# Bonsai trees.



## craig.a.c (Jan 29, 2010)

Is anyone else here interested or grows bonsai?
I have always been interested in bonsai trees for sometime but have only just got into it.
Here are the bonsai trees I have at the moment, will be getting more in the future.
If anyone else has some, feel free to post some pics.


----------



## euphorion (Jan 29, 2010)

aww they're lovely! i do love bonsais but im a bit of a plant-killer  had a few in the past but they've all since passed on to tree heaven under my clumsy hands.


----------



## craig.a.c (Jan 29, 2010)

shooshoo said:


> aww they're lovely! i do love bonsais but im a bit of a plant-killer  had a few in the past but they've all since passed on to tree heaven under my clumsy hands.



Most of the native drought tolerant plants I have around my place have been dying from the heat, so I figured I would give the bonsai trees a try. The local Bunnings here has some nice ones for sale. They have a big Japanese Black Pine for $230, very tempted to buy it.


----------



## cris (Jan 29, 2010)

I have a pot belly fig and another random Ficus, bonsai's are cool, i like plant cruelty :evil::lol:


----------



## Sel (Jan 29, 2010)

I know a lady that has heaps and heaps, she has opened her own shop off her house and sells them. I didnt realise they were worth so much


----------



## Guest (Jan 29, 2010)

I have quite a few, mainly different figs and a few natives I dont have a camera at the moment but I'll try to get some pics up soon


----------



## grub73 (Jan 29, 2010)

I do bonsais , they are a cool hobbie to get into .


----------



## cris (Jan 29, 2010)

Is it possible to bonsai any Eucalyptus?


----------



## Guest (Jan 29, 2010)

Yes but very hard


----------



## cris (Jan 29, 2010)

Farma said:


> Yes but very hard



Cool, do you know of any species that are better suited to it or where to look for info online(apart from google, i already know of that site) ?


----------



## Jungletrans (Jan 29, 2010)

l have a Chinese Jade [ money tree ] that my Grandfather started . lts near the front door where its suposed to attract money to your house . Being Bansai it will only bring small money .


----------



## Guest (Jan 29, 2010)

cris said:


> Cool, do you know of any species that are better suited to it or where to look for info online(apart from google, i already know of that site) ?


 
Haha im not sure you'd find much info on google! they arn't hard to grow they just dont have much form to work with while they are small so people don't tend to use them!


----------



## R3PT1LE (Jan 29, 2010)

I have an english elm, it should be a nice little tree in about 20 years


----------



## pyrodarknessanny (Jan 29, 2010)

do bonsi friut trees bare miniture friuts? 
or any friut for that matter, lol would love to see miniture apples and oranges (wounder how they would taste?)


----------



## Guest (Jan 29, 2010)

pyrodarknessanny said:


> do bonsi friut trees bare miniture friuts?
> or any friut for that matter, lol would love to see miniture apples and oranges (wounder how they would taste?)


 

not to the extent your imagening! the fruit can be somewhat smaller than normal though! if you wanted something that looked like an apple tree you would have to use something like a crab apple _Malus sargenti _not mine but heres a pic for an example

View attachment 114510


View attachment 114511


----------



## naledge (Jan 29, 2010)

I'm thinking about getting one for my girlfriend for valentines day. Wisteria trees look awesome.


----------



## craig.a.c (Jan 30, 2010)

naledge said:


> I'm thinking about getting one for my girlfriend for valentines day. Wisteria trees look awesome.



My mum has heaps of Wisteria growing along the side of her house like a hedge. Going to get a small shoot off it and see how it goes.


----------



## Guest (Jan 30, 2010)

get three shoots and plat them


----------



## naledge (Jan 30, 2010)

craig.a.c said:


> My mum has heaps of Wisteria growing along the side of her house like a hedge. Going to get a small shoot off it and see how it goes.



Are bonsai trees really expensive to buy? I've seen them for sale online for $50-$100 each, but they don't look like miniature trees, which is what I wanted to get, they just look like off-cuts of regular trees xD


----------



## craig.a.c (Jan 30, 2010)

naledge said:


> Are bonsai trees really expensive to buy? I've seen them for sale online for $50-$100 each, but they don't look like miniature trees, which is what I wanted to get, they just look like off-cuts of regular trees xD



Depends on the age and size of the tree and how well established they are.
The Maple I bought today cost me $10 and the Juniper was $8.
Like I said, it depends on age and size. I was going to buy a Japanese Black Pine for $230 but decided not to.


