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Ok Comboomer posted:My local HD has some really lovely looking blue star junipers and boxwoods in, and it got me thinking about trying some planting and styling techniques that I was too intimidated/didn’t have adequate plants for in the winter/spring. You could maybe get away with a light re-pot to a deep bonsai pot in a month or so, once the temps cool off. Certainly no heavy root work. The roots will grow to fill the new pot, which is what we want, but without enough time to lignify and harden they will die off in a deep freeze. Kind of like pruning in late summer .. the new growth your plant pushes out wont become woody in time for winter and so it'll easily die off. I have a very nice old quince in a nursery pot that I'm gonna repot, no/little rootwork, to a deep large bonsai pot at the end of september, per the advice of the seller, with the plan of transferring it to it's ultimate, shallower pot in a year, but it's a very hardy plant. Not knowledgeable about azeleas. Calling a bonsai grower/nursery in your area or with a similar climate is the best way to go IMO. This is a pretty good article that talks about the pros and cons of fall repotting: https://www.evergreengardenworks.com/fallpot.htm E: this might be the excuse you need to get some tropical trees. Grab a ginseng ficus and a portulacaria at Home Depot and get to work 
lil poopendorfer fucked around with this message at 13:46 on Aug 13, 2020 |
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Aug 13, 2020 13:44
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Thanks for the advice! I guess I should clarify that I was hoping to repot into large training pots, not shallow finished pots. But if it’s a bad idea, then it’s a bad idea. Would moving them into larger nursery pots be good/bad? Like, no disturbing the root ball at all, just pop ‘em in and surround with soil? I’m worried about the root density in the current nursery pots, there’s a good amount of roots that are pressed up against the sides of the pots and I’m worried they’ll 1) risk excess moisture problems 2) risk freezing/frosting/burning in winter with no soil around them to insulate and direct contact with the cold surface. Based on the advice ITT and some quick research, it seems like I can clip 1 or 2 branches that I don’t want regrowth on, right? Obviously no heavy styling or pruning, not that either of them need it—but one of the azaleas has a medium branch that’s begun pressing hard into another part of the plant and affecting the ability of that area to properly fill in; and the other has a big ugly stick pointing out of the back of the trunk with some wee branches coming off the end. I just want to lop both of them off. The bushes have a ton of growth, I’d be taking like less than 5% off. But if leaving a wound like that in August on the plant is bad, I suppose I can leave them. Also, while we’re on the subject of seasonally-appropriate care: are small poly tunnels and plant tents good ways of wintering these guys outside? I can always put them in a garage, or indoors, or in my CRV, when it gets too cold or rough. Alternatively I’m in MA, and NEBonsai’s boarding rates aren’t terrible for maybe a few of the more delicate/worthy plants (probably not the picea, those things appear bulletproof and also I would probably be laughed at). lil poopendorfer posted:E: this might be the excuse you need to get some tropical trees. Grab a ginseng ficus and a portulacaria at Home Depot and get to work I’ve got two ginseng ficus (one that looks great even after I cracked its trunk getting it around a rock, and one that had 3/5 branches die from the trauma of being moved from IKEA to my house) and I have yet to find a porticularia that I really like. I could grab and separate some $3 mini HD porticularia to grow up, but I already did exactly that with three different jade varietals and now I have like 20 little jade plants that are all way too young and small for bonsai. But they look nice in my succulent menagerie.
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Aug 13, 2020 14:52
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I've been meaning to make this post for a while, as I've been lurking this thread for... ages, now. I don't know if it's "technically" bonsai, but I don't really know where else my little plant obsession fits. Here's my family, and please forgive my bad "background", trying to get my phone to focus on anything is a pain. This is Big Jade. He used to be a large bushy jade, but unfortunately, something(?) happened. I got ill and wasn't keeping a good eye on my plants for a while, and one day I checked in to an entire branch/side of him completely wilted over and falling down the side of the pot. I took him on the porch and did some emergency surgery, cutting away all the rot/damage, and tried to salvage as many little bits and pieces as I could from the affected side. Now he's in shape to be some kind of semi-cascade or something, but as it's only been a few months since the accident I just want to let him keep recovering. I had to cut all the way down into the main root ball in the trunk to get the rot out and I'm honestly shocked that it didn't kill this plant. This is what it looked like before "the accident"  And now, about 2 months post-surgery. When it cools off a bit more I think I might re-pot it so it's a little more upright, so maybe I can encourage the new growth to stop bending toward the light so much. I'm honestly not even sure why it's doing that, since now it lives on my north-facing porch and gets pretty good morning sun, and I figured that would be well enough for it. Am I wrong?  And all the little babies that came from the wreckage:     The saddest Echeveria. This plant was my late stepdad's and lived in a neglected kitchen window for... years? And literally just climbed the wall. When I inherited it, I had to get very creative with how to support it. It used to have a giant, beautiful petal flower at the top but I broke it off unfortunately when I was moving it from my office to outside. Somehow, though, it has decided to spite me and is attempting to regrow in the absolute weirdest way possible. I don't know what to do with this thing, and if anyone has any suggestions I'm absolutely open to them. I just don't have the heart to throw it out because it was my stepdad's. All the wire you see on this one is there purely for support, as it can't stand up on it's own.    This little clearance-shelf sago palm that my mom gave me. It was trunk-twisted and zip-tied when I got it. I'm not sure if I want to wire it back into that position or just let it grow how it wants, for now. I don't know if this one can even be considered "bonsai" but, oh well.  Random succs    Now, for the "someday will be bonsai" things. These are both native plants that I gathered from the forest behind my house because... free plants? A little rhododendron:  Hemlock, I think.  And, finally, the goods. I know it's bad, my wiring sucks, and my form/arrangement makes no sense. I don't really care that much, because I had fun doing it and honestly I think the tree probably needs to grow out a little bit more before it's able to be properly trained, anyway. Blue juniper. 
