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Time for a Bonsai Thread!


palmsOrl

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Okay, I know there must be some Palmtalkers who keep bonsai or are interested in bonsai.

This thread is to be the catch-all for any bonsai, pre-bonsai, "mallsai", seedlings or small trees destined to be trained as bonsai, palm bonsai, pre-bonsai or attempts and any and all bonsai-related questions.

I have been keeping bonsai for most of the past 23 years and have had anything ranging from a couple pre-bonsai and a few tree seedlings to a collection of no less than 10 finished trees and 50 others in various stages of training and everything in between at any given time.

The art of bonsai is fascinating as well as awe-inspiring and it can be practiced on any level, depending on one's interest, time and resources.  The horticultural aspect of bonsai is challenging and takes many years to master and is extremely variable depending on one's climate and the resulting choice of species to choose from as well as one's willingness and ability to make accommodations to create a suitable growing environment.

Many tropical and subtropical tree/bush/shrub species can be trained as bonsai indoors for part of the year, while almost all temperate species require a suitable climate outdoors to perform well and survive, with varying degrees of winter protection required, as trees kept in shallow pots.

Many bonsai enthusiasts will argue that as monocots, palms as well as other monocots (as opposed to many dicots, which include (but are not limited to) trees, bushes and shrubs) cannot be considered "true" bonsai, as many of the training techniques applied to create bonsai in woody dicots cannot be applied to monocots and thus, monocots cannot be truly trained as or considered bonsai.

In my experience and observations to-date, I would argue that (when the proper techniques are applied over enough time, just like in bonsai of woody dicots) palms, bamboo and some other monocot species can be dwarfed to enough of an extent as to be considered at least a subtype of bonsai.  This is just my humble opinion.

Examples of such monocot "bonsai" I have seen include Cocos nucifera in small bonsai pots with tiny drawfed leaves and a significant amount of woody trunk, despite being about the height of a typical Malayan dwarf coconut seedling.  I have also seen bamboo that has been carefully trained to render a miniature bamboo forest in a shallow tray.

Regardless of your conception of what a bonsai "is" or "should be", please share anything bonsai-related here.

Lastly, I think I am correct on my science above regarding: "monocots", "dicots", "woody plants", etc. above but if I missed the mark on any specific points, please let me know!

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You reminded me of a post I did many years ago that included dozens of pics I took of a 50+ yr old bonsai collection in Bali. It would be way too time consuming to copy and re-post them all. So if you want to see some impressive Bonsai specimens you can view them here.

http://www.palmpedia.net/forum/threads/bali-bonsai-bonus-as-good-as-it-gets.4253/

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animated-volcano-image-0010.gif.71ccc48bfc1ec622a0adca187eabaaa4.gif

Kona, on The Big Island
Hawaii - Land of Volcanoes

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A Ficus obliqua (formerly euginioides) I've been training over a rock for many years. It's still very much a work in progress:

Ficus_bonsai.jpg

I remember having a meal years ago with my dad at the remarkable Pearl City Tavern in Pearl City, just mauka of Pearl Harbor on Kamehameha Highway.  They had live squirrel monkeys in a glass enclosure behind the bar (which I'm sure wasn't the best way to house them), marine aquariums throughout the restaurant and an awesome bonsai collection upstairs in their roof garden. Quite a memorable place!

Monkey Bar Pearl City Tavern 1954

 

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Currently, I only have a handful of what I would consider "pre-bonsai", or bonsai in the early stages of training and not a single "finished" let alone a "specimen" bonsai.

The plant pictured below is a Japanese boxwood (Buxus microphylla) I collected in 2013 from a hedge that was being removed.  Something about this small shrub's shape appealed to me and although this boxwood will require at least 5-10 more years to be considered a finished bonsai, I think it is off to a good start.

I am growing this boxwood in a large tub to allow for less restricted top growth and more importantly, to allow the trunk to further thicken up.  This process has been quite slow in the seven years I have kept this pre-bonsai.  Trunk thickening would occur even more quickly if planted in the ground but I need to keep it potted as I do not have a yard currently. 

Note, growers tend to only plant a bonsai tree in its bonsai pot once the trunk has reached the desired thickness, as the restricted rootzone of a bonsai pot tends to slow any thickening of the trunk to almost nothing.  As a result, bonsai tend to be grown in the ground or large training pots in their earlier stages of development.

