Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Post
  • Reply
EagerSleeper
Feb 3, 2010

by R. Guyovich
Yeah, a week would be plenty of time to heal. Succulent plants, for me at least, only need a day for their wounds to dry to the touch. Once you stick them in some soil, they'll grow roots eventually, though they hate to be babied with too much water when they're still a cutting.

Hope your jade bonsai goes well! Even when they're not specified as bonsais, I've seen Jade trees develop into stately-looking mofos.




http://zakkabonsai.wordpress.com/2011/05/29/day-two/ I found two cool pictures of bonsais that were specifically done with baby jade plants, and it seems like a pretty cool plant to work with. Good luck!


edit: Why won't image shack links work anymore?

Double Edit:
Another Jade Plant, although this one is a cultivar called Gollum. I'm not too sure if any of the plants I posted were pruned to show off their lovely branches, or if they grow naturally so impressive looking. Hope you guys enjoy regardless.

EagerSleeper fucked around with this message at 20:46 on Jan 9, 2013

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

neurotech
Apr 22, 2004

Deep in my dreams and I still hear her callin'
If you're alone, I'll come home.

EagerSleeper posted:

Baby Jade stuff

This is great stuff, thank you.

neurotech
Apr 22, 2004

Deep in my dreams and I still hear her callin'
If you're alone, I'll come home.

I took a few cuttings:





What sort of soil should I be potting these in once the cuts heal up?

platedlizard
Aug 31, 2012

I like plates and lizards.
Now I want a giant jade plant. I don't think I'd get one as a bonsai, but great big jade plant? Yep. They're so cool looking.

EagerSleeper
Feb 3, 2010

by R. Guyovich
^^^I'm glad if I could convert a person to the succulent side of plants, muahahaha :twisted:



Oh man, I didn't realize you'd be getting that big of branch to work with (but that's a good thing! More to work with), so maybe it might take a lil longer than my initial advice of a day to callous over. Those little branches towards the bottom of the second one could be used to grow separate plants if you want to give it away to a friend or someone. The type of soil to use when those branches finally heal is going to have be well-draining/well-aerated for sure.

If you search on the internet for cactus soil recipes, you can use that as an excellent soil to grow in, but what I've found out is that regular potting mix and perlite can also work just fine. I recommend at least 1/4 of your final soil being perlite, with the rest potting mix, and I usually use 1/3 perlite to 2/3s potting mix. There's not really a science behind the measurement, but what winds up working for you might be determined by your weather, and how well your pots drain.

but yeah, tl;dr: A soil that loose and airy would be great to put those branches of yours in. For me, I use a blend of potting mix and perlite to get a good soil for my succulents to grow in.

There are a lot of different ideas about what ingredients would be the best soil mixture out there, but I haven't had time to test these out:

http://www.bambooandmore.info/2011/10/my-recipe-for-fast-draining-potting-mix.html
http://cactiguide.com/article/?article=article8.php


Hope that helps you out.

neurotech
Apr 22, 2004

Deep in my dreams and I still hear her callin'
If you're alone, I'll come home.

EagerSleeper posted:

Oh man, I didn't realize you'd be getting that big of branch to work with (but that's a good thing! More to work with), so maybe it might take a lil longer than my initial advice of a day to callous over. Those little branches towards the bottom of the second one could be used to grow separate plants if you want to give it away to a friend or someone. The type of soil to use when those branches finally heal is going to have be well-draining/well-aerated for sure.

That's great, thanks.

Bees on Wheat
Jul 18, 2007

I've never been happy



QUAIL DIVISION
Buglord

platedlizard posted:

Now I want a giant jade plant. I don't think I'd get one as a bonsai, but great big jade plant? Yep. They're so cool looking.

If you lived nearby, I'd give you one of mine. The previous owners of this place (or the current landlord) must have loved jade plants, because there's a ton of them in the yard. Most are potted, including three giant ones between the hot tub and the fence. Always thought it was kind of stupid to plant something there since they can't be seen and no one pays attention to them, but they do surprisingly well. They don't get much light or water, but they're still vibrant and green even in the warmer months.

Mr. Soop
Feb 18, 2011

Bonsai Guy
Jade plants are really cool. They're nigh unkillable and as you'll see, root pretty easily from cuttings. Just keep in mind that they can be very slow growers. Other than that it looks like you've got yourself some nice free plants there!

RizieN
May 15, 2004

and it was still hot.
If I see a cool tree can I just take some cuttings, dip it in rooting gel/cutting gel and tend to it?