----------



## Guest (Jan 30, 2010)

The really old ones have had alot of care and dedication put into them for alot of years I'v seen some for sale for over $7000


----------



## craig.a.c (Jan 30, 2010)

Farma said:


> The really old ones have had alot of care and dedication put into them for alot of years I'v seen some for sale for over $7000



It is amazing how much time and effort people put into 1 tree. Just looking at some Bonsai trees gives you a feeling of relaxation.


----------



## fishboy (Jan 30, 2010)

can you grow your own bonsai trees from shoots or will they just get big?


----------



## craig.a.c (Jan 30, 2010)

fishboy said:


> can you grow your own bonsai trees from shoots or will they just get big?



All Bonsai trees start out as normal shoots. Just keep them in a small, normal pot until it starts to grow and become established by growing more leaves and a few small branches. Then just do search on the plant you are growing to be a bonsai and you should find plenty of info on when and how to prune it to encourage new growth. After 12mths or so, repot it into a small terracotta pot that it will stay in for 2-3 years before it needs to be repoted.

I am a newby to it all, so don't take all my advice. What I have just said is what I have been reading in books and on the net.


----------



## bongie555 (Jan 30, 2010)

best way to relax, my oldest bonsai is a port jackson fig i got out of a bus stop gutter at rose bay in sydney over 25 yrs ago, it must have been at least 10 yrs old already then and it's still going real strong now,2ft tall,been in the same pot for 20yrs now,rewired evry 2yrs, gets root s trimmed every 5 yrs,. ive been offered $2500 for her..i use to have quite a collection but gave most to friends.
like anything as a beginner first buy a decent book, start with easy plants like junipers if you want the dramatic cascade look, or most natives figs are hardy and take well to the root over rock style. and always remember you can only really trim roots or transplant in early spring or early autumn.


----------



## bongie555 (Jan 30, 2010)

you can take a large tree and make a bonsai out of it, ive dug a 10foot maple out of the ground before and chopped in down to 2ft in winter when it was dormant and just waited for new shoots to come out in the spring, chose,kept and wired the ones i liked and after 2 yrs i had a 2 ft bonsai that looked exactly like the original 10 ft one.


----------



## craig.a.c (Jan 30, 2010)

bongie555 said:


> you can take a large tree and make a bonsai out of it, ive dug a 10foot maple out of the ground before and chopped in down to 2ft in winter when it was dormant and just waited for new shoots to come out in the spring, chose,kept and wired the ones i liked and after 2 yrs i had a 2 ft bonsai that looked exactly like the original 10 ft one.



I would love to see some pics of it if thats ok, along with your Pork Jackson Fig?
Mine is a Port Jackson, very small at the moment, long way to go yet.


----------



## bongie555 (Jan 30, 2010)

craig.a.c said:


> I would love to see some pics of it if thats ok, along with your Pork Jackson Fig?
> Mine is a Port Jackson, very small at the moment, long way to go yet.


 
ill take some soon and pm them to you, if you want your PJ fig to get bigger quickly then put in a normal much larger pot with just some normal potting mix and fertilize regularly especially whilst its warm. it will grow much,much faster. leave it there for a year or two and you can practice wiring and trimming whilst its growing. read up on how to trim and wire the roots and in a few yrs when your ready, transplant it back into a bonsai pot with proper bonsai soil.
remember bonsais require a lot of regular fertilizing as the bonsai potting mixes tend to be mostly small rocks and pebbles and cant hold too much nutrients.


----------



## craig.a.c (Jan 30, 2010)

bongie555 said:


> ill take some soon and pm them to you, if you want your PJ fig to get bigger quickly then put in a normal much larger pot with just some normal potting mix and fertilize regularly especially whilst its warm. it will grow much,much faster. leave it there for a year or two and you can practice wiring and trimming whilst its growing. read up on how to trim and wire the roots and in a few yrs when your ready, transplant it back into a bonsai pot with proper bonsai soil.
> remember bonsais require a lot of regular fertilizing as the bonsai potting mixes tend to be mostly small rocks and pebbles and cant hold too much nutrients.