I have periodically selectively pruned the top of this plant to maintain a very general shape and had wired some of its branches years ago to impart "movement", or the desired shape mimicking tree branches found in nature.  The top of the tree requires a lot more work, which I will gradually perform as I wait for the trunk to thicken further in coming years.

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11 minutes ago, Dypsisdean said:

You reminded me of a post I did many years ago that included dozens of pics I took of a 50+ yr old bonsai collection in Bali. It would be way too time consuming to copy and re-post them all. So if you want to see some impressive Bonsai specimens you can view them here.

http://www.palmpedia.net/forum/threads/bali-bonsai-bonus-as-good-as-it-gets.4253/

Thank you Dean!  I will be sure to check this out.

-Michael

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Ficus aurea, also known as "Florida strangler fig" is a species of Ficus that has a growth form and type similar to the true banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis).  The former, native to parts of Central and South Florida, as well as a large portion of the neo-tropics, usually begins as a seed deposited in the crown of a host tree or host plant.  In Florida, the host "tree" is most commonly Sabal palmetto.  After germination, Ficus aurea, like its Asian counterpart Ficus benghalensis, sends adventageous aerial roots down until they reach the ground, take hold and allow the tree to grow unencumbered until it encircles and "strangles" the host tree.  In depriving the host tree of light, water and nutrients, it usually dies and the Ficus that takes its place may attain massive proportions, growing both quite tall and with branches that reach large distances in all directions.  The aerial roots are probably the most striking feature of Ficus aurea and many other Ficus species.

I had wanted to create our Florida native "banyan" in miniature for years, so in 2013 I collected this plant as a cutting and after it rooted I planted it atop a pyramid of three upside-down stacked terra-cotta pots to create a general cone shape for the roots to encircle and provide an aesthetically pleasing and convincing tree trunk.  Wrapping sphagnum moss on top of the roots to retain moisture helped the roots establish in the first couple years.

This process of trunk formation has slowly taken place over the better part of the past decade and I have also managed to coax the tree to form some aerial roots which have anchored into the soil.  As with the boxwood in my post above, I have this pre-bonsai situated in a large, deep container to allow for more robust growth as this tree is also still in early stages of its development.

My challenge now is to prune away superfluous growth and to both keep and begin training the correct branches to start building the canopy of this tree so that eventually it will not look like a "bonsai tree", but rather a mature, healthly Ficus aurea in habitat.

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Hillizard, your tree is coming along nicely.  I really enjoy how the roots that form the base of the trunk are formed.

Ficus, as a genus, probably has some of the best species for bonsai beginners to work with.  Many Ficus are highly neglect-tolerant and survive in even very low light levels and will also survive periods of dryness much better than most other containerized trees and shrubs.  In addition, Ficus tend to be vigorous growers and many species have other characteristics which lend well to bonsai-culture.

I have this one tree that I have been growing and training since March 2001.  Based on feedback I recieved on here previously, I believe the species to be Ficus microcarpa.  This individual was collected growing as a volunteer sapling (weed) within some type of hedge at a restaurant in Fort Myers.  I have kept it for all these years and the tree has long since encircled with roots and enclosed within a large piece of rock I planted it on top of originally.

This tree has weathered droughts, hurricanes, freezes, excessive heat, many repottings, over-pruning, excessive shade, you name it.

Currently, I am keeping this tree in a training pot as it is in major need of some branch development.  It had become overgrown and unkempt while being underpotted in recent years so this Spring I cut its branches back to nubs and potted it into the larger container so that it can make some progress in development going forward.  I am just letting it grow uninhibited for the time-being and rotating the tree 90 degrees every week for even growth.

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1 hour ago, palmsOrl said:

Hillizard, your tree is coming along nicely.  I really enjoy how the roots that form the base of the trunk are formed.

Ficus, as a genus, probably has some of the best species for bonsai beginners to work with.  Many Ficus are highly neglect-tolerant and survive in even very low light levels and will also survive periods of dryness much better than most other containerized trees and shrubs.  In addition, Ficus tend to be vigorous growers and many species have other characteristics which lend well to bonsai-culture.