I grew tons of Cannabis and had mother plants and took cuttings from them regularly, so I'm familiar with the process, as far as Cannabis goes... But I've not tried it on cool looking trees. Is there a database that has info regarding the ease of rooting cuttings on different species?

Mr. Soop
Feb 18, 2011

Bonsai Guy
I don't know if there's an online resource, but speaking from experience and knowledge gathered, Junipers, Jade, Ivy, Ficus, and Chinese Elms are the easier ones to root from cuttings, members of the Maple family are kind of middle-tier, and anything from the Pine or Fir family are just about impossible regardless of the health or size of the parent tree.

platedlizard
Aug 31, 2012

I like plates and lizards.

Mizufusion posted:

If you lived nearby, I'd give you one of mine. The previous owners of this place (or the current landlord) must have loved jade plants, because there's a ton of them in the yard. Most are potted, including three giant ones between the hot tub and the fence. Always thought it was kind of stupid to plant something there since they can't be seen and no one pays attention to them, but they do surprisingly well. They don't get much light or water, but they're still vibrant and green even in the warmer months.

I live in Oregon, but thanks anyway!

RizieN
May 15, 2004

and it was still hot.

Mr. Soop posted:

I don't know if there's an online resource, but speaking from experience and knowledge gathered, Junipers, Jade, Ivy, Ficus, and Chinese Elms are the easier ones to root from cuttings, members of the Maple family are kind of middle-tier, and anything from the Pine or Fir family are just about impossible regardless of the health or size of the parent tree.

Awwww Bummer, 'cause I have these gnarly looking christmas trees that are straight out of middle-earth that I wanted to cut :(

Bees on Wheat
Jul 18, 2007

I've never been happy



QUAIL DIVISION
Buglord

RizieN posted:

If I see a cool tree can I just take some cuttings, dip it in rooting gel/cutting gel and tend to it?

I grew tons of Cannabis and had mother plants and took cuttings from them regularly, so I'm familiar with the process, as far as Cannabis goes... But I've not tried it on cool looking trees. Is there a database that has info regarding the ease of rooting cuttings on different species?

I glanced at your post and was really hoping to see a cannabis bonsai.

jackpot
Aug 31, 2004

First cousin to the Black Rabbit himself. Such was Woundwort's monument...and perhaps it would not have displeased him.<
This is my willow leaf fig that I posted a while back. Clearly things are...not optimal. But is it dead? Even though all the leaves are gone, almost every branch has green stems coming off of it, I've got to think that's a good sign. I'm watering it about every 3-4 days, just like the other one (that's still perfectly healthy), guess I'll see what happens to it.

jackpot
Aug 31, 2004

First cousin to the Black Rabbit himself. Such was Woundwort's monument...and perhaps it would not have displeased him.<

Mizufusion posted:

I glanced at your post and was really hoping to see a cannabis bonsai.

platedlizard
Aug 31, 2012

I like plates and lizards.

I'm pretty sure that's a maple.

Here's a cannabis bonsai.



e. And here's a Coca bansai.



e2. Here's one that baffles me, bonsai poison ivy.



I'm pretty sure the roots of poison ivy are more toxic than even it's leaves. The person maintaining this bush must have to wear protective gear to keep from breaking out every time they touch the thing.

Source.

platedlizard fucked around with this message at 06:53 on Jan 11, 2013

The Door Frame
Dec 5, 2011

I don't know man everytime I go to the gym here there are like two huge dudes with raging high and tights snorting Nitro-tech off of each other's rock hard abs.
....would....would it flower?

platedlizard
Aug 31, 2012

I like plates and lizards.

The Door Frame posted:

....would....would it flower?

If you're talking about the cannabis one, I think it's starting to flower in that picture (I admit to knowing very little about pot). I've definitely seen pictures of bonsai cannabis flowering before.

If you're talking about the poison ivy I have no idea.

Mr. Soop
Feb 18, 2011

Bonsai Guy
A former member of one of the bonsai clubs I go to actually had a poison ivy bonsai... Then he died a number of years ago and it vanished into estate sale ether. :smith:

I saw a big Holly bonsai once at a club meeting; the owner got cuts on his hands regularly when he worked on it if he didn't wear gloves.

