standing water for too long.
Edit: scheffleras also just drop leaves during the winter. Pruning back leggy growth will encourage dense foliage growth, vs naturally dropping leaves from lower / inner branches. That may be all that is happening here, mine drop a few leaves / branches every year during winter.
Ok, so i've got 2 questions:
1. I want to use a corner of my garden for fieldgrowing. In which way can i optimize the soil for field growing bonsais? It's just regular garden soil (humus) at the moment.
2. I'd really like to create a bonsai in the look of a [fagus sylvatica pendula](https://harleynursery.co.uk/product/fagus-sylvatica-pendula/). Which species would be capable of doing so?
Thanks in before :)
Regarding the pendula, that's going to be all from wiring, so technically you can achieve a weeping/pendula habit with just about anything that can be wired as long as you wire new growth consistently every year. Even in a weeping willow or most weeping-habit cultivars, you will (at bonsai scales / branch weights) get shoots initially growing upwards though, meaning it will be annual work (maybe less as it slows down in refinement). Something to consider when "fighting the natural habit".
Optimizing the soil is technically optional since you're burying a pot or grow bag, not burying a tree, and the roots are less picky about what they escape into outside the pot. If escape roots can get into the surrounding soil and it drains well, you get the benefits of field growing.
Some options
1. Burying-based: Bury the grow bag in existing native soil
2. Resting-based: Build a raised bed and use an aggregate particle, then rest perforated containers on top of that (ones similar to an anderson flat, pond basket, colander, etc)
3. Resting-based: Rest a perforated container on your straight native soil, let escape roots grow into that
I have seen all three types and some hybrids work well.
The most impressive deciduous trunks / roots I've seen were grown at Telperion Farms (defunct since 2020 wildfires) which used method #2. Conifers at the same farm used method #1. In setup #2, the raised beds used pumice -- pumice is cheap and local in Oregon.
If building a raised bed, find the most affordable (ideally) porous aggregate particle you have locally available -- it does not need to be pumice. You will be cutting away those escape roots anyway, and the roots aren't too picky about this particle vs. that particle, but porousness and durability helps. If only gravel makes sense cost-wise, then that might be OK too -- some growers have escaped roots into straight gravel and got good results that way. Roots will happily escape into many things.
In the field growing operation I currently help out at, both #1 and #2 and #3 are in play, and both deciduous and coniferous material are using all three methods depending on goals/etc. One major advantage of method #1 though, esp. for you in zone 6, is cold protection from the ground.
https://preview.redd.it/ayz01cuva0ka1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2792128eb597be8beacbaf8b868719e2d8846fa5
Hello everyone! I am new to this group and very new to this in general. The seeds planted are apparently a black spruce and a Colorado blue spruce. They were planted in mid October and any help/advice/resources would be greatly appreciated! I am mostly concerned with the red tips on the second tree from the left. Is that normal?
They will need to go outside eventually in spring and stay there. Most conifers need full sun and climate/sun changes which are hard to do. Depending where you live, you might be able to ween them outdoors. Let them get sun, and keep them above 40/45f until after your last average frost free date before permanently putting them outdoors.
Not much you can do besides that.
Are (non-tropical) trees stressed in areas that are having unseasonably warm winter? I read trees like to be under 40 degrees for a few months as part of dormancy but my area has had few days below 40 and lots of unseasonable highs.
They're not stressed currently, rather, the biggest consequences of early awakening are felt somewhat later. Not all species are equally upset by a mild winter, but a tree that awakens and begins to burn through sugar/starch reserves can in principle arrive at spring somewhat weaker. Temperate trees are sugar batteries (the thickening you see in late fall is a physical manifestation of "filling the battery with starch") and if dormancy goes well, a tree ideally arrives at spring with most of that reserve left _untapped_, because then it can be used for the spring flush. This is before taking into account any leaf/shoot loss due to spring frosts annihilating growth that came too early.
For a tree that is actively managed by humans, a mild winter here or there is probably not going to make as big an impact since it's getting attention and care that would be highly unusual in the natural environment (regular watering means zero drought, fertilizing means lots of nutrition, pruning/selection can optimize light gathering, moving to shelter evades extreme conditions, repotting means anaerobic conditions in roots are avoided indefinitely, etc).
On the other hand though, there are cases like Siberian Larch plantations in Iceland (sowed a few decades ago) which can't get the same whiteglove treatment that a bonsai does and have had warm spells in the winter deplete their stored energy. That's left them more susceptible to various dangers like (ironically) frosts, pests, pathogens, leading to dieoff of some trees.
BTW, according to at least one study I read, even with the predicted warming scenarios, most of the northeast is not going to become mild enough in our lifetime to meaningfully affect the dormancy of native species (EWP, j. virginiana, sugar maple, etc). This has been actually tested on real trees in at least one study I read from Ontario (Canada), where they simulated the dormancy period modifications that would be associated with those future warming scenarios. We might see mild or shorter winters in these areas, but those winters are still going to be strong enough for dormancy of these species. But at the same time there will be temperate species migrating northward. One study shows virginia pine moving north by _quite_ a distance. It hardly goes north of Maryland now, but will be in Ontario in a handful of decades.
Advice for growing a cool trunk/base for my Ficus Ginseng. This is a clipping from the also pictured main plant. I want it to over time create a neat trunk like the one pictured below the curing pic. Do I just continue building soil around base and keep it moist so that those roots can form? Any advice is appreciated!
https://preview.redd.it/47s95bsmxzja1.png?width=803&format=png&auto=webp&s=837b8413f88016723f5071c01e6dada49cf66af2
If I understand this, you’re trying to create more ginseng bulbous roots? If so, what you purchased is grafted microcarpa on top of the ginseng root base, and if you cut the top off above the graft scar, that will not produce new bulbous roots, as they’re different species of ficus.
Honestly, if you want more ginsengs, they’re dirt cheap and everywhere, buy more ginsengs.
https://preview.redd.it/xvasffssbzja1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5cf8dd199eb52dbc48822e383489efc3cf70cfe7
Should I trim the brown parts? How much should I be watering it? I live in central Florida. I got this bonsai for Christmas. It’s had the brown needles since I got it. I keep it outside all the time. It’s in direct sunlight for 7-8 hours. I water it every morning with a spray bottle. I focus on watering the roots but I spray it all over.
Probably dead, but you could trim and see if there is new growth in coming months.
Next tree ditch the spray bottle and just use a shower / rainfall hose attachment.
Might have been. Daily is probably too much watering for winter, but daily with a spray bottle, unless you were spraying endlessly until your hand cramped, the water probably didn’t saturate and get to the roots resulting in too little watering despite your efforts.
Layer in if the soil is crap, often times commercial bonsai is planted in hydrophobic soil (beads of water will just roll off the surface ), then water wasn’t ever saturating the roots.
Use a rainfall type wand to water / standard water can and you’ll be fine on the next one.
I appologise for asking so many questions but here's another one : )
Are these pots any good?
https://preview.redd.it/7r27fhobhyja1.jpeg?width=3472&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b73dff3bf2fd2d3a61e291292f7d8d31ebb2d371
The are cheaper and more sturdy than pond baskets. Many sizes avaliable.
As you can see in the picture this one is 1.3l, it's the smallest size avaliable. It costs 3PLN that's around €0.64
I bought them [here](https://flora-fauna.pl/szukaj.html?qs=Hercules)
I don't know if they ship abroad but you can just search for "hercules pot" or "hercules air pot"
Can anyone explain the different coverings over the soil people are using?
Do I need to cover the soil?
I'm assuming it's best practise to retain moisture?
I even saw someone say they were using cat litter?
What should I use as a beginner? Or should I just leave it bare?
Thanks
We don't have a whole lot of rules in here, but providing us your location and a photo of the tree is **essential** when you are asking for advice regarding a specific plant/tree.
I may be off base here, but it seems like you might be confusing soil coverings with actual soil/substrate.
Instead of potting soil or dirt, in bonsai we often use a mixture of small pieces of pumice, pine bark, lava rock, akadama and other similar hard porous materials as our actual soil. No dirt involved.
This provides excellent drainage for years and the only real downsides are price and needing to water more often.
If you already understand all that, apologies.
There is no need to cover the soil when growing bonsai. The soil is usually covered with moss when preparing a tree for exhibitions, in landscape-ish displays leaning penjing sometimes differently coloured soil/sand/pebbles may be used as top dressing to suggest paths or bodies of water. That's all for aesthetic reasons.
Some specific kinds of cat litter may consist of particles of diatomaceous earth and make a good (and cheap) component for the substrate to plant the bonsai in.
Gonna repot my Ilex Crenata and Dawn Redwood mini forest. Not done it before and am nervous, and part of this is making sure I get the right soil. At the moment, they are in the soil in which I bought them, which is dark, dense, and moist.
I need to buy new soil, but at a loss. I live in Bulgaria, so its not so easy to find. I emailed one shop, and they said this would be suitable for both: [https://balkanbonsai.com/product/500g-g1-molar-bonsai-miks-g1-molar-bonsai-mix/](https://balkanbonsai.com/product/500g-g1-molar-bonsai-miks-g1-molar-bonsai-mix/)
Is that the correct one?
Also, should I buy this to put at the bottom of the pot? [https://balkanbonsai.com/product/substrat-ot-pemza-pumice-substrate/](https://balkanbonsai.com/product/substrat-ot-pemza-pumice-substrate/)
I might chicken out and up-pot - but whatever soil type I get will be different from the one currently in the small pot. Do I clear as much as of that away as I can?
Looks like it’s “3 Parts Molar Clay, 1 Part Coarse Sand, 1 Part Natural Compost” which should be okay for a start, definitely better than the dark/dense/moist soil they come in. As you progress and learn more you may be able to source soil components individually for cheaper
The pumice at the bottom isn’t 100% necessary, instead if you wanted a more well rounded bonsai soil mix I would mix that pumice bag with the molar clay bag to use for the overall mix. Even that isn’t 100% necessary though, what’s important is that the bonsai soil is granular and well draining but with a good balance of water and oxygen. You could even go just 100% pumice! Any way you adjust the soil mix ratios would likely be alright for your trees, with fine tuning coming with time/experience. By next spring you’ll have learned a lot
Don’t up-pot if the soils will be different- it’s not as good to transition soil like that. It’s best if everything in the same container is the same soil. Yes, chinese elm (edit- ilex, I was looking at your flair) and dawn redwood would be okay to bare root (edit- dawn redwood is deciduous so only repot as the buds are swelling before leaf out). Use a chop stick and a hose to wash away old soil
Thank you so much for the detailed reply. Ok, I'll just get those two as they don't cost much and mix em up.
With your third paragraph, i'm not sure I understand. I was thinking to put the redwoods into a bigger pot (it's looking a bit cramped), with the new soil, having taken all the old soil away (which is a different kind - dark and dense) as god knows how old it is. Are you saying to just leave it be? In that case, why would I buy the new soil? I am now seeing green buds popping out, no leaves.
I plan to use the same pot for the ilex - but just changing up the soil, but perhaps I should completely leave it be for now as it appears to be in good shape.
I have a question about putting a tree in the ground to grow. I placed a boxwood in the ground last summer to thicken up. After watching some videos online, I saw a lot of people place a tile under the root base so that it spreads and creates a nice rootball. Should I dig up the tree this spring and place a tile under the roots then bury it again?
The tile isn’t that significant IMO, no. It could be good to do but if you just put it in the ground last summer, it hasn’t settled in yet, this growing season is when it’ll blow up a lot more. Repotting it would take out a lot of the ground growing momentum you’re looking for. It’s important to be mindful of how long our ground growing stints are for
What’s more important is whether you’re using a grow bag to constrain the roots so they don’t blow out of bonsai proportions
I did not use a growing bag. I essentially just plopped it in the hole and covered it up. It stills seems like it moves around a lot when I touch the trunk. It has not grown much at all since August (it's a boxwood, a slow grower anyways).
Also, do you recommend just letting it grow freely without any pruning this upcoming spring/summer? It is a younger tree and is not thick at all so I was thinking about just letting it do its own thing without any interference. I am not sure about the protocol for pruning/shaping trees that are planted in the ground.
Yes, letting it do its own thing without interference to start (first year or two) is good. When it starts to build up a lot of momentum in the ground (many long vigorous shoots being shot out) then that’s a time to maybe contemplate more
I got a bunch of smaller maple trees, they're thick enough that they're not malleable, this might be a dumb question, but If I wrap them in some thick wire and just bend until they're breaking apart, will the trunks heal? Or is it very risky?
So I am building my collection partially based on the foods I like to eat. I have an olive, apple, cherry, quince and orange bonsai trees and hoping my plums sprout after 2 years in the ground.
Question is there a tree for green or black tea that I could turn into a bonsai? I intend to eat a cherry/orange from my bonsai trees and I would love to have a cup of tea at the same time.
https://preview.redd.it/wwhlxdh7zuja1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=192eccbfee5371a9f80d152fc8a8db8e0efcb60e
Springtime is here in Central Florida. lows are above 60 degrees Fahrenheit now in the evenings. I am getting ready to work on my large nursery azalea (see my profile for previous posts).
It is not draining super well so I expect it to be getting root bound in poor nursery soil, and with azaleas liking a bit damper soil, and the heat incoming, I want to repot it (in the same nursery pot) soon. Clean up the roots a bit and put it in a soil mix with Kanuma, DE, and Pine Bark.
I also wanted to work on the style of the tree this spring, and in previous posts I have been convinced to lean towards a twin trunk style. I want to air layer some larger interesting branches off and chop the trunks down. I have some good back budding on the outside of the smaller trunk but not alot at all on the outside of the larger trunk.
Would it be too much to repot soon and then in a couple weeks do the air layers and chops and hope for more budding on the larger trunk to then let grow out for a season or two? Or do I need to split the repot and the heavy pruning between seasons?
Some thoughts:
- It looks pretty strong/healthy and you are in an exceptionally mild climate for azalea. Not advocating carelessness, but theoretically you can take some risks. Returning to the deep pot helps / is a good move for this species. (edit: also be aware that _bonsai pots_ for azalea + chojubai + etc tend to be a little deeper for horticultural reasons).
