Anyone into Bonsai Trees?

I recently purchased a Bonsai Tree (Chinese Elm) for my father and decided to pick one up for myself.

I bought a Arboricola. Neat little tree with interesting root architecture.



Anyone else into Bonsai? Any tips?

Don't know much about them beyond thinking they are way cool!! I found a walnut that a squirrel had left in Berkeley and it had sprouted. I put it in a Bonsai dish and it was looking real nice a few years later. Unfortunately on a visit for 5 weeks to Maui, it was neglected and the heat and lack of water killed it.

Over here (Maui) I have taken to boring holes and making soil chambers in lava and coral rocks and planting some palms and umbrella trees in them with the intent of stunting their growth. I have some cool "features" now in my yard but I doubt they would qualify as Bonsai because I have not worked at training or controlling their branch structure.

I am as fascinated by the root structures as I am the branches and the umbrella trees (Schefflera) seem to be quite hardy, scale to their environment and can be manipulated root wise to very interesting effects. I was first introduced to them by seeing samples for sale on restaurant tables, placed by Dan's Greenhouse here. My wife took a couple home on the plane and they did quite well in our house in Berkeley. Over here, I wanted a larger version that could thrive outside in the garden and I have been reasonably successful but some have sent out roots beyond the confinement and now are on the way to getting much larger than planned!

Actually, I am waiting for some more growth (before photos) but I have modified one of these trees in a very CPF sort of fashion! This tree overcame its coral rock confinement and now has very interesting root structure at its base. It was also about 10' tall when I lopped off the top so that it will spread out more and not climb so high up. When I lopped off the top, I also drilled a 1" hole right through its trunk. This was a significant hole since the tree was probably only 2" in diameter at the time! :green: I then slipped a SunDrop 2x123 light into the hole and left it. I think this was about at the end of last year; should have made note of the date. The tree is growing well, has all kinds of new growth at the top and the flashlight is now quite captive and part of the tree!

In plant implant of titanium; something I had been considering for quite a while! I have fantasies of implanting walnut and other trees with tools and letting them grow around and over them. How about a wood handle that actually grew on a tool?!?! I also recently burried another SunDrop in a pot with the roots of a schefflera twined around it. I am hoping that after time, I can drop the dirt level and expose the root work with a light interwoven and integral to the tree. It could make an interesting table lamp perhaps.

I am rambling but this stuff is really interesting to me!

There are going to be all sorts of people digging about in your garden tonight !

Thanks for sharing, Don. I think you have created a new class of Bonsai!

McGizmo said:

...In plant implant of titanium; something I had been considering for quite a while! I have fantasies of implanting walnut and other trees with tools and letting them grow around and over them. How about a wood handle that actually grew on a tool?!?! I also recently burried another SunDrop in a pot with the roots of a schefflera twined around it. I am hoping that after time, I can drop the dirt level and expose the root work with a light interwoven and integral to the tree. It could make an interesting table lamp perhaps...

Click to expand...

Many thoughts & comments come to mind, but none that seem a "best fit".

I think "intriguing" will do for now!!

McGizmo said:

In plant implant of titanium; something I had been considering for quite a while! I have fantasies of implanting walnut and other trees with tools and letting them grow around and over them.

Click to expand...

It seems that, contrary to money, lights *do* grow on trees? ...in Hawai'i, at least.

cryhavok,
I feel like I derailed your thread here a bit. Sorry!!

I really like the idea of the Bonsai to the extent I understand it and more important than understanding the discipline is appreciating the results anyway, me thinks!

The European gardens with their symmetry and vibrant colors of flowers are impressive but I prefer the quiet and random tranquility I feel from some of the Japanese gardens I have seen. The scaling down in size with a living thing like a plant has a strong appeal to me for some reason. Something cool about say having a tree live in your house! :thumbsup:

Here's a couple shots I took around my yard with elements that were certainly inspired by Bonsai though they no doubt don't qualify as such.









And a shot of the implant:



The implant is in a tree that started out small and controlled along with another one in a hole cut out in a coral rock. Both of the trees had some external roots that found pay dirt outside of the confines and in a couple years, these roots grew to primary support and unfettered access. The pic below is the coral rock now dwarfed and overcome by the trees.

I was gifted a bonsai twig at age 18...
it fell from the kitchen table,breaking its two main branches and making a mess :shakehead so I put it outside thinking its life was over,but hoping it might survive...
survive it did,with the help of fresh rain (always better than watering yourself) I was amazed and gave it a re-pot and fertilise etc....
this is it nearly 24 years later,I've kept it small...


McGizmo,very nice garden you have,for someone who "don't know much about bonsai" you do have a remarkable insight to this sort of thing...which is the essence I think.
a lot of people think bonsai have to conform to the traditional styles etc..
I think they just have to look good to you.
here's how to do root over rock style as per bonsai method...


always choose a larger rock and put the plant half way down the rock for future growth...just wrap the roots around the bare rock with elec tape or sandwich wrap strips,bury it at least 2" deep deeper the better, wait 2-3 years.... its easier to do if you have lots of bonsai to play with


done. that was a few years ago I'll take another shot of it now and post it later , its due to be exposed out of the ground and will be good to see whats happened :huh::huh::huh:

added this pic




I will have to dig it out in the morning and see how it went for the last few years.... exciting (for me )



heres one I did before
started as a small twiggy thing...its a green island fig btw



I get so much enjoyment from bonsai it really is a good hobby...
you don't need to be patient if you have 200 of them either!:tinfoil::tinfoil:

some tips for cryhavoc
if you want the plant to get bigger and grow to a shape ,get it in a big pot for a few years....strong growth and major shaping need to be offset with quiet time aswell

if you like a plant how it is keep it in the same pot and just do small pruning and feeding once every 2 yrs

I got more joy from taking a small cutting or seed to a nice tree than buying expensive trees already done ... they end up being someone elses tree to me ...
where as some thing raised up since it was a young 'un gives much more satisfaction (IMHO)

Great posts! Thanks for sharing

couple more shots

Big is good to
but I always try to keep it down to a size I can manage by myself for potting etc...

WOW they are cool...

I'll post you one for one of your bling lights LOL

You do like a trade don't you LOL

well I don't have a spare grand for a spy with all my hobbies :laughing:

so how many 5 quid stamps for the big bonsai 1.2.3.4.5 err maybe you can pick it up

Cool stuff Gollum!!:thumbsup:

@ gollum,

I would love to give you 5 x 5 quid stamps for the big one but I don't think they would let me bring it back into the UK nowadays.........

Heh heh ...
I don't think you're allowed to scratch yourself without sending in a form these days :scowl:

sorry I better not get started .... :sigh:

McGizmo said:

Click to expand...

Sigman said:

Many thoughts & comments come to mind, but none that seem a "best fit".

I think "intriguing" will do for now!!

Click to expand...

McGizmo said:

Click to expand...

I love your smiling rock.


I have been refused by plants in general...Whether it be bonsai or cacti it would rather die then to cooperate with me...

What likes me appears to be toadstools:candle:

This is a great thread! Just love "mini trees," but not having a green thumb, the few I bought died...very quickly, too.

Some really nice specimens here. McGizmo, especially love your very verdant "rock garden." The flashlight in the tree however...well, tree people might consider it abuse.