Thanks heaps for the tip. Will it be ok to put into a larger pot in the middle of summer? Wouldn't it shock the plant?
Look forward to seeing the pics.


----------



## bongie555 (Jan 30, 2010)

craig.a.c said:


> Thanks heaps for the tip. Will it be ok to put into a larger pot in the middle of summer? Wouldn't it shock the plant?.


 
Figs are pretty hardy but maybe wait another month, its the intensity of summers heats thats your biggest enemy. not sure where you live but if you live anywhere were large figs trees occur naturally (mainly coastal) then you can take cuttings as fig cuttings take root really easily. or look for naturally occuring bonsais amongst sandstone rock walls and crevices for seedlings (might be illegal to take from the wild tho...) i know when i use to live at nth sydney i use to collect plants from freeway rockwalls.
and hey you can do the same to your maple..


----------



## fishboy (Jan 30, 2010)

ooh i might see if i can get a bonsai tree, the look cool. i think i have some sort a bonsai tree in my yard this tree has been here for like 4 years, hasn't grew much lol, it looks a bit dead at the moment because we haven't watered the from yard in a while lol. maybe i could pot it? what you guys think? and i gave it a water after the photo lol. and i am not sure what type of plant it is.


----------



## craig.a.c (Jan 30, 2010)

If you take it out of the ground and put it into a pot, prune all dead leaves/branches off, give it some fertilizer it should encourage some new growth.


----------



## fishboy (Jan 30, 2010)

ooh okay i will give it a try tomorrow ill post some pics of how it goes


----------



## serpaint (Jan 30, 2010)

been growing them for 9 years, chasing up new pics because my hard drive crashed 2 weeks ago and I lost my photos.


----------



## HOM3L3SS (Jan 30, 2010)

i was talkin to a guy who grows bonsais and he trimms the roots to stunt there growth (keep the tree small)
does anyone else do this?

Harry


----------



## craig.a.c (Jan 30, 2010)

HOM3L3SS said:


> i was talkin to a guy who grows bonsais and he trimms the roots to stunt there growth (keep the tree small)
> does anyone else do this?
> 
> Harry



When re potting bonsai trees the general rule is to trim 1/3 2/3 of the roots back. In the books I have read it says that how much you prune of the top must be done with the roots also.


----------



## naledge (Feb 2, 2010)

Decided on a Sargent Juniper.

Are tools (leaf cutters, trunk benders, trimmers etc.) essential?


----------



## craig.a.c (Feb 2, 2010)

naledge said:


> Decided on a Sargent Juniper.
> 
> Are tools (leaf cutters, trunk benders, trimmers etc.) essential?



Small leaf cutters (anything small and sharp enough to prune unwanted leafs and branches) are essential. 
Junipers are very nice. Don't worry about the copper wire to bend branches and trunks unless you really want to change their shape. I'm not going to bend or train the branches on mine until I have enough confidence in just growing them.

Good luck, and post pics when you get it.


----------



## naledge (Feb 2, 2010)

craig.a.c said:


> Small leaf cutters (anything small and sharp enough to prune unwanted leafs and branches) are essential.
> Junipers are very nice. Don't worry about the copper wire to bend branches and trunks unless you really want to change their shape. I'm not going to bend or train the branches on mine until I have enough confidence in just growing them.
> 
> Good luck, and post pics when you get it.



Ah okay, thanks for the tips.

I bought it for my girlfriend, but now I want one for myself xD I'll buy myself one in a couple of weeks.

The young ones are only around $40 on eBay.

Also, how long do you think until it will mature a little, it'd 25cm and very flimsy/young looking now.


----------



## nightowl (Feb 2, 2010)

I started Bonsai back in about 1988 and was the carer for the bonsais in the Cowra Japanese Gardens during the 90's. I was given a tree from Megumi Bennett while she was at the Japanese Gardens doing a clinic and also had some great comments from her regarding the bonsai trees I was looking after.

I used to have about 60 bonsai trees until I went away and left my ex mother in law to look after them. Middle of summer and she didn't water them for 10 days..... they all died, including a 20 year old Japanese Black Pine from Megumi, a 50 year old Gardenia, 40 year old Port Jackson Fig and many other old trees.  The pots dry out VERY quick in hot weather and I should have left my sprinkler system on but I was assured the bitch would water them....