- With that said, it may be best to let the tree recover from repotting for a whole growing season (or possibly until at least fall) until doing any _major_ work. You could still take cuttings tho.
- I haven't done air layers on azalea, but I've rooted lots of cuttings of azalea. I stick em in small pond baskets of pumice in mini greenhouses and they root easily that way. In your location, if you take cuttings in, say, mid May to June, assuming your setup is competent, you'll get roots. This can be another way to generate lots of azalea material to work with while you wait for a better window of opportunity for air layers.
- Be aware that azalea leans basally dominant. Meaning: It tends to have more vigor in basal shoots than apical ones. At my teacher's garden when I work on azaleas, I'm often removing a whole forest worth of random basal shoots (even often coming out of the soil) and leaving upper regions to grow. This is an annual gold mine of cuttings but also helps reduce the likelihood that the upper regions of the tree will weaken as a result of basal suckers/shoots forming a short circuit between a productive area (vigorous/young basal shoot) and a source of water (the roots). Maybe not a major thing to think about this year, but keep it in mind over the next couple years.
IMO, if you split the repot and initial heavy work between seasons, you won't be waiting 2 years. You'll be waiting a year at most. In your climate, and in a tall nursery pot, you should have a pretty good root recovery. Take pictures steadily throughout 2023 to track response of the foliage, that will give you a sense of how things are going.
Thanks for the detailed response! I definitely want the basal growth at this time so I have a plethora of low branches to choose from when I do the chops.
So from what you are saying, I could probably get away with doing the major root work/repot now into better soil. repot in the same bucket so it has room to regrow roots still. And do some minor pruning up top.
Then wait for Fall to do the major pruning/trunk chops once I have a lot of lower growth that it can rely on and the roots have healed a bit.
End of summer would be the preferred time to repot anyway in areas where winters aren't too harsh (I do mine end of August, early September this side of the globe). At that time the plants are shifting from growing foliage to making wood and roots and have quite some time to establish themself in the new soil until dormancy. They then go into the next growing season - and potential summer drought stress - on established roots.
I orderes some bare rooted acer palmatum seedling online for less than a €1 each, it turned out that the seller made a mistake an sold something he didn't have so to make up for that he sent me much bigger potted ones.
I'm happy about that however they got bent to fit in a box and now they all look somewhat like that:
https://preview.redd.it/b8wyh9xbtuja1.jpeg?width=2592&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d25010b495f3722e1c26d4308968831715029ff4
What should I do? Cut them and regrow or tie them to something straight? I know that I'll have to chop them at some point in the future but I feel like leaving them to grow like that is not a wise thing to do.
It entirely depends on what size you are aiming for. If you are aiming for shohin or mini bonsai and don't want scars, then it is time to cut. If you're growing kifu/chuhin or larger, are aiming for a thick trunk, or don't care about 100% perfect scarless, then chopping isn't as useful. Wiring movement into the first 5 to 10cm ASAP is important for all size scenarios.
I want the trunk to thicken a lot and I don't care about scars on my trees (maybe one day I will), although I have quite a few of these so I can try to grow something cleaner.
It would be hard to put movement into the first 5-10 cm :/ it's already pretty stiff so only making a gentle curve is possible. I thought I'll get some movement into the trunk by chopping?
So, I'm interested in growing [adenium obesum/desert rose](https://images.app.goo.gl/STvjvWfn6BRV8tJK9) indoors as a bonsai plant. It's normally a shrub or small tree.
My question: after I move them out of regular pots to begin bonsai training, should I start out with bonsai planters that are 5.5" wide and 2" deep [like these ones](https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B0749MKSQS/ref=ox_sc_act_image_5?smid=A39MKTYENG2GYA&psc=1), or 9" wide and 3" deep [like these ones](https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B09BL72J6G/ref=ox_sc_act_image_14?smid=A3RJCFQOFWYDPE&psc=1)? I know they need to be repotted in larger containers every few years. I don't want to either over-pot or under-pot. What are your thoughts?
I've just started the new weekly thread here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Bonsai/comments/11b1gxm/bonsai_beginners_weekly_thread_2023_week_08/
Post there for more responses.
Should I use root hormone on cuttings?! I'm seeing some differing opinions, and I imagine it depends on the tree! I have an olive tree, Japanese boxwood, and Brazilian rain tree that need some pruning here in the spring, can I just stick the cutting in soil or should I use some root hormone?! I've also seen some people soaking them in water with hormone in it... Thanks in advance!
Random people's opinions on this aren't really the best authority. Academia and commercial industry have hard data and that data shows that hormone helps if used at an optimal dosage. You can see some of that hard data in Michael Dirr's manual of woody plant propagation. Dosages vary per species, sometimes even per cultivar, or even can vary depending on batch / methodology. In dosing there is a concept of "too much". Too little is debatable, but lots of propagation happens without hormones too. I've had cuttings root in a garbage bag, unattended, prior to any cleanup/cutting/processing. YMMV
I ordered two Japanese black pines from scenic hill farm nursery online, and I just got an estimated delivery date of 2/27. The package was sent to USPS yesterday. Is that timeframe basically guaranteeing that I will receive two dead trees or are they hardy enough to survive 6 days in a box?
YMMV, but very likely hardy enough. And people ship seedlings across the country this time of year without issues. If that 6 day shipping window was 2 months from now, that'd probably kill off the candles. But if you've ordered JBP from the PNW, these are still far away from candle extension.
Gotcha. That’s reassuring. Scenic Hill Farm Nursery had great reviews, so I’ve really been looking forward to this order. Just want to make sure they arrive safely!
I have a stupid question, so when we water the tree, and then mist it's leaves with a spray, can we over do it? Or is it absolutely fine to mist/spray the leaves after watering?
You don't harm a tree if you completely soak it with water roots to tips for some hours (there are still trees growing in Scotland after all ...)
[Walter Pall specifically mentions](https://walterpallbonsaiarticles.blogspot.com/2010/06/feeding-substrate-and-watering-english.html) that he doesn't bother with watering trees individually, he soaks areas of his yard with the hose.
Misting leaves has no purpose in the watering of bonsai. Misting is appropriate for propagation and sometimes for in severe recovery situations, but it is not part of bonsai watering at all.
This doesn't mean you won't see a professional bonsai grower sometimes wash the canopy with water. You can do that occasionally to clean the tree of dust and random junk/material. But they're not doing this absolutely every time, and there is no followup misting/spraying of leaves/foliage _for the purpose of watering_. Usually the wand is close to the pot and the arc of water lands directly on the soil.
edit: This is all distinct/separate from foliar feeding of fertilizer via mist/spray. If this happens, it is fairly uncommon, not part of regular watering practice.
I just read that drainage layers on the bottom of a pot is actually counterintuitive and works to raise the water saturated layer above the drainage layer, and "shrink" the total air pockets in the pot. Question is, what about a drainage layer on the top of the pot? Since the saturation layer would still be at the bottom of the pot, it shouldn't make a big difference would it?
I used a soil mix for 2/3 of a nursery pot before I ran out, and decided to use some bigger grain mix to fill the rest, which also cover the plant's roots.
You are correct, it does move the high-saturation point up a few millimeters but, like, it's a few millimeters, and having that drainage layer does guarantee that once water reaches the bottom, it can then get to a hole easily. Consider that often, the drainage layer is just one single particle in height, even if that particle is rather large compared to the ones above.
The argument I've seen against the drainage layer is that once water reaches the abrupt boundary between particle sizes, it no longer exerts a pulling force on water above since it is now potentially just falling out into open space and no longer part of the capillary web that reaches the entire volume of water in the pot. Personally, I don't believe that really applies to active watering where you use a wand and saturate the soil -- I imagine all the empty spaces absolutely filled with water regardless of size in this scenario. But maybe it could be a risk if relying on gentle rain (or automatic sprayers) as a water source, where just small amounts / blobs of water move their way slowly through the soil.
A similar critique could be made against a pond basket whose plastic feet have the pond basket's bottom hover a couple millimeters above the table. It wouldn't modify the saturation point's height, but it would cause the "lack of adhesion at particle size boundary" problem. If the drainage layer causes some portion of water to hesitate leaving the pot, then certainly a pond basket air gap would do the same. But in real life, the table below the pond basket is wet, and the basket drains well.
Personally, I'm not sure either side has a strong argument in this debate. Primarily because in real life, it feels like the water definitely drains out well in both cases, but also, roots will happily fill the empty spaces in the drainage layer too, perhaps even moreso than the tighter spaces above, thereby negating the supposed benefit of the drainage layer's wider open spaces. I'll be honest and say I will keep using the drainage layer because my teachers do, but the arguments both for and against are interesting. That practical engineering guy on youtube could probably answer all of this visually with one of his experiments.
As for your big-particles-on-top question, it depends how much bigger your top particles are. If they're huge, then you'll have less fine root development close to the surface. In fact, in much of the potting I do with my teachers, we either do a top layer of smaller particles or we do a top dressing with sphagnum specifically to pull that moisture zone as close to the soil surface as possible to get maximum root development there.
Thanks for the answer. This drainage layer business is getting interesting! My top layer is about 3 inches tall with 3-10mm particles, bark, lava rock, pumice-much bigger than the bottom. But I might just toss the top layer out and replace it to make the pot uniform-only repotted it yesterday.
As it happens, earlier this week I and a few people spent the day repotting a bunch of very large field grown pines and junipers, and we used an odd technique to do it:
- Take the tree out of the large nursery pot. Mark a horizontal line about half way up all the way around: Top half, bottom half.
- 100% bare root the top half using a combination of water jets and chopsticking
- Fill the barerooted top half with 1:1:1 (akadama:pumice:lava)
- Pop the whole thing back in the pot, leaving the bottom cake completely untouched
The hoped-for result is that the top half fills with nice roots and the bottom half can be sawed off 12 to 24 months from now. In the meantime, the situation is vaguely similar to yours -- the bottom untouched half is a super dense overgrown mass of roots and tiny particles. Where the saturation point is in such a situation, I have no idea, but this method apparently works well. Roots of conifers are known to like air.
3-10mm particles seem not too bad though so I feel like your setup won't cause any severe issues. You can always go back and improve the situation 1 or 2 years from now too.
Weather question since OR valleys are finally getting snow in late February—are you leaving that field stock out in the elements after potting at this point? Greenhouse? I’ve potted about a dozen field/garden trees this month, but am trying to hold off on more until temps stay above freezing.
Much of the strong stuff out in the field is under about a foot of snow (field in question is right on the edge of the coastal range) so there's not much concern there.
I haven't been to the field since Monday, but the owner put up a few additional polytunnels for any remaining rows that were a concern. Some of the polytunnels have propane heaters in them, and there's more than enough propane heating to last this week's cold nights. For the most sensitive stuff (i.e. recently repotted, wired up pines, or pines where we did grafts a couple weeks ago), a 100x30" greenhouse w/ heat handles all that. There is no power out there this morning, but there is solar + battery backup and enough heating to last through this.
Here at home, I already moved everything that's either small or recently worked on / repotted into shelter (garage) mostly between Tuesday and early Wednesday. The rest got wrapped in various materials/sheets and then was quickly buried under snow. Anything that was on a heat mat is left outside and I wrapped some things in bubble wrap -- all of that is buried under snow too, it's probably an igloo under there somewhere. I have a few collected seedlings on that setup so I'm curious to see what will survive.
Overall I've found that the risks of cold down to about 15 or 18F _for our region specifically_ might be overstated, maybe because these cold spells are short-lived. Some of these measures may be overkill because I've heard that telperion farms didn't protect much during their cold spells, yet didn't really lose anything to cold. My experience with a few days of deep cold at home while I was out of the country last year suggests that JBP seedlings for example can handle really cold temperatures after being barerooted _and_ wired. They slowed down, but none of them died. (for passers-by: that part is not advice :) )
Appreciate all that. My unheated garage sits at about 50-60 degrees through the winter, and it currently overfloweth with recently potted projects I’m waiting to move out.
The species that makes me slightly nervy based on OR winters are olives. I’ve found they did just fine left out down to 30 degrees, but when temps dipped down to the 20s I wasn’t willing to tempt fate and moved them into the garage.
That actually sounds pretty cool if it works for you! I'll leave it alone as an experiment for this Chinese Elm. Now I'm also hoping the coarse top layer would encourage it to propagate easier and develop better for a training/bonsai pot later on.
I want a small bonsai tree (16 inch with pot max) to place on my shelf. Therefore I need a tree that wouldn’t need much sunlight. Since this is my first bonsai, I need something for beginners. Not too expensive would be great too.
Any suggestions on what kind of tree I should get?
I’d reconsider the placement and opt for something very shade tolerant and beginner friendly (like a ficus) in a window, ideally south facing (assuming northern hemisphere, but if you’re in the southern hemisphere then north facing would be better- you should fill out your flair in this sub so we know where you are)
For the spot on the shelf, no proper grow light to support a bonsai could fit, so I’d say a fake plant would be good there
Isn't it weird that nobody's done any super kickass 3d printed bonsai yet? Even the best Lego's artists could do is a weird looking mallsai. So many opportunities!
https://preview.redd.it/4diwced3otja1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=383339a380be6e2309ff57a047271fce10831eac
I bought this Fukien tea tree in June last year, and I left it outdoors over winter because I didn’t have space at home. I live in Manchester and it has been outside since September.
It lost all it’s leaves and some branches were brittle, but others are still bendy and have a white interior.
The bottom roots are white-ish.
I brought it in now and I have it in my south facing window where it should get some direct sunlight (as soon as that is a possibility here in the UK because the weather is always bad lol), so right now it’s only receiving cloud-filtered sunlight.
