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growing from seed

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3-Mar-2008	#1
aesir22 bonsaiTALK Journeyman Join Date: Mar-2008 Location: northeast Country: ENGLAND Posts: 49	growing from seed ok, so i have the royal poinciana planted and awaiting germination. a few years in the pot for it to grow, then.........er......... what next? how do i encourage it to be a bonsai instead of reaching its full height? any ideas how i go about training leaves to be smaller? i probs should have researched it more, but since my friend gave me the seeds i was desperate to start!

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3-Mar-2008	#2
ElGringo Bear the dog! Join Date: Jun-2006 Location: Wales/Cymru Country: UK USDA Zone: 8-9 AHS Heat Zone: 1 Posts: 726	The quickest way is to plant it in the ground and let it grow (don't prune it). When you are happy with the girth of the trunk, then you can chop it down and begin training it for bonsai. You may find this helpful too: (Its about creating a shallow root system) http://www.bonsai4me.com/AdvTech/AT...pformbonsai.htm Plenty more tutorial information on the bonsai4me site too. However, this tree likes hot temps? It would be better to grow natives, like hawthorn or spruce, they may do better in our climate __________________ Richard If I was a lady, would I be 'LaGringa'? Last edited by ElGringo : 3-Mar-2008 at 02:48 PM.

4-Mar-2008	#3
Mcspeed bonsaiTALK Master Chief Join Date: Mar-2006 Location: West Springfield Massachusetts Country: USA USDA Zone: zone 5 AHS Heat Zone: ? Posts: 1,198	aesir22; how to make Bonsai in one easy lesson is a book with many hundreds of pages, that will take some years to read to you, or type over again, you need to do some research and learn. Not a nasty answer, in reality the question you ask, and don't ask tells that you are new to this, and there are no short cuts or easy to post quick tutorials. You really need to dive in and learn a bunch if you are serious about bonsai. The internet is not a replacement for reading and learning you still have to do it yourself. __________________ If at first you don't succeed -- skydiving is not for you. Always remember that you're unique -- just like everyone else Enjoy this day. Bill

4-Mar-2008	#4
aesir22 bonsaiTALK Journeyman Join Date: Mar-2008 Location: northeast Country: ENGLAND Posts: 49	i know it wasnt a nasty post lol and i appeciate the advice. trust me when i say i am doing a lot of reading and research. even when im at work when its quiet lol. i just like hearing peoples experiences and how they do things, as books can tend to be a little black-and-white on a lot of topics, and what the book says doesnt always cover everything that needs to be covered. the way people have done or haven't done certain things before can sometimes be very educational thanks all! danny

4-Mar-2008	#5
Mcspeed bonsaiTALK Master Chief Join Date: Mar-2006 Location: West Springfield Massachusetts Country: USA USDA Zone: zone 5 AHS Heat Zone: ? Posts: 1,198	Glad it was taken as offered. A good thing for you might be to try and find some back issues of Bonsai today magazine. At least a few of them go into great detail(incl. pix) on how some approach growing bonsai from seed, some being the hortacultural aspect, but the articles get into tap root trimming, twisting and wiring early for trunk shaping, growing in colanders, superfeeding for growth, sacrificiall branches, etc.. As you see it's a large subject, that can be vary subjective depending on wher you live, what you grow, experiance level, and even what you want out of the tree/hobby. So now that the seeds are planted go to our beginners section and read, then read more, some will need to be read twice, look at lots of pictures of collections, and what others consider good-great-masterpiece bonsai (Walter Palls site is a good place - http://walter-pall.de/ ) this helps to instill what good bonsai is all about. Check out Brent Walstons site http://www.evergreengardenworks.com/index.htm , he has some of the best articles on many subjects, and has a great place to start your collection. Look also at KoB http://knowledgeofbonsai.org/forum/index.php they have good galaries, and articles as well. It's a learn it kind of hobby, it's tough to jump in with out the skills of basic plants, but bonsai can plague even a great gardener if the bonsai aspect isn't kept on the front burner. Enjoy my friend, you have lots of time ahead of you, and bonsai can occupy much of it if you let it. __________________ If at first you don't succeed -- skydiving is not for you. Always remember that you're unique -- just like everyone else Enjoy this day. Bill

