Bonsai! (Anyone else into torturing small trees?)

Cobra

Cobra

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I've always had a passing interest in Bonsai trees,
I have one maple that I grew from a mere 2 leaved stem.
That was about 6 years ago. And growing well,
if not a little top heavy

I have a cottoneaster bush that is due to be moved
(sacrificed) its in the wrong place and never really did grow too well.

I have now hacked it back, to the two main branches & air-layered 6 potential Bonsai's.
(3 weeks ago now)
One is the runt of the litter and just about holding it's own.
4 are comfortable with their surrounds and are flowering.
The 6th and most prolific, is growing rather well,
and flowering like crazy.
(they are all still attached BTW)

Back to the Maple, its something that I "play with" from time to time.
I have just discovered the joys of leaf stripping,
the idea was to reduce the leaf size obviously.
I never imagined that it would make it so prolific!
Tiny shoots and small leaves are occurring all over the top half!

As its rather leggy at the bottom end I feel that its about to get air layered too.
If it fails, TBH its no big deal.
The root stock will take a nice graft.

Feel free to brag, add images, tell me I have done it all wrong etc etc (y)
 
I did many years ago. Had an orange tree and an Acer. Kept them alive for several years but lost them during a house move.
 
I've looked into getting one before. My mum has one and she loves "playing" with it. I might get a few to add to my Hornby train set lol
 
My old man shows roses at national level but has recently taken to torturing some little trees. He seems to really enjoy it and his collection seems to be increasing every time i visit.
 
Cobra said:
I've always had a passing interest in Bonsai trees,
I have one maple that I grew from a mere 2 leaved stem.
That was about 6 years ago. And growing well,
if not a little top heavy

I have a cottoneaster bush that is due to be moved
(sacrificed) its in the wrong place and never really did grow too well.

I have now hacked it back, to the two main branches & air-layered 6 potential Bonsai's.
(3 weeks ago now)
One is the runt of the litter and just about holding it's own.
4 are comfortable with their surrounds and are flowering.
The 6th and most prolific, is growing rather well,
and flowering like crazy.
(they are all still attached BTW)

Back to the Maple, its something that I "play with" from time to time.
I have just discovered the joys of leaf stripping,
the idea was to reduce the leaf size obviously.
I never imagined that it would make it so prolific!
Tiny shoots and small leaves are occurring all over the top half!

As its rather leggy at the bottom end I feel that its about to get air layered too.
If it fails, TBH its no big deal.
The root stock will take a nice graft.

Feel free to brag, add images, tell me I have done it all wrong etc etc (y)
Click to expand...
Pictures man, this is a photography forum after all :)
 
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MWHCVT said:
I've always fancied having one on the windowsill as it we're as something nice to look at but, I think I'll stick to my cactus it's very hard to kill
Click to expand...
Oh I can (and have) kill(ed) them no problem :D
PaulButler said:
I did many years ago. Had an orange tree and an Acer. Kept them alive for several years but lost them during a house move.
Click to expand...
That was a bit of a b****r :(

CaveDweller said:
I've looked into getting one before. My mum has one and she loves "playing" with it. I might get a few to add to my Hornby train set lol
Click to expand...
And why not, seems like a plan to me :D

Bell said:
My old man shows roses at national level but has recently taken to torturing some little trees. He seems to really enjoy it and his collection seems to be increasing every time i visit.
Click to expand...
It does seem a little addictive I must admit ;)

jakeblu said:
P
Pictures man, this is a photography forum after all :)
Click to expand...
If it ever stops hissing down I will post something :)
 
My sisters bought me a really nice one for my 18th birthday. The instructions said that you couldn't use water straight from the tap, you had to leave it to rest for a few days first - I did this for a while but then figured I'd use the water from the water butt in the garden, which then killed it :arghh:
 
TopBanana said:
- I did this for a while but then figured I'd use the water from the water butt in the garden, which then killed it :arghh:
Click to expand...
I would have thought that rain water would have been OK, that weird indeed :(
Unless of course there was "something else" going on to?
 
Cobra said:
I would have thought that rain water would have been OK, that weird indeed :(
Unless of course there was "something else" going on to?
Click to expand...
It was just rain water but I think there must have been something like a build up of algae in the water.

Anyway this thread needs some pictures!
 
TopBanana said:
It was just rain water but I think there must have been something like a build up of algae in the water.
Click to expand...
Unless there was a massive algae bloom and it had stripped out all the nitrogen?
Highly unlikely though, I would have thought?
TopBanana said:
Anyway this thread needs some pictures!
Click to expand...
I was hoping someone else may have added some by now,
but as above if it ever stops raining I'll put some up :)
 
Acer city in my garden. Seven different varieties. I've not had the cojones yet to bonsai any but I do know not one local nursery or garden centre have suitable pots :(
 
After "leaf stripping" (a)
Here's the 6-ish year old maple that has got rather top heavy.
As you can see the leaves have now been reduced to a more proportionate size, rather than the full size (6x the size)
Also I have just air layered it. (b)


IMG_4680 by Cobra on Talk Photography

And this is the "starter new tree" once the roots have developed
it will be cut free from the parent donor


IMG_4674 by Cobra on Talk Photography

The Cotton easter bush hacked back to it bare bones,
And the potential trees air layered.
That was 3 weeks ago.
In another week I'll take a peep and see if there are any roots.

