名媛直播

Hello to all, first post here.

So. I bought this umbrella tree a while back, just because it is pretty, But I'd now like to get started in bonsai trees, and this is what I have to work with...

It already has a cool root structure. I think I can see a 'sucker' which I have pointed to with a green arrow, I haven't cut it yet in case it is the beginning of an arial root... And the rock it sits on has a kind of white thing over much of it. (yellow arrow) Mould? Bad? What to do?

My concern is that there is no branches. Two branches have been cut off already upon purchase. See red arrows. I want to encourage another one or two branches off the trunk but how? And how to make the trunk keep expanding?

So my thought is to cut it where the purple line is.

Also, it is autumn now, I live in the south so quite cool.

what are your thoughts? Opinions please

Hi and welcome to the empire.

To be honest.. I am not in the tropics. As such, I do not grow umbrella trees. In temperate zone these grow more like herbs than trees and for me, they will not turn into a realistic tree. For now, I would say, it needs to growth. If you are in the south (Tropics? Or temperate?) you are turning into winter. Any work done on tropicals outside the tropical zone should be at the end of winter / spring / summer. At the start of winter the focus should be on keeping it happy and healthy to deal with winter.

Ah, yes, south of Australia is cold, temperate, not tropical. It's clear I need to be patient, until September or so.

I suppose if I bought it to be a great bonsai, I would be disappointed it won't do well here, but I can't really say that because I have enjoyed its beauty as it is for quite a while.

Well, thankyou.