Please help with this 'rescued' bonsai!!

amanning

Hello everyone, I'm new and I really could use some advice. Let me give you a little bit of history.

I have a friend that basically kills every plant she touches. I have a relatively green thumb. Her brother bought her this tree as a gift from Lowe's. She tried to take care of it but it got to be too much work for her. She was also worried about the safety of the tree. As I said before, she kills everything.
She ended up giving the tree to me so that it could live. I've always wanted a bonsai tree.
HOWEVER...
I have no idea what kind of tree this is. I've been searching off and on for a couple of weeks now and I just can't figure it out. The closest I've seen is a boxwood elm - but I could be COMPLETELY wrong.
Also, I have no idea how to take care of it. As you can see, the leaves are starting to yellow. I don't know what causes that. One of the branches broke or something and she wrapped a twist-tie around the broken branch. I don't know if I should take it off or not?

I've tried to find basic care instructions on the internet on my own but I haven't been successful. I think that's mainly because I don't know what kind of tree it is.

Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated. I really don't want to see this little tree die. Especially since I'm supposed to be 'saving' it!!

http://a586.ac-images.myspacecdn.co...1e0851a5441.jpg

(Please click link for picture... my picture was too big to attach and I don't know how to resize...)

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amanning

I've just realized that this may be a ficus - is that possible? It does drop a leaf here and there.

cantstopsmilin

i do not feel i am experienced enough to offer much advice, but as for the type of tree, my guess would be a ficus as well

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jared

Gnome

amanning,

Yes it is a Ficus.
http://bonsaihunk.8m.com/info/GinsengFicus.html

And general care:
http://bonsaihunk.8m.com/Figsindoors.html
http://www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Ficus.html

If those rocks are glued in place please remove them, they were a shipping aid and only get in the way now. When the soil is exposed you can post another picture. Use a program called Irfanview to resize photos, google it it's free

Norm

PatArizona

G'day amanning...

"...If those rocks are glued in place please remove them..."

If glued on...no "please" about it! If glued on...take them off, or your bonsai will die.

I'm sure your bonsai is a Ficus microcarpa...aka Chinese Banyan, Retusa, Nitida, Green Island, Rotundifolia, Green Spire, Green Emerald, and others. Yours is a Ficus microcarpa, but commonly called Ginseng Ficus due to the oversized roots above the soil surface.

Any Ficus is likely to loose it's leaves when it is moved...sometimes moving even from one corner to another...in the same room.

By all means, use those "bonsaihunk" websites...Jerry one of North America's FICUS BONSAI MASTERs, in spite of living in Whitefish, Montana.

So, amanning, welcome to the wonderful world of bonsai...

Always remember...bonsai is a trip that requires time and patience.

Welcome aboard...enjoy the journey.

Pat

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BONSAI isn't about surviving in a storm, rather, how to dance in the rain.
THE ONLY WAY: Always remember, and don't ever forget, that whatever you read here is not cast in concrete... the intent of any advice is to help. In no way should you feel that I’m saying that my way is the only way…heaven forbid! I've seen far too much of the "my way or the highway" attitude in bonsai as well as in other areas of life.

amanning

Thank you so much everyone. I have been researching and learning like crazy now that I know what kind of tree I have! I'm so excited to have found this site. I can't believe I didn't find it sooner with all of my searching.

I've taken the rocks off. Most of the moss type stuff that was on top came off with them. I'm assuming that's okay. The soil was REALLY dry and compacted together. I gave it a good watering (until it drained out of the bottom). I'm not sure that the soil is very good. I think I may need to repot with a better soil but I'm still trying to learn about that.

I can't seem to find anything about the broken branch that my friend has a twist tie on. From what she told me, she read that she was supposed to do that somewhere online. Is this correct or can I just take it off? Common sense tells me it wasn't completely broken off.

Thank you again for all of your wonderful advice.... hopefully now that I have a place to start my tree will live a long and healthy life!!

(Thanks for the resizing info, too!)

BarbaraM

I remember a post that said that if you have enough connected tissue for nutrient flow then you can super glue it. I have never tried it but I will if circumstances are right.

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"What I like about bonsai is that it has a beginning but no end. A bud today becomes a branch tomorrow. It is like searching for the rainbw's end; the farther it is pursued, the farther away it is." John Naka

lehket

Amanning,

Yep, ficus microcarpa (as the rest of the world already told you). I'm caring for/working on one that was given to my daughter and her husband as a wedding present last October. Sounds like you're doing the research you need to be doing. I'll just offer a few tidbits based on my rather limited experience.

First, it's good that you removed the rocks. I would guess that it's not potted in bonsai soil at the moment, so you'll want to repot it. You can buy premixed soil from a bonsai supplier or you can mix some yourself from appropriate components. You can probably safely repot it now, but given the state it appears to be in I wouldn't root prune it unless absolutely necessary. (Someone with more experience can snarl at me if I'm wrong about any of that.)

Second, it seems that these trees will drop leaves rather readily when they're not entirely happy, but it doesn't necessarily mean you need to be too alarmed. With proper watering and sufficient light, it should bounce back. Actually, these trees seem to tolerate lower light levels pretty well, at least if they are reasonably healthy, but more light will do them good.

Third, the broken branch may mend itself. I did a preliminary styling on mine this past weekend and broke a branch I really wanted to keep. I used cut paste to hold it together and so far it seems to have survived. I've never tied using a twist tie for the purpose, but the main thing is that the break is closed up and held in place, so it probably will work about as well as anything else. (A guy in my club swears by glue. Most people laugh when he suggests it, but he says it works great.)

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Co-author of Spiritual Telemetry,
Host of Planet Baha'i and the Planet Baha'i Forum

amanning

Lehket,
Thank you for your reply. I'm looking forward to repoting it because even I can tell that it's not a very good setup. However, I'm spending alot of time looking into what kind of pots I need, how to repot it, etc. There is so much information out there that I am finding it hard to absorb it all. At this point I'm really overwhelmed. I guess I need to just 'do' instead of worrying about it so much.
Your reply was very helpful, thanks again!