Bonsai3.net

Leaving Bonsai on their own

I left my bonsai and all my cuttings and seedlings on their own over the bank holiday weekend. My main concern while I was away was that they would be too cold. Winter is getting close now and the temperatures are dropping around here, especially at night. I was advised to keep my banyan tree within a temperature range of 12 to 26 degrees Celsius when I got it.

I went out on Friday before I went away and bought a small portable oil filled radiator and a couple of 24 hour timers. I set up the radiator and my desk top lamp on the timers to keep the trees supplied with heat and light while I was away. I also watered the fig on Friday to keep it going. (more)

30 10 07 - 17:55 - - Bonsai| Leave a comment - § ¶

Getting rid of insects

My banyan bonsai tree seems to be doing fine now. I found another yellow leaf today but that was the first one since Monday so I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. The advice I got from the various internet forums helped to put my mind at ease on the subject.

I followed the advice given me about removing the moss. I took most of it away. There’s still a bit left. As I was removing the moss I became more concerned about the insect situation when I found a massive grub or larvae curled up at the base of the tree. It was about half to three quarters of an inch long and white. It was the most disgusting thing I’ve seen for ages. (more)

20 10 07 - 18:10 - - Bonsai| Leave a comment - § ¶

Growing oranges from pips

I was reading a bit about growing orange trees from pips during the week so I decided to give that a try. I bought an orange yesterday and kept the pips. I soaked them in warm water for a couple of hours according to the instructions I read on the web and then planted them in wet compost and put the pot into my hotpress. If it works I should see some signs within a couple of weeks.

20 10 07 - 18:07 - - Bonsai| one comment - § ¶

Eucalyptus seedlings update

It’s been a week now since I first watered my Eucalyptus seeds. So far I have gotten four little seedlings breaking through the surface. The tallest one now stands at 12mm. Unfortunately I’m still not able to get a good enough picture of them on my camera phone so I’ll have to wait another while before I can show them off! (more)

20 10 07 - 18:06 - - Bonsai| Leave a comment - § ¶

Growing bonsai from seed

Since I first became interested in growing bonsai trees from seeds I have encountered many negative reactions. First of all there is the Bonsai Expert who will tell you there is no such thing as ‘bonsai seeds’.

This is, of course true. The ‘bonsai seed’ kit that I first bought was in fact a ‘tree seed’ kit. The wonderful thing about bonsai trees is that if you were to put them back into their natural environment they would grow as normal trees, because that is what they are. So when you germinate a seed and it grows, then after a couple of years the tree sapling becomes big enough to give you the material to be able to work with and turn it into a bonsai. (more)

18 10 07 - 23:35 - - Bonsai| Leave a comment - § ¶

Germinating Eucalyptus seeds

I came home this evening and had a look at my pot of eucalyptus seeds in the hotpress. I got a pleasant surprise to see that one of them had already broken through the surface and was standing tall with the same red ‘bud’ as the last one. It only took four days! I wonder if this is a record. The last time it took two-and-a-half weeks.

Funnily enough it’s in just about the exact same position as the last one too, which is near the edge of the pot. It’s early days yet, so hopefully a few more seeds will germinate too. (more)

17 10 07 - 20:17 - - Bonsai| Leave a comment - § ¶

Possible reasons for yellow leaves

I have been googling the causes of yellow leaves in ficus retusa now for three days. It’s safe to say that there are many possible reasons, and most of them are not terribly bad.

Firstly, the not so bad reasons. If the tree is newly bought or if it has just been recently moved into a different room or even a different part of the room, it could be just reacting to its new environment. The figs leaves cannot turn to face the sun or whatever light source takes its place. If the new light source is at a different angle to what the tree is used to, it may need to shed lots of its leaves and grow new ones to face the light. Before it sheds the leaves, they shut down first and go yellow. Seemingly it’s a common enough reaction for a ficus tree to shed its leaves when it’s moved but they grow back. (more)

16 10 07 - 20:36 - - Bonsai| Leave a comment - § ¶

Yellow leaves on fig tree

I bought my first bonsai tree last Monday; a seven year old ficus retusa. Everything was going fine until Sunday morning when I found two yellowing leaves on it when I woke up. I cut these off. Then this morning I found another two leaves, one yellow and another starting to go that way. When I came home from work the second leaf seemed to be more yellow than this morning.

I have watered it twice since I bought it. The shop owner had watered it on Monday and told me not to water it for a few days. I waited until Thursday to water it the first time which I did by sitting it into a bowl of water for about ten minutes. I repeated this again on Sunday. Also I mist it every day. (more)

15 10 07 - 21:13 - - Bonsai| Leave a comment - § ¶

Pruning my Ficus Retusa

I’ve had my fig tree now for five days. It still appears to be doing fine. I’ve watered it once since I’ve gotten it, that was by lifting it from its pot and placing it in a bowl of water to soak, and I mist it every day. I had my first go at pruning it today.

I thought it needed to have a bit taken off the top. It looked to me that there were too many branches forming on the top and it was in danger of becoming a bush. I told myself this anyway. I’d had my secateurs for a while now and I hadn’t had a chance to use them!

(more)

13 10 07 - 19:53 - - Bonsai| Leave a comment - § ¶

Planting Eucalytpus seeds

I got more Eucalyptus seeds today. Following the bit of reading I’ve done about them I’ve concluded that my main mistake last time was adding fertilizer. The potassium probably killed off the seedlings. I’m trying the Eucalyptus again this time because, of all the different types of seeds I tried, it was the one that showed some signs of success.

Last time around it took about two-and-a-half weeks to see any signs of growth. This is all a learning experience for me. I don’t know if it will be exactly the same again this time or not. Probably not. The one lesson I learned from the last time was not to use potassium rich fertilizer on Australian trees. (more)

13 10 07 - 19:33 - - Bonsai| Leave a comment - § ¶

Learning about Eucalyptus trees

Now that I’ve gotten my first real bonsai I’m starting to think more about growing trees from seeds. I’ve decided to give it another try with Eucalyptus seeds. My starting point was the Hardy Eucalyptus Board which is a straight forward discussion board for people interested in Eucalyptus trees. I find the people there are helpful and willing to answer questions for newbies like myself. (more)

11 10 07 - 23:25 - - Bonsai| Leave a comment - § ¶

Me and my Banyan tree

I am now the proud owner of a fig tree. A seven-year-old Banyan (Ficus Relusa) Tree bought today in the newly re-opened Bonsai Shop in the Powerscourt Shopping Centre in Dublin. A fig tree is supposedly an excellent choice for an indoor tree and it has the honour of becoming my very first bonsai tree.

Now that I have it home I have just realized how terrible the lighting in my flat is. This is not helped by my main light being out of order at the moment so I’m relying on lots of side lights all on at the same time. I have my fluorescent desk lamp back in service beside the tree to provide as much light as possible for now. (more)

08 10 07 - 20:43 - - Bonsai| Leave a comment - § ¶