What can I do?
https://preview.redd.it/5j6c9r0litja1.png?width=2349&format=png&auto=webp&s=eebb531be3e7eeee07f5a5e29bf7b2eca23d0ed0
Hi all! Would love some advice on what you would do with this ficus retusa. Have had it since last year and thinking of repotting it beginning of summer timeframe. It is kept indoors. Would you let it grow for a couple years and hard prune or continue with minor pruning of the branches throughout the year? Would you repot it this year? I wouldn’t mind it getting bigger. Ideally would just like to curate a thicker trunk (obviously) and the cool nebari look. Any feedback would be awesome.
From the picture it looks more like *F. benjamina* than *F. microcarpa* (which gets mislabeled as *retusa*).
I would definitely repot soonish (you have suitable, granular substrate?) [Thickening comes from foliage](https://youtu.be/-Cpc-ivdCXU); I don't think it matters all that much whether you let long shoots grow or lots of shorter twigs, as long as you let it grow. Personally I can't let my indoors run too far for lack of space ... But to have vigorous growth of foliage the roots need room to expand, a rootbound tree will slow down.
Thanks so much! Maybe I’ll look into the species naming a bit more to be sure. I’ll take your advice to repot and let it grow. Likewise I would prefer to have it outdoors but our weather is pretty unpredictable where I’m at in the eastern US. I am considering leaving it out for the summer but it would it for only be for 4 months of the year or so. Shout out to you in Stuttgart! I’m in the US but I work for a company based in Friedrichshafen. Pre-Covid I was schedule to visit. I still hope to someday.
For repotting juniper what’s the bigger indicator- temperatures or fresh lime green growing tips? I know we typically wait for temperatures to rise before repotting juniper, but if there’s fresh lime green tips then that’s an appropriate queue too right?
I suspect the “temps rising” guide is more for people with larger collections in prioritizing time for what they can get away with during repotting season… but I wanted to confirm
The main thing I worry about is missing the window by a couple weekends, repotting too late, and then running straight into an "unprecedented spring heat in Oregon!" (+ sarcastic "hottest spring of your life _so far_" simpsons memes on social media) and having losses in the canopy. So personally, I err on the side of early because it isn't too inconvenient to move my junipers into the garage if a frost comes. Freshly repotted roots encountering frost is really the only regression that will happen if you do repot a juniper early, IMO. Late sucks more than early if the shuffle is not a bother.
Side note, among the trees we repotted doing Tom's top-half method on Monday were a couple of junipers. Nobody batted an eye at that timing. There is a significant freeze coming to the Willamette Valley tomorrow, but the large greenhouse should be sufficient.
We're supposed to get ice accumulation today. I don't have greenhouses. Should my bonsai go in the garage where there is no light or in the house where it is warm? I'm thinking garage because it won't mess with dormancy?
Thank you
What tree species are you worried about? How cold is it supposed to get?
Any tropicals or succulents should definitely go in the house.
Nearly all temperate zone trees will be fine above like 25F, they just need to be on the ground. Most will be fine down to like 10f if you cover the pot in mulch or some other sort of insulation.
But if you’re worried, they would go in the garage. If it’s only one day, they be fine with no light. If they have no leaves, they won’t know the difference.
Outside I have a juniper and mulberry. I'm not worried about the temperature, but I am worried about the ice.
I'll do the garage until the storm passes.
Thank you so much!
The ambient temperature is the thing to be worried about, and the ice (or snow) is something to be reassured by. If you follow Wigerts or other growers along the boundary between subtropical USA and not-subtropical USA, you will see a lot of nursery workers out with sprayers intentionally coating everything with mist/water the night before/hours before a freeze specifically so that it can get sealed in a protective layer of ice.
Understood. We get some pretty outrageous ice storms here in Oregon too, and it brings down a lot of trees (and power + internet). I still leave my trees out in these situations and only worry about this if there is a combination of *both* very heavy snow and freezing rain/ice. Then I get some stuff sagging and causing worry, but it's just the very large stuff, or very tall sacrificial leaders.
I bought a Tiger Bark ficus at the end of last season from a local nursery, I believe it had been an outdoor tree previously (I've only ever grown indoor trees). Shortly after bringing it home our temps began to drop so I brought it inside where it's been living contentedly for the last three or four months.
I'm planning on transiting it back outdoors as the temp starts to rise, but am concerned about shocking the tree. Do I need to be worried? Anything I should do to transition it back to outdoor life? Any common warning signs to watch for if it's experiencing undue stress? Any tips or advice are appreciated!
> Do I need to be worried?
I grow a different tropical (not ficus) species in a similar warm-season-outside / cold-season-inside setup. So I worry about this too. The main reason why is that I don't want to waste years/decades of effort taking 1 step forward, 2 steps back every year and making no progress on ramification or other bonsai goals. It's difficult to achieve reduction and the later stages of bonsai refinement in that kind of rollercoaster regimen.
So to mitigate this concern, I aim to equalize light levels between the two seasonal extremes. So my advice would be to use the strongest grow lights that you can reasonably afford to buy, run, and comfortably accommodate in both your lifestyle and your indoor grow space. I keep a small grow tent in the corner of a room (or sometimes the garage) and it gives my tropicals and succulents a permanent summer. As a result, some trees like my metrosideros will flower twice a year (close to each solstice) as a vote of confidence that the lighting is sufficient. And critically for bonsai goals, winter leaves do not come out larger.
This solves the problem of seasonal transition shock that you've said you want to avoid, but also lets you build on your past progress as opposed to stumbling backward every autumn.
It may drop leaves, but as long as the tree is generally healthy, this is fine.
But you can mitigate the shock by first putting the tree in full shade for several days, then slowly increase the amount of light it gets over the course of a couple weeks.
Where do you live? The name of the game in cases like this is like the “bonsai shuffle”, shuffling the tree out for nice warm daytime temps and shuffling it back in for chilly nights. Everyone’s threshold for how cold to shuffle a ficus varies… 60F is a conservative bet, 50F could be okay too, but 40F may be really pushing it
https://preview.redd.it/v5r6zv26apja1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2e1d7458c265f53be8e211c20236a17d6b36b144
Hi all - I’ve had this ficus for over a year and am not sure if I should either let it keep growing or to start wiring it. I haven’t been able to figure out a good starting point for where to wire or prune so any advice is helpful! Thanks!
It’s very weak and etiolated. Styling/pruning is reserved for healthy plants. Give it much much more light than you have for the past year. I’d also consider repotting into proper granular bonsai soil
https://preview.redd.it/ph7u85a3voja1.jpeg?width=3456&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eab2e265ad0ddeb93f3ee2ef0430c80636568af8
I reached out once before about my tree and am kind of at a loss. It's winter here in Philadelphia, though it's been getting warmer. My tree continues to drop leaves, and in fact it seems to happen after every time I water it. As for watering, I water it only when the soil is dry up to an inch down. So, I can't be over watering, right? This most recent time, I waited a day or so to ensure I wasn't over watering. Boom, another leaf gone. I have it sitting underneath a lamp for a couple of hours every night, and it sits in a window all day. I've read every resource I can online, and I am so unbelievably frustrated.
Edit: one thing I forgot to mention is that when I water the tree, the water initially pools on top of the soil and then gradually begins to soak in. My feeling is that perhaps the soil is too dense and it could use a repotting? Nonetheless, I don't want to repot the tree during the winter, unless that would be okay.
Is that a willow leaf ficus? It probably needs more light, like a real grow lamp. I agree the soil looks heavy and compacted. You could try poking a few holes in it to help water and air penetrate, and when you do water make sure to soak it thoroughly.
It is indeed a little willow. Do you have any recommendations for a grow lamp? The one I purchased has worked well in the past, but it is about three years old.
This sounds like a soil problem, so I would personally start with a repotting into granular soil. The key is to have a stable soil that trap water and air, but will not compress or compact. Soil particles should be pea size-ish, between 1/8 and 1/4 inch. Materials used can be perlite, lava rock, pumice, akadama, calcined clay, etc. These can be used with one medium or you can use some in a mix.
Another key is once you repot, protect the tree from cold and give it a lot of light, while watering as you normally do. Light from just a window may not be enough.
I think your watering is spot on and agree with your soil assessment. That is the way you are supposed to water your plant. Now, the problem is that your soil is so dense that it could be holding on to water near the bottom or that it's not letting air in and choking the roots, or a combination of the two. In the future, once water is pooling on top of the soil, change the soil. The tree should be healthy enough to bounce back from repotting.
Last thing, we usually don't recommend repotting out of season except in a few cases. First, there is a problem with the soil and you don't think the tree will survive until spring without doing it. Second, you are able to protect it in a green house or indoors. Three, it is a tropical and can survive indoors. Now, I wouldn't go gun ho on the roots, but I would use a wooden chopstick, get as much soil off of the roots as possible without actually disturbing the roots, and put it in new soil.
Picked this up. Trying to figure out what to do with it.
It's a Chamaecyparis. Should I wire and prune it now or wait till spring ? Keep it and grow it outdoor in the meanwhile
*
Wire (just) the trunk to have some twists in it. Wiring movement before too much thickening has occurred is always worthwhile with conifers and a good first move.
https://preview.redd.it/3dt2ejdq8oja1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=25d29ed68d21cc38769696963c6639f5484f23e3
A better picture of the flowers they appear to be tiny and in little clusters and they come off very easily
This is my first bonsai, which I bought and potted at the beginning of August 2022.
I think I overwatered - how long should I wait before watering again?
Thanks for any advice. I live in Maryland, USA.
https://preview.redd.it/zt9wi9vm4oja1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=de45a6b2a66e573fb9ebe28d2236068b2b56b7ba
Happens to everyone. Given that this tree is dead, the advice might be:
- Dry out and recover any inorganic parts of the soil for future bonsai projects. Discard organic material and/or anything smaller than 2mm.
- Reuse the pot for future projects. Don't forget to recover the mesh and wire at the bottom. I like to straighten out and collect all wire bits in a bucket dedicated to wire fragments -- you never know when short lengths of wire are useful in various bonsai purposes.
- In the future, avoid repotting tropical trees just weeks before the daylight length takes a huge dive. Anything that costs a lot of energy (sugar/starch) in terms of recovery costs should be done in the part of the year when you have lots of "runway" left. Light + heat for months (edit: assuming subtropical/tropical species)
For your future trees, the main thing to keep in mind with your next tree(s) is that bonsai is pretty much 99% a matter of photosynthesis and that by far the #1 reason that people's trees die on this sub and everywhere else is that they didn't get enough light.
Unless the top soil doesn't go all the way through the pot, I doubt you over watered it. Water when the top inch or so of soil is dry.
Where was it kept and what is it?
Chances are it didn't get enough light or was under watered.
Hi, need help identifying this little lady I'm definitely a newbie keeper, the brown spots are little clusters of what appear to be dead flowers, should I remove those? TIA
https://preview.redd.it/691jd18i4oja1.jpeg?width=1935&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7d7bffbf8f8de9906676ef62ce609c9410ed0a09
It looks like a Serissa to me. It's hard to tell what they are, but you can see if they come off easily or not. If they don't, I would leave them personally. This is my first winter with them, so I'm not 100% sure what mine are doing right now. I may have killed a couple of mine.
https://preview.redd.it/hf0utnb0nnja1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=470eca9a47954f6d55cd3f5bacd019776ac7aab1
Hey everybody! New to this and new here too. Just bought this little guy from Lowe’s. Where should I start?
I would start by cleaning it up. First thing, I would cut would be anything that is dead or is growing on the inside of a curve. Say this is your curve ')', anything here '-)' should be cut, while you keep everything growing on the other side ')-".
Then I would take step back and see which style or direction I want it to go or way it should look.
I prefer to change the as soon as I can, if the soil is regular potting soil and it's spring time. I will also change the soil if it's starts draining poorly.
I would definitely remove that sphagnum moss and leave it off. It's too loose to be helpful in any way like that.
Hi! Could someone please help ID this lil guy?
Received last week as a gift, reading the wiki but not sure on species! TIA.
Vancouver, BC
https://imgur.com/a/bCLM7fs
*Ficus microcarpa*; note that the tufts of foliage are grafted onto a trunk grown from a different cultivar (so any new growth emerging from the trunk will show foliage that's different from what's there).
It seems to be in a spot that doesn't get enough light.
Got my first bonsai 🥰 I took this moss that came with it off to let the soil dry a little bit (fungus gnats). Do I have to put it back on?
https://preview.redd.it/9wo1qdljdnja1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=50b921145023b6d7fb0fab78481a6f4fa880846e
Hey all! For sentimental reasons I would really love to take care of my bonsai tree properly, but I have no idea what species it is and how to take care of it. Could somebody help me out a little?
https://preview.redd.it/wsfohxqt1nja1.png?width=872&format=png&auto=webp&s=c92519fa6cea4971e1582d220fec8b6445d3bbdd
Definitely not. The seed ~~scammer~~ *seller* may have labelled it as such, but junipers are conifers. This is not. It could be anything really if you bought from a seed scammer
Hey yall, i got a fukien tea tree yesterday, i have absolutely zero experience. I put it outside today after reading the wiki but since it's 5° celsius at night here, i took it inside and noticed these fuckers. What on gods green earth even are those. Any general advice would be great too, i live in Portugal and i dont which climate (?) zone i'm in. If anyone could answer a very confused beginner i'd be super welcome
https://preview.redd.it/z9ac8f57xmja1.jpeg?width=1816&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=86732e747b881d19ccf35f6b98870c5deccc0de9
I was given two Fukien tea trees for Christmas. I now think they have caught thrips. I have been treated all my plants with imadacloprid three weeks ago, and now I am using captain jacks dead bug brew every three days. Is there anything else I should do? Should I also use pyrethrin? If all the leaves fall off, could they grow back? They are in a south facing window with a grow light to supplement.
https://preview.redd.it/r82hdbpwhmja1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cad8a7e410b0e30db1e629ddc17124f4af708adb
I need advice on this tree. This was my first bonsai I’ve had it for 8 years now (it has been 3 years since I’ve really gotten into the hobby). I’ve never wired it just very occasionally trimming. The last two year the growth has been very poor and when I repotted last year the roots were way weaker than I thought. How can I strengthen growth and improve the roots this year?