Point is, bonsai can be some serious business sometimes. :colbert:

jackpot
Aug 31, 2004

First cousin to the Black Rabbit himself. Such was Woundwort's monument...and perhaps it would not have displeased him.<

platedlizard posted:

I'm pretty sure the roots of poison ivy are more toxic than even it's leaves. The person maintaining this bush must have to wear protective gear to keep from breaking out every time they touch the thing.
He might be one of the lucky people who's not allergic to it; wiki says that's 15-30% of the population (I've learned the hard way that I am not in that group). My only objection is you can put it in any pot you want, but it's still a weed, and it looks like it. Maybe in time it'll grow into something better.

Bees on Wheat
Jul 18, 2007

I've never been happy



QUAIL DIVISION
Buglord

platedlizard posted:

I'm pretty sure that's a maple.

Here's a cannabis bonsai.



That thing looks surprisingly nice, but it must be incredibly annoying having people constantly trying to smoke your bonsai.

EagerSleeper
Feb 3, 2010

by R. Guyovich

Now I think I can see why bonsai is considered an art. By itself, the poison ivy is a little frumpy looking, but it's the gnarly rock and the cobweb that says that this thing is the essence of poison and danger.

Those unusual bonsais are also amazing.


edit: here's a picture of my funky looking bonsai pot that I have my artificial tree in. Does anyone know if this style is common?

EagerSleeper fucked around with this message at 21:59 on Jan 11, 2013

Mr. Soop
Feb 18, 2011

Bonsai Guy
That's more of a pseudo-bonsai pot than anything else.

Count Thrashula
Jun 1, 2003

Peak Performance.

Buglord
I wanted a little something to have on my office desk, so I ordered a baby jade from Brussel's Bonsai (there's nowhere near me to buy from). I'm so excited!

Also, I was doing a little googling and found this piece, Goshin, by John Naka. It seemed pretty amazing to me.



It's almost like towers going up through clouds or something.

Mr. Soop
Feb 18, 2011

Bonsai Guy
@jackpot: Your willow leaf fig isn't doing too hot. Dunno what the problem is if your other one is fine with the current watering schedule; my only thought is that if they're in different places in the house it could have something to do with it.

@QPZIL: Goshin is the epitome of the level of bonsai mastery that has been achieved outside of Japan. This is a big deal because even the harshest bonsai masters (such as Kimura, for instance) can look at Goshin and appreciate it. And when you have people who can give credit to bonsai grown on American soil when they themselves see nothing but masterpiece specimens at the best shows in the world, it really says something.

Bit of a history lesson here, folks. Curiously enough, I recently purchased 2 of the 3 books published by John Naka. They're really incredible books and each one is personally signed by him, but at $90+ for just one (they have been out of print for almost a decade now, I believe), it's something only serious bonsai enthusiasts should think about buying. Anyway, one of them came with material the previous owner had collected over the years. One amusing thing to note was a pamphlet from the 1980's about the "soon to be built" bonsai section for the National Arboretum in Washington D.C., listing John Naka as being on the Board of Directors. What's so cool about this (to me at least) is that one of the books has a picture of a yet uncompleted Goshin, his masterpiece bonsai that he would eventually donate to the National Arboretum once it was completed. :eng101:

Count Thrashula
Jun 1, 2003

Peak Performance.

Buglord
I love the look of deadwood on bonsai (like on the tallest trunk of Goshin above), but am I right in assuming it's very difficult to do? And more difficult to do well?

I guess I should work on just keeping a plant alive first. My dwarf jade should be coming today. I've gotten a small handful of eBooks to read, but Mr. Soop, if you were to give your top 5 bonsai tips, what would they be?

jackpot
Aug 31, 2004

First cousin to the Black Rabbit himself. Such was Woundwort's monument...and perhaps it would not have displeased him.<

Mr. Soop posted:

@jackpot: Your willow leaf fig isn't doing too hot. Dunno what the problem is if your other one is fine with the current watering schedule; my only thought is that if they're in different places in the house it could have something to do with it.
Damnit. I water them both at the same time (about every four days), and they sit right next to each other on the same windowsill. I have killed some plants before in my life, but damned if I've ever done it this fast. So strange.

The Swinemaster
Dec 28, 2005

QPZIL posted:

I love the look of deadwood on bonsai (like on the tallest trunk of Goshin above), but am I right in assuming it's very difficult to do? And more difficult to do well?


I don't know anything, but I read that that's called "jin" and is done by simply stripping the bark off of the area you want to dry out and die. Sounds pretty straightforward but :shrug:

Count Thrashula
Jun 1, 2003

Peak Performance.