They are growing rather well there were no flowers when
it was air layered.
The Parent plant has the potential also.
But I won't know that until the siblings are removed,
and the " forked trunk" cut at ground level, and excavavted.



IMG_4676 by Cobra on Talk Photography

Finally a close up of the most prolific "Sibling"


IMG_4677 by Cobra on Talk Photography

(a) leaf stripping, removing the full sized leaf CAREFULLY, each new leaf has 2 "standby leaves" at it base.
if the leaf develops these die.
If the leave is removed (or dies) the pair of back up leaves devolope,
albeit much smaller.

(b) Air layering, removing the bark and the secondary layer,
applying a "hardwood" root hormone to the "hard wood)
(I'll not bother with the technical terms for these layers)
Pack in Sphagnum moss, wrap in clingfilm / plastic bag and seal.
Water as required via a syringe
 
I used to have around a dozen - 3-4 Acers of differing varieties, a cotoneaster that was coming along nicely and a few others. Got up one morning to find the Acers had all been knicked from the front garden :mad::mad::mad:

I kind of lost my enthusiasm then, gave the others to a mate who had a couple - he still has about 4 of them I think. The knicked ones were all in quite pricey pots too!!

Good air-layering there - looks like you'll have some cracking cotoneasters when you split them.
 
BT Bob said:
I used to have around a dozen - 3-4 Acers of differing varieties, a cotoneaster that was coming along nicely and a few others. Got up one morning to find the Acers had all been knicked from the front garden :mad::mad::mad:
I kind of lost my enthusiasm then, gave the others to a mate who had a couple - he still has about 4 of them I think.
The knicked ones were all in quite pricey pots too!!
Click to expand...
Bast.... I mean norty people :(
I think I would have as well TBH :(


BT Bob said:
Good air-layering there - looks like you'll have some cracking cotoneasters when you split them.
Click to expand...
Thanks :thumbs: Its actually my first attempt at it,
so fingers crossed. :)
 
I used to be very keen on Bonsai and lived years ago not too far from Peter Chan's nursery Herons. I attended a 'masterclass' run by Dan Barton twenty years ago and had quite a collection of trees. I ended up giving most of them away but I still keep a few trees, native species being my favourite.

It's a wonderful pastime I think and I intend to get into it more in the future again.
 
:D Had to be done . . . .

Bonsaiwithsnake_zps1437902a.jpg
 
minnnt said:
These things are so hard to photograph! :LOL:
Here's my Hornbeam...
Click to expand...
I know, rapid little suckers aren't they?
Still its good for practising your panning technique :D

Looking good David :thumbs:
 
Nice David - maybe could use some moss on the soil? Just a suggestion...
 
Sure is Viv.

It had some moss on the top 2 seconds before the photo but it had started tk die off so I removed it. I've actually put some grass seed on the top beforeputting it back in the greenhouse. Will update in due course. :)
 
minnnt said:
. I've actually put some grass seed on the top beforeputting it back in the greenhouse. Will update in due course. :)
Click to expand...
Green house? green house?
Are you growing wussy Bonsai's ? :D
My original one stay's out 365 days.
It does get put into a sheltered corner though for the winter :)
 
I must admit mine used to stay out all year. ..but the roots were bubble wrapped in winter.
 
Mine were out all year too (they are "proper" tress, don't forget). But my front garden is south-facing, so when the sun was really strong I used to stand the pots in a tray of water to stop the soil drying out too much (in fact, I used to use a couple of old 20"x24" dev trays :cool: ).

Once or twice in winter If we expected a hard frost or snow I put them in the garage until it passed.


I'm geting all nostalgic now, and dug out my old Harry Tomlinson DK book - I'm off on holiday next week, but when I'm back I may nip down the garden centre and take look at their stock.... :)
 
minnnt said:
Yep, they're wimps. At least mine isn't covered in cling film... ;)
Click to expand...
:D

But that's just holding the growing medium in place while the roots grow :p
 
I hot a new project this morning :sneaky:
 
I have decided to join the Cobra "slash and burn" school of Bonsai.

I have taken 2 of my smaller saplings and stripped them back.....Let's see what happens.


20140531_181803-1 by viv1969 on Talk Photography


20140531_181901-1 by viv1969 on Talk Photography

(Mobile phone pics btw)
 
Cool :) looking good :)
(Slash and burn is the only way forward BTW :thumbs: )
 
If there are still two buds either side of those leave stems have them off,
that'll reduce the leaf size and make them more prolific :)
If there are no buds there, DON'T do it ;)
(on the green one that is)
 
Cobra said:
If there are still two buds either side of those leave stems have them off,
that'll reduce the leaf size and make them more prolific :)
If there are no buds there, DON'T do it ;)
(on the green one that is)
Click to expand...

Chris, each one of those large leaves has 2 tiny leaf buds behind it....I just daren't do it! :lol:
 
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