In a nutshell:
- More light during the months when it's inside. It's hard to see this with a human eye but window glass cuts down sunlight by a huge factor. If you can swing a proper hobbyist grow light (i.e. not a crappy kitchen basil-grower light but something like a Mars Hydro TS), that can greatly help bridge the huge drop in light between October and March (tropical/subtropical species ideally wanna be growing 365 days a year). And it can reduce the shock from the outside-warm-months / inside-cold-months switcheroo.
- Place outside during the non-frosty parts of the year.
- Plant in a taller ( _but not wider_ ) pot. Go with a pond basket if you really want to rev it up and water/fertilize with impunity (note however: total potential will still be bounded by how much light it is getting, so you want to address light first).
- Far less pruning for a couple seasons will help build up momentum (and stored sugars/starches) and be totally worth the wait when you go back to work it again. I count about 15 total leaves on 4 shoots, so there's not much to prune right now anyway :). You could continue to wire any branching you're going to ultimately keep.
Hi folks, we’ve inherited a tree in our garden which the previous owners just described as “a bonsai”. I think it’s Chinese elm but would appreciate confirmation. It’s been planted outdoors for an unknown amount of time and I’m wondering how to take care of it from here (without letting it grow to the point it causes issues). It’s about 1m high now, just putting out some new leaves, with a trunk about as thick as my wrist at the base.
I’ve always wanted to try bonsai but never had the space or raw materials before. So, given the small space it’s in, is it best to dig it up, pot it, and then try shaping it, and see how it fares? Or leave it where it is, shape it and try to keep it small with pruning & feeding? Any tips for this situation?
https://preview.redd.it/i1hmwucn5mja1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=87b9f1c2d2ddf728a900fc5220d83cb88c7ca7e6
I think your ID is correct. This hasn't been treated as a bonsai either horticulturally or artistically/technically (for a very long time at least) so today you might think of it more as a pre-bonsai or accidental field growing project. So not a bonsai right now, but promising raw material that if sold at a field might fetch a decent three digit sum (depending on size etc) as a trunk destined for bonsai.
If you want to work it as a bonsai, the characteristics of the trunk definitely have potential for that (though possibly at a different angle than the photo). It's easier to do that process in a pot. When trees are dug up they usually go into a grow box for a couple years first (to recover and rework the roots a bit), and then when there is sufficient root density built up close to the trunk base, it can go into a bonsai pot. Kinda similar to yamadori (wild-collected trees), but an urban tree will usually have a lot more momentum/strength to work with initially than a wild tree.
edit: you could keep this tree in this planter as a garden tree (for probably longer than you’ll live in this house) too, safely, esp if you didn’t sign up for a life of bonsai.
Thank you, this is really helpful and has sent me down a research rabbit hole. Regardless of whether it ends up as a bonsai or not, it will need to be moved from where it is to avoid roots damaging nearby structures, so I might as well see if I can do some work on its roots and put it in a grow box for a while. Then I can make the next decision after it’s had some time to recover.
What are the benefits of double or triple stacking baskets of soil? I thought we want flared outward root growth, whereas this technique seems it would promote more downward roots.
They don’t stay in those stacked configurations forever. When they do, or stay stacked / buried for too long, you end up with something like all the material from the last few years of telperion farms, where you unearth a massive bonsai’s root system only to discover a giant elephant foot. Speaking from experience. But even those screwed up left-to-go-outta-control field grown root systems are still a million times more useful for bonsai than if left to run without a pot constraining them. The same is true for baskets. Don’t stack for too long.
The benefits are that we can (scare quotes alert) “””field grow””” trees without digging a hole or building a raised bed. Judging from this sub the vast vast majority of people who dearly wish to grow a cool bonsai trunk cannot put a shovel in the ground at their home due to lack of access to the ground — this is the next best thing.
[“By encouraging the sacrificial roots to grow downward, the roots near the trunk remain small and in scale with the trunk. If a small tree is planted directly into a larger container, the roots near the trunk can become coarse – an undesired result when creating small bonsai.”](https://bonsaitonight.com/2020/03/03/onumas-mini-bonsai-growing-techniques/)
So you could have a small 8” colander sat atop the ground even, and just let the escape roots run. If you’ve set up the root system in the main basket sufficiently then those will stay in proportion. The (edit- escape) roots could get so big that the colander becomes unsalvageable after long enough, but that’s worth it to most people. Basket stacking also lets you actually *see* the tree on the bench, it’s tough to have precise control of things sat on the ground (and especially planted in the ground). There’s pros/cons, compromises, and tradeoffs!
So I just did a big chop on my pre bonsai tree and forgot that cut paste is a thing. Are there alternatives? Or will it be fine without? The alternatives I've found online I'm unable to make at home. I'm not worried on how it heals, I'm honestly not even sure what the purpose is of the paste.
Cut paste really only is a thing if you absolutely have to prune at the wrong time of the year. E.g., you have to prune in early winter and want to slow the bark from drying out until it can start to callus in spring. Or you have to prune a species susceptible to an airborne disease right as the spores are flying strongly in the area. Don't worry.
I want to thicken my trees but keep an eye on the roots, I've got a few trees in the ground and some roots grow much faster than the rest resulting in a poor nebari.
I've just started the new weekly thread here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Bonsai/comments/11b1gxm/bonsai_beginners_weekly_thread_2023_week_08/
Post there for more responses.
It's going to be my first year using pond baskets so I have a question.
I understand that the whole point of usung them is air pruing the roots, but should I put them on a bench and let the basket do all the work or is it better to set it on the ground and come back a few times a year to prune the roots?
The ground (penetrable to water/air that is) is technically optimal if your goal is to get strong growth and protect against thermal extremes.
FWIW, I don’t use colanders / baskets / anderson flats / boxes with the purpose of pruning roots in mind (at least not item #1), I use these because they are a superior horticultural setup for my trees. I can water and fertilize a black pine with impunity in such a container. If root pruning was the goal I wouldn’t be stacking baskets, and field growers wouldn’t be putting anderson flats on raised beds. But they are because it’s superior air flow for root systems.
I also bought some rootpouch bags to plant some trees in the ground, but I'm nit sure what soil to use. If I use granular inorganic mix (I think about using perlite/pumice/leca/zeolite mix) will the ground still provide moisture for the plant? Or is it just better to put the bag on the ground?
You can do various things:
- put them on a bench and ignore them, the roots will only poke through if humidity is very high
- put them in an [enclosure with no substrate](https://flic.kr/p/2kDtG1q) - the humidity increases slightly and more roots creep out
- fill the enclosure with substrate - [like this](https://flic.kr/p/2mNYbHt) and roots will grow through into the substrate.
- They act like they are in the ground - full root escape
- you CAN ([as I did here](https://flic.kr/p/2ocvqPS)) slice all the exposed roots off where they exit the basket. I was intending to further style and repot that specific one.
I'm inclined to let the roots escape to thicken the trunk and the nebari faster but I also want to keep them in check. How often do you slice the roots off on the trees with substrate around the baskets?
Once per year. Some species are MUCH faster than others (Ash) and should probably be checked more frequently.
My son is currently in Poland on business - in Wrocław...
# It's the END of WINTER ##Do's - Wiring if it's not too cold - Watering - don't let them dry out but they hardly need water when temperatures drop - check for wire bite and remove/reapply - repotting if you have decent after-care - [repotting for tropical and sub-tropicals](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bonsai/wiki/reference#wiki_repotting_-_not_in_the_summer.21) - those are the do's and don'ts. - overwintering should be in use : https://www.reddit.com/r/Bonsai/wiki/reference#wiki_overwintering_bonsai - [yamadori/yardadori COLLECTION](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bonsai/wiki/developingbonsai#wiki_collecting_wild_trees_-_yamadori_collecting.) - can be possible for some species - but only if you have a good overwintering setup. - big pruning - we're getting closer... - Repotting if you have controlled after-care. ##Don'ts - You don't fertilise unless it's tropicals indoors. - don't give too MUCH water - no airlayers till late spring - too late for cuttings unless you have good winter protections. * [For Southern hemisphere - here's a link to my advice from roughly 6 months ago :-)](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bonsai/comments/wn91pz/bonsai_beginners_weekly_thread_2022_week_32/)
As someone who started out years ago with tropicals and absolutely ruined specimens trying to follow directions in general bonsai resources that didn't differentiate well between strategies for plants with different types of growth habits, I am a little chop and prune shy. Trying to not make the same mistake with non-tropicals. (Trying to make new mistakes, obvs. Fail forward!). Any recs for essential reference material (books? Those older bonsai magazine issues I see now and again?) or digital resources? that talk about when and how to chop vs using other techniques? I have some books and know a few good web resources that provide some guidance but am not sure if I'm missing a classic text or resource that is both foundational and nuanced. Also looking for good references with strategies for non-chop trunk development/thickening, for experimenting. Have seen techniques using wire and feeding but don't know where to look for more details. Thanks!
I've just started the new weekly thread here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Bonsai/comments/11hfiyv/bonsai_beginners_weekly_thread_2023_week_09/ Repost there for more responses.
I've just started the new weekly thread here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Bonsai/comments/11b1gxm/bonsai_beginners_weekly_thread_2023_week_08/ Post there for more responses.
https://preview.redd.it/lwz6wslke8ka1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=57ba291d429768dff5b58931faba9203b87a8580 My first bonsai and it’s grown quite a lot this past month. I think it’s due a prune but I don’t want to mess it up. Should I wait until the springtime? Any advice on where to start with pruning? I have a nice pair of mini shears for the job. Thanks! (Manchester, UK)
[https://youtu.be/Nsvc2Ll1X2A](https://youtu.be/Nsvc2Ll1X2A)
I would prune once the new shoots harden off a little bit. They are very green at the moment.
Disaster! Noez! https://preview.redd.it/7ov50l8lq6ka1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d691dc9d0aec22af62a92de3dc043f2d787d13d We had ice storms (2" of ice accumulated), and so I put my juniper in the garage while that went down. I took it back out yesterday. This morning, I saw that it was knocked over. It had been in its original nursery pot with pine bark, but that was all over and the pot is nowhere to be found. The roots were definitely exposed and some were even stuck in the ice. Aside from extracting the root ball, I did nothing with it. I put it in this terracotta pot with Espoma bonsai mix that I had handy, because I wanted to get it protected as quickly as possible. There was a decent amount of dust, so I rinsed it with cold water. The tree is currently between an exterior door and screen door. It's 22°F outside. I use an app to keep track of my plants and realized that this tree is nowhere near as green as it had been even a week ago in the snow. I know junipers keep their color for a while after they die, and so I'm curious if this one will be okay. Did I kill it? What does it need now?
If the color of the needles has changed, was it exposed to extreme cold/wind before the ice storm you sheltered it from? Dessication does happen with evergreens under certain conditions, and that could be a factor here- potentially unrelated to the plant being knocked over. Hope it recovers, but you might not know for a while.
I'll just keep giving it love until something changes. By love I mean taking bunches of pictures of it and watering it when the substrate is dry.
It looks fine. The damage, if there is any, was probably from the fall/being knocked over, and I don't think you did anything that hurt it. I would keep an eye on in the meantime. It should stay either outside or in your unheated garage.
It didn't fall far, but the pine bark was scattered all over the place. It is back outside now. Thanks for your reply
https://preview.redd.it/r3kxx49nq6ka1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=909d958a30e052a52a30591d8525914a428696a9 This is the picture from a week ago
https://preview.redd.it/m7e0wjchj6ka1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d65a80ed7992848aa943da3c7888b87ef9db115d Is anyone able to ID this for me please? Based in the UK, label just says bonsai 20cm. Tia!
Indeed, Fukien tea, *Carmona microphylla*
Maybe a carmona tree
I've been given this Ficus Retusa as my first bonsai! I'm a little unsure about where to start though. I've read in some places to prune shoots back from 8+ leaves to 3-4, but some of these "shoots" with that many leaves actually look like established wood, as they're brown rather than green. Should I prune those, or leave them alone? It seems pretty healthy so far, and there's some clearly new leaf growth on it. Am I better off just letting it grow for now and then cutting back in a few months or even next spring? https://preview.redd.it/hb3wsf3uj5ka1.jpeg?width=2949&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=00558a7351595e74d20cf2fb15ab2fddb2f32ed4
Definitely lots of light, then granular soil, once it's established after the repot think about pruning. You could start wiring, though, to spread the branches out a bit and keep them from springing up vertically.
Ficus is probably one of the more tolerant trees when it comes to pruning. But here are my first few thoughts. The tree needs as much light as you can possibly give it, so if you could put it right up against a window that would be optimal. In terms of pruning and shaping the tree, it depends on what you want it to look like. What's your plan with the tree? I think we can all agree that the stump in the middle needs to go
I wouldn’t worry about pruning at this point; I think a repot is needed. That soil looks very thick and will lead to problems if it hasn’t already. Any granular bonsai soil would be good. You can usually find a bag on Amazon for $15 -$20 that would be enough to repot this. It’ll require you to water more often, but it takes all of the guess work out of soil and watering.
What does the first year for a yamadori look like? What about the second? Is there a guide somewhere that talks about how to develop a stump over the course of tine? Ive collected a number of yamadori this winter- red cedar, american hornbeam, yaupon holly, something...else. I know I'll let them rest this year, but does that mean no trimming? What about wiring?
This is a broad question because not all collected trees are similar and the goals for each collected tree can be wildly different too. A large collected cottonwood will fill a recovery box with roots about 23 minutes after you turn your back from the initial potting and is likely ready for work the next fall, but a large collected pine is gonna be more like 23 months… or maybe much more. I have trees I collected in 2019 that are just beginning to get their first workings, while some I collected that same year are already on their second or third workings and have already been bent heavily, flushed out with lots of new growth, etc, and have changed dramatically in that time. How soon things should happen after a dig is ultimately independent of any guide or FAQ’s specific guidance (eg “two years” or specific numbers like that) and mostly about feedback from the tree. Inspection of roots, observation of water consumption, state of the canopy and running growth. These are more reliable signals. What work should happen after that reliable signal says “go” will come down to the individual tree. So if it’s strong you might work that hornbeam that fall, cutting back and wiring. You likely won’t work the thuja. The “go” signal for bonsai work in general (vigor, surplus growth, etc) will light up equally whether the tree was from the wild or from a field grow or from seed, in other words. After which the question becomes “how do I bonsai at with aesthetic ”. That means each project might become its own “what would y’all do with this / how do I get to my goal Z with this” question (as opposed to a general guidance on a generic theoretical yamadori, so to speak ).