Buglord
My dwarf jade arrived! Brussel's packs it surprisingly well, although I've never seen a plant packed in packing peanuts before :downs:

edit-- pretty :)

Count Thrashula fucked around with this message at 21:10 on Jan 16, 2013

Mr. Soop
Feb 18, 2011

Bonsai Guy
Jinning is one of the more advanced bonsai techniques, as you risk a lot by doing it; you are killing off part of your tree, and you are doing so in such a way that means the jinned part of the tree will NEVER grow there again. But when performed correctly, it adds an immense amount of age and power to the tree.

That Dwarf Jade is also looking pretty cool. Already has a good Broom style form to it, so my opinion is to just let it grow that way and see how big and refined you can get it without it overpowering the pot.

My top five bonsai tips though? Well, I'd have to say it'd be these.

5. Always research what kind of plant you're growing as bonsai. This is important as you'll have a better idea of the watering and nutritional needs of the plant, along with what it's natural growth pattern is. Perhaps if it lends itself to a certain bonsai style naturally, it could be best to build on that natural strength. Or of course the opposite is true; you could impress people by growing it in a style you pretty much never see with that kind of plant. (Be aware that this requires a good amount of skill.)

4. Don't be afraid to ask the experts questions. (Unless they're the Japanese experts in which case tradition holds you simply shut up and listen.) The main reason I started this thread was to bring bonsai to the table of those who are interested, but maybe too intimidated or busy to seek out advice or opinions from a bonsai store or bonsai club. But seeing as how most experts are older gents, they actually have been pretty good about youngsters such as myself (24 years old) taking an interest in the art, and are usually very friendly and happy to give advice. Japanese masters though? Don't even think of questioning why they do something during a demonstration, unless you want to be kicked out of the seminar.

3. Traditional styles are there for a reason. One thing I've seen a little bit of at clubs, and with myself when I first started was the idea of finding bizarre looking trees, as they could make for good bonsai. While this CAN be true, it almost never is. The standard styles put in place are there for a good reason; they are all incredibly aesthetically pleasing to the eye. And while you should never try to replicate branch-for-branch bonsai in a magazine or online picture that depict the epitome of a certain style, you should not deviate too much from the standard set by specimen trees. In other words, work within the confines of the style you choose, but don't feel dominated by them. It's a fine line that sounds both easier and harder to conform to than it actually is.

2. Don't let a tree scare you. One of the first things I was terrified of was when I began working with Japanese Black Pines. They are very difficult to work on and require a trained eye when you do prune and shape them. The fact that the needles don't grow back after being cut, coupled with the fact that every cut affects the health of the tree makes them very intimidating. But they are also among the most rewarding to work with because of that. How did I overcome my fear? I was lucky enough where my teacher invited me to help him and other volunteers help prune the focal point, masterpiece Black Pines at my local Japanese Garden.
(Me doing a sexy action shot of said masterpiece Japanese Black Pine pruning.)

I overcame my fear by jumping in head first, knowing that if I somehow messed up that it would be alright. Why? Because I didn't know what I was doing, even though I had been given instructions & tips on how to prune. Having a good teacher was a huge part of it though, which is why I consider seeking out expert advice to be crucial to any bonsai enthusiast. But don't be afraid to mess up, ESPECIALLY if you're just starting out. How do we make good decisions? By getting experience. And how do we get experience? By making bad decisions. Bit of a paradox of life, but it's what helped refine the art form in the first place, and what helps it continue to do so.

1. Don't speak to your trees; let your trees speak to you. Sounds slightly hippyish, but this is the thing you should keep in mind the most. You can do your part as a human by shaping and taming the tree, to an extent. Consider that the "speaking to it" aspect. But more importantly, you need to take into account the health of your tree, its nutritional needs, how well it may grow with the style you've selected for it, and how it reacts to pruning and fertilizing. That's the "listening to the tree" aspect of it. It sounds a bit repetitious compared to what I stated earlier, but I cannot stress enough how important listening to your tree is. The best bonsai come out of doing this. It's a piece of art, sure. But it's also a living thing with needs and potentially wants of its own. So just make sure you always keep an open mind when working on your tree; know the strengths, weaknesses, and limits of it. If you do that then you'll be on your way to creating a bonsai you can really be proud of.

Count Thrashula
Jun 1, 2003

Peak Performance.

Buglord
I did a little bit of pruning today, since the soil had the night to dry out (it was relatively dry when I got it yesterday but still a bit of residual moisture). Thought I'd give it a starting shape as sort of a "getting to know you" exercise. I like your advice about just jumping in - pruning is something I was pretty scared to do since I didn't want scars and knots and death and decay on my tree. But you know what? Those things are part of life and add to the character of the tree.