I have this one tree that I have been growing and training since March 2001.  Based on feedback I recieved on here previously, I believe the species to be Ficus microcarpa.  This individual was collected growing as a volunteer sapling (weed) within some type of hedge at a restaurant in Fort Myers.  I have kept it for all these years and the tree has long since encircled with roots and enclosed within a large piece of rock I planted it on top of originally.

This tree has weathered droughts, hurricanes, freezes, excessive heat, many repottings, over-pruning, excessive shade, you name it.

Currently, I am keeping this tree in a training pot as it is in major need of some branch development.  It had become overgrown and unkempt while being underpotted in recent years so this Spring I cut its branches back to nubs and potted it into the larger container so that it can make some progress in development going forward.  I am just letting it grow uninhibited for the time-being and rotating the tree 90 degrees every week for even growth.

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palmsORL: I agree that Ficus as a genus is very 'forgiving' of bonsai experiments!  Every year or so I excavate a little more soil around mine to expose the roots and the rock on which it's growing.  The picture I posted isn't very recent.  I also have a couple of native oaks in pots that also are good subjects for this growing method.

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I look forward to seeing progress on your Ficus.

I did recently pot up a live oak (Quercus viriginiana) seedling that I plan on applying bonsai techniques to in the future.  I had a live oak I had been training since 2002 but it apparently died in my absence in 2017-2018.  It is a shame because its trunk had reached the thickness to where I dug it from the ground and I had it growing in a large tub and had been working on building the main branches for 2 years.

I also have a camphor, podocarpus, and jackfruit seedling I plan to use for the same purpose.  Additionally, I have a small miracle fruit tree and a purple tabebuia growing out for future bonsai training.

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I feel that the Catlin elm (Ulmus parviflora 'Catlin') is one of the best choices of deciduous trees for bonsai for the Orlando area.  This cultivar of Chinese elm performs well in this area, sometimes staying mostly evergreen depending on the amount of chill experienced during a given winter.  I have also seen parking lots in the area full of Catlin elm trees, where the tree's leaves turn yellow and the trees go bare after a few good cold snaps.

Besides its liking of the of Central Florida climate, the Catlin elm produces very small leaves and ramifies very well when grown as a tree.  Thus, I would expect this cultivar to show excellent leaf-size reduction and branch and twig ramification when trained as a bonsai.

Volunteer seedlings can be found wherever one sees these trees growing in the landscape, most commonly in parking lots of malls, shopping centers and restaurants.  One such location was the source of my small tree.

I have been meaning to make a serious attempt at a Catlin elm bonsai for many years, so (just repotted) I intend to let this tree grow uninhibited (or as much so as it can in a pot) to allow the trunk to thicken substantially before taking any further steps to train this tree as a bonsai.  As the trunk is still far thinner than it would need to be to make a convincing bonsai, I will likely need to grow it out for at least five years before performing what is known in bonsai lingo as a "trunk chop" after which time I will begin to create the canopy of the tree.

During the time I am growing the tree out to develop trunk girth, there are also advanced techniques I could apply to form a good "nebari" or base of the trunk.  A good bonsai nebari typically involves a distinct and natural-looking 360 degree flare that gives way to individual roots that branch into progressively smaller roots as the base continues to flare and finally disappear into the substrate.

This little tree is a very long way from having any desirable bonsai characteristics.  The first thing I need to do is cut away (making a proper concave cut so the resulting scar ends up being flat rather than forming an unsightly bulge) that dead portion of trunk on the left.

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Schefflera arboricola is another excellent choice for bonsai training.  This tropical shrub species and its many cultivars are commonly seen as a houseplant and in the landscape in South Florida and warmer areas of Central Florida.  In frost-free climates, this schefflera can make for quite a large, sprawling shrub with many aerial roots, similar to those seen in many Ficus species.

I have actually been keeping this Schefflera and casually training it as a bonsai since the late 1990s.  Really, the only bonsai techniques I have applied to this one are the occasional root-pruning, keeping it in a bonsai pot (until a few years back when I decided to plant it in this terra-cotta window planter).  Mainly, I have just practiced the clip and grow technique, which involves allowing for elongation of the new growth, followed by cutting each back to the first leaf (or leaf pair in some species).

This Schefflera has just naturally had the two main stems gradually grow apart, forming these two almost procumbent, opposing trunks over the past 20+ years.