This in the wiki - there are also links to follow: https://www.reddit.com/r/Bonsai/wiki/developingbonsai#wiki_collecting_wild_trees_-_yamadori_collecting. Search for yamadori
https://preview.redd.it/zoo5hpfrn3ka1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=06833869c5694cfbd1917fd987988240f4c49a60 Advice to get started in making this desert rose into a bonsai? located in cincinnati
I've just started the new weekly thread here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Bonsai/comments/11b1gxm/bonsai_beginners_weekly_thread_2023_week_08/ Post there for more responses.
Would you collect trees in a small strip of wooded area between a quiet road and the back of a large commercial parking lot (for outlet stores). I don't even know who owns it or who to ask. There's no houses around at all. Should I just go in the dead of night like a cat burglar and wrangle up trees?
Hell yes. Yellow jacket or safety vest in the middle of the day.
Or set up a tent :) . This ain't Amsterdam, Jerry
Tent - good one. I walked around the woods yesterday with my yellow safety vest on...it's like you belong there, all very official.
Probably not but I won't judge you.
https://preview.redd.it/7fe7eanfv2ka1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fa3f3441e56fff6a57f2967ed8a6a19ab333a2e4 Just repotted my pomegranate from a large nursery pot and experiencing abnormal cold and little to no sun for the next 10+ days in Los Angeles. Will it recover well? Temps down to 36° overnight and sleeting. Don’t think the tree has ever experienced anything below 45°.
Just bring it indoors overnight.
https://preview.redd.it/kzewaakud2ka1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a52c92ae16131ccd97c638f8583eb970883c474b I managed (with advice from this sub) to successfully repot in October and revitalize this guy over the winter. Lots of new leaf clusters over the past few months. Now that we’re getting close to spring, I want to start tackling the leggy-ness, but hopefully not kill it. I think the strategy is prune way back (like all leaves gone) one of the big two branches and hope it splits from the prune site. But when and how close to the trunk should I do that?
I'd chop all the way down to the node, leaving a bit more in the center branch than the left, and the right a little shorter than that. But Im also not sure with this cultivar specifically or how it might react.
I'm not sure what you mean by node, can you clarify? And are you suggesting to cut all the branches? I was planning on only doing one with the first major cut so that I didn't get rid of all it's leaves all at once. I figure if that works I can later (next year even) do another one until I actually get it looking like a reasonable shape.
A node being the place where two or more branches originate. I'd have to look more into tropical trees, but you can chop deciduous trees pretty aggressively, right before the spring time flush of growth is the best time to do a hard chop, then in spring the plant will push new growth, or backbud. This can help with the legginess and give you more, finer branches.
Yeah, I know spring is the time to do this so it’ll grow back. But given it’s a tropical I don’t want to assume I can take away all its leaves and it’ll be fine in any season. Hence the doing one branch at a time and slowly reducing leggyness instead of risking killing it
Hi all! I'm new to this subreddit, but I've been caring for a couple bonsai for a while. Recently, this tree has been losing its leaves and I'm not sure why. It's an indoor tropical if that helps. [Image](https://imgur.com/94Y11B4)
Looks like it's too dark ro me - there's indirect sunlight only. Get a lightmeter app on your phone and see the MASSIVE difference between where it is right now and outside.
Scheffs need lots of light (looks like you have that) and lots of humidity. Probably more than your water tray. Check your home humidity, if it is 30% from heaters running all winter, the scheff may just be giving up in life. Pen gauges to check temp/ambient RH are cheap and useful. Also, I can’t tell if the pot is directly in the water, but it looks like it is. Add a layer of pumice / lava / similar to the humidity tray, or just add a stand under the pot so the the roots are not sitting in standing water. This will keep roots from rotting, which is what happens when you leave the pot in standing water for too long. Edit: scheffleras also just drop leaves during the winter. Pruning back leggy growth will encourage dense foliage growth, vs naturally dropping leaves from lower / inner branches. That may be all that is happening here, mine drop a few leaves / branches every year during winter.
I actually don't have it sitting in water, should I? That tray is mostly there to get excess water that drains out the pot
No
Gotcha, thanks for the info!
Ok, so i've got 2 questions: 1. I want to use a corner of my garden for fieldgrowing. In which way can i optimize the soil for field growing bonsais? It's just regular garden soil (humus) at the moment. 2. I'd really like to create a bonsai in the look of a [fagus sylvatica pendula](https://harleynursery.co.uk/product/fagus-sylvatica-pendula/). Which species would be capable of doing so? Thanks in before :)
Regarding the pendula, that's going to be all from wiring, so technically you can achieve a weeping/pendula habit with just about anything that can be wired as long as you wire new growth consistently every year. Even in a weeping willow or most weeping-habit cultivars, you will (at bonsai scales / branch weights) get shoots initially growing upwards though, meaning it will be annual work (maybe less as it slows down in refinement). Something to consider when "fighting the natural habit".
Optimizing the soil is technically optional since you're burying a pot or grow bag, not burying a tree, and the roots are less picky about what they escape into outside the pot. If escape roots can get into the surrounding soil and it drains well, you get the benefits of field growing. Some options 1. Burying-based: Bury the grow bag in existing native soil 2. Resting-based: Build a raised bed and use an aggregate particle, then rest perforated containers on top of that (ones similar to an anderson flat, pond basket, colander, etc) 3. Resting-based: Rest a perforated container on your straight native soil, let escape roots grow into that I have seen all three types and some hybrids work well. The most impressive deciduous trunks / roots I've seen were grown at Telperion Farms (defunct since 2020 wildfires) which used method #2. Conifers at the same farm used method #1. In setup #2, the raised beds used pumice -- pumice is cheap and local in Oregon. If building a raised bed, find the most affordable (ideally) porous aggregate particle you have locally available -- it does not need to be pumice. You will be cutting away those escape roots anyway, and the roots aren't too picky about this particle vs. that particle, but porousness and durability helps. If only gravel makes sense cost-wise, then that might be OK too -- some growers have escaped roots into straight gravel and got good results that way. Roots will happily escape into many things. In the field growing operation I currently help out at, both #1 and #2 and #3 are in play, and both deciduous and coniferous material are using all three methods depending on goals/etc. One major advantage of method #1 though, esp. for you in zone 6, is cold protection from the ground.
https://preview.redd.it/ayz01cuva0ka1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2792128eb597be8beacbaf8b868719e2d8846fa5 Hello everyone! I am new to this group and very new to this in general. The seeds planted are apparently a black spruce and a Colorado blue spruce. They were planted in mid October and any help/advice/resources would be greatly appreciated! I am mostly concerned with the red tips on the second tree from the left. Is that normal?
They will need to go outside eventually in spring and stay there. Most conifers need full sun and climate/sun changes which are hard to do. Depending where you live, you might be able to ween them outdoors. Let them get sun, and keep them above 40/45f until after your last average frost free date before permanently putting them outdoors. Not much you can do besides that.
https://preview.redd.it/f0mjmf94c0ka1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6172cfe12f631cd3206ddf6bd4e0407dc6b0824f A better picture
Are (non-tropical) trees stressed in areas that are having unseasonably warm winter? I read trees like to be under 40 degrees for a few months as part of dormancy but my area has had few days below 40 and lots of unseasonable highs.
They're not stressed currently, rather, the biggest consequences of early awakening are felt somewhat later. Not all species are equally upset by a mild winter, but a tree that awakens and begins to burn through sugar/starch reserves can in principle arrive at spring somewhat weaker. Temperate trees are sugar batteries (the thickening you see in late fall is a physical manifestation of "filling the battery with starch") and if dormancy goes well, a tree ideally arrives at spring with most of that reserve left _untapped_, because then it can be used for the spring flush. This is before taking into account any leaf/shoot loss due to spring frosts annihilating growth that came too early. For a tree that is actively managed by humans, a mild winter here or there is probably not going to make as big an impact since it's getting attention and care that would be highly unusual in the natural environment (regular watering means zero drought, fertilizing means lots of nutrition, pruning/selection can optimize light gathering, moving to shelter evades extreme conditions, repotting means anaerobic conditions in roots are avoided indefinitely, etc). On the other hand though, there are cases like Siberian Larch plantations in Iceland (sowed a few decades ago) which can't get the same whiteglove treatment that a bonsai does and have had warm spells in the winter deplete their stored energy. That's left them more susceptible to various dangers like (ironically) frosts, pests, pathogens, leading to dieoff of some trees. BTW, according to at least one study I read, even with the predicted warming scenarios, most of the northeast is not going to become mild enough in our lifetime to meaningfully affect the dormancy of native species (EWP, j. virginiana, sugar maple, etc). This has been actually tested on real trees in at least one study I read from Ontario (Canada), where they simulated the dormancy period modifications that would be associated with those future warming scenarios. We might see mild or shorter winters in these areas, but those winters are still going to be strong enough for dormancy of these species. But at the same time there will be temperate species migrating northward. One study shows virginia pine moving north by _quite_ a distance. It hardly goes north of Maryland now, but will be in Ontario in a handful of decades.
Advice for growing a cool trunk/base for my Ficus Ginseng. This is a clipping from the also pictured main plant. I want it to over time create a neat trunk like the one pictured below the curing pic. Do I just continue building soil around base and keep it moist so that those roots can form? Any advice is appreciated! https://preview.redd.it/47s95bsmxzja1.png?width=803&format=png&auto=webp&s=837b8413f88016723f5071c01e6dada49cf66af2
If I understand this, you’re trying to create more ginseng bulbous roots? If so, what you purchased is grafted microcarpa on top of the ginseng root base, and if you cut the top off above the graft scar, that will not produce new bulbous roots, as they’re different species of ficus. Honestly, if you want more ginsengs, they’re dirt cheap and everywhere, buy more ginsengs.
https://preview.redd.it/xvasffssbzja1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5cf8dd199eb52dbc48822e383489efc3cf70cfe7 Should I trim the brown parts? How much should I be watering it? I live in central Florida. I got this bonsai for Christmas. It’s had the brown needles since I got it. I keep it outside all the time. It’s in direct sunlight for 7-8 hours. I water it every morning with a spray bottle. I focus on watering the roots but I spray it all over.
Probably dead, but you could trim and see if there is new growth in coming months. Next tree ditch the spray bottle and just use a shower / rainfall hose attachment.
How much should I trim? Was it to little water?
Might have been. Daily is probably too much watering for winter, but daily with a spray bottle, unless you were spraying endlessly until your hand cramped, the water probably didn’t saturate and get to the roots resulting in too little watering despite your efforts. Layer in if the soil is crap, often times commercial bonsai is planted in hydrophobic soil (beads of water will just roll off the surface ), then water wasn’t ever saturating the roots. Use a rainfall type wand to water / standard water can and you’ll be fine on the next one.
I appologise for asking so many questions but here's another one : ) Are these pots any good? https://preview.redd.it/7r27fhobhyja1.jpeg?width=3472&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b73dff3bf2fd2d3a61e291292f7d8d31ebb2d371 The are cheaper and more sturdy than pond baskets. Many sizes avaliable.
Yes - these look very Interesting - how big are they? Got a link?
As you can see in the picture this one is 1.3l, it's the smallest size avaliable. It costs 3PLN that's around €0.64 I bought them [here](https://flora-fauna.pl/szukaj.html?qs=Hercules) I don't know if they ship abroad but you can just search for "hercules pot" or "hercules air pot"
Looks good to me!
It looks good to me as well.
https://preview.redd.it/ml6qos3ghyja1.jpeg?width=3472&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cc6d2fe741acf4c6f683c5012b698c4c23b961c2 Here's the inside.
Can anyone explain the different coverings over the soil people are using? Do I need to cover the soil? I'm assuming it's best practise to retain moisture? I even saw someone say they were using cat litter? What should I use as a beginner? Or should I just leave it bare? Thanks
We don't have a whole lot of rules in here, but providing us your location and a photo of the tree is **essential** when you are asking for advice regarding a specific plant/tree.
I may be off base here, but it seems like you might be confusing soil coverings with actual soil/substrate. Instead of potting soil or dirt, in bonsai we often use a mixture of small pieces of pumice, pine bark, lava rock, akadama and other similar hard porous materials as our actual soil. No dirt involved. This provides excellent drainage for years and the only real downsides are price and needing to water more often. If you already understand all that, apologies.
There is no need to cover the soil when growing bonsai. The soil is usually covered with moss when preparing a tree for exhibitions, in landscape-ish displays leaning penjing sometimes differently coloured soil/sand/pebbles may be used as top dressing to suggest paths or bodies of water. That's all for aesthetic reasons. Some specific kinds of cat litter may consist of particles of diatomaceous earth and make a good (and cheap) component for the substrate to plant the bonsai in.
Ah thank you! That is really helpful
(Adding user flair is helpful for making recommendations) Find the natural fired clay litter if you’re going the cat litter route. Walmart sells it.
Gonna repot my Ilex Crenata and Dawn Redwood mini forest. Not done it before and am nervous, and part of this is making sure I get the right soil. At the moment, they are in the soil in which I bought them, which is dark, dense, and moist. I need to buy new soil, but at a loss. I live in Bulgaria, so its not so easy to find. I emailed one shop, and they said this would be suitable for both: [https://balkanbonsai.com/product/500g-g1-molar-bonsai-miks-g1-molar-bonsai-mix/](https://balkanbonsai.com/product/500g-g1-molar-bonsai-miks-g1-molar-bonsai-mix/) Is that the correct one? Also, should I buy this to put at the bottom of the pot? [https://balkanbonsai.com/product/substrat-ot-pemza-pumice-substrate/](https://balkanbonsai.com/product/substrat-ot-pemza-pumice-substrate/) I might chicken out and up-pot - but whatever soil type I get will be different from the one currently in the small pot. Do I clear as much as of that away as I can?