That Damn Satyr fucked around with this message at 04:25 on Aug 14, 2020 |
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Aug 13, 2020 20:22
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My novice $0.02:Ok Comboomer posted:Would moving them into larger nursery pots be good/bad? Like, no disturbing the root ball at all, just pop ‘em in and surround with soil? This is called "slip potting". It's my understanding that you can get away with slip potting pretty much any time, because of exactly what you say -- you're not root pruning, or really even disturbing the root ball ideally. Possibly riskier with less root-bound plants or coarser soil where the root ball won't be able to hold together as well, but for garden center plants in nursery pots/soil you should probably be OK. Whether or not it's worth it, I don't know. Ok Comboomer posted:Obviously no heavy styling or pruning, not that either of them need it—but one of the azaleas has a medium branch that’s begun pressing hard into another part of the plant and affecting the ability of that area to properly fill in; and the other has a big ugly stick pointing out of the back of the trunk with some wee branches coming off the end. I just want to lop both of them off. The bushes have a ton of growth, I’d be taking like less than 5% off. But if leaving a wound like that in August on the plant is bad, I suppose I can leave them. I don't have pictures at the moment (trying not to obsess too much, lest I be tempted to keep messing with them) but the azaleas I cut back hard a few posts back are already exploding with buds. If you're in MA you might have much less growing season left than I do, in which case there might be no harm in waiting. One thing about the Azaleas is that they are basally dominant (shoots grow more vigorously at the bottom rather than the apex) and so you really want to aggressively prune any low growth to prevent it from starving your top. Ok Comboomer posted:Also, while we’re on the subject of seasonally-appropriate care: are small poly tunnels and plant tents good ways of wintering these guys outside? I can always put them in a garage, or indoors, or in my CRV, when it gets too cold or rough. Alternatively I’m in MA, and NEBonsai’s boarding rates aren’t terrible for maybe a few of the more delicate/worthy plants (probably not the picea, those things appear bulletproof and also I would probably be laughed at). So I am in the same boat of being at a place where I have enough stuff I've worked/care about enough that I want to protect from winter exposure. The key thing to remember is that really you just need to keep temperatures in/above the upper 20's (aka "cold greenhouse" / "coldhouse" temps). Some things that I've looked at: 1) Get some > large-grade 4mil clear sheeting, build a rough frame around my bench, and pile everything around it + Extremely Cheap + Completely flexible on size + Easy to remove in the spring - Reduced durability (especially in the event of snowfall) - Not going to be the tightest seal - Awkward to remove for watering/regulating humidity - Most effort to set up 2) This Ikea Galvanized Shelf + Zip-up Wrap  + Extremely Cheap (there's a half-height one as well that's even cheaper) + Extremely Easy + Seems like a pretty effective seal + Easy to get access throughout the season - Shelves are only 16" apart, which is a problem for taller trees/trees in grow pots (although maybe I can remove one) - Fairly narrow (10-5/8") so potentially limiting on individual plant footprint - Going to take up useful space in the off-season - Long term durability? 3) Building a custom scaffold like (1) but using a pre-made tunnel like this  + Spacious, can go over my existing bench + Good access (zip-up doors on both sides) + Seems like a good seal with tie-downs + Can set up against the house, probably taking advantage of some residual heat + Easy to break down and store - Still need to spend effort to set up a frame - Footprint is somewhat on the large/awkward side (for my location) - Not sure if the value is great for what you get 4) A pop-up greenhouse (similar to 3) but with a frame like this or this   + Similar to (3) in most ways + No need to build a frame/shelves - Less Flexibility on footprint (may not be quite big enough for me) 5) A polycarbonate greenhouse kit like this:  + Great durability + Best conditions + Multiple footprints - Cost lol - Wife lol - Effort to set up (plus needing a proper footing of some sort) makes it a permanent fixture Finally, in addition to any of these ideas, there's the old trick of stringing some incandescent chrismas lights along your pots inside the greenhouse as well. This will serve to provide some baseline heat and give whatever enclosure you are using something to retain beyond sunlight (especially helpful for me where I don't really have a good south-facing location to build it). I might even attach them to a thermostat outlet like you use for seed starting heat pads to only kick on the lights/heat if it dips below 28'F or so.
