New member with a request

Sleeeven

Hey All,

Well im new here and just wanted to introduce myself a bit. Im currently going to graduate school in boston for molecular/cell biology. Ive been into bonsai for a couple of years and have great admiration for those with extensive knowledge and skill in this art. Ive been lurking around this forum for a week or so and am completely impressed with the level of respect and knowledge that can be observed on the forums. I have had a serissa for a couple of years and from the sound of the most of you, I might have some natural talent because not only have I never had a problem with it but it grows like a weed.

However I am in the process of acquiring a fukien tea, one of my favorite bonsai species and I am looking for someone who has extensive knowledge dealing with them who I could go to for advice. I am the type of person who will do whatever it takes to achieve a goal and have been researching fukiens for months now but I still have a few questions that I would like to present to a qualified individual for some much needed clarification.

I look forward to your responses and I would again like to say how glad I am to be part of such a knowledgeable community.

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pootsie

Welcome to bonasiTALK!

I'm qualified to answer some of the easier questions

What do you want to know?

pootsie

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p.s. My cat is a bonsaiTALK Master.
Columbus Bonsai Society

zorroazul

fukian tree is a tropical.


in your zone better maples and pines.

farrlinzee

Yep, Boston is not going to be a friendly environment for a Fukien tea in winter.

Keep that baby warm and bright. Tough call.


When I was living in Boston in the mid seventies I built a fooftop glasshouse for my collected pines and they still froze through.

Cheers

Lindsay

rockm

Welcome.

You're a glutton for punishment. Fukein tea and serissa can be two of the most tempermental bonsai subjects. They're also some of the most common subjects.

Expand your horizons ... Serissa and fukien tea are fine, but they can become rather boring, rather quickly, as you progress in skill. You will find outdoor bonsai not only easier to care for, but more satisfying trees to work on...

Repotter

As rockm stated, Serissa and Fukien Tea can be troublesome.

Being tropicals they want bright light and warm feet. Beside that Serissa has a very fine line between over/under watering, either way and they produce excessive yellow leaves.
Fukien Tea must taste great because it seems every bug loves them. Especially Mealy bugs and scale.
The indoor environment is harsh for trees unless you duplicate their natural environment. Tropical trees indoors need 14 hours of light, I use florescent 40 watt placed as close to my trees as 6". A fan to move air and humidity trays.

All my tropicals go outdoors in summer, indoors when the weather gets about 50-55 degrees.

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Sleeeven

Thank you for all your responses. I do understand that these trees have great potential to be a huge pain but sometimes i like the challenge. I have the room to bring the trees in during the winter and have every intention to do so. I guess Im just wondering about the soil mix you guys with fukiens find to be the best and also the protocol for the period of time that directly follows the repotting ((in)direct sun, watering, etc.) and what type of indoor set ups everyone is using during the winter months (ie. what type of grow lights, how long, etc.)

I've thoroughly searched the internet for answers but Im finding conflicting advice and I would like to receive some insight from individuals who are successfully growing fukiens.

Thank you again for all your responses as they are very much appreciated.

Cheers.

pootsie

Sleeeven, conflicting advice is par for the course. The reason is that there is no single best way. People have had success using different approaches.

I have found that my best success is when I use the same soil mix as for everything else (which helps me to be consistent with watering across the board). Full sun in summer, flourescent lights 14 hours in winter. Shade for 3 weeks at least after transplant.

And I use an organic spray for the inevitable mealy bugs and scale. Air circulation helps reduce pests, so I keep a fan blowing on my indoor setup 24/7.

Some of my setups of years past, learning curve not included:
http://forum.bonsaitalk.com/showthread.php?t=8766

It may not be pretty, but I have learned how to get a fukien tea to grow!


pootsie

__________________
p.s. My cat is a bonsaiTALK Master.
Columbus Bonsai Society

soonami

For a soil mix in my tropicals, I like using 1/3 perlite, 1/3 calcined clay, 1/3 mulch. For me being availible to really only water once a day at the most, this soil works for me and I find the addition of perlite helpful when carrying the plant around when winter comes along.

I place my trees in dappled or light shade for 15-20 days after root pruning and repotting. Watering frequency is reduced because with less roots to absorb the water, the soil will stay saturated longer and overwatering could lead to root rot or yellowing of the leaves.

I have sunroom that I keep my bonsai in during the winter time. The room receives a fair amount of south and west light, but in the afternoon as the sun starts to set, I have compact fluorescent bulbs programmed to turn on. I use 100W replacement compact fluorescent bulbs that put out ~1600 Lumens each. Since I have only a few tropicals, I only need to have 3 bulbs and reflectors. With the natural daylight and the supplement from CFL, the plants receive around 16 hours of light a day, but the lamps are only on for about 6 of those hours