Bonsai tree?
I was given a bonsai tree as a Christmas gift. I don't think it was terribly expensive (probably from Wal-Mart) but it looks very healthy. I know next to nothing about Bonsai, but I do know they shouldn't be in warm indoor temperatures, so we put it in a cold bedroom which averages about 10C, as it is currently -10C outside and can go down to -30C where we live. I don't know what species it is but it looks similar to juniper. It now has new growth on it. For some reason I have a feeling this is "wrong". The new growth looks very vigorous and out of scale with the rest of the tree. Should it be cut off?
If it was indeed a wal-mart bonsai.. does it have rocks glued on top of the soil? If so, it may be in the tree's best interest to chip that crap off.. supposedly it is a form of gum mastic that is used as an adhesive, but its more like gorilla glue in strength and tenacity. truly evil stuff. some nice moss would be much more aethstetically pleasing ( but probably wouldnt keep the soil in so nicely during shipping) in my humble opinion.
April 29th, 2009 at 11:16 am
Try a couple of the links below.
Bonsai is as much an art form as it is about gardening. New growth on your tree means it's happy with what you're doing with it so that much is good at least. The question is what do you want your tree to look like? Cutting off all the new growth is certainly not necessary, but it won't kill the tree, either. An alternative would be to trim some of it and hope it will adopt the shape you desire.
Remember that, well cared-for, a bonsai tree will live as long as a full size outdoor specimen of the same species, so it isn't mandatory to keep it just as it was when you received it.
References :
http://basics.bonsaisite.com/
http://www.bonsaigardener.org/
http://www.bonsaisite.com/
April 29th, 2009 at 11:46 am
You are right, it is an OUTDOOR tree, and needs to get down to 0C, but not below. Keep the roots from freezing. You might want to read the Bonsai Care page on my site:
http://www.american-bonsai.com to give you a larger picture of what you need to do.
References :
April 29th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
This website will give you some basic information on Bonsai Care http://www.bonsai-garden.com/
Additionally there are a series of bonsai related articles that address specific issues growers of bonsai deal with http://www.bonsai-garden.com/bonsai-articles.htm
Goodluck!
References :
April 29th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
If it was indeed a wal-mart bonsai.. does it have rocks glued on top of the soil? If so, it may be in the tree's best interest to chip that crap off.. supposedly it is a form of gum mastic that is used as an adhesive, but its more like gorilla glue in strength and tenacity. truly evil stuff. some nice moss would be much more aethstetically pleasing ( but probably wouldnt keep the soil in so nicely during shipping) in my humble opinion.
References :
been there, done that.
April 29th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
ive had mine for almost a year and ive kept mine at room temp and mine is doing just fine!! we also got ours at wally world! and mine vigorous and out of scale with the rest of the tree. and ive never cut mine!!
References :