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Aug 13, 2020 21:03
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FWIW I had this one and its junk. The shelves support no weight, the whole thing is super flimsy and does incredibly poor in the wind. It needed to much reinforcement of the shelves just to hold a couple plants that it would have been better buying a more expensive one. The shelves are just chicken wire on a flimsy frame.
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Aug 14, 2020 00:04
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Yeah I was thinking something low to the ground and cheap, like those pop-up tent style ones.
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Aug 14, 2020 00:16
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Ok Comboomer posted:Thanks for the advice! I guess I should clarify that I was hoping to repot into large training pots, not shallow finished pots. But if it’s a bad idea, then it’s a bad idea. Slip pot oughta be fine, look up when the first frost will be and try and do it no later than 2 months before hand. Roots do a lot of growing in the fall, even after the leaves fall off so its a good time to do it IMO. The two months is the rule of thumb for the amount of time for the roots to harden and lignify and get "cold ready". But even if the new root growth dies from freeze damage you still have the original rootball. Whereas a heavier root prune wont leave you with that safety net, so if the new roots die your tree is toast. Easiest way to know when to re-pot is by knocking the container off (assuming it's plastic) and looking at the rootball. Unless you have thick roots encircling the rootball, probably best to leave it. I'd advise against cutting the branch until the leaves fall off. Right now all the leaves are collecting energy for your tree, which means growth. More leaves = more growth, so keep the branch and cut it off in the winter/early spring Also maybe unwanted backbudding. Best advice for any climate advice is gonna come from locals, they'll know what the winters are like and what you gotta do. That said, I'm in the Midwest and I've been keeping my hardy trees outside in a tub that I fill with fine, dampened mulch to about 6". I'll put them in that after Thanksgiving. No other care except for covering them with snow once it snows. Japanese maple goes in an unheated garage, also in mulch. Early, unexpected warm days are the real threat
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Aug 14, 2020 00:25
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That drat Satyr posted:
Hell yeah! The more posters the better. Decent work on the wiring - what do you think about removing a branch or two from that group of four? A little asymmetry might look more interesting IMO
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Aug 14, 2020 00:31
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lil poopendorfer posted:Good advice Thanks for this! Figure it’s a good opportunity to post pics. Maybe too many pics, and I probably should’ve shown the backs. 🤷🏻♂️ Azalea 1:  The tufty, taller bit on the left is coming out of the branch I want to remove, there should be enough branching and foliage to fill that space in.    Pls ignore the leaves I haven’t deadheaded yet.  This nursery soil seems dense and high in organic stuff, but also it seems to drain decently well and it’s got lots of big chunks. The plants seem to have thrived in it all spring and summer, FWIW.  Azalea 2:  Don’t be fooled by that $12.98 pricetag, baybee (I actually paid $6.49 for each. They looked ragged )   That thick straight horn coming out of the back is the branch I wanna cut on this one. I was hoping it would thicken the trunk a bit, but now I think it might be best gone. Idk. The rest of the back “tail” on this very birdlike plant might need a shearing of some kind, but taking that ugly branch off won’t change its appearance very much from the front three views, and will actually tidy the back up a bit. I go back and forth on that “tail”. Sometimes I think it looks bad and overgrown and sloppy, and other times I think it looks nice and mounded, especially when flowered. I see tons of satsukis and pro work with mounds like that (albeit much fuller and more grown out and much better coiffed). Also, I’m half-expecting/half-hoping that the young shoots coming up through the middle will fill it in. That used to be a big hole a few weeks ago. Crazy how fast they grow, esp compared to my dwarf spruces. I really dig the wide slope of this tree and how one side swoops down lower and wider than the other. It really gives a sense of grace, almost like the plant is bowing to you or flying. I’ve noticed that a lot of the branches that I wanted to cut back in May or early June, and that I neglected due to the protests among other things, ended up really filling out both plants and giving them lovely mature appearances. Some branches that seemed excessive, out of place, or sacrificial ended up growing into real key parts. For all that’s been said about missing seasonal deadlines/windows and wanting to do a ton of work on your plants, I’ve come to appreciate just also letting your plant do it’s thing and grow into a tree. To be fair, I did take like 40% off of each azalea back in early April.  And the roots. The soil isn’t waterlogged, I just had this guy sitting in a Rubbermaid tub all day, and immediately before taking pics. trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 02:44 on Aug 14, 2020 |
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Aug 14, 2020 02:39
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Wowww you make me really wanna get an azalea now  I never seem to see them, let alone for such attractive prices.Yeah those rootballs look great! I think if you slip-potted them you would have drainage problems. Have you thought about using wire or something like that to open the canopy up a little? That could help train the branches and expose the foliage more. Confession time: I've been using zip ties as a quasi guy wire thing  works pretty well though and I like the ability to progressively increase the tension with precises click-by-click ratcheting. You can cut holes in your nursery cans to mount them.Looks like a peat moss heavy blend which I know is often recommended for azaleas. Binds w calcium I believe, an ion with which azaleas (and most other "acid loving plants IIRC) have a problem regulating their uptake. Not gonna lie ... kinda envious. Good finds 