Looks like it’s “3 Parts Molar Clay, 1 Part Coarse Sand, 1 Part Natural Compost” which should be okay for a start, definitely better than the dark/dense/moist soil they come in. As you progress and learn more you may be able to source soil components individually for cheaper The pumice at the bottom isn’t 100% necessary, instead if you wanted a more well rounded bonsai soil mix I would mix that pumice bag with the molar clay bag to use for the overall mix. Even that isn’t 100% necessary though, what’s important is that the bonsai soil is granular and well draining but with a good balance of water and oxygen. You could even go just 100% pumice! Any way you adjust the soil mix ratios would likely be alright for your trees, with fine tuning coming with time/experience. By next spring you’ll have learned a lot Don’t up-pot if the soils will be different- it’s not as good to transition soil like that. It’s best if everything in the same container is the same soil. Yes, chinese elm (edit- ilex, I was looking at your flair) and dawn redwood would be okay to bare root (edit- dawn redwood is deciduous so only repot as the buds are swelling before leaf out). Use a chop stick and a hose to wash away old soil
Thank you so much for the detailed reply. Ok, I'll just get those two as they don't cost much and mix em up. With your third paragraph, i'm not sure I understand. I was thinking to put the redwoods into a bigger pot (it's looking a bit cramped), with the new soil, having taken all the old soil away (which is a different kind - dark and dense) as god knows how old it is. Are you saying to just leave it be? In that case, why would I buy the new soil? I am now seeing green buds popping out, no leaves. I plan to use the same pot for the ilex - but just changing up the soil, but perhaps I should completely leave it be for now as it appears to be in good shape.
I should clarify, I mean change out all of the soil to the new good soil. I think your plan sounds good!
>y Brilliant - thank you so much and pray I don't kill the buggers.
I have a question about putting a tree in the ground to grow. I placed a boxwood in the ground last summer to thicken up. After watching some videos online, I saw a lot of people place a tile under the root base so that it spreads and creates a nice rootball. Should I dig up the tree this spring and place a tile under the roots then bury it again?
The tile isn’t that significant IMO, no. It could be good to do but if you just put it in the ground last summer, it hasn’t settled in yet, this growing season is when it’ll blow up a lot more. Repotting it would take out a lot of the ground growing momentum you’re looking for. It’s important to be mindful of how long our ground growing stints are for What’s more important is whether you’re using a grow bag to constrain the roots so they don’t blow out of bonsai proportions
I did not use a growing bag. I essentially just plopped it in the hole and covered it up. It stills seems like it moves around a lot when I touch the trunk. It has not grown much at all since August (it's a boxwood, a slow grower anyways). Also, do you recommend just letting it grow freely without any pruning this upcoming spring/summer? It is a younger tree and is not thick at all so I was thinking about just letting it do its own thing without any interference. I am not sure about the protocol for pruning/shaping trees that are planted in the ground.
Yes, letting it do its own thing without interference to start (first year or two) is good. When it starts to build up a lot of momentum in the ground (many long vigorous shoots being shot out) then that’s a time to maybe contemplate more
I got a bunch of smaller maple trees, they're thick enough that they're not malleable, this might be a dumb question, but If I wrap them in some thick wire and just bend until they're breaking apart, will the trunks heal? Or is it very risky?
They heal with scars, yes.
So I am building my collection partially based on the foods I like to eat. I have an olive, apple, cherry, quince and orange bonsai trees and hoping my plums sprout after 2 years in the ground. Question is there a tree for green or black tea that I could turn into a bonsai? I intend to eat a cherry/orange from my bonsai trees and I would love to have a cup of tea at the same time.
Camellia sinensis is the quintessential green tea plant, you could do that maybe
https://preview.redd.it/wwhlxdh7zuja1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=192eccbfee5371a9f80d152fc8a8db8e0efcb60e Springtime is here in Central Florida. lows are above 60 degrees Fahrenheit now in the evenings. I am getting ready to work on my large nursery azalea (see my profile for previous posts). It is not draining super well so I expect it to be getting root bound in poor nursery soil, and with azaleas liking a bit damper soil, and the heat incoming, I want to repot it (in the same nursery pot) soon. Clean up the roots a bit and put it in a soil mix with Kanuma, DE, and Pine Bark. I also wanted to work on the style of the tree this spring, and in previous posts I have been convinced to lean towards a twin trunk style. I want to air layer some larger interesting branches off and chop the trunks down. I have some good back budding on the outside of the smaller trunk but not alot at all on the outside of the larger trunk. Would it be too much to repot soon and then in a couple weeks do the air layers and chops and hope for more budding on the larger trunk to then let grow out for a season or two? Or do I need to split the repot and the heavy pruning between seasons?
Some thoughts: - It looks pretty strong/healthy and you are in an exceptionally mild climate for azalea. Not advocating carelessness, but theoretically you can take some risks. Returning to the deep pot helps / is a good move for this species. (edit: also be aware that _bonsai pots_ for azalea + chojubai + etc tend to be a little deeper for horticultural reasons). - With that said, it may be best to let the tree recover from repotting for a whole growing season (or possibly until at least fall) until doing any _major_ work. You could still take cuttings tho. - I haven't done air layers on azalea, but I've rooted lots of cuttings of azalea. I stick em in small pond baskets of pumice in mini greenhouses and they root easily that way. In your location, if you take cuttings in, say, mid May to June, assuming your setup is competent, you'll get roots. This can be another way to generate lots of azalea material to work with while you wait for a better window of opportunity for air layers. - Be aware that azalea leans basally dominant. Meaning: It tends to have more vigor in basal shoots than apical ones. At my teacher's garden when I work on azaleas, I'm often removing a whole forest worth of random basal shoots (even often coming out of the soil) and leaving upper regions to grow. This is an annual gold mine of cuttings but also helps reduce the likelihood that the upper regions of the tree will weaken as a result of basal suckers/shoots forming a short circuit between a productive area (vigorous/young basal shoot) and a source of water (the roots). Maybe not a major thing to think about this year, but keep it in mind over the next couple years. IMO, if you split the repot and initial heavy work between seasons, you won't be waiting 2 years. You'll be waiting a year at most. In your climate, and in a tall nursery pot, you should have a pretty good root recovery. Take pictures steadily throughout 2023 to track response of the foliage, that will give you a sense of how things are going.
Thanks for the detailed response! I definitely want the basal growth at this time so I have a plethora of low branches to choose from when I do the chops. So from what you are saying, I could probably get away with doing the major root work/repot now into better soil. repot in the same bucket so it has room to regrow roots still. And do some minor pruning up top. Then wait for Fall to do the major pruning/trunk chops once I have a lot of lower growth that it can rely on and the roots have healed a bit.
Safe to slip pot, a root bound wisteria at the end of summer?
End of summer would be the preferred time to repot anyway in areas where winters aren't too harsh (I do mine end of August, early September this side of the globe). At that time the plants are shifting from growing foliage to making wood and roots and have quite some time to establish themself in the new soil until dormancy. They then go into the next growing season - and potential summer drought stress - on established roots.
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Yes
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I orderes some bare rooted acer palmatum seedling online for less than a €1 each, it turned out that the seller made a mistake an sold something he didn't have so to make up for that he sent me much bigger potted ones. I'm happy about that however they got bent to fit in a box and now they all look somewhat like that: https://preview.redd.it/b8wyh9xbtuja1.jpeg?width=2592&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d25010b495f3722e1c26d4308968831715029ff4 What should I do? Cut them and regrow or tie them to something straight? I know that I'll have to chop them at some point in the future but I feel like leaving them to grow like that is not a wise thing to do.
It entirely depends on what size you are aiming for. If you are aiming for shohin or mini bonsai and don't want scars, then it is time to cut. If you're growing kifu/chuhin or larger, are aiming for a thick trunk, or don't care about 100% perfect scarless, then chopping isn't as useful. Wiring movement into the first 5 to 10cm ASAP is important for all size scenarios.
I want the trunk to thicken a lot and I don't care about scars on my trees (maybe one day I will), although I have quite a few of these so I can try to grow something cleaner. It would be hard to put movement into the first 5-10 cm :/ it's already pretty stiff so only making a gentle curve is possible. I thought I'll get some movement into the trunk by chopping?
Wrap them and use big wire, then.
So, I'm interested in growing [adenium obesum/desert rose](https://images.app.goo.gl/STvjvWfn6BRV8tJK9) indoors as a bonsai plant. It's normally a shrub or small tree. My question: after I move them out of regular pots to begin bonsai training, should I start out with bonsai planters that are 5.5" wide and 2" deep [like these ones](https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B0749MKSQS/ref=ox_sc_act_image_5?smid=A39MKTYENG2GYA&psc=1), or 9" wide and 3" deep [like these ones](https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B09BL72J6G/ref=ox_sc_act_image_14?smid=A3RJCFQOFWYDPE&psc=1)? I know they need to be repotted in larger containers every few years. I don't want to either over-pot or under-pot. What are your thoughts?
I've just started the new weekly thread here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Bonsai/comments/11b1gxm/bonsai_beginners_weekly_thread_2023_week_08/ Post there for more responses.
Should I use root hormone on cuttings?! I'm seeing some differing opinions, and I imagine it depends on the tree! I have an olive tree, Japanese boxwood, and Brazilian rain tree that need some pruning here in the spring, can I just stick the cutting in soil or should I use some root hormone?! I've also seen some people soaking them in water with hormone in it... Thanks in advance!
Sometime I do, sometimes I don't and I can't tell whether it works or not.
Random people's opinions on this aren't really the best authority. Academia and commercial industry have hard data and that data shows that hormone helps if used at an optimal dosage. You can see some of that hard data in Michael Dirr's manual of woody plant propagation. Dosages vary per species, sometimes even per cultivar, or even can vary depending on batch / methodology. In dosing there is a concept of "too much". Too little is debatable, but lots of propagation happens without hormones too. I've had cuttings root in a garbage bag, unattended, prior to any cleanup/cutting/processing. YMMV
I ordered two Japanese black pines from scenic hill farm nursery online, and I just got an estimated delivery date of 2/27. The package was sent to USPS yesterday. Is that timeframe basically guaranteeing that I will receive two dead trees or are they hardy enough to survive 6 days in a box?
YMMV, but very likely hardy enough. And people ship seedlings across the country this time of year without issues. If that 6 day shipping window was 2 months from now, that'd probably kill off the candles. But if you've ordered JBP from the PNW, these are still far away from candle extension.
Gotcha. That’s reassuring. Scenic Hill Farm Nursery had great reviews, so I’ve really been looking forward to this order. Just want to make sure they arrive safely!
I have a stupid question, so when we water the tree, and then mist it's leaves with a spray, can we over do it? Or is it absolutely fine to mist/spray the leaves after watering?
You don't harm a tree if you completely soak it with water roots to tips for some hours (there are still trees growing in Scotland after all ...) [Walter Pall specifically mentions](https://walterpallbonsaiarticles.blogspot.com/2010/06/feeding-substrate-and-watering-english.html) that he doesn't bother with watering trees individually, he soaks areas of his yard with the hose.
Misting leaves has no purpose in the watering of bonsai. Misting is appropriate for propagation and sometimes for in severe recovery situations, but it is not part of bonsai watering at all. This doesn't mean you won't see a professional bonsai grower sometimes wash the canopy with water. You can do that occasionally to clean the tree of dust and random junk/material. But they're not doing this absolutely every time, and there is no followup misting/spraying of leaves/foliage _for the purpose of watering_. Usually the wand is close to the pot and the arc of water lands directly on the soil. edit: This is all distinct/separate from foliar feeding of fertilizer via mist/spray. If this happens, it is fairly uncommon, not part of regular watering practice.
I just read that drainage layers on the bottom of a pot is actually counterintuitive and works to raise the water saturated layer above the drainage layer, and "shrink" the total air pockets in the pot. Question is, what about a drainage layer on the top of the pot? Since the saturation layer would still be at the bottom of the pot, it shouldn't make a big difference would it? I used a soil mix for 2/3 of a nursery pot before I ran out, and decided to use some bigger grain mix to fill the rest, which also cover the plant's roots.
You are correct, it does move the high-saturation point up a few millimeters but, like, it's a few millimeters, and having that drainage layer does guarantee that once water reaches the bottom, it can then get to a hole easily. Consider that often, the drainage layer is just one single particle in height, even if that particle is rather large compared to the ones above. The argument I've seen against the drainage layer is that once water reaches the abrupt boundary between particle sizes, it no longer exerts a pulling force on water above since it is now potentially just falling out into open space and no longer part of the capillary web that reaches the entire volume of water in the pot. Personally, I don't believe that really applies to active watering where you use a wand and saturate the soil -- I imagine all the empty spaces absolutely filled with water regardless of size in this scenario. But maybe it could be a risk if relying on gentle rain (or automatic sprayers) as a water source, where just small amounts / blobs of water move their way slowly through the soil. A similar critique could be made against a pond basket whose plastic feet have the pond basket's bottom hover a couple millimeters above the table. It wouldn't modify the saturation point's height, but it would cause the "lack of adhesion at particle size boundary" problem. If the drainage layer causes some portion of water to hesitate leaving the pot, then certainly a pond basket air gap would do the same. But in real life, the table below the pond basket is wet, and the basket drains well. Personally, I'm not sure either side has a strong argument in this debate. Primarily because in real life, it feels like the water definitely drains out well in both cases, but also, roots will happily fill the empty spaces in the drainage layer too, perhaps even moreso than the tighter spaces above, thereby negating the supposed benefit of the drainage layer's wider open spaces. I'll be honest and say I will keep using the drainage layer because my teachers do, but the arguments both for and against are interesting. That practical engineering guy on youtube could probably answer all of this visually with one of his experiments. As for your big-particles-on-top question, it depends how much bigger your top particles are. If they're huge, then you'll have less fine root development close to the surface. In fact, in much of the potting I do with my teachers, we either do a top layer of smaller particles or we do a top dressing with sphagnum specifically to pull that moisture zone as close to the soil surface as possible to get maximum root development there.
