Newbies - want to share your trees?

[AdamE88]

I’m also what you could say COVID newbie, I’ve got three nursery projects to go at two junipers and a hinoki Cyprus, I’ve got a ficus which I transferred to a bonsai pot the other day and a elephant bush also transferred the other day, these are both still young so hopefully they’ll develop into nice trees. I’ve got some sakura seeds in stratification Aswell as a maple,pine and beech my pine have sprouted already after 2 weeks on a cool windowsill the others are In cold stratification for the next 4-6 weeks. I’m looking forward to them growing up and watching them develop and nurturing them into beautiful specimens. So here’s my start up all criticism welcome.

 

[SmallTree]

Nice! I have that shelf, survived a recent storm we had (quite a mild storm but I was still pretty impressed!)

I've got it wired to my fence though, not sure if you've got any means of securing it? Not sure it'd hold up in really strong winds without being secured

its in the bottom of my garden and its pretty sunk in surrounded by walls, so no wind really gets in. Few weeks ago my thermometer was showing temperature in the 40s when the front garden thats wide open was high 20s lol

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I’m also what you could say COVID newbie, I’ve got three nursery projects to go at two junipers and a hinoki Cyprus, I’ve got a ficus which I transferred to a bonsai pot the other day and a elephant bush also transferred the other day, these are both still young so hopefully they’ll develop into nice trees. I’ve got some sakura seeds in stratification Aswell as a maple,pine and beech my pine have sprouted already after 2 weeks on a cool windowsill the others are In cold stratification for the next 4-6 weeks. I’m looking forward to them growing up and watching them develop and nurturing them into beautiful specimens. So here’s my start up all criticism welcome.

Nice collection, young, time will improve all of them.

 

[AdamE88]

Nice collection, young, time will improve all of them.

Thank you sir, I’m after some advice on repotting/root cutting and wireing ahh hell I need a ton loads of advice. Basically I’ve got some 6 inch pots for my nursery trees at the moment they are In 2 litre pots question 1. Would the 6 inch pots be ok 2.im scared to cut too much root off it’s the end of August here in the uk and at the moment it’s a wet week would I be ok root cutting my junipers or should I leave it till winter? And my hinoki Cyprus looks too pretty at the moment I don’t want to ruin it should I just go ahead and repot or wait a while?

 

[AdamE88]

And are cherry blossoms truly hard to grow and maintain?

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Thank you sir, I’m after some advice on repotting/root cutting and wireing ahh hell I need a ton loads of advice. Basically I’ve got some 6 inch pots for my nursery trees at the moment they are In 2 litre pots question 1. Would the 6 inch pots be ok 2.im scared to cut too much root off it’s the end of August here in the uk and at the moment it’s a wet week would I be ok root cutting my junipers or should I leave it till winter? And my hinoki Cyprus looks too pretty at the moment I don’t want to ruin it should I just go ahead and repot or wait a while?

Edit your profile to include roughly how far north or south in the UK you are, it will get you better advice.

I'm in North America, Chicago area, for us it is too late to do most repotting. The "normal" repotting season is late winter, early spring. If I were you, all repotting should wait until spring.

Hinoki cypress, now (late summer) is an acceptable time to prune foliage, but if you like it as is, no need to prune. Bonsai techniques are done to improve appearance, if you like it as is, don't prune.

So no repotting of any of your trees in August, they all should be done in spring.

Now, late summer through autumn is a good time to wire most trees including junipers. Pruning in this time period should be less than 25% of the total foliage.

In the mean time, between now and spring you can read up on the many threads and tutorials on junipers, Hinoki, and your other species of trees. In the "Other Conifers" section there's many threads on Hinoki.

"Flowering" section has threads on flowering cherries, including Sakura.

Sakura are somewhat tricky in that they are disease prone, but much depends on your local climate. I'm not familiar with your climate, so I really can't help much.

Hope this helps.

 

[AdamE88]

Edit your profile to include roughly how far north or south in the UK you are, it will get you better advice.

I'm in North America, Chicago area, for us it is too late to do most repotting. The "normal" repotting season is late winter, early spring. If I were you, all repotting should wait until spring.

Hinoki cypress, now (late summer) is an acceptable time to prune foliage, but if you like it as is, no need to prune. Bonsai techniques are done to improve appearance, if you like it as is, don't prune.

So no repotting of any of your trees in August, they all should be done in spring.

Now, late summer through autumn is a good time to wire most trees including junipers. Pruning in this time period should be less than 25% of the total foliage.

In the mean time, between now and spring you can read up on the many threads and tutorials on junipers, Hinoki, and your other species of trees. In the "Other Conifers" section there's many threads on Hinoki.

"Flowering" section has threads on flowering cherries, including Sakura.

Sakura are somewhat tricky in that they are disease prone, but much depends on your local climate. I'm not familiar with your climate, so I really can't help much.

Hope this helps.

I’ve updated my whereabouts now, I’m central uk on the east coast I’ve got a south facing garden that is quite sheltered from the wind with high fences and it gets the sun (when it arrives) allday.