I still have all the tools and pots etc but haven't worked on trees for well over 10 years. I may even sell the tools if anyone is interested...


----------



## Lonewolf (Feb 2, 2010)

We have 2 at the moment. A Port Jackson Fig and a Maple. Not sure how old but i'm guessing pretty young.

Just wondering though, is there a specific fertilizer we should use? Or is any good? 

My mum has loads of Wisteria so i might ask if i can steal some cuttings  They're so pretty!


----------



## jas468 (Feb 2, 2010)

This tree is around 100 years old. It belongs to a workmate of mine who is a well respected member of the Bonsai community in Australia.
The spotteds are mine.


----------



## naledge (Feb 8, 2010)

This is the Sargent Juniper I was talking about, that I got my girlfriend for valentines day.

It came in the mail today.


----------



## dylan-rocks (Feb 8, 2010)

hey i own a pyracantha i bought it from the cowra japanese gardens and it is about 22cm high and it grows awesome flowers i bought the bonsai from the same place nightowl listed


----------



## bongie555 (Feb 8, 2010)

Lonewolf said:


> We have 2 at the moment. A Port Jackson Fig and a Maple. Not sure how old but i'm guessing pretty young.
> 
> Just wondering though, is there a specific fertilizer we should use? Or is any good?
> 
> My mum has loads of Wisteria so i might ask if i can steal some cuttings  They're so pretty!


 
in the warmer months i tend to use any commercial general purpose fertilizer thats high in nitrogen (i buy from woolies) to promote leaf growth and come autumn/winter is switch over to a seaweed based fertilizer to help condition the soil and help improves root growth. i tend to fertilize every month from spring thru to summer then every 2 to 3 months when it gets colder.


----------



## tooninoz (Feb 8, 2010)

Some interesting ideas in the thread. I grow a lot of different varieties of chilli, and have wanted to try 'bonchi'. It's not traditional bonsai, and the purists would sniff at it, but...
Chillis look great with this method - I've got a 3yo Red Habanero that has been pruned back harshly this season, stands only 500mm tall, but with a base thats nearly 35mm thick. It's producing lots of undersized pods that are 10+++ in heat, so it'll be perfect!


----------



## Sock Puppet (Feb 8, 2010)

That'd be unreal tooninoz, keep us posted if you get one going. 

I used to do a bit of bonsai in my youth, had a chinese elm, a small pine (not sure what variety), a catoneaster, & a PJ fig. They're all gone now except for the PJ, which is still at my folk's place, very neglected, but alive (not surprising, I reckon those figs would survive a nuclear blast along with the cockroaches, they're bullet proof). 

This thread has inspired me to rescue it & get it going again. Might even get onto some others. I have a ground cover grevillea that spills over a retaining wall, it looks like an oversized bonsai set up in a "cascade" effect, so might get a cutting off that. Have always considered the dwarf azaleas as well, since the flowers would be more in proportion on a bonsai than standard azaleas.


----------



## bump73 (Feb 8, 2010)

I had a try at Bonsai years ago when i grew "herbs" hydroponically. The hydro shop i used to get my supplies from had a chemical that you diluted and sprayed onto whatever plant and it would make it a bonsai. It was quite funny actually instead of the leaves being 10cm or so they maxed out at about 1.5cm and instead of being a couple of feet high after 2 months the 2 that i sprayed didn't even make it to 1ft after 6 months. I've been looking for this stuff to try it on some other plants but with no luck. Has anyone heard of the stuff or know where you can get it??

Ben


----------



## leviathan (Nov 17, 2010)

eucalyptus little spotty is a good one to try bonsai.
acmena smithii minor is also a great native to bonsai 
banksia marginata
all these species have a relativley small leaf which makes them easier to bonsai
i would suggest a acmena smithii minor which is a lilly pilly, thats if you are to go native.
easiest bonsai to look after though in my opinion is a junpierus prostrata, they are readily available at most nurserys.
and i would suggest to do research and buy a ordinary plant and make it into a bonsai.
much more rewarding and also half the price!! pre made bonsai starters are a rip off!!


----------