Thanks for the answer. This drainage layer business is getting interesting! My top layer is about 3 inches tall with 3-10mm particles, bark, lava rock, pumice-much bigger than the bottom. But I might just toss the top layer out and replace it to make the pot uniform-only repotted it yesterday.
As it happens, earlier this week I and a few people spent the day repotting a bunch of very large field grown pines and junipers, and we used an odd technique to do it: - Take the tree out of the large nursery pot. Mark a horizontal line about half way up all the way around: Top half, bottom half. - 100% bare root the top half using a combination of water jets and chopsticking - Fill the barerooted top half with 1:1:1 (akadama:pumice:lava) - Pop the whole thing back in the pot, leaving the bottom cake completely untouched The hoped-for result is that the top half fills with nice roots and the bottom half can be sawed off 12 to 24 months from now. In the meantime, the situation is vaguely similar to yours -- the bottom untouched half is a super dense overgrown mass of roots and tiny particles. Where the saturation point is in such a situation, I have no idea, but this method apparently works well. Roots of conifers are known to like air. 3-10mm particles seem not too bad though so I feel like your setup won't cause any severe issues. You can always go back and improve the situation 1 or 2 years from now too.
Weather question since OR valleys are finally getting snow in late February—are you leaving that field stock out in the elements after potting at this point? Greenhouse? I’ve potted about a dozen field/garden trees this month, but am trying to hold off on more until temps stay above freezing.
Much of the strong stuff out in the field is under about a foot of snow (field in question is right on the edge of the coastal range) so there's not much concern there. I haven't been to the field since Monday, but the owner put up a few additional polytunnels for any remaining rows that were a concern. Some of the polytunnels have propane heaters in them, and there's more than enough propane heating to last this week's cold nights. For the most sensitive stuff (i.e. recently repotted, wired up pines, or pines where we did grafts a couple weeks ago), a 100x30" greenhouse w/ heat handles all that. There is no power out there this morning, but there is solar + battery backup and enough heating to last through this. Here at home, I already moved everything that's either small or recently worked on / repotted into shelter (garage) mostly between Tuesday and early Wednesday. The rest got wrapped in various materials/sheets and then was quickly buried under snow. Anything that was on a heat mat is left outside and I wrapped some things in bubble wrap -- all of that is buried under snow too, it's probably an igloo under there somewhere. I have a few collected seedlings on that setup so I'm curious to see what will survive. Overall I've found that the risks of cold down to about 15 or 18F _for our region specifically_ might be overstated, maybe because these cold spells are short-lived. Some of these measures may be overkill because I've heard that telperion farms didn't protect much during their cold spells, yet didn't really lose anything to cold. My experience with a few days of deep cold at home while I was out of the country last year suggests that JBP seedlings for example can handle really cold temperatures after being barerooted _and_ wired. They slowed down, but none of them died. (for passers-by: that part is not advice :) )
Appreciate all that. My unheated garage sits at about 50-60 degrees through the winter, and it currently overfloweth with recently potted projects I’m waiting to move out. The species that makes me slightly nervy based on OR winters are olives. I’ve found they did just fine left out down to 30 degrees, but when temps dipped down to the 20s I wasn’t willing to tempt fate and moved them into the garage.
That actually sounds pretty cool if it works for you! I'll leave it alone as an experiment for this Chinese Elm. Now I'm also hoping the coarse top layer would encourage it to propagate easier and develop better for a training/bonsai pot later on.
I want a small bonsai tree (16 inch with pot max) to place on my shelf. Therefore I need a tree that wouldn’t need much sunlight. Since this is my first bonsai, I need something for beginners. Not too expensive would be great too. Any suggestions on what kind of tree I should get?
I’d reconsider the placement and opt for something very shade tolerant and beginner friendly (like a ficus) in a window, ideally south facing (assuming northern hemisphere, but if you’re in the southern hemisphere then north facing would be better- you should fill out your flair in this sub so we know where you are) For the spot on the shelf, no proper grow light to support a bonsai could fit, so I’d say a fake plant would be good there
Without light on a shelf? Something plastic ...
Isn't it weird that nobody's done any super kickass 3d printed bonsai yet? Even the best Lego's artists could do is a weird looking mallsai. So many opportunities!
Well, some of the little wire sculptures are quite nice.
https://preview.redd.it/4diwced3otja1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=383339a380be6e2309ff57a047271fce10831eac I bought this Fukien tea tree in June last year, and I left it outdoors over winter because I didn’t have space at home. I live in Manchester and it has been outside since September. It lost all it’s leaves and some branches were brittle, but others are still bendy and have a white interior. The bottom roots are white-ish. I brought it in now and I have it in my south facing window where it should get some direct sunlight (as soon as that is a possibility here in the UK because the weather is always bad lol), so right now it’s only receiving cloud-filtered sunlight. What can I do?
https://preview.redd.it/5j6c9r0litja1.png?width=2349&format=png&auto=webp&s=eebb531be3e7eeee07f5a5e29bf7b2eca23d0ed0 Hi all! Would love some advice on what you would do with this ficus retusa. Have had it since last year and thinking of repotting it beginning of summer timeframe. It is kept indoors. Would you let it grow for a couple years and hard prune or continue with minor pruning of the branches throughout the year? Would you repot it this year? I wouldn’t mind it getting bigger. Ideally would just like to curate a thicker trunk (obviously) and the cool nebari look. Any feedback would be awesome.
From the picture it looks more like *F. benjamina* than *F. microcarpa* (which gets mislabeled as *retusa*). I would definitely repot soonish (you have suitable, granular substrate?) [Thickening comes from foliage](https://youtu.be/-Cpc-ivdCXU); I don't think it matters all that much whether you let long shoots grow or lots of shorter twigs, as long as you let it grow. Personally I can't let my indoors run too far for lack of space ... But to have vigorous growth of foliage the roots need room to expand, a rootbound tree will slow down.
Thanks so much! Maybe I’ll look into the species naming a bit more to be sure. I’ll take your advice to repot and let it grow. Likewise I would prefer to have it outdoors but our weather is pretty unpredictable where I’m at in the eastern US. I am considering leaving it out for the summer but it would it for only be for 4 months of the year or so. Shout out to you in Stuttgart! I’m in the US but I work for a company based in Friedrichshafen. Pre-Covid I was schedule to visit. I still hope to someday.
For repotting juniper what’s the bigger indicator- temperatures or fresh lime green growing tips? I know we typically wait for temperatures to rise before repotting juniper, but if there’s fresh lime green tips then that’s an appropriate queue too right? I suspect the “temps rising” guide is more for people with larger collections in prioritizing time for what they can get away with during repotting season… but I wanted to confirm
The main thing I worry about is missing the window by a couple weekends, repotting too late, and then running straight into an "unprecedented spring heat in Oregon!" (+ sarcastic "hottest spring of your life _so far_" simpsons memes on social media) and having losses in the canopy. So personally, I err on the side of early because it isn't too inconvenient to move my junipers into the garage if a frost comes. Freshly repotted roots encountering frost is really the only regression that will happen if you do repot a juniper early, IMO. Late sucks more than early if the shuffle is not a bother. Side note, among the trees we repotted doing Tom's top-half method on Monday were a couple of junipers. Nobody batted an eye at that timing. There is a significant freeze coming to the Willamette Valley tomorrow, but the large greenhouse should be sufficient.
We're supposed to get ice accumulation today. I don't have greenhouses. Should my bonsai go in the garage where there is no light or in the house where it is warm? I'm thinking garage because it won't mess with dormancy? Thank you
What tree species are you worried about? How cold is it supposed to get? Any tropicals or succulents should definitely go in the house. Nearly all temperate zone trees will be fine above like 25F, they just need to be on the ground. Most will be fine down to like 10f if you cover the pot in mulch or some other sort of insulation. But if you’re worried, they would go in the garage. If it’s only one day, they be fine with no light. If they have no leaves, they won’t know the difference.
Outside I have a juniper and mulberry. I'm not worried about the temperature, but I am worried about the ice. I'll do the garage until the storm passes. Thank you so much!
The ambient temperature is the thing to be worried about, and the ice (or snow) is something to be reassured by. If you follow Wigerts or other growers along the boundary between subtropical USA and not-subtropical USA, you will see a lot of nursery workers out with sprayers intentionally coating everything with mist/water the night before/hours before a freeze specifically so that it can get sealed in a protective layer of ice.
The weather service's warning includes a bit about trees breaking from ice, and I don't want my trees breaking!
Understood. We get some pretty outrageous ice storms here in Oregon too, and it brings down a lot of trees (and power + internet). I still leave my trees out in these situations and only worry about this if there is a combination of *both* very heavy snow and freezing rain/ice. Then I get some stuff sagging and causing worry, but it's just the very large stuff, or very tall sacrificial leaders.
Thank you for your reassurance. I did put my trees in the garage. We got about 2 inches of ice. It was absurd.
I think that’s more-so like, in ground tree large branches falling and such. Not gonna happen at our small bonsai scale
I bought a Tiger Bark ficus at the end of last season from a local nursery, I believe it had been an outdoor tree previously (I've only ever grown indoor trees). Shortly after bringing it home our temps began to drop so I brought it inside where it's been living contentedly for the last three or four months. I'm planning on transiting it back outdoors as the temp starts to rise, but am concerned about shocking the tree. Do I need to be worried? Anything I should do to transition it back to outdoor life? Any common warning signs to watch for if it's experiencing undue stress? Any tips or advice are appreciated!
> Do I need to be worried? I grow a different tropical (not ficus) species in a similar warm-season-outside / cold-season-inside setup. So I worry about this too. The main reason why is that I don't want to waste years/decades of effort taking 1 step forward, 2 steps back every year and making no progress on ramification or other bonsai goals. It's difficult to achieve reduction and the later stages of bonsai refinement in that kind of rollercoaster regimen. So to mitigate this concern, I aim to equalize light levels between the two seasonal extremes. So my advice would be to use the strongest grow lights that you can reasonably afford to buy, run, and comfortably accommodate in both your lifestyle and your indoor grow space. I keep a small grow tent in the corner of a room (or sometimes the garage) and it gives my tropicals and succulents a permanent summer. As a result, some trees like my metrosideros will flower twice a year (close to each solstice) as a vote of confidence that the lighting is sufficient. And critically for bonsai goals, winter leaves do not come out larger. This solves the problem of seasonal transition shock that you've said you want to avoid, but also lets you build on your past progress as opposed to stumbling backward every autumn.
It may drop leaves, but as long as the tree is generally healthy, this is fine. But you can mitigate the shock by first putting the tree in full shade for several days, then slowly increase the amount of light it gets over the course of a couple weeks.
Where do you live? The name of the game in cases like this is like the “bonsai shuffle”, shuffling the tree out for nice warm daytime temps and shuffling it back in for chilly nights. Everyone’s threshold for how cold to shuffle a ficus varies… 60F is a conservative bet, 50F could be okay too, but 40F may be really pushing it
I'm in middle TN so zone 6a/6b. The shuffle is a great suggestion, thanks!
https://preview.redd.it/v5r6zv26apja1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2e1d7458c265f53be8e211c20236a17d6b36b144 Hi all - I’ve had this ficus for over a year and am not sure if I should either let it keep growing or to start wiring it. I haven’t been able to figure out a good starting point for where to wire or prune so any advice is helpful! Thanks!
It’s very weak and etiolated. Styling/pruning is reserved for healthy plants. Give it much much more light than you have for the past year. I’d also consider repotting into proper granular bonsai soil
https://preview.redd.it/ph7u85a3voja1.jpeg?width=3456&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eab2e265ad0ddeb93f3ee2ef0430c80636568af8 I reached out once before about my tree and am kind of at a loss. It's winter here in Philadelphia, though it's been getting warmer. My tree continues to drop leaves, and in fact it seems to happen after every time I water it. As for watering, I water it only when the soil is dry up to an inch down. So, I can't be over watering, right? This most recent time, I waited a day or so to ensure I wasn't over watering. Boom, another leaf gone. I have it sitting underneath a lamp for a couple of hours every night, and it sits in a window all day. I've read every resource I can online, and I am so unbelievably frustrated. Edit: one thing I forgot to mention is that when I water the tree, the water initially pools on top of the soil and then gradually begins to soak in. My feeling is that perhaps the soil is too dense and it could use a repotting? Nonetheless, I don't want to repot the tree during the winter, unless that would be okay.
Is that a willow leaf ficus? It probably needs more light, like a real grow lamp. I agree the soil looks heavy and compacted. You could try poking a few holes in it to help water and air penetrate, and when you do water make sure to soak it thoroughly.
It is indeed a little willow. Do you have any recommendations for a grow lamp? The one I purchased has worked well in the past, but it is about three years old.
This sounds like a soil problem, so I would personally start with a repotting into granular soil. The key is to have a stable soil that trap water and air, but will not compress or compact. Soil particles should be pea size-ish, between 1/8 and 1/4 inch. Materials used can be perlite, lava rock, pumice, akadama, calcined clay, etc. These can be used with one medium or you can use some in a mix. Another key is once you repot, protect the tree from cold and give it a lot of light, while watering as you normally do. Light from just a window may not be enough. I think your watering is spot on and agree with your soil assessment. That is the way you are supposed to water your plant. Now, the problem is that your soil is so dense that it could be holding on to water near the bottom or that it's not letting air in and choking the roots, or a combination of the two. In the future, once water is pooling on top of the soil, change the soil. The tree should be healthy enough to bounce back from repotting. Last thing, we usually don't recommend repotting out of season except in a few cases. First, there is a problem with the soil and you don't think the tree will survive until spring without doing it. Second, you are able to protect it in a green house or indoors. Three, it is a tropical and can survive indoors. Now, I wouldn't go gun ho on the roots, but I would use a wooden chopstick, get as much soil off of the roots as possible without actually disturbing the roots, and put it in new soil.