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Aug 14, 2020 14:01
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eSporks posted:FWIW I had this one and its junk. The shelves support no weight, the whole thing is super flimsy and does incredibly poor in the wind. Thanks, that was my suspicion. That drat Satyr posted:And now, about 2 months post-surgery. When it cools off a bit more I think I might re-pot it so it's a little more upright, so maybe I can encourage the new growth to stop bending toward the light so much. I'm honestly not even sure why it's doing that, since now it lives on my north-facing porch and gets pretty good morning sun, and I figured that would be well enough for it. Am I wrong? Jade Cascade? That drat Satyr posted:And, finally, the goods. I know it's bad, my wiring sucks, and my form/arrangement makes no sense. I don't really care that much, because I had fun doing it and honestly I think the tree probably needs to grow out a little bit more before it's able to be properly trained, anyway. Blue juniper. My unsolicited suggestion: - Bend the bottom branch in a flat curve, ending with the tip bending slightly forward - Bend the group of 4 parallel branches so they're somewhat staggered, maximizing the sun each gets. - Let those middle 4 branches grow for a while, but plan to pick only one of them (I like the 2nd from the bottom) and prune the rest when things have thickened up enough.
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Aug 14, 2020 18:26
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Hubis posted:Well, I was pruning some overhanging branches, and So update on this:   I was hesitant to post any photos until I felt confident that it would survuve, but It's been down for about 3 weeks now and I'm actually starting to see some new leaf buds so I think I'm past the initial danger zone. It's in the shade potted in a 50/50 mix of chopped spaghnum moss and coarse pumice. I've got some willow stalks stuck in there and have been watering it with willow water periodically as I have read that improves rooting. I've been applying foliar watering with seaweed extract as well. My main goal here is to try and push enough roots that it will survive winter minimum die-back. I'm planning to leave all the foliage where it is in hopes that it will collect as much energy as possible for pushing roots, then do a very light shaping for reduction of some of the twiggy growth over the winter, grow it out through the next year, and do a repotting/root pruning in maybe Spring 2022. That wound in the front was facing up before so I didn't know it was there! I think it *could* be something pretty cool, but I'm not sure exactly what to do with it. It's currently potted pretty deep (the bottom of the cut is on the bottom there) so that first big branch isn't actually at final soil level. Structurally I've erred on the side of not losing too much developed structure, but I will probably chop down at least that top and the longer side branches at some point. Anyways, here's hoping my big thicc boi survives! It seems like it could easily make a proper chumono (or even omono?) which would be really rad to have. Hubis fucked around with this message at 18:59 on Aug 14, 2020 |
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Aug 14, 2020 18:48
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lil poopendorfer posted:Wowww you make me really wanna get an azalea now Thank you! It’s not all good plant genes tho  . (I feel like a stage mom) I’ll try to find some older pics, maybe I have some from when I got them. But it suffices to say that they were really rough looking. I definitely picked the two with the best potential and workable bits of the bunch, but both were initially much taller with big vertical branches ending in these horrible clumpy masses of smaller branches and leaves (think of the “tail” on Tree 2 but like 6-8 inches taller, like a weird azalea lollipop. Only one of them had “wings” then and they were pitiful— like 1-2 little branches. I had some branches wired up on both trees but I took the wires off in late May/early June. Like I said earlier, I initially thought about pruning and thinning out a lot of the summer growth before being pleasantly surprised (at least for now). They finished their first big extension in around mid-June and then put forth another big second flush, which is honestly where they got a lot of the density that you see now. And for a while both had great big holes where the old lollipop branches used to be. I think I’m gonna let them both just do their thing from here on out, unless there’s something that really needs removal or attending to, and then do a big annual styling in early 2021. I imagine that as the trees get bigger the perceived space between the branches will open up a little bit. For some hybrid megacorporate nursery plants, I’m over the moon with how they’ve responded this year (or maybe precisely *because they’re Home Depot-bought affronts to God and Nature? They’re tenacious as gently caress, I get the sense that they’d be unkillable as yard plants once established). Their flowers are white, btw, definitely no Satuski-like variegation. I really regret not getting any flower shots this year- partially that’s because I wrecked their flowers early by forgetting to soak them during the early June heat spike that accompanied the first week of protests. But definitely get your mitts on some azaleas! They’re wicked hardy and they honestly take way less work than I imagined to look halfway decent, esp if you pick good stock/plants that are naturally gonna behave and grow in an aesthetically pleasing ‘bonsai friendly’ way. Definitely easier and much faster-growing than a lot of conifers. They’ve wound up being some of my favorite plants to work with and I’d love to add some real-deal satsukis to the menagerie, maybe in 2021.
