名媛直播

Hello all. after a visit to Orlando Florida's Epcot, I became come quite interested in the art of bonsai after seeing some on display. I did a little bit of research online, and have decided to get my hands dirty and begin working with some trees. I need help identifying this tree I purchased at a superstore with a garden section. It was labeled as a ficus but it does not match with other pictures of ficus trees I have seen. It seems to be a juniper to me... but what do I know? Lol. Also I went ahead and did some pruning of the undergrowth and plan on re-potting and wiring this plant. I would like to know what size pot I should be looking for. It is currently in a 3 1/2 gallon nursery pot with some stale nursery soil. I know I may have done a horrible job with this, but on the bright side it was in some pretty bad conditions in the super store and was probably bound to die anyway. Hopefully I can save it and have it brighten my day when I leave for work in the mornings. Thank you in advance.

Treegan wrote: decided to get my hands dirty and begin working with some trees.

Why? Wasn?t it better learning the basics first and then start working with some trees to hone your skills?

Treegan wrote: I need help identifying this tree I purchased at a superstore with a garden section. It was labeled as a ficus but It seems to be a juniper to me...

Well, yes you are right this time... That is most certainly not a Ficus, but a Juniper instead.

Treegan wrote: Also I went ahead and did some pruning of the undergrowth and plan on re-potting and wiring this plant.

Well, there is nothing you can do about pruning anymore, however before repotting or wiring learn how to take good care of this plant or at least, if you can?t wait, learn how to do it right. Get someone to help you. Anyways, a few basic guidelines can be found here:

Treegan wrote: I would like to know what size pot I should be looking for. It is currently in a 3 1/2 gallon nursery pot with some stale nursery soil.

At the current stage of development this plant is, I?d dare to say that it is not so important the pot?s dimensions (the one you describe should sufice right now) as the quality of the soil you have put your new tree in... For 名媛直播 soils basic requirements see:



Oh, and one more last thing... This is a Juniper, hopefully you are not keeping it indoors, right? If so, please take it outside where it belongs in the first place.

Hope all of this might have been of some help,

Alain

Treegan wrote: this tree I purchased at a superstore with a garden section.

That's the first sign of this not being a real bonsai; what you have is a small tree in a pot. 名媛直播, while literally meaning 'planted in a container', is actually an art form and has some very strict guidelines. This is probably a good way to start learning about how to care for bonsai trees, but it still doesn't technically count as one.

you can read up a bit more on this topic here:


and here's the 'rules' of bonsai:


I wouldn't worry about the pot or wiring, but if you really want to you could probably make it a learning experience rather than to actually train the tree.
Hopefully, this tree will ignite the 名媛直播 fever that all of us on this forum share - I'm sure we would all welcome an enthusiastic new member

Good luck with your new-found hobby
Ed

Thank you for the help. I decided to get a tree and be hands on because after watching maybe 50+ hours of YouTube videos and reading some beginner books I wanted to see up close and personal what one of these trees look like. The garden section of this super store was the perfect place to get a cheap plant, feel it in my hands, see what shape, movement, style, ramification, taper, nebari, and other characteristics look like in real life. Like other art forms such as oil or acrylic or even modeling, I never learned as much as I could off of videos. I do not intend for this plant to be a staple in my collection or for it to be the perfect bonsai. I would like to use this plant to employ methods that I am learning.

The plant is kept outdoors, getting a lot of sun, it is under some bigger trees so its not directly under the suns rays. I also water it once a day, and keep a chopstick in the pot to determine the moisture of the soil. The reason I want to re pot it is because when I water it I can see the soil has absorbed as much as it can but the water is not irrigating out of the bottom hole.

Treegan wrote: Thank you for the help. I decided to get a tree and be hands on because after watching maybe 50+ hours of YouTube videos and reading some beginner books I wanted to see up close and personal what one of these trees look like.

And than you bought this... I don't understand. Did you not see, after 50+ hours of youtube (unless when you've been watching that '名媛直播 new easy method' series, which I hope you didn't), what a real bonsai looks like ? This is NOT a bonsai, it is just a young shrub.

The garden section of this super store was the perfect place to get a cheap plant, feel it in my hands, see what shape, movement, style, ramification, taper, nebari, and other characteristics look like in real life.

You must be joking. This plant has not been shaped as a bonsai. It has no movement, except a bend to the right. Very standard, all these 'super store' baby junipers look exactly the same. 名媛直播 is an art... this is a commercial (and usually highly overprized) mass product. The nebari... are not visible, and what's visible does NOT show what good nebari are supposed to look like. THe plant has no tapering. There's no ramification. The bonsai does not have a style - or, if you're going to say it is a semi-cascade: it has been styled very badly . All characteristics for a good bonsai are absent - as this is not a bonsai.

The only way to get a reasonable bonsai out of it, is to completely start over with it. Plant it in the ground, and start building up from zero.

I purchased the tree for 10 dollars, I think it was worth it, and yes I understand it is not a bonsai. But the aspects you pointed out are what I was able to see, and holding it in my hands and seeing where details were missed, and aspects were missing help me learn. This is a poor excuse for a bonsai. Its like comparing a painting found at a super store to one created by a real artist. Compared to the plants I can purchase at my local bonsai garden which prices rarely go under $65 this $10 plant has allowed me to prune it without worry, tilt it spin it move the branches around, learn how to properly water it, see what went wrong in the commercial production of it. And if it dies do to my own mistake it would be $10 well spent. Plus I plan on removing it from that pot reducing the rootball and re potting it. The pot is ~$15 dollars. Why would I purchase a "real" bonsai to potentially kill it?

P.S

I never referred to the plant I purchased as a bonsai. I called it a tree. I feel a very defensive stance from a lot of people on this forum. I am not trying to diminish your art or compare it to something I can create or purchase at a super store. I am only trying to learn.

Treegan wrote: I purchased the tree for 10 dollars, I think it was worth it

Understood. I'll shut up now.

Or... maybe not; let me try and give some advise:
Rather than buying a fake bonsai, I'd recommend to go to a nursery and look for a normal juniper. It won't cost more (probably less), and it will give you more to work with.

Rather than buying a fake bonsai, I'd recommend to go to a nursery and look for a normal juniper. It won't cost more (probably less), and it will give you more to work with.

I considered that, I am actually going to make a stop at some nursery's today and see if I find something that has not already been shaped (badly). Is the juniper the best tree to start with? or is there some other nursery fodder I should look into?

A juniper would be a good choice. Make sure you choose the right species though, several are suitable, but not all are equally suitable for bonsai.

Junipers are not difficult, the branches are quite flexible. It's a conifer, so you need to remember that what you prune won't grow back.

Maybe this list helps:


though there are more options. A native, deciduous tree could be a good choice.

Junipers are not difficult, the branches are quite flexible. It's a conifer, so you need to remember that what you prune won't grow back.

This will prove helpful, I was unaware of this.

Also one last thing, I am in South Florida where we notice pretty much 0 weather changes during seasons its 80 degrees outside right now and humid. Do plants here still adhere to the dormancy stages and months that are best for big trimmings and re potting?