4-Mar-2008	#6
aesir22 bonsaiTALK Journeyman Join Date: Mar-2008 Location: northeast Country: ENGLAND Posts: 49	lol im only 23 so i reckon i got a good 60years left! will probs still be learning even then like lol. i have a beginners bonsai book, and ordered another on how to grow and care for bonsai. i have become addicted to this site - the search button is a great tool. searched all threads regarding the diff trees i have, the illnesses, potting, watering, lighting etc lol. cant seem to get much in the way of lightning round my area like lol nothing more than 2500lumens! im terrified of losing a tree -it seems almost inevitable - part of the learning curve, but still an unpleasant occurance! as for the royal poinciana, its gonna be a couple of years before they're fit to be used for bonsai. time to research lol cheers! danny

4-Mar-2008	#7
lagunamadre bonsaiTALK Master Join Date: Jul-2007 Location: South Padre Island, Texas Country: USA AHS Heat Zone: very Posts: 361	Hi Danny. I'm experimenting with Royal Poinciana bonsai myself. Last summer I purchased a tree, about 4 ft. tall, and chopped it down to 4 inches. About 20 new buds developed, all around the chop itself, and I kept 4 of them and wire them as they grew. The trunk is about 1 1/4 inches in diameter. The trees seem to grow fairly fast. Last fall it only had 4 leaves, full sized, but now as new buds are showing, I count about a dozen. Time will tell if the leaves will be smaller, I kind of doubt it this early in development. The good part about your starting from seed is that you can wire and make some drastic bends while the trunks are still small. Just remember to put a flat rock or piece of tile directly under the roots so they grow outwards and now down. Have fun. Larry

5-Mar-2008	#8
aesir22 bonsaiTALK Journeyman Join Date: Mar-2008 Location: northeast Country: ENGLAND Posts: 49	thanks, thats great advice, glad someone else is working with this tree! any other tips? i have probably bitten off more than i can chew lol but fell in love with royal poinciana since i saw it, and fallen in love with bonsai since i got my first one so couldnt resist i have a lot of time to learn anyway i guess! i heard they grow wicked fast. im assuming that for me, they'll have to be an indoor bonsai - since im in northeast england and it was minus 12celcius here last week for a few nights! i know they dont take well to even slightly colder temps! keep me posted on any successes or tips, ill post progress on mine! thanks danny

5-Mar-2008	#9
lagunamadre bonsaiTALK Master Join Date: Jul-2007 Location: South Padre Island, Texas Country: USA AHS Heat Zone: very Posts: 361	Hi Danny. Will keep you posted. As far as cold exposure, I guess it's at least a sud-tropical. Mine has been outside, unprotected all winter, but it never got below 45 degrees F. Larry

12-Mar-2008	#10
Hawthorn bonsaiTALK Craftsman Join Date: Mar-2008 Location: Olympia, Washington Country: USA Posts: 91	I also grow them, I responded to your other post on this same topic aesir22, I hadn't had the guts to chop any of the trunks yet as I wasn't sure how they would respond to it.. But hearing of your success lagunamadre, gives me much more confidence that it would be possible. I will go ahead on one of my trees and see what happens for me, will keep you both posted on the results as well Also, some notes on the seeds.. I had very good success with scarification techniques (sanding the outer layer of the seed off, scratching or scoring works too) then I soaked the seeds in sterile water for 24hrs until they fully hydrated. They will almost double in size. At this point I potted them about an inch deep in good organic potting soil. Using this method indoors with proper temps and lighting will result in a new sapling in about a week. Good luck! Last edited by Hawthorn : 12-Mar-2008 at 07:17 PM.

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