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Aug 14, 2020 20:45
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lil poopendorfer posted:Hell yeah! The more posters the better. Decent work on the wiring - what do you think about removing a branch or two from that group of four? A little asymmetry might look more interesting IMO Hubis posted:My unsolicited suggestion: Thanks, both of you, for the ideas! I probably should have taken a photo from a different angle so it was more clear that the small guy one dimensional. I've gone back and made sure that each branch has good, uncovered reach for sunlight and generally given it a little wiggle here and there. As for removing branches - would it be better to just get rid of them now, or leave them to help get the trunk to get stronger since it has more to support in the state that it's in? Hubis posted:Jade Cascade? That was exactly what I was thinking. I just hope it survives the winter. If it makes it, I think I'll feel comfortable enough wiring it up for a more proper, controlled shape. Right now most of the structural branches still feel like if you touch them too hard they might poop off. It's definitely still recovering from not getting enough water due to how much of the root system and trunk I had to excise from the rot. I've considered pruning off the new growth, but again, I'm super new to being a plant keeper and I don't really know if that would help or hurt the situation at this point. It's stupid because I've had this one for several years now, and how I've kept it alive is still a loving mystery to me.
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Aug 15, 2020 20:49
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That drat Satyr posted:Thanks, both of you, for the ideas! I probably should have taken a photo from a different angle so it was more clear that the small guy one dimensional. I've gone back and made sure that each branch has good, uncovered reach for sunlight and generally given it a little wiggle here and there. As for removing branches - would it be better to just get rid of them now, or leave them to help get the trunk to get stronger since it has more to support in the state that it's in? Definitely don't prune it now -- those branches will help build trunk thickness and taper, and feed root growth. I wouldn't plan on pruning anything else until you see some new growth and back budding.
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Aug 16, 2020 00:57
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That drat Satyr posted:Thanks, both of you, for the ideas! I probably should have taken a photo from a different angle so it was more clear that the small guy one dimensional. I've gone back and made sure that each branch has good, uncovered reach for sunlight and generally given it a little wiggle here and there. As for removing branches - would it be better to just get rid of them now, or leave them to help get the trunk to get stronger since it has more to support in the state that it's in? I don't know much about conifers but I do know enough to say that yes the extra branches will thicken and support the section of trunk below them AND when in doubt about what to cut, waiting is never a bad idea. Was just wondering if you had a plan/vision for the tree.
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Aug 16, 2020 12:48
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I was bored and didn't wanna spend any money so I spent yesterday looking around for some moss. Scored a nice big lump in the parking lot at a nearby park. Teased it apart trimmed the longer parts and plopped it on top: LOVE the way it looks. Moss is kind of a contentious subject in bonsai. Even though it looks great and is commonly seen on show trees, it's usually applied a few weeks beforehand and then taken off. I've heard that it hampers airflow which I don't buy and that you can't see when the tree needs watering, which I don't really see as being an issue unless it's something that is sensitive to too-frequent waterings. All my trees get watered daily no matter what. The real issues, as far as I see it: 1) Moss requires a different environment for growth than trees, namely higher moisture. To manage this, I'm gonna keep up with my watering routine and then spray the moss with a mister a couple times a day. 2) Moss can't handle nitrogen fertilizers in anything higher than a low concentration. Gonna play around with this .. right now I'm thinking about soaking my trees in a fertilizer solution from the bottom up so that the roots get the fertilizer but it doesn't reach the moss. 3) Moss will go on the tree and can damage bark upon removal. None of my trees have nice bark that I'm worried about damaging but still this can be managed just by trimming the moss as needed. Benefits: 1) Looks amazing, and I don't think this should be discounted. Sure, our trees spend most of their time in development but the whole point is to enjoy them, and I for one much prefer the moss over my usual rocks n weeds n wire 2) Keeps surface roots moist. Some trees grow many fine roots near the surface of the soil and these can dry out pretty fast. There's no "proof" that this would have a benefit but it makes sense to me. My Gmelina for one has tons of feeder roots under like one layer of substrate. 3) Promotes healthier soil biome .. this one is kinda nebulous to me, but increased biodiversity could concievably have a benefit. Don't really think it'll make a difference but plenty of people swear by organic fertilizers only exactly because of this I'm gonna go ahead and see what happens. For right now, it looks so nice that I'm gonna look for some more and try and grow it in a tray. A local nursery sells live moss so I'm gonna buy some and put it on the rest of my trees
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Aug 16, 2020 13:04
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Hell yeah 420 moss krew represent
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Aug 16, 2020 14:00
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 Case in point! Great looking moss .. you collected it too?Great looking bonsai in general! It's so much more fun to care for nice looking trees
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Aug 16, 2020 14:05
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Moss is fine. Shred sphagnum moss as a top dressing, especially after a repot, grab some moss from some nice sunny locations, trim the bottom poo poo off it, then plant it into the sphagnum. When you need to fertilize you can either fertilize in bare patches, or just lift a little bit of the moss up and put the fertilizer underneath.
