first Bonsai :)

[bonsaeen]

Hmmmm don't think needed to cut everything off. Didn't someone say cut at the bend or above a branch or something? Also try colanders too rather than spending $20 on the pots. From what I understand our little trees are in training and don't really need to be in these bonsai pots.

Also last few weeks I have learnt that there is no point in wiring etc I mean apart from practice, we need to focus on roots, nebari, trunk first and then once we have that covered we can go for branching and stuff.

But yea I totally get your excitement as I am in the same boat. Luckily I don't have a joint account with my Mrs and she doesn't know how much I have spent already lol

[adge0001]

Hi Wal, I think when someone said to get a bigger pot, they would have meant a standard black plastic plant pot. It's deeper and isn't ceramic, better growing conditions for roots etc.

You mentioned you water it twice a day but only give it morning sun until 10am.... unless you have some serious humidity and wind, I'm not sure you'd need the extra water. Instead, put it in the full sun and keep your 2 day watering regime. [CLINKING BEER MUGS]


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[wal]

Hi Wal, I think when someone said to get a bigger pot, they would have meant a standard black plastic plant pot. It's deeper and isn't ceramic, better growing conditions for roots etc.

You mentioned you water it twice a day but only give it morning sun until 10am.... unless you have some serious humidity and wind, I'm not sure you'd need the extra water. Instead, put it in the full sun and keep your 2 day watering regime. [CLINKING BEER MUGS]


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Hi mate you are probably right about the pot

I felt i had to water that much then as we had a bad heat wave here in Brisbane at the time. Watering is something i will be paying far more attention to so i get it spot on

Thank you for the feedback guys i appreciate everything

Regards
Wal

[bonsaeen]

Me too wal. I was watering all plants once or twice a day but now I have started checking the soil to see if its moist. I did not water a few today and will check in the morning to see. This is one skill that seems simple but I think important to understand the needs of every plant.

[wal]

Me too wal. I was watering all plants once or twice a day but now I have started checking the soil to see if its moist. I did not water a few today and will check in the morning to see. This is one skill that seems simple but I think important to understand the needs of every plant.

I totally agree it seems to be a tricky thing to get right for a noob yet it feels like it should be so simple

Really struggling to grasp how a tiny pot can still be moist after a raging hot day? Without a doubt i was over watering

Regards
Wal

[Max]

it's about what soil/mix you have...what your soil/mix contains to aid water/nutrient retention...some soils look like their soaked but wipe away 5mm and it's bone dry....then there's mix's that deterioate into finer particles clogging drainage causing root rot....it's a lot of work doing Bonsai, a lot to learn, each tree species is different to the next, and the next one is the same as the first if it was easy everyone would have at least 5, but unfortunately it's not a matter of sticking a plant in a pot and hey presto (unfortunately)....we need a TARDIS now that would be excellent

Cheers
Max

[wal]

She has 1 micro new bud yay lol

Its still alive

Regards
Wal

[kcpoole]

She has 1 micro new bud yay lol

Its still alive

Regards
Wal

No reason why it would not back bud unless you took heaps off the roots when repotted
Water 2 times a day in this heat, Full sun, ( my elms are in full sun most of the day)

Ken

[wal]

She has 1 micro new bud yay lol

Its still alive

Regards
Wal

No reason why it would not back bud unless you took heaps off the roots when repotted
Water 2 times a day in this heat, Full sun, ( my elms are in full sun most of the day)

Ken

No reason really i had just never seen it before

Its all so new to me im very much enjoying how fast the small port jackson fig i got from bunngings is growing it is only small but at this growth rate it should be good next year

Most of you guys wouldn't even look twice at it lol

Regards
Wal

[Beano]

Most of my trees could handle daily watering up in cairns but now I'm in SA I've been getting away with up to 3 days without water on cooler days. When it's up in the 30s and 40s they get watered and I'll check in the afternoon to see if they need a 2nd watering.

I have also recently started checking the soil below the surface and while most are fine and all are in the same mix, one of my bougainvillea is always still more wet than the other trees. Perhaps that one was at the end of my mix batch when reported and got a lot of scoria fines in it, who knows.

[Jag001]

Stop!!!!!

Just take a breathe!

Now that you have performed your chop and it is showing signs of budding again, just stop and take a breathe!

I sure hope the cuttings that you took have taken for you. If not then for goodness sake get yourself another tree, if not 5!

I can totally relate to your excitement once discovering Bonsai and that overwhelming urge to cut, wire, prune, train and smother your trees with love! To be honest I believe that is a mistake that most of us make with our very first tree (some of us like me, make that same mistake with our first 10 trees! lol).

I think the best advice that I have seen given so far in this thread is that you need to consider what it is that you want from your tree. Do you want a nice little Bonsai (in training) that you can appreciate immediately that is pleasing to your eye, but may not have all of the attributes of an aged masterpiece . Or do you want that Masterpiece, a tree that we all aspire to, that we see in Bonsai magazines and web pages all over the internet. One that has that aged look of beauty with a nice thick trunk and branches which are all well placed and in proportion to the trunk and a finely ramified branch structure, with foliage that is carefully wired and trimmed to perfection. Seriously you cannot have both immediately! The latter generally takes a years to develop.

Keep your little elm alive! watch its growth patterns and learn how much water it needs and how much sun it like. Allow it to grow slowly and hone your skills in watering, wiring, pruning etc. All the while you can have something that is visually pleasing and satisfies that thirst for a beautiful little tree in a pot.

It you want that aged Masterpiece then learn from your little elm and begin to slowly develop those trees over a long period of time with more advances techniques such as growing in large containers and performing trunk chops and defoliating, air layering and the myriad of other techniques you will read about on this forum.

Good luck, and most important of all, enjoy!

cheers,
jeff

[wal]

Thanks guy for all the advice i feel so privileged to be here learning from such kind knowledgeable people

It truly feels like such a gift.

Regards
Wal

[wal]

Well she seems to be pumping along now i know i need to remove one of the buds so there not side by side just cant decide what one... not that it makes a difference i guess

Regards
Wal

[Kevin]

Looking good Wal.

Kevin

[wal]

Thanks mate and given I'm from the best state in oz i expcet her to keep growing fast unlike you poor people who actually have a winter lol

Regards
Wal