Is it silly that just owning this tree and learning about it and contemplating it has been very reflective and introspective about me? I guess that's sort of the point of bonsai, if not part of a lot of Japanese arts.

Compare with the above picture -


There was a lower branch that I cut with a shallow concave "v" shape into the trunk. I think I still left a good amount, and now I'll give it some water to recuperate.

Also, I do think I'm going to go with a broom style, since all the branches are already at the very top.

bollig
Apr 7, 2006

Never Forget.
Bonsai Gewns! I've been growing trees in pots and poo poo in Virginia, but I just moved to Bern, Switzerland (hardiness ~6 where I am). Bought some poo poo from Ikea/Migros. Here's my haul:



Ficus Microcarpa SON. This thing's a real turd. But I had one in the US. I liked it because you can take all kinds of clippings from it. Which is my plan for this one. Honestly, something cool might happen when it fleshes out, but we won't be able to tell for a while.



AWWWWW YISSS. Ficus Benjamina. My plan for this guy is to get it huge. And also take clippings from it. It probably won't be as easy as the microcarpa, but I've seen amazing things from them online. This has two trunks. It isn't clear and I am probably going to do something about it. Would love some advice here, can provide closeups if it's not evident.



I think I got this from Ikea. I'm p-sure that this is a Sawara cypress (chamaecyparis pisifera). But I could definitely use a discount double check on it. Right now it's inside, but I wanted to double check whether or not I should have it outside (if it's the species I've identified it as, then yuh, I want it outside). On top of that:



There are two things I would like to draw your attention to here:

1) There are, like, 6 major branches coming right off of the base. Obviously this bad boy was meant for a little Christmas tree. Can I use these for clippings? From what I've heard, this is a pretty finicky plant for pinching/pruning.

2) There is white stuff everywhere. Bern's water is so loving hard. At first I thought it was deposits. But this seems to be some sort of growth or something. So this is a 2 parter. Should I invest in some sort of water softener? And, is that white stuff mineral deposits or is it some fungus. I've just been turning it over on itself whenever it gets really bad.

This is a long post. Thank you for getting to this point. These guys obviously need to be repotted. When is best for that? Microcarpa, I'm pretty sure is whenever. I was going to give the Benjamina some time to settle in. Right now it's inside with some pretty good light (near a South facing window). But it will be outside (again, facing South) in the late Spring. Unless you can convince me not to do it. When should I repot it? Once I know the cypress, then I can get a better idea. I'm assuming the lighter stuff is new growth. Should I pinch it? Or should I let it achieve its dreams uninhibited?

Thanks in advance. I've learned so much through this thread already.

~edit= tables
also that white thing in the first picture is a skull eraser

bollig fucked around with this message at 00:51 on Jan 19, 2013

Crocoduck
Sep 25, 2012

The Swinemaster posted:

I don't know anything, but I read that that's called "jin" and is done by simply stripping the bark off of the area you want to dry out and die. Sounds pretty straightforward but :shrug:

I believe it's called a 'shari' if it's done on the main trunk of the tree. It's pretty traumatic to the tree, and I've killed a few by trying to create the deadwood during the wrong season or what have you. By the same token, attacking a bonsai with power tools and a blow torch feels pretty epic.

Mr. Soop
Feb 18, 2011

Bonsai Guy
@bollig: To answer your first question, it's worth a shot to go ahead and try and root any cuttings you make. False cypress are something I haven't done before, but it's worth a shot seeing as how any cuttings you make will be thrown away anyway. Also, I did some research into it and you should keep it outdoors. As for your second question, hard water is okay for it. The white deposits are most likely stains caused by lime deposits from the water, and they're harmless. If it might be a fungus though, you can kill it easily by getting a Q-tip, dipping it in rubbing alcohol, then rubbing the dipped end on the fungus. It will kill it without harming the rest of your plant.

As for your Ficus and other questions, you can repot either Ficus anytime you want, although the upcoming spring months will be the best time for it. Ideally, you should let the Microcarpa grow out more in order to match the very large root base of it over time, and for the Benjamina you can pinch leaves on it if it hasn't really dropped many after you got it. Hope that info helps!

