My new bonsai family! (ficus & juniper)

Spencer

Hi everyone! I'm the proud owner of a new bonsai family... I also