名媛直播

Hello everyone !

I just bought this little Premna few days ago at Chatuckack Market in Bangkok.

First I wasn't sure about the specie and after few research ( tell me if I am wrong) I identify it as a Premna and my guess is that it is a Premna from Taiwan (not sure of the scientific name) with small, shiny and dark leaves. Many bonsai nurseries are selling Premna Taiwan here in Bangkok.

I wanted to share it with you to have some advice about the styling and what decision I should take.

I guess it will be obvious for some of you but remember I am a complete beginner!

I gave you some shots with Face A and Face B to have your opinion on which is the most elegant and closer shots to show you the trunk because I am not sure about the 2 lower branches. Should I keep both or cut one of them ?


I have also some little questions, the raining season is coming here and knowing that anyway there's lot of humidity here all the year what soil mixture should I use ?
I was thinking about 50 Akadama, 25 Pumice, 25 lavarock. But I can also get my hand on some Kanuma, hyuga and Kiryu Zuna so let me know if some or all of those would be a good supplement to my soil mix.
I will repot it in a small but bigger bonsai plastic pot.

I am very excited about this tiny tree I hope I can get good advice from you guys. Don't hesitate to tell me anything you want and share your ideas ^^

I think I would take off the low horizontal branch and not touch anything else. Maybe trim a little canopy back.

I like the pot, if it has a drainage hole.

But, it's your tree.

Nice tree. I would do oposite of Ivan. I think a tree looks more old with more horizontal branches. I would cut the upwards pointing branch at the same place and keep the horizontal one......And just hope that the tree backbuds on the trunk. In my opinion this tree needs more branches between the first branch and the crown.

名媛直播 is like painting. Just as any blanc canvas can make many different pictures in the hands of different artists. So also 名媛直播, several artists can come up with n+1 design, where n equals to number of artists allowed to express their thoughts. Design advise is the hardest of questions to get an uniform answer on, but it shares first position with soil questions. Congratulations, you just covered both of them in the same beginner topic.

Thank you for your thoughts ! First yes there's a hole in this 5iny pot but I don't know I don't really like it it looks like my grandma dishes ahah I'll keep in anyway for seedlings.

I like the lower branch and it would be perfect if the top one would be in the middle on the lower branch and the canopy but thinking about the "conventional" rules of bonsai styling is there any problem leaving both of them ?
They are naturally going on the left for the lower one and on the right for the top one, maybe I could accentuate that with wires ?

Also if I cut one branch do you think it would be thin enough to plant it and get a new tree ? They are about 0.5cm, and I have some iba powder.

Since you refered to "conventional rules". One of them is not to have two branches growing from the same spot on the trunk. But all rules have exceptions. In bonsai the exceptions is artist preferenses and the nature of the tree. Sometimes the owner dont want to remove doubble branches, Sometimes the doubble branches is needed to maintain the silouette of the canopy. If you want to leave both of them, go ahead, its your tree, you decide.

Ok I see.
Thank you and yes when I referred to the rules I was thinking about to not leave 2 branches growing from the same spot and maybe stupidly I am thinking that as a beginner better to follow the rules first before trying fancy styles.

I'll give updates of it after few years ^^

I would keep the two branches but chop the trunk just above the upward growing branch making it the new leader, this will give the tree good taper but I'm not sure about the species and how it back buds. Learn more about the tree before you make any big decisions

Ps: I noticed you said you wanted to take cuttings, you could air layer instead of chopping the trunk, this way you will have two decent sized trees instead of starting from small cuttings

If you cut or airlayer the trunk you will have another flaw according to "conventional rules". Branches growing in the incurve of a tree is concidered a flaw accodingly.

Asuming you are a beginner with just one or a few tree I think you make the right decision to leave all of them for now. Any one of the tree options will change the silouette too much and set you back a few years . Yes, it will benefit the design in the long run to cut, but you will have a few years with an ugly tree. A decision can allways be postponed to the future but there are no way back once done.

Tropfrog wrote: If you cut or airlayer the trunk you will have another flaw according to "conventional rules". Branches growing in the incurve of a tree is concidered a flaw accodingly.

Yes that is true, I was considering the long term of the tree tho, the first thing to work on would be the trunk in this case but your probably right, as a beginner he should focus on keeping this tree alive and pleasing to the eye until he develops enough knowledge to perform more advanced techniques