My Final Attempt at Bonsai

raysym

Having managed to kill my last 5 trees over a period of 3 years I have decided to give it one more try.

I have no idea where Im going wrong I follow all the advice (contradictory as it may be) and still suffer mightily when the nurturing fails, but Im not disheartened yet (much) so I have purchased two new trees and have posted them in my gallery, so far they are healthy and seem to be doing well,

The taller tree is unidentified and is losing some leaves but I understand that this may be due to being moved to a new environment and it should settle if left alone. Can anyone help in indentifiying the type?? and should I start to trim the leaf structure just now or leave it to adjust.

The smaller two trunked tree is I believe known as a Snow Rose it has a fairly exposed root structure and I was wondering if it would be possible to grow it on over a rock or are the roots too thickened and established now.

Sorry for being a bit wordy but I really want to succeed this time

Best Regards

Ray

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Of all the things I have ever lost, I miss my mind the most.

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tuckerg

pic 1,serresia,pic2,chinese elm.by the look of them id say they were purchased in a large diy store(B&Q),serresia practically impossible to keep alive.id guess they were already dying when you bought them.

Dkozi

Hey Raysym,

I really admire someone that can get knocked down time after time and still get back up one more time. It kinda reminds me of myself! Keep your chin up.

I'm provoked to ask you a few questions that come to mind. To paraphrase you mentioned you've been following alot of advise but alot of it seems contradictory.... Is that to say that you've been following the advise of people you know? If so can I suggest to check out a few books on the topic. Many times what works for one person doesn't work for others for one reason or another. That's not to say that just because a person is not published doesn't mean they don't know what their talking about. Likewise a person who is published doesn't make them absolutley right but I would be willing to say that most of the books that I have on bonsai and Penjing all say pretty much the same thing although I have discovered inconsistancies in what some authors have had to say about which plant's can be used as indoor bonsai... That's another story though.

It sounds like it is the fundementals that you need sound guidance on and most books that are out there are able to give you information on anatomy, growth cycles, light requirement, watering and feeding. I often find myself going back time and time again to check out things I'm not quite sure of or straighten out things I'm a bit fuzzy on.

There are a ton of books to choose from. If I'm not mistaken it is a fairly regular topic here so if you typed in a search on books there's probably a dozen or so titles that will pop up. I hope that helps some. -D

Ian_Homer

Hi Ray,

Have all your previous attempts been with these types of tree ?

It may be easier to start with some "true" outdoor native trees.

These tend to be easier for beginners to keep, since they are not subjected to as many variables. Indoor trees often lack sufficient light, air movement, are over watered and suffer from the effects of central heating. How easy is it for you to keep Houseplants healthy ?

Once you get the hang of it, you can then decide which area you want to concentrate on, INDOOR or OUTDOOR, (or even both)
Watch out for the bite of the BIG bonsai bug!

Look on the internet for specialist "Bonsai" nurseries in your area, and buy as many books as you can. Read up on this site and drink at the "fountain of knowledge" that is here and elsewhere on the internet.

With increased knowledge and confidence your failures will decrease. We all lose trees from time to time for a whole host of reasons, so do not worry too much.

Keep at it !

Best wishes,
Ian.

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raysym

Thank you all for your responses, and thank you tuckerg for the id of the trees, they are not from B&Q but from a stall in the local shopping mall which has been around for a few years and the owner seems to know what he's about, the previous attempts by me have indeed been from the type of outlet you suggest and have all ended in disaster so I'm hoping for better things this time. They both seem to be in good health and I have noticed significant leaf growth on the serresia in the past 2/3 weeks so fingers crossed.

I will look to increase my stock of books in the near future ( never considered E-Bay as a source) so thanks Ian & dkozi for your pointers.

Regards
Ray

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Of all the things I have ever lost, I miss my mind the most.

Bart Thomas(deceased)

I find the Amazon.com marketplace far more efficient for buying used and overstock books.

Dunno about Amazon.uk, but I'd bet they have a marketplace also.

cbobgo

you said you bought these from a bonsai stand in the mall from a guy who seems to "know what he's about." - in that case, why did you not know the ID of the trees before you bought them from him? Did he not know what kind of trees they are, or did you not ask him? They weren't labeled? I'd be a little hesitant to buy trees from a guy who can't even tell you what they are.

I would suggest you look into finding a real bonsai nursery, and get to know some people who REALLY know what they are doing, so they can help you out. There is alot you have to learn to grow bonsai succesfully, and if you are starting out with bad stuff, it's not going to go well. You may want to try to take some classes, attend some workshops etc. Joining a local bonsai club is also a good idea.

- bob

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TreeBay

Where are the pics?

Regards,

Matt

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tuckerg

theyre in raysym gallery Matt