Newb question about potential in tree, to buy or not to buy a lemon

[blackadam]

Pictures straight from advertisment


160 cm (about 63 inch) tall no info about trunk dimensions
Stands out by trunk, roots, price from almost everything available or near my price range but still looks like stick (but thick!) in a pot..
I guess creating bonsai from this tree would require some radical chop (prob air layer to not waste all those years tree devloped)
How much effort and time this tree require to become bonsai (and a lemon tree from eventuall leftover from layering?)
Or rather i should not bother because lack of skill and yard?

 

[WIlliam_Butler_Yeets]

I wouldn't. No trunk movement, roots are all crisscrossing and a mess.

 

[Attmos]

Lemon tree? ...or Elm?

 

[Wulfskaar]

I wouldn't. No trunk movement, roots are all crisscrossing and a mess.

I think the roots could be cleaned up with successive repots and movement could be gained with a low chop and future growth.

Still not sure if it's worth it with a lemon tree though.

 

[blackadam]

Lemon tree? ...or Elm?

sems lemon

No trunk movement, roots are all crisscrossing and a mess.

Yeah i know, there is mess in roots, wonder how much work (and years) to fix
Marked parts i like in that tree
Tree is listed at 82$, my thickest lemon is 5 years old and 0.43" and rather my beard reach my ankles before i get it to similiar thickness
Hard to find something nice under 100$ here btw

Still not sure if it's worth it with a lemon tree though.

I fell in lemons way before bonsai caught my interest, still looking for some starting material for bonsai, something with chance i dont kill it and i gonna like, and at least twice trunk thick than plants i already have - hardly anything catches my eye or is insanely priced for a stick ;/

 

[Jrmcmich]

Is the lemon worth the squeeze?

 

[nuttiest]

When buying citrus if there are discolored areas on any branches cut off, this likely had dieback and you will have a really hard time getting any new wounds to callus.

 

[blackadam]

When buying citrus if there are discolored areas on any branches cut off, this likely had dieback and you will have a really hard time getting any new wounds to callus.

U mean those grey areas where branches were before cut? Looks like very old cut, maybe even dead wood - fresh and few year cuts on my lemons looks much diffeent
I actually never bought a tree "normal way" in "normal price" (compared to other lemons and other citrus and other trees available on local craiglists equivalent price looks like a bargain, tree itself is best thing i could find ) thats why I am asking (cherry was dirt cheap so doesnt count )
If this lemon cost like 10$ it probably would be traveling to my place now..

 

[bonsaichile]

That tree is garbage. I would pass it over

 

[Desert O'Piñon]

I don't know citrus, but it seems chlorotic to me. Of course, if this were true, I'm sure someone else would have mentioned that. I agree with the assessment that the trunk is rather boring, and the roots, although strong, look like too much work for that kind of financial and time investment on a tree that may or may not someday down the line become a bonsai tree.

 

[blackadam]

yellow leaves could be easy to fix by worm juice and better watering, have some on mine earlier

too much work for that kind of financial and time investment

and this is best thing i found... :/
gonna keep looking for someting better , trying to thick mine stems and growing beard

 

[Desert O'Piñon]

and this is best thing i found... :/
gonna keep looking for someting better , trying to thick mine stems and growing beard

I've finally started to develop a bit of restraint myself. It's hard to pass on a tree that  might have potential in some aspects but might be too much trouble in other areas. I'm finding it as difficult as practicing patience with the work on my trees.

 

[RoadManDenDron]

Put the money you were prepared to spend on this tree into your 'bonsai jar' along with any other trees you're considering to buy

And when you have enough money in the jar buy a decent piece of pre bonsai material

Do you have a local bonsai club? The same money would likely get you a better start at your club

 

[blackadam]

Do you have a local bonsai club?

Nothing in my range (under 100 km)/ im aware of - keep lookin

It's hard to pass on a tree

It was not even that hard

practicing patience with the work on my trees.

after some fails and screw ups wih my plants ill rather wait.. or grow something to play with

buy a decent piece of pre bonsai material

Most things available online and labeled as pre-bonsai looks worse than my stick in a pot, much young trees offered are very high grafts and mallsais are mostly ugly fat root ficus
also need something to practice work with before i spend money on something decent

 

[Attmos]

Nothing in my range (under 100 km)/ im aware of - keep lookin

It was not even that hard

after some fails and screw ups wih my plants ill rather wait.. or grow something to play with

Most things available online and labeled as pre-bonsai looks worse than my stick in a pot, much young trees offered are very high grafts and mallsais are mostly ugly fat root ficus
also need something to practice work with before i spend money on something decent

If you want to work on watering and just generally keeping a bonsai alive, you might want to get a Fukien Tea Tree bonsai.