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Aug 16, 2020 16:09
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Fuckin birds take all my moss.
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Aug 16, 2020 16:35
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I talked to y'all about using muck in rock plantings, odd shaped pots, and slabs right? If that stuff doesn't cut down on tree respiration, there's no way moss is doing that.
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Aug 16, 2020 17:17
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lil poopendorfer posted:
Yeah! I got that from out fairly shady driveway. There's also some long tufty stuff that grows in another part of my yard as well. I'm thinking I'll collect a few specimins and try to propogate them in different trays for later use.
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Aug 16, 2020 17:53
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Crocoduck posted:Moss is fine. Shred sphagnum moss as a top dressing, especially after a repot, grab some moss from some nice sunny locations, trim the bottom poo poo off it, then plant it into the sphagnum. When you need to fertilize you can either fertilize in bare patches, or just lift a little bit of the moss up and put the fertilizer underneath. Yeah, that's pretty much what I do. I'm lazy so I just poke the fertilizer pellets through the moss. Crocoduck posted:Fuckin birds take all my moss. For me I'm pretty sure it's squirrels/chipmunks. They don't steal it, but I've found big chunks all ripped off and tossed around the bench  Crocoduck posted:I talked to y'all about using muck in rock plantings, odd shaped pots, and slabs right? If that stuff doesn't cut down on tree respiration, there's no way moss is doing that. No, but I'd like to hear! I collected some pretty cool looking rocks with natural bowls in them that I was thinking of experimenting with as potting surfaces. I shared it a few pages back, but I found a "faux muck" recipe using corn starch and shredded sphagnum and used that to secure some roots for a ficus over rock. I guess for planting on a slab you use the muck to build up a kind of rim, and then fill the planting area as usual? Also I assume that I'd need to get out a masonry bit and drill some drainage holes through the center of the planting area?
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Aug 16, 2020 18:02
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  Yeah so here's some mucked up bonsai. I use a recipe of sphagnum moss, bentonite clay, compost/potting soil, and akadama or pumice fines (what remains after you sift your soil) mixed up in just about equal parts. You can use it basically like clay to build up a pot around your tree, then cover it with moss using copper wire 'staples'. Masonite drill would work, but you can also pretty much build a pot around the tree then plop it into a pot like I did here. lovely, lovely pot, definitely needs a different tree, but you get the idea.
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Aug 16, 2020 18:23
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lil poopendorfer posted:E: this might be the excuse you need to get some tropical trees. Grab a ginseng ficus and a portulacaria at Home Depot and get to work Ok Comboomer posted:I’ve got two ginseng ficus (one that looks great even after I cracked its trunk getting it around a rock, and one that had 3/5 branches die from the trauma of being moved from IKEA to my house) and I have yet to find a porticularia that I really like. I could grab and separate some $3 mini HD porticularia to grow up, but I already did exactly that with three different jade varietals and now I have like 20 little jade plants that are all way too young and small for bonsai. But they look nice in my succulent menagerie. I went to Mahoney’s for the first time this weekend—as an aside: MAgoons, Mahoney’s is loving heaven. Best plant/garden store I’ve ever been to. Absolutely loving massive, and the plants all look catalog fresh and beautiful. They have literally everything I could ever want in a plant store except variegated monstera, because you’re gonna be paying $150 to special order that poo poo anyway given how in-trend it is. Definitely worth visiting for A-grade material, or for houseplants and yard plants in general. Anyway, the tldr is I found a porticularia I like, and I’ll probably buy a couple more soon:  Not bad for $17, definitely head and shoulders above any of the other elephant bushes I’ve seen. Probably helps that this one’s been prepped specifically for sale as pre-bonsai. (No clue why it’s sideways, the original image is not. Blame imgur, not me or my lovely plant)
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Aug 17, 2020 23:43