The current form makes for kind of an odd "bonsai" and I have thought about separating the two trunks and trying to reconfigure them into a more visually pleasing image.

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As I'm still learning about Bonsai.... I thought I would attached a few pictures of a couple of cycads that I have been lucky enough to grow as smaller plants. These plants are about 14-15 years old. 

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This ginseng Ficus (Ficus retusa) "bonsai" was gifted to my grandma about 12 years ago and ever since it has sat on or adjacent to the pool deck as a neglect plant, seldom getting much attention, let alone care.

I have watered it as my availability has permitted, giving it the occasional dose of whichever fertilizer I have had handy at the time.  Further, I have given the small tree a drastic "clip and grow" style pruning on average probably twice per year over the past dozen years, though the tree has gone for far longer periods on a number of occasions without a single snip since my grandma came to own it.

Honestly, I had regarded this little Ficus with a bit of contempt as mass-produced "mallsai" garbage until the past year and a half, as I have seen its trunk thicken up to the point where it has finally developed some character, aerial roots have really become established and some semblance of branch structure and ramification (the finely divided tracery of twigs as they divide and subdivide from smaller and smaller branches) is just beginning to show indications of taking shape.

Truthfully, this is both the best from a bonsai standpoint and the healthiest from a horticultural perspective that this tree has ever looked.  Nonetheless far from a good finished bonsai by higher level technical standards (as are ALL of my current works in progress), I can actually see this little Ficus retusa making a fine specimen one day with continued care and training.

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The biggest surprise in my journey taking care of this humble bonsai is that, for the past two months, this Ficus has been planted in a mix specifically intended for potted orchids like Phalaenopsis and other epiphytic species.  I have repotted this bonsai exactly twice in the past twelve years and it was clear that this time a larger pot was required.  Fortunately, I happened to have the pictured bonsai training pot of the perfect size on-hand but on that day I had neither bonsai soil or the cash to buy any, so I decided to use what I had on hand, which was a bag of orchid potting mix.  Well, long story short, I went for it and the plant's growth has never been better.  What a shock! 

Rather than producing relatively few lanky growths as this bonsai has always before, it has improved in health and vigor dramatically, producing a mass of tight, dense new growth with short internodes and small leaves.  To me, this sign of excellent health on the top of the plant is a reflection of a seriously healthy and productive root system.

As a result, I may try using orchid bark for the substrate of Ficus and Schefflera bonsai in the future, keeping in mind to check periodically for decomposition of the mix.

 

 

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Not bonsai in the formal sense but this Erythrina gets root pruned and clipped regularly. A little over 45 years old.

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Well Gonzer, I actually like your Erythrina very much, it has a lot of character as well as age to it.  I think it does and would lend itself well to that naturalistic style of bonsai that I have read about and seen examples of in European and American bonsai called "Enchanted Forest" or "Haunted" style bonsai (or something similar to that). 

These trees tend to have very stout, gnarled trunks with features like the "uro", or a circular hollow in the trunk mimicking the same formations in wild trees formed by natual processes such as the hole in between the 360 degree swollen area of healing woody tissue that occurs after a large limb is ripped from a tree in a severe storm.  Such trees are regarded highly and often make their own rules and are a delight to closely admire and let one's imagination take over.

To reiterate Gonzer, while your tree certainly requires plenty of further work and training (and that is the fun part!), it is very much a bonsai and is far, far more so than any of the trees that I currently own or will for sometime.  The tree is 45 years old and has had multiple bonsai training techniques applied, presumably for a number of years.  It should be ready for a bonsai pot within the next 5-10 years.  Your tree must be lovely when in flower as well.

I am thoroughly impressed!  Thank you for sharing.

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  • 6 months later...

I picked up this promising Juniperus pre-bonsai today for a very reasonable $25.  Cannot wait to do some work on this one.  I love the lines of the trunk.  The taper is lacking in the nebari, but that is often an issue with Juniper bonsai.

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My Buxus microphylla is currently suffering from some sort of affliction, not sure what the issue is.  I repotted it into a large bonsai pot with fine Vermiculite substrate.  This one needs some wiring badly.

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I also went ahead and put my ficus into its finished bonsai pot and will be working on rebuilding the branching next.  I have been growing this one for 20 years now.