I guess if you can keep one of them alive, you can keep any bonsai tree alive.

 

[RoadManDenDron]

Most things available online and labeled as pre-bonsai looks worse than my stick in a pot, much young trees offered are very high grafts and mallsais are mostly ugly fat root ficus
also need something to practice work with before i spend money on something decent

I didn't want to plug really but i mostly meant from bonsai plaza tbh

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Any time you are looking at a citrus tree, make sure you know what you are looking at - particularly if you are planning major pruning work close to the base. At least in Southern California, 100% of all citrus trees were grafted - and they tended to be grafted on non-fruiting hybrid rootstock that was highly resistant to certain diseases and viruses. Any citrus tree that I would buy in SoCal came with two tags - one for the cultivar/budstock and one for the rootstock. The rootstock might support cultivars with heavy fruiting, while not fruiting itself. The rootstock would also determine whether the final tree would be full-sized, semi-dwarf, or dwarf. Some rootstock might even be cold hardy and deciduous - while the cultivar was evergreen. In some nurseries I saw trees where the budstock had died off - leaving just a very strong and healthy rootstock... which was never going to fruit.

This is a long-winded way of saying: if you buy a citrus tree with a high graft, or prune low enough, you may end up with a very different tree than what you were expecting to end up with.

(Just one example of a place selling citrus rootstock)

Many healthy lemon trees are ever-bearing (unlike limes, oranges, grapefruits, pomelos). I get nervous any time I see a lemon tree without obvious fruit.

 

[blackadam]

I saw trees where the budstock had died off

incompability, there are few combinations that just dont work - this bites me recently (or i screwed grafting)
btw, on that site u linked flying dragon (one of cultivars i fell in) is listed like 10x cheaper than here - if available mostly seen archival listings

grafted on non-fruiting hybrid rootstock that was highly resistant to certain diseases and viruses.

or better adapted to local climate and certain types of soil
most nursery plants hee are very high grafts planned for ball shaping - acer and prunus same thing - grafted at least at 1 meter (cherry i got was only one plant gafted low available online for few months)
i rather looking for hobbyist plants (from seed or popagated via cuttings but at least 10 years preferably more in good price) commecial starts at 1000$ for big trees
and with my limited space i need compact one
main problem is only few of them will send via local mail or courier

I get nervous any time I see a lemon tree without obvious fruit.

fruits on too young plants also can be an issue pic from some gardening forum iirc

I didn't want to plug really but i mostly meant from bonsai plaza tbh

shiping may be issue - another continent

Fukien Tea Tree bonsai.

cheap (like 30$) things have trunk thinner than my lemon, things slightly thicker are more expensive that lemon started this topic...
and i really want something thicker trunk need to step up a bit and learn something more

practicing patience

seedlings growing for next year fusion projects, at least got confirmations from some advertisments online that citrus do fuse

 

[Attmos]

incompability, there are few combinations that just dont work - this bites me recently (or i screwed grafting)
btw, on that site u linked flying dragon (one of cultivars i fell in) is listed like 10x cheaper than here - if available mostly seen archival listings

or better adapted to local climate and certain types of soil
most nursery plants hee are very high grafts planned for ball shaping - acer and prunus same thing - grafted at least at 1 meter (cherry i got was only one plant gafted low available online for few months)
i rather looking for hobbyist plants (from seed or popagated via cuttings but at least 10 years preferably more in good price) commecial starts at 1000$ for big trees
and with my limited space i need compact one
main problem is only few of them will send via local mail or courier

View attachment 613011

fruits on too young plants also can be an issue pic from some gardening forum iirc


shiping may be issue - another continent


cheap (like 30$) things have trunk thinner than my lemon, things slightly thicker are more expensive that lemon started this topic...
and i really want something thicker trunk need to step up a bit and learn something more

seedlings growing for next year fusion projects, at least got confirmations from some advertisments online that citrus do fuse

I was pretty much just making a joke, not really a suggestion.

 

[RoadManDenDron]

another continent

Sorry! I thought you meant Poland like you know, Poland haha

I thought you were using $ to be polite with the majority of folks on here being USA!

Learn something new every day