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So, the leaves are starting to cool, and school's gone back in session around here. That can only mean one thing: big discounts in the garden center are coming soon. What are some specific plants that a beginner should keep an eye out for? Anything to definitely try and avoid? I'm hoping I can score some kind of focus and, at the very least, a small maple or maybe a fruit tree. Speaking of - my husband and I took a walk around our property the other day and I have a pear tree that my mom and I planted the year we moved in here. When it was going in the ground my wonderfully delicate m ripped the whole football off the poor thing, so we just stuck it in the ground and gave it thoughts and prayers. Last year, at 10~, it finally decided to have a few fruits on it. This year it had so many that all of the branches are bent horribly down toward the ground. Like... Absolutely cascade style, but this is a tree planted on flat land. The stupid part is a bunch of the branches were just far too high to be reached, and a ton of them have just snapped right in half. I think the plants that live in my hard sometimes do this kind of thing to spite me
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Aug 21, 2020 07:48
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Ok Comboomer posted:I went to Mahoney’s for the first time this weekend—as an aside: MAgoons, Mahoney’s is loving heaven. Best plant/garden store I’ve ever been to. Absolutely loving massive, and the plants all look catalog fresh and beautiful. They have literally everything I could ever want in a plant store except variegated monstera, because you’re gonna be paying $150 to special order that poo poo anyway given how in-trend it is. Definitely worth visiting for A-grade material, or for houseplants and yard plants in general. Wow, nice find! That’s a steal, compared to what I usually see. Are you gonna repot it or let it grow out? I could see the argument for either one. Anyone have any suggestions or recommendations for indoor grow lights? This would be my first go around, just for a few tropical trees and succulent propagation. Seedlings too. I was looking at some of the Hansi LED bulbs on Amazon, seems simple enough and less obtrusive then a LED bar—but if the LED bulbs suck, I’ll probably get a Mars Hydro LED bar. I’d like to keep it to $100 or less but I’ll spend more if absolutely necessary
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Aug 21, 2020 14:52
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Speaking of jades, I found this wonderful wholesaler: http://www.hfimports.com/prebonsaitrees/jade.html $650 order minimum, but $35 for 10” jades? $70 for 12”?? I’m trying to get some other people I know to go in on an order with me. Hopefully the local bonsai shop (a mom n pop running it out of their house) would buy a couple.
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Aug 21, 2020 15:02
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Those are gorgeous but they grow really fast and propagate themselves.. why not just wait a few years and make your own and buy other trees instead? If you're just trying to jump start a collection any portion of that $ could get you some serious starting material
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Aug 21, 2020 15:26
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lil poopendorfer posted:Wow, nice find! That’s a steal, compared to what I usually see. Are you gonna repot it or let it grow out? I could see the argument for either one. I actually have no clue, I’ve been trying to educate myself on portulacaria (gonna spell it right this time) bonsai, and keeping them in general. I still don’t know at all where I wanna go with it but I definitely want the trunk to thicken up. Right now it looks kinda rootbound to me (lots of fat roots snaking around the bottom perimeter of the pot, tree looks like it’s 1-2 months away from falling out) so I may repot it into an 8” or 11” training pot (about 4” deep, so lots of room to grow roots and get big) and let it grow out there. Also looking at some of the monstrose jade propagates I have going and thinking about which ones I wanna keep “wild type” and which ones could go into training over the next year. Turns out the monstrose forms look a lot better as bonsai to my eyes than the standard morph with the big ovoid leaves. I’ve got a bunch of Gollums, Hobbits, and Ogre Ears to play with. Kind of amazing how cheap and ubiquitous those got in the last few years. Still no chance of getting a Gimli without knowing somebody or paying hundreds of dollars—such a gorgeous and odd looking jade tho. I would also love some good grow light/tent recommendations for my tropicals and succulents, but I think there’s at least one better thread for that (General plant thread, maybe the Gardening thread too but they’re more into vegetables)
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Aug 21, 2020 16:37
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Harry Potter on Ice posted:why not just wait a few years That’s why Haha Seriously though, I’m not gonna keep more than 2-3 of those big ones probably and I really like mature jades so why not? Mature stock anywhere else is 3-4x as much. believe me, if I could buy them individually for a decent price I would. If I had the space I’d probably buy a whole order for myself to repot and sell. I have a little side hustle selling succulents, and people have been loving the jades. Mine were totally unimpressive little twigs in terra cotta pots and I sold them all in a couple weeks. The look of a tree plus the easy care of a succulent—what’s not to love?