I’m going to have a go at wiring my junipers these next coming weeks and will leave the repotting till spring as advised.
My hinoki does need wiring and a little bit of pruning so I’ll go ahead with that Aswell.

one of my junipers has gone into a cascade style naturally so I’m going to keep it that way and wire appropriately.

thanks again for your advice I’ve only two Sakura’s in for germination so I’ll see how they turn out before I try something different.

 

[zanduh]

My deshojo with many curves and my baby chishio improved. Plan is to get the deshojo into a bigger pot to help the speed of the trunk and work on the nebari. The graft on the chishio improved is high up so i’ll air layer above that point in a few years.

 

[Vali]

I'm starting to believe I airlayered the wrong tree. This prunus has gone mad. It's the second year it pushes flowers twice a year.

 

[Kingpoutine]

Covid started this.. I'm alittle scared for winter because my climate sucks but we will see what happens...

 

[zanduh]

Covid started this.. I'm alittle scared for winter because my climate sucks but we will see what happens...

fantastic group and bench you have for just starting from covid! Do you have an unheated garage you can put them in for the winter?

 

[Kingpoutine]

fantastic group and bench you have for just starting from covid! Do you have an unheated garage you can put them in for the winter?

That's my plan it gets so cold here I'm still scares for some of the less hardy trees.

 

[Vali]

Covid started this..

Wow...COVID was good to you

 

[SmallTree]

That's my plan it gets so cold here I'm still scares for some of the less hardy trees.

Where are you from and how low do the temps get ?

 

[Kingpoutine]

Where are you from and how low do the temps get ?

Im in Canada Alberta and my area is rated at a zone 3a/4 people it gets below -30c sometimes as low -40c I have some local trees that are cold hardy and think will do ok in the unheated garage.. but I have some maples/azalea/black pine seedlings that aren't so hardy and I'm not too sure what exactly I'm going to do yet...

 

[SmallTree]

Im in Canada Alberta and my area is rated at a zone 3a/4 people it gets below -30c sometimes as low -40c I have some local trees that are cold hardy and think will do ok in the unheated garage.. but I have some maples and some other trees that aren't so hardy and I'm not too sure what exactly I'm going to do yet...

Omg that is cold. From what ive been reading alot of bonsai will die from -10 and lower but im in Scotland so pretty rare for it to get that cold.

 

[Kingpoutine]

Omg that is cold. From what ive been reading alot of bonsai will die from -10 and lower but im in Scotland so pretty rare for it to get that cold.

I've literally read that doing bonsai in zone 3 is a waste of time.. so I've been pretty discouraged and scared for winter.. my garage has a house furnace in it but I donno if there is a away to regulate it to like -5 or something without it still being too warm/to cold for the trees to over winter... I've also seen some cold weather guys put heat tapes on the root balls to keep them from freezing but the investment of that might be a bit much for me .. there is some locals that do it but how they over winter their trees successfully I'm not sure

 

[Kadebe]

I've literally read that doing bonsai in zone 3 is a waste of time.. so I've been pretty discouraged and scared for winter.. my garage has a house furnace in it but I donno if there is a away to regulate it to like -5 or something without it still being too warm/to cold for the trees to over winter... I've also seen some cold weather guys put heat tapes on the root balls to keep them from freezing but the investment of that might be a bit much for me .. there is some locals that do it but how they over winter their trees successfully I'm not sure

Isn't it an option to put your pots in a box and cover them with vermiculite?

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I've literally read that doing bonsai in zone 3 is a waste of time.. so I've been pretty discouraged and scared for winter.. my garage has a house furnace in it but I donno if there is a away to regulate it to like -5 or something without it still being too warm/to cold for the trees to over winter... I've also seen some cold weather guys put heat tapes on the root balls to keep them from freezing but the investment of that might be a bit much for me .. there is some locals that do it but how they over winter their trees successfully I'm not sure

Don't give up. If at all possible, talk to some of the locals about doing bonsai in Alberta, Canada. If you can heat an area and keep it between -5 to + 4 C that would work well, this would allow you to grow quite a number of Japanese species and species from more temperate areas. If you use your garage for this purpose, in addition set the trees in cheap but large styrofoam coolers. The coolers will help minimize the wild swings of temperature for when the door opens on a cold day, or the sun comes out on a warm day and overheats the garage.

But definitely seek out the Alberta bonsai club(s), talk to members and find out what they grow, and which species need no special treatment.

Bonsai is really difficult in very cold climates. You might also consider and indoor under lights garden, in which you keep only warm weather species. Tropicals and sub-tropicals for bonsai.

 

[Toshi]

I reckon the pot could be wider.

But that's not why I'm here....you can't test your soil mix with a ficus.....

It's like seeing if kerosene will amplify a fire.

Plus, it's never a test of your soil, always a test of your attention to detail when it comes to watering.

Sorce

Really, wider? I thought the large size of the pot already dwarfs the tree, and was considering a bit shallower at next repot.

Cheers for the sagely advice re the watering!