Crocoduck: I remember seeing a bonsai magazine once doing a retrospective of the work of John Naka; the eyecatcher picture for the article was of him going at Goshin with an electric carving saw. :science:

unprofessional
Apr 26, 2007
All business.

neurotech posted:

I took a few cuttings:





What sort of soil should I be potting these in once the cuts heal up?
I believe this is Porticularia afra, not a Crassola that people are often talking about when they say "jade plant." Good example of why common names suck. Good news is P. afra actually makes a better bonsai tree in my opinion. It makes a very nice formal display when properly trained.

For potting bonsai, you want a mix that has few organics and drains quickly. Rot from overwatering is how 95% of people kill bonsai/succulents. Most pre-made mixes are terrible, unless coming from a real bonsai shop. You can easily make your own that's better than almost anything prepackaged.

Notes on pruning jades for people that want a good display: cut any foliage pointing down, cut anything obscuring the trunk, and pinch growth to create a nice thick canopy.

Here's a pretty nice one I took a picture of a couple weeks ago, though I would remove the side trunk if it were my own.

RizieN
May 15, 2004

and it was still hot.

platedlizard posted:

If you're talking about the cannabis one, I think it's starting to flower in that picture (I admit to knowing very little about pot). I've definitely seen pictures of bonsai cannabis flowering before.

If you're talking about the poison ivy I have no idea.

Yes that Cannabis is starting to flower. I used to grow a lot of it, and it's so fun to grow. In addition the rewards you can do a LOT to that plant and get away with it. Too bad it's an Annual though :( I used to make crazy shapes out of my plants just to experiment. Unfortunately after getting in trouble and giving it up I don't have the same passion about growing other things, I think I do... I get all excited and buy stuff, then I forget and let my plants die.

madlilnerd
Jan 4, 2009

a bush with baggage
I have a question about sprouting an avocado stone. I was hoping to grow an avocado bonsai from seed, and have had the stone of a Hass half soaking in water (changed regularly) since October. A couple of weeks ago I went to pick it up and it split at the top and the bottom and I could see a little root nub. I left it in the water and since then it doesn't seem to have made any more progress. Could this be because my house is pretty cold? It's usually around 10-14c in here. Is this ever going to sprout?

The Door Frame
Dec 5, 2011

I don't know man everytime I go to the gym here there are like two huge dudes with raging high and tights snorting Nitro-tech off of each other's rock hard abs.
Avocado trees are a pain in the dick unless you're really careful with them. My dad is used to run the green house at the local high school and has the greenest thumb of any person I've ever seen and he's only been able to get 2 to grow into actual trees from the seed over the course of a decade

bollig
Apr 7, 2006

Never Forget.

Mr. Soop posted:

@bollig: To answer your first question, it's worth a shot to go ahead and try and root any cuttings you make. False cypress are something I haven't done before, but it's worth a shot seeing as how any cuttings you make will be thrown away anyway. Also, I did some research into it and you should keep it outdoors. As for your second question, hard water is okay for it. The white deposits are most likely stains caused by lime deposits from the water, and they're harmless. If it might be a fungus though, you can kill it easily by getting a Q-tip, dipping it in rubbing alcohol, then rubbing the dipped end on the fungus. It will kill it without harming the rest of your plant.

As for your Ficus and other questions, you can repot either Ficus anytime you want, although the upcoming spring months will be the best time for it. Ideally, you should let the Microcarpa grow out more in order to match the very large root base of it over time, and for the Benjamina you can pinch leaves on it if it hasn't really dropped many after you got it. Hope that info helps!


It does help. One thing I've heard, for fungi is to pour cooled chamomile tea on it. The Cypress is outside, poor little fella. I can't tell if it's water hardness or fungus at this point. Time will tell. That's for the response.

Yeah I spend a bunch of time looking at that microcarpa and it actually has a pretty decent leader going right now. Honestly, I just plan on using it for cuttings, but it will take a while for it to catch up to itself.

Do you have any thoughts on the benjamina's two trunks? I will take a better picture this afternoon. But there are actually two plants in there, I think. Can I seperate them?

bollig fucked around with this message at 11:31 on Feb 2, 2013

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

madlilnerd
Jan 4, 2009

a bush with baggage

The Door Frame posted:

Avocado trees are a pain in the dick unless you're really careful with them. My dad is used to run the green house at the local high school and has the greenest thumb of any person I've ever seen and he's only been able to get 2 to grow into actual trees from the seed over the course of a decade

Oh :saddowns:

I better take the advice of my flatmate then and "throw that gross thing out". Thanks for the info.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Post
  • Reply