Anyone do Bonsai??

[johnbaz]

Hi all

I've been doing Bonsai since 1999, Acers (Maples) are my favourite species although they seem to sulk and throw leaves/branches occasionally :doh:

Here's a few..
390337390338390339390340390341390342390343

Some are in plant pots rather than Bonsai dishes, I've quite a few that are in washing up bowles!! (In training!!!)

The ones in the greenhouse are dormant or just come in to leaf after being over wintered in there :2tsup:



Cheers, John :)

[Cliff Rogers]

I tried but Bonsai in the tropics is a bit of a challenge, I still like to look. :2tsup:

[wheelinround]

I started in the early 80's with a Morton Bay Fig its still going strong through 6 moves it has fathered a large number of others I have some 12 and have given away far more. I do have other plants an Olive son bought me which got a bug into the root ball had to discard the main and have 5 new shoots of the remaining root.

I saw my first Bonsai when about 6 years old friends dad brought it back from Singapore.

Like your collection :2tsup:

[Mr Brush]

True story for you....

Last year our local agricultural show had a huge display of bonsai in one of the tents - a big crowd of people looking at them, and we ended up stuck behind a couple of old ladies slowly shuffling along the line peering closely at every exhibit. Some of the trees had been passed down from one generation to the next; the most impressive bonsai I've ever seen. The old ladies carefully inspected all the amazing bonsai on display, then when they got to the end of the tables one turned to the other and said "They're all a bit small aren't they?" Yes.....I did crack up laughing :D

[Cliff Rogers]

I did have some success with Ficus but mostly they just grew far too quickly, all mine have been 'set free' in the paddock, 2 of them a are now VERY big trees in about 10 years.

I have one 30 year old Hoop Pine Araucaria cunninghamii still in a pot but it is really only a 30year old tree in a pot that get the top chopped off about every second year.

[Old-Biker-UK]

I'm about the same class as Cliff - small, old trees in pots.
I just don't seem to have the eye for it, but I try......
Also have Suiseki gathering dust around the house.
Pics forthcoming when I get back from visiting rellies in Scotland
Mark

[johnbaz]

I'm about the same class as Cliff - small, old trees in pots.
I just don't seem to have the eye for it, but I try......
Also have Suiseki gathering dust around the house.
Pics forthcoming when I get back from visiting rellies in Scotland
Mark

I've a few Suiseki knocking about somewhere!!

390386390387390388

I have some more that have seem to have vanished!! I have to make a dai for each of them as they look better then! :U



John :)

[fenderbelly]

I once worked in a wholesale nursery growing flowers but mainly roses.

A youngish Chinese lady used to buy miniature roses to grow bonsai style.

Her idea was to prune the roots into a basket shape and have only half the length of the roots in the medium.

So what you looked at was a basket of roots holding the stem/trunk out up out of the medium.

Hope that makes sense.

[Old-Biker-UK]

Here are the best of my small, old trees in pots + stones on stands.
Japanese Maple; Pine (uncertain species); Hawthorn; Larch & Cotoneaster.

Mark

[johnbaz]

Here are the best of my small, old trees in pots + stones on stands.
Japanese Maple; Pine (uncertain species); Hawthorn; Larch & Cotoneaster.

Mark

Those are very nice Mark :2tsup:

I don't give my trees enough care, They never seem to look good any more :-



John :)

[johnbaz]

Oooh!!, I missed your reply Old biker!

Some lovely stuff there, I particularly like the root over rock Cotoneaster, I love Cotoneaster as the leaves are already minute!! :2tsup:


John

[Old-Biker-UK]

Again a small(ish) old tree in a pot...
This long-leaf pine was grown from seed and is about 50 years old.
Been meaning to re-pot but it is heavy lump and I have kept putting off until now.
Turned out to be easy, a ratchet puller fixed to the rafters to take the weight it came out of the old pot no trouble.
A bit of a clean-up of the root ball and settled it down into it's new home before the Spring growth starts.
About ten more trees to do before Spring but those are more manageable.
Mark

[johnbaz]

Again a small(ish) old tree in a pot...
This long-leaf pine was grown from seed and is about 50 years old.
Been meaning to re-pot but it is heavy lump and I have kept putting off until now.
Turned out to be easy, a ratchet puller fixed to the rafters to take the weight it came out of the old pot no trouble.
A bit of a clean-up of the root ball and settled it down into it's new home before the Spring growth starts.
About ten more trees to do before Spring but those are more manageable.
Mark

WOW!!, That's a huge lump Mark! :oo:

I have a large-ish Acer that needs to come out of a pot to go in to the ground, It seems I may have to smash the pot which is a shame as it's lovely!!