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On 1/29/2021 at 6:12 PM, palmsOrl said:

I picked up this promising Juniperus pre-bonsai today for a very reasonable $25.  Cannot wait to do some work on this one.  I love the lines of the trunk.  The taper is lacking in the nebari, but that is often an issue with Juniper bonsai.

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Can somebody identify which species/cultivar of Juniperus this is?  I know that it is not procumbens nana and it is one of the two most commonly seen in landscape beds here in the Orlando area.  I have noticed around town that these tend to die off with time and I believe this is due to the heat of growing in medians, combined with lack of chill hours and periodic dryness.

I feel that with proper care I can succeed with this juniper here long-term.  Right soil, full sun, moist but not wet, pot that does not bake the roots and just enough chill hours most years.

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Pre Pre-Bonsai.. lol..  haven't started it yet... but the seeds it came with wouldn't survive outdoors... soo..I'm working on installing a permanent hanging pendant with a led grow bulb.  It would be easier inside...also because I have a tough time keeping anything watered outside.

Very cool thread.. ive never owned or had a bonsai but think its neat!

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Which species did your kit come with SailorBold?

You could start the seeds indoors now and then bring the seedlings outside when the weather permits, depending on the species.  Any species will be better off being grown outdoors in the summer, unless you live in an Arctic climate haha.

Also, earlier in my bonsai keeping days I had done kits a few times, always of temperate species, and I didn't give any thought to whether the species needed cold stratification or not.  Depending on which species you have, I might advise storage of the seeds in the refrigerator for 2-3 months, which can of course be done now.

My first kit was back in the 1996-1997 timeframe and the seeds it came with were Pinus parviflora, Japanese white pine.  They sprouted alright, not requiring cold stratufication and then the cat got them.  I view Pinus parviflora as my "holy Grail" bonsai species.  Challenging to train a really nice one, both horticulturally and the artistic techniques.

I plan on repotting my Juniper within the next week into a bonsai training pot, in straight Vermiculite, in leiu of akadama due to cost.  I will at the same time trim the top a bit to compensate for the decreased root mass after root pruning, but I will wait to do major branch and foliage removal and work until next Spring, so as not to shock the tree too much.

-Michael

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  • 2 weeks later...

I repotted my Juniper four days ago into a bonsai training pot.  Here are some additional photos of my tree in its new pot.

I am keeping it in the shade for a couple weeks and I will not be doing any styling or pruning until next spring.

-Michael

 

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This juniper was a recent gift from my family.  I guess I will be learning about growing bonsai.

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33.0782 North -117.305 West  at 72 feet elevation

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1 hour ago, Tracy said:

This juniper was a recent gift from my family.  I guess I will be learning about growing bonsai.

 

Nice looking little tree.  What ever you do, do not keep in inside for any length of time.  Position your tree in full sun and keep the substrate moist but not wet.

-Michael

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3 hours ago, palmsOrl said:

Nice looking little tree.  What ever you do, do not keep in inside for any length of time.  Position your tree in full sun and keep the substrate moist but not wet.

-Michael

It's outside and I'll monitor moisture.  I don't have any indoor plants due to cats, now singular cat, that will destroy any living plants by eating anything green and leafy, orchids, ficus, succulents, palms, you name it.  He and his sister taught us... all of us including the dog.  No houseplants.

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33.0782 North -117.305 West  at 72 feet elevation

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  • 4 months later...

I trimmed back my Ficus aurea pre-bonsai the other day as it was getting leggy and it is to the point where I need to start building the canopy.  I think I am going to use the clip and grow method to try and get a natural looking crown for the species without using wire or guy wire.  In bonsai, the best practice is develop all branches without any straight sections.  This is typically achieved by wiring each branch so it has curves along the entire length.

I am relying on the new growth to emerge from just above the base of the straight branches on top so I can avoid having any visually boring straight sections in the branching.

I am debating on whether to put it in an even larger training pot to encourage the base to develop even further.  Ideally, I would like for it to develop more aerial roots from the base of the crown to the soil and this only happens when we have a sustained period of humid weather when the plant is in active growth.  Even during summer we have hot dry periods that cause any fledgling aerial roots to dry up in their tracks.  One strategy I could employ is wrapping the trunk and base of the crown in sphagnum moss and water it twice per day to keep it moist.  Either way, this is going to make a really nice bonsai someday and it has been in training for ~9 years now.