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Aug 21, 2020 17:11
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Ok Comboomer posted:I actually have no clue, I’ve been trying to educate myself on portulacaria (gonna spell it right this time) bonsai, and keeping them in general. I still don’t know at all where I wanna go with it but I definitely want the trunk to thicken up. Yah that’s never a bad idea. The recommendation is generally to up pot by 2” in diameter and depth once the rootball is well established (you can remove the pot without it losing shape)
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Aug 21, 2020 17:14
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lil poopendorfer posted:That’s why I totally get it and that is way more justification than I had when I started collecting a bunch I was just curious. I fuggin love jades! There is a green house near me that has an 80 some year old decently sized one that was donated to them by someone near them in a nursing home, the owner gave me a piece after enough visits. Time flies though and my favorite tree now was not at the time it's just grown on me I'm really down with your succulent slanging too I would be most definitely buying from someone in my area doing that.
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Aug 21, 2020 18:27
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God finally some validation.
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Aug 21, 2020 20:44
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lil poopendorfer posted:Anyone have any suggestions or recommendations for indoor grow lights? This would be my first go around, just for a few tropical trees and succulent propagation. Seedlings too. I was looking at some of the Hansi LED bulbs on Amazon, seems simple enough and less obtrusive then a LED bar—but if the LED bulbs suck, I’ll probably get a Mars Hydro LED bar. I'm in the same boat. I've been digging around, and here's what I've got: GE 24" 40W Grow Light ($68) Very good brightness and even, as its a bar light. Not ideal if you don't know how to fit that sort of thing in your space, but probably the best solution for a dedicated plant shelf. Sansi 15W Grow Bulb ($20) Good brightness, but it's very focused so you'll need several angles or a further throw distance if you want it to be even. It's also on the bulky side -- maybe a bit bigger than your average R30 bulb? -- so it sticks out of a few spot fixtures I've found. However... The LEPOWER Metal Floor Lamp ($29) seems to fit it EXACTLY. The Floor lamp is also in three independent segments, so you could theoretically only use one segment and place it on a table if you wanted. The Arc Floor Lamp ($47) also seems like a viable option if you want something a bit more stylish. Mine hasn't arrived yet so I can't speak to the quality, but I am hoping it will work well enough for me to put some trees in nicer rooms. One more option for lights is the Haus Bright 100W Equivalent ($30). This sucker is HUGE, but it seems like it juuuuuuust exactly fits in the LEPOWER fixture above. The color is a lot cooler than the Sansi ones, though. I've seen a lot of people say they like it, but I'm not sure how it compares to the other lights, especially given the visible difference in color temp. It's probably more comparable to the Sansi 24W bulb ($30), but I haven't tried that to give an opinion. Either is probably great in a simple clip-on work-light fixture if you have a dedicated grow space. For smaller trees, the sliiightly smaller Sansi 10W bulb ($19) fits perfectly into this TORCHSTAR Metal Swing Arm ($23). They don't have a ton of clearance, but they could work perfectly if you want a desktop lamp. They also come with a convertible base that lets you have either a weighted desktop base or a clamp on/screw in base if you want to attach it to a wall. Finally, these BN-Link Mechanical Timers ($12 for 2) are a good basic timer. Also, I splurged on this cheap URCERI Light Meter ($30) as a way of sanity-checking my arrangements. Lux doesn't translate directly into PAR, but it's close enough for similar light qualities. Hope this helps!
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Aug 21, 2020 22:17
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Harry Potter on Ice posted:I totally get it and that is way more justification than I had when I started collecting a bunch I was just curious. I fuggin love jades! There is a green house near me that has an 80 some year old decently sized one that was donated to them by someone near them in a nursing home, the owner gave me a piece after enough visits. Time flies though and my favorite tree now was not at the time it's just grown on me There was a wild five minutes of my life when I seriously considered loading up my credit card to get this 42” beast for imo a reasonable $2k:
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Aug 21, 2020 22:23
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Otherwise, I took my Gmelina cuttings and put them in water to root. A few weeks later and 3 died but the other 6 are going strong. Potted three in sphagnum and left three in the water to see which do better.   Already it’s branching and putting out new growth.  This is a cool fast growing tropical that isn’t very popular for some reason. I love mine though, hopefully I’ll have a few more to add to the collection
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Aug 21, 2020 22:32
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lil poopendorfer posted:
Nothing wrong with dropping 2k on a tree, but that tree is not worth 2k.
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Aug 21, 2020 23:12
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Ok so I got myself a dwarf pomegranate because I'd always wanted one and now I'm wondering: did I screw myself? I saw it referred to as an outdoor tree. Ok, cool. Now I am reading it doesn't tolerate temperatures below 35'F. gently caress, ok, I'll bring it inside. Wait, so it still needs winter dormancy? poo poo. Do I need to actually pull the trigger on a cold house now? Alternatively, since I'm in the fairly temperate mid Atlantic: can I maybe leave it out through the fall and let it it experience a stretch between 35-50'F, then bring it in before it freezes? Also, I've read they don't develop trunks at all once potted. Do I need to move it out of its bonsai pot into a grow container if I want it to thicken up some, or can I just keep up-potting it every other year?
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Aug 22, 2020 15:35
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