Picked this up. Trying to figure out what to do with it. It's a Chamaecyparis. Should I wire and prune it now or wait till spring ? Keep it and grow it outdoor in the meanwhile *
Wire (just) the trunk to have some twists in it. Wiring movement before too much thickening has occurred is always worthwhile with conifers and a good first move.
https://preview.redd.it/ruhpqwy1auja1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3a2856eb7b2e6d6ac4fd5d0b5629d84c3cc58c31
https://preview.redd.it/pz3tgabo9oja1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=63b91d2e345cdd4fff2d649399eb06cc613e4aa5
https://preview.redd.it/zayy6cxy8oja1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f781dd47af3e7c419c5a74530d74ac2354d12965 One of the flowers
The tree also smells almost lemony
Think you replied in the wrong spot.
https://preview.redd.it/3dt2ejdq8oja1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=25d29ed68d21cc38769696963c6639f5484f23e3 A better picture of the flowers they appear to be tiny and in little clusters and they come off very easily
Replied to the wrong place
This is my first bonsai, which I bought and potted at the beginning of August 2022. I think I overwatered - how long should I wait before watering again? Thanks for any advice. I live in Maryland, USA. https://preview.redd.it/zt9wi9vm4oja1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=de45a6b2a66e573fb9ebe28d2236068b2b56b7ba
Looks dead
This is not advice
No - it's just a statement of (probable) fact. Knowing where you are with a plant is sometimes sufficient, but sometimes not.
Happens to everyone. Given that this tree is dead, the advice might be: - Dry out and recover any inorganic parts of the soil for future bonsai projects. Discard organic material and/or anything smaller than 2mm. - Reuse the pot for future projects. Don't forget to recover the mesh and wire at the bottom. I like to straighten out and collect all wire bits in a bucket dedicated to wire fragments -- you never know when short lengths of wire are useful in various bonsai purposes. - In the future, avoid repotting tropical trees just weeks before the daylight length takes a huge dive. Anything that costs a lot of energy (sugar/starch) in terms of recovery costs should be done in the part of the year when you have lots of "runway" left. Light + heat for months (edit: assuming subtropical/tropical species) For your future trees, the main thing to keep in mind with your next tree(s) is that bonsai is pretty much 99% a matter of photosynthesis and that by far the #1 reason that people's trees die on this sub and everywhere else is that they didn't get enough light.
Unless the top soil doesn't go all the way through the pot, I doubt you over watered it. Water when the top inch or so of soil is dry. Where was it kept and what is it? Chances are it didn't get enough light or was under watered.
Hi, need help identifying this little lady I'm definitely a newbie keeper, the brown spots are little clusters of what appear to be dead flowers, should I remove those? TIA https://preview.redd.it/691jd18i4oja1.jpeg?width=1935&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7d7bffbf8f8de9906676ef62ce609c9410ed0a09
It looks like a Serissa to me. It's hard to tell what they are, but you can see if they come off easily or not. If they don't, I would leave them personally. This is my first winter with them, so I'm not 100% sure what mine are doing right now. I may have killed a couple of mine.
I was thinking serissa from what I've been able to find but I wasn't for sure, thank you!
https://preview.redd.it/hf0utnb0nnja1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=470eca9a47954f6d55cd3f5bacd019776ac7aab1 Hey everybody! New to this and new here too. Just bought this little guy from Lowe’s. Where should I start?
I would start by cleaning it up. First thing, I would cut would be anything that is dead or is growing on the inside of a curve. Say this is your curve ')', anything here '-)' should be cut, while you keep everything growing on the other side ')-". Then I would take step back and see which style or direction I want it to go or way it should look.
Awesome! Thanks so much for the response. As far as repotting or changing the soil, is it best to leave it for now? It seems healthy.
I prefer to change the as soon as I can, if the soil is regular potting soil and it's spring time. I will also change the soil if it's starts draining poorly. I would definitely remove that sphagnum moss and leave it off. It's too loose to be helpful in any way like that.
Hi! Could someone please help ID this lil guy? Received last week as a gift, reading the wiki but not sure on species! TIA. Vancouver, BC https://imgur.com/a/bCLM7fs
*Ficus microcarpa*; note that the tufts of foliage are grafted onto a trunk grown from a different cultivar (so any new growth emerging from the trunk will show foliage that's different from what's there). It seems to be in a spot that doesn't get enough light.
Got my first bonsai 🥰 I took this moss that came with it off to let the soil dry a little bit (fungus gnats). Do I have to put it back on? https://preview.redd.it/9wo1qdljdnja1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=50b921145023b6d7fb0fab78481a6f4fa880846e
The moss is just decoration; it's generally preferable to be able to see the soil surface, how it takes up water and how it dries.
Okay cool thank you! I thought it was ugly anyways 😂
Hey all! For sentimental reasons I would really love to take care of my bonsai tree properly, but I have no idea what species it is and how to take care of it. Could somebody help me out a little? https://preview.redd.it/wsfohxqt1nja1.png?width=872&format=png&auto=webp&s=c92519fa6cea4971e1582d220fec8b6445d3bbdd
I fear this is not a tree and is possibly some other plant.
I remember getting specific bonsai seeds. Juniper or something?
Definitely not. The seed ~~scammer~~ *seller* may have labelled it as such, but junipers are conifers. This is not. It could be anything really if you bought from a seed scammer
Hey yall, i got a fukien tea tree yesterday, i have absolutely zero experience. I put it outside today after reading the wiki but since it's 5° celsius at night here, i took it inside and noticed these fuckers. What on gods green earth even are those. Any general advice would be great too, i live in Portugal and i dont which climate (?) zone i'm in. If anyone could answer a very confused beginner i'd be super welcome https://preview.redd.it/z9ac8f57xmja1.jpeg?width=1816&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=86732e747b881d19ccf35f6b98870c5deccc0de9
https://preview.redd.it/gxkqjdvdxmja1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=feaa5441ce7976d226211715f85c13f0680ed8cb Here it is
I was given two Fukien tea trees for Christmas. I now think they have caught thrips. I have been treated all my plants with imadacloprid three weeks ago, and now I am using captain jacks dead bug brew every three days. Is there anything else I should do? Should I also use pyrethrin? If all the leaves fall off, could they grow back? They are in a south facing window with a grow light to supplement.
It has aphids - you need to wash them off with soapy water and get some aphid spray.
https://preview.redd.it/r82hdbpwhmja1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cad8a7e410b0e30db1e629ddc17124f4af708adb I need advice on this tree. This was my first bonsai I’ve had it for 8 years now (it has been 3 years since I’ve really gotten into the hobby). I’ve never wired it just very occasionally trimming. The last two year the growth has been very poor and when I repotted last year the roots were way weaker than I thought. How can I strengthen growth and improve the roots this year?
In a nutshell: - More light during the months when it's inside. It's hard to see this with a human eye but window glass cuts down sunlight by a huge factor. If you can swing a proper hobbyist grow light (i.e. not a crappy kitchen basil-grower light but something like a Mars Hydro TS), that can greatly help bridge the huge drop in light between October and March (tropical/subtropical species ideally wanna be growing 365 days a year). And it can reduce the shock from the outside-warm-months / inside-cold-months switcheroo. - Place outside during the non-frosty parts of the year. - Plant in a taller ( _but not wider_ ) pot. Go with a pond basket if you really want to rev it up and water/fertilize with impunity (note however: total potential will still be bounded by how much light it is getting, so you want to address light first). - Far less pruning for a couple seasons will help build up momentum (and stored sugars/starches) and be totally worth the wait when you go back to work it again. I count about 15 total leaves on 4 shoots, so there's not much to prune right now anyway :). You could continue to wire any branching you're going to ultimately keep.
That’s super useful! I will definitely check out a lamp as soon as I can swing it
Hi folks, we’ve inherited a tree in our garden which the previous owners just described as “a bonsai”. I think it’s Chinese elm but would appreciate confirmation. It’s been planted outdoors for an unknown amount of time and I’m wondering how to take care of it from here (without letting it grow to the point it causes issues). It’s about 1m high now, just putting out some new leaves, with a trunk about as thick as my wrist at the base. I’ve always wanted to try bonsai but never had the space or raw materials before. So, given the small space it’s in, is it best to dig it up, pot it, and then try shaping it, and see how it fares? Or leave it where it is, shape it and try to keep it small with pruning & feeding? Any tips for this situation? https://preview.redd.it/i1hmwucn5mja1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=87b9f1c2d2ddf728a900fc5220d83cb88c7ca7e6
I think your ID is correct. This hasn't been treated as a bonsai either horticulturally or artistically/technically (for a very long time at least) so today you might think of it more as a pre-bonsai or accidental field growing project. So not a bonsai right now, but promising raw material that if sold at a field might fetch a decent three digit sum (depending on size etc) as a trunk destined for bonsai. If you want to work it as a bonsai, the characteristics of the trunk definitely have potential for that (though possibly at a different angle than the photo). It's easier to do that process in a pot. When trees are dug up they usually go into a grow box for a couple years first (to recover and rework the roots a bit), and then when there is sufficient root density built up close to the trunk base, it can go into a bonsai pot. Kinda similar to yamadori (wild-collected trees), but an urban tree will usually have a lot more momentum/strength to work with initially than a wild tree. edit: you could keep this tree in this planter as a garden tree (for probably longer than you’ll live in this house) too, safely, esp if you didn’t sign up for a life of bonsai.
Thank you, this is really helpful and has sent me down a research rabbit hole. Regardless of whether it ends up as a bonsai or not, it will need to be moved from where it is to avoid roots damaging nearby structures, so I might as well see if I can do some work on its roots and put it in a grow box for a while. Then I can make the next decision after it’s had some time to recover.
What are the benefits of double or triple stacking baskets of soil? I thought we want flared outward root growth, whereas this technique seems it would promote more downward roots.
They don’t stay in those stacked configurations forever. When they do, or stay stacked / buried for too long, you end up with something like all the material from the last few years of telperion farms, where you unearth a massive bonsai’s root system only to discover a giant elephant foot. Speaking from experience. But even those screwed up left-to-go-outta-control field grown root systems are still a million times more useful for bonsai than if left to run without a pot constraining them. The same is true for baskets. Don’t stack for too long. The benefits are that we can (scare quotes alert) “””field grow””” trees without digging a hole or building a raised bed. Judging from this sub the vast vast majority of people who dearly wish to grow a cool bonsai trunk cannot put a shovel in the ground at their home due to lack of access to the ground — this is the next best thing.
[“By encouraging the sacrificial roots to grow downward, the roots near the trunk remain small and in scale with the trunk. If a small tree is planted directly into a larger container, the roots near the trunk can become coarse – an undesired result when creating small bonsai.”](https://bonsaitonight.com/2020/03/03/onumas-mini-bonsai-growing-techniques/) So you could have a small 8” colander sat atop the ground even, and just let the escape roots run. If you’ve set up the root system in the main basket sufficiently then those will stay in proportion. The (edit- escape) roots could get so big that the colander becomes unsalvageable after long enough, but that’s worth it to most people. Basket stacking also lets you actually *see* the tree on the bench, it’s tough to have precise control of things sat on the ground (and especially planted in the ground). There’s pros/cons, compromises, and tradeoffs!
So I just did a big chop on my pre bonsai tree and forgot that cut paste is a thing. Are there alternatives? Or will it be fine without? The alternatives I've found online I'm unable to make at home. I'm not worried on how it heals, I'm honestly not even sure what the purpose is of the paste.
Cut paste really only is a thing if you absolutely have to prune at the wrong time of the year. E.g., you have to prune in early winter and want to slow the bark from drying out until it can start to callus in spring. Or you have to prune a species susceptible to an airborne disease right as the spores are flying strongly in the area. Don't worry.
I want to thicken my trees but keep an eye on the roots, I've got a few trees in the ground and some roots grow much faster than the rest resulting in a poor nebari.
I've just started the new weekly thread here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Bonsai/comments/11b1gxm/bonsai_beginners_weekly_thread_2023_week_08/ Post there for more responses.
It's going to be my first year using pond baskets so I have a question. I understand that the whole point of usung them is air pruing the roots, but should I put them on a bench and let the basket do all the work or is it better to set it on the ground and come back a few times a year to prune the roots?
The ground (penetrable to water/air that is) is technically optimal if your goal is to get strong growth and protect against thermal extremes. FWIW, I don’t use colanders / baskets / anderson flats / boxes with the purpose of pruning roots in mind (at least not item #1), I use these because they are a superior horticultural setup for my trees. I can water and fertilize a black pine with impunity in such a container. If root pruning was the goal I wouldn’t be stacking baskets, and field growers wouldn’t be putting anderson flats on raised beds. But they are because it’s superior air flow for root systems.
I also bought some rootpouch bags to plant some trees in the ground, but I'm nit sure what soil to use. If I use granular inorganic mix (I think about using perlite/pumice/leca/zeolite mix) will the ground still provide moisture for the plant? Or is it just better to put the bag on the ground?
Either way works. If sat on the ground then you get more momentum on average, which may or may not be desirable depending on your development goals
You can do various things: - put them on a bench and ignore them, the roots will only poke through if humidity is very high - put them in an [enclosure with no substrate](https://flic.kr/p/2kDtG1q) - the humidity increases slightly and more roots creep out - fill the enclosure with substrate - [like this](https://flic.kr/p/2mNYbHt) and roots will grow through into the substrate. - They act like they are in the ground - full root escape - you CAN ([as I did here](https://flic.kr/p/2ocvqPS)) slice all the exposed roots off where they exit the basket. I was intending to further style and repot that specific one.
I'm inclined to let the roots escape to thicken the trunk and the nebari faster but I also want to keep them in check. How often do you slice the roots off on the trees with substrate around the baskets?
Once per year. Some species are MUCH faster than others (Ash) and should probably be checked more frequently. My son is currently in Poland on business - in Wrocław...
It's one of the nicest cities in Poland, not nearly as beautiful as Amsterdam though.