Bonsai Tree

[maxine]

Hi, i wonder if anyone can help me, my son as just given me a bonsai tree for mothers day, and i am not sure how to look after it. Does anyone know of a good internet site i can visit that can help. Thanks.

[bluemoon]

Hi Maxine.

There's a site called Bonsai Help. Bonsai Help - The friendly community that shares answers to everything bonsai They will answer your questions on a public forum, but there is a charge to use the larger part of the site. Even so the free forum is probably all you need. The problem with most bonsai sites is that they are US based, but this one is largely British/US/Aussie and so you will receive advice which is local to you. How you care for it depends upon the type it is, but most of them need to spend time outdoors. Your main worry at this time of year could be that it needs re-potting. Many of the trees on sale in this country have been grown in China, and are in a type of clay soil which really needs removing and replacing with either a commercial bonsai compost or your own mix of 1 part peat-free compost, 1 part small gravel and 1 part Tesco Premium cat litter (and yes only Tesco Premium will do as it is baked clay.) If it seems to be in a gravelly substrate then scrape a little of the top layer off as occasionally it is 'Chinese clay' beneath, but if the gravel seems to fill the pot you should be OK.

Try to avoid the temptation to prune it at first, but remember that if you have to root prune then an equal quantity of top growth should be removed. Quite often trees will lose leaves when moved to a new location so give it a few months to settle before you do anything too drastic in the pruning department and if it's already a nice shape then it should just be a case of keeping it that way.

Don't use normal fertilizers as they are far too strong, but if you think it needs a quick boost buy a specialist bonsai one.

If you can tell me the tree's type then I might be able to offer further suggestions. I was in the same predicament as you not so long ago - son bought me a bonsai tree and I was; a, clueless and; b, not sure I really wanted one. Now I'm totally hooked, they're truly fascinating.

[nick the grief]

There is one on Yahoo groups thats UK based.

bonsai-uk : bonsai

The biggest problem is that most folks assume because it's in a pot it's a pot plant. There are indoor bonsai but the chances are it's probably a perfectly hardy Tree .... just a lot smaller

As Bluemoon says they are fascinating and I used to have about 30 when I lived at home but unfortunately I'm down to one now as I lost a lot in between me leaving home and moving in here - It was a really hot summer and they got stressed before I could do much about them.

A picture of it would help with ID ing it so better info can be given.

[bluemoon]

Also don't over water it, but never allow it to dry out completely. This will mean keeping an almost obsessive eye on it in the hottest part of the summer and sometimes watering twice a day. Check that the pot it is in is the right size, they need to be two thirds the height of the tree, so a 12 inch tree will need an eight inch pot and the pot's depth should be about equal to the tree's trunk diameter at its widest point. Many of the trees sold commercially have been grown in Asia as a field crop and arrive here via Holland where they are often dumped in pretty, but inadequate pots, so it's as well to make sure that everything is right as soon as you receive it. I wouldn't put it straight outside as it has probably been indoors for a while, so I'd acclimatize it gradually, just like hardening off, then - unless it is one of the very few types which need to be kept indoors in Winter, such as figs, - as NTG says, it should really remain outside. My OH is currently building me shelves for mine, using bamboo canes for an oriental look, then we're going to design our outdoor seating area with the same theme, I'm hoping it will end up feeling really peaceful.

Sorry, I know all this sounds terribly complicated, but really it isn't. Watering apart they don't need too much day to day attention.

[deadwood]

Maxine, I have a few bonsai and I keep mine outside in fairly large pots. I find that the round ones that you oftan see cactus in are good as as those that are described as half pots.

Mine do well in pots of this size and the watering is a little less critical as they do not dry out as quick.

If you get a simple book on bonsai, take note of the size that the examples in the photographs are. I fell foul of this and assumed that bonsai were "small" as in 5-8 inches. They aren't. Most of those that are photographed are 2-4 ft in size. The small ones are probably more accuratly described as "mame" and are difficult to keep alive.

If you could say the tree species/type it would be easier to suggest options and be able to say where to keep it, and how.

[maxine]

bonsai photos

Thanks for all your help. I have managed to take some photos of my bonsai tree, as i am not very technical i`m not sure how i put them on here, help.

[maxine]

Think i might have got it now, my bonsai tree is about 20 cms in height and maybe it is in too smaller pot. Thanks again for all your help. Hope i done this right

[maxine]

Think i might have got it now, my bonsai tree is about 20 cms in height and maybe it is in too smaller pot. Thanks again for all your help. Hope i done this right

[maxine]

oops i done it twice.

[bluemoon]

Looks like a Chinese Elm, the pot looks OK to me. Don't forget that the idea is to keep them small. As a 'normal' gardener I'm constantly having to stop myself potting mine on. The worlds probably only Bonsai joke is; The local Bonsai nursery has been so successful they're having to look for smaller premises. Terrible I know, but more than a little truth to it.

Chinese Elms are an outdoor type and are deciduous. If you go to the Bonsai Help website which I posted above and then go to the 'Talk Bonsai' forum, there is a detailed sticky which will tell you exactly how to care for a Chinese Elm.

[maxine]

Hi, thank you for the help, have joined the web site, looks very interesting and varied topics will enjoy this site i think. Thanks again.