Noticing gnats...since I switched to BGI's soil and Bougain for Bougainvilleas

[Cadillactaste]

Not too thick since it's been in a bonsai pot most of that time. Maybe 3-4 inches at the base.

Thicker than mine...I repotted mine to help let it thicken the trunk. I was advised to leave the branches grow and the trunk to thicken. Which that is the plan. They like being rootbound as you know. So I went two inches bigger with a pot as also suggested. So I just smile as the buds open. Just seeing that makes me happy. Because it dropped little leaves from shipping and the repotting.

 

[Beng]

As promised heres a few pics of my tree, it's only been styled once but its lived in a pot for around 10 years. It's been in this soil for about 3 years so it needs to be repotted this year as it's beginning to decompose.

I may change it's potting angle to something like in the last picture as well as the pot, and reposition it's branches this summer. Been toying with the idea of lopping off that large chunk shooting off to the right to have a cleaner trunk line but haven't done it yet. I may do a bunch of carving on it this year as well.

 

[Cadillactaste]

As promised heres a few pics of my tree, it's only been styled once but its lived in a pot for around 10 years. It's been in this soil for about 3 years so it needs to be repotted this year as it's beginning to decompose.

I may change it's potting angle to something like in the last picture as well as the pot, and reposition it's branches this summer. Been toying with the idea of lopping off that large chunk shooting off to the right to have a cleaner trunk line but haven't done it yet. I may do a bunch of carving on it this year as well.

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Beautiful! I hope you continue to share with us (me) photos once you do...do anything with it. I love the angle of the last photo as well.

 

[lordy]

Ditto. I like the look of the tree a lot. Also the proposed new angle suits the design, I think.
The bracts seem as though they are multi-colored. Is that the case, or is it an anomaly of the photo?

 

[Nybonsai12]

Great looking tree Ben, thanks for sharing. Does that big chunk have growth coming out of it or is it all dead wood?

 

[Beng]

Ditto. I like the look of the tree a lot. Also the proposed new angle suits the design, I think.
The bracts seem as though they are multi-colored. Is that the case, or is it an anomaly of the photo?

They come in as a faded orange then change to a brilliant orange, then pink. The different colors show the order they've come in. Eventually they will fade from pink to a grey thin out and fall off. It's started loosing a few leaves here and there for winter or what winter we have here anyway so I assume it will stop flowering soon as well.

 

[Beng]

Great looking tree Ben, thanks for sharing. Does that big chunk have growth coming out of it or is it all dead wood?

That big chunk on the right has growth. The top of the trees a old jin that I never really completed, but over the past 10 years it's become more likable. As for the stump on the right I actually cut off all its growth when I first styled it last spring/summer. But it has been a stubborn thing and keeps pushing new growth from the stump no matter how often i pluck it off. Unless I carve it that tiny branch coming from the stump will soon become an integrated part of the crown again. I like the shape it forms but at the same time it's beginning to cause reverse taper having the two large stumps so it's most likely going to get carved to one degree or another. I want to sweep the movement of the tree to the left as in the tilted pic, but I don't plan to tilt it quite that far I just didn't have any shims at the time of the picture.

 

[KennedyMarx]

I wouldn't use that soil for a your bougie again. I'm sure it's fine for them, but probably not the best for containerized bonsai where we want better fine feeder root growth. Something you could do now to help fight the gnats is to put a small fan near the plant to get better airflow in the area.

I have my bougie in an almost completely inorganic mix. Maybe a hint of pine bark (less than ten percent), but it seems to like being able to dry out. I get lots of blooms even indoors under lights so it seems pretty healthy. What I'm trying to say is look into using some kind of bonsai soil mix and not just an off the shelf potted plant mix.

 

[Cadillactaste]

I wouldn't use that soil for a your bougie again. I'm sure it's fine for them, but probably not the best for containerized bonsai where we want better fine feeder root growth. Something you could do now to help fight the gnats is to put a small fan near the plant to get better airflow in the area.

I have my bougie in an almost completely inorganic mix. Maybe a hint of pine bark (less than ten percent), but it seems to like being able to dry out. I get lots of blooms even indoors under lights so it seems pretty healthy. What I'm trying to say is look into using some kind of bonsai soil mix and not just an off the shelf potted plant mix.

Your the second I believe suggesting I switch out the soil...If anything...I'll do a mix of it and something else. Because I special ordered it from BGI and shipping was crazy...More than double the cost of the bag itself if I do recall. It is a very quick draining soil mixture. The big chunks of bark is what I pulled out of the bag to give some texture to the top of the pot. I didn't use it below the mix in the soil that went into the pot itself.

The gnat issue seemed to have resolved itself...before I had time to do a mixture as suggested here on the post. But I have a mental note of said mixture if it becomes an issue again in the future. A fan is also an easy fix...that I could easily try...thanks for the suggestion.