This tree is only 15 years old, I bought it from a friend that was moving to Scotland and was going to leave it as it was to expensive to get taken up there!, I gave him £100, He paid £2.49 for it it from Morrisons all those years ago!! :o:D

450475

When we were bringing it home!!

450476


John :)

[Old-Biker-UK]

John- That's one nice Maple, seems a shame to break the pot.
I managed to free the pine from it's pot without too much trouble, just needed to take the weight and keep digging around the inside edge of the pot with a trowel until it could be lifted out.
Mark

[johnbaz]

John- That's one nice Maple, seems a shame to break the pot.
I managed to free the pine from it's pot without too much trouble, just needed to take the weight and keep digging around the inside edge of the pot with a trowel until it could be lifted out.
Mark


Hi Mark

I have an engine lift in the garage, I'm thinking of hanging it from that woth loads of sponge below then blast the old compost out with the hose on the fine jet setting then ease the pot off, It really is rootbound though, If it won't come then i'll have to smash the pot :((


A couple more of my trees..

463895 463896 463897 463898 463899 463900 463901


John :)

[woodPixel]

These are so beautiful.

[woodPixel]

Just had a thought.... being a grower of Bonsai really DOES make you a True Woodworker :)

[Bernmc]

I did it during the war, but flying into ships gave me a real headache.

[Old-Biker-UK]

John
Lovely autumn colour on that maple, I have a similar one but this year the colour is not so good.
I also love that Azalea(?) (in the bird bath), is that in ericaceous soil or your normal bonsai mix?
Mark

[johnbaz]

John
Lovely autumn colour on that maple, I have a similar one but this year the colour is not so good.
I also love that Azalea(?) (in the bird bath), is that in ericaceous soil or your normal bonsai mix?
Mark


Sorry Mark, I missed your question!, Yes it's just ordinary ericacious, When I repotted it I really thought it wouldn't live as there was so little rootage!!

I didn't remove any roots, This was all there was, I washed the compost out with the hosepipe as I thought there wasn't any roots at all to start with!! :C
474538474539

It only half heartedly flowered this year!!, The wind blew it off the table a few months ago and snapped the branch from the back clean off too :doh:


A couple more trees, The slanting Maple was in a tub a couple of years ago with hardly a branch on it, I just took the wire off it ;last week as it was biting in!!, I was going to chop the skinny top last year but decided to band it and give it plenty of feed to try and thicken it up!
474540

A Bonsai mate passed away last year, He'd been in hopital from late spring and his trees weren't getting watered all through summer, There was six of us that used to meet up, We offered to water the trees but he said no, After the funeral his sister asked us to come and take any trees we wanted as she didn't know how to look after them, Many were already dead, Some had thrown branches, some were alive bau had hardly any leaves!

Of the eight trees I brought home, Two didn't make to this year but the others picked up like crazy!!

This is a Kiyohime Japanese Maple, It would originally have had a cown very like an umbrella, The middle part of the canopy died but it's filling out again!
474541

All of the trees were very brittle due to them being so dry through the year, When I saterted wiring them I was snapping branches so easily, The bottom right branch on this Acer palmatum 'Ukon' snapped part way through near to the trunk, I used the wire to make the crack close then put a lump of cut seal on, It all came out in leaves so the cambium must have joined back ok, It should grow over in a couple more years!
474542 474543

Corkbark Elm
474544

Corkbark Maple from my mates, I daren't even try to bring these branches down as they're stiff as pokers!!
474545

Cascade needle Juniper
474546


'Little and Large'!

Almost broke me back bringing the big Juniper down from the car to the back garden- No one was home to help me! (As ever!!)
474547


Cheers, John 👍

[woodPixel]

These are so beautiful. What a shame so many died.

Your mate grew some beautiful plants.