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Here is an update today on my Ficus microcarpa bonsai.  I am just letting it grow out to build up its vigor and allow it to form some more aerial roots, which it has started to do in the humid weather.

After a year or two I will cut all the existing growth back to near the trunk and rebuild the canopy.

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On 6/24/2021 at 11:43 AM, palmsOrl said:

I trimmed back my Ficus aurea pre-bonsai the other day as it was getting leggy and it is to the point where I need to start building the canopy.  I think I am going to use the clip and grow method to try and get a natural looking crown for the species without using wire or guy wire.  In bonsai, the best practice is develop all branches without any straight sections.  This is typically achieved by wiring each branch so it has curves along the entire length.

I am relying on the new growth to emerge from just above the base of the straight branches on top so I can avoid having any visually boring straight sections in the branching.

I am debating on whether to put it in an even larger training pot to encourage the base to develop even further.  Ideally, I would like for it to develop more aerial roots from the base of the crown to the soil and this only happens when we have a sustained period of humid weather when the plant is in active growth.  Even during summer we have hot dry periods that cause any fledgling aerial roots to dry up in their tracks.  One strategy I could employ is wrapping the trunk and base of the crown in sphagnum moss and water it twice per day to keep it moist.  Either way, this is going to make a really nice bonsai someday and it has been in training for ~9 years now.

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I cut this one back further so I can avoid getting new growth too high up on the straight sections.

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  • 1 month later...

I have decided to let my 21 year old Ficus microcarpa bonsai just grow out the canopy for a couple years before I redo the entire canopy from scratch.  This will enable some trunk thickening and the development of aerial roots.  

As the humidity here doesn't stay high enough during the day even in the summer for aerial roots to start growing and make it all the way to the soil, I have been watering the tree like 5 times per day to get the roots to the soil line.  As this will not be practical all the time as I am not home all day everyday, I employed and easy and effective technique to the growing roots tonight.

I took some straws with lateral cuts, fit the straws around each root and guided the straw to the soil line, so each root can reach the soil without drying out.

-Michael

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  • 3 weeks later...

Here is an update on the Ficus aurea I am working on.  Circa 2013, from a cutting on top of a South Beach parking garage.

Now I am just starting to work on the crown with the clip and grow method and once the branches are grown out, I will work on getting it to put on vertical aerial roots from the branches to the soil line.

IMG_20210822_183338169_HDR.thumb.jpg.421ae941d3664ea0c1551d26342cda68.jpg

Close up of the crown that I just reduced to the branches I want to keep and develop.

IMG_20210822_183348852_HDR.thumb.jpg.3dea69109811a2b1a1b1ab137796c295.jpg

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  • 4 months later...

This won't be mine for much longer, so I thought I would share an updated photos.  The aerial roots came out perfect with the straw technique.  Over two decades of work into this one.

20220116_101353.jpg

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  • 2 years later...

I didn't know where to post this as I didn't want to make a thread just for this, but I found a dude on TikTok who has a bonsai washie. He's been at it for a while, and I've never seen it done this way—it's wild to me. I warn those who may click into his account to view more, as most of his page is not related to plants, but he trickles in plant videos every once in a while. 😂😭

 Screenshot(312).png.66f3e52612c2cbc431bc16c23b09c50f.png

Edited by ZPalms
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IMG_20240201_100145519_HDR.thumb.jpg.ceabafc6dd13fad8cb3c4226c024a078.jpg

I have grown this Dudleya caespitosa in sort of a bonsai-esque fashion since it was a tiny seedling. Presumably due to its confined root space, it does not exhibit the caespitose habit its species is named for. It remains a solitary rosette on a gradually elongating stem. 

IMG_20240201_095959682.thumb.jpg.453ef8af9b2568a49425e29ecb7cea34.jpg

  • Upvote 1

Chris

San Francisco, CA 

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  • 1 month later...

Hey there! Thanks for the invite to join PalmTalk. It sounds like a fantastic community, especially for palm enthusiasts like myself. I appreciate the reminder to register and unlock all the cool features this platform has to offer. Looking forward to diving into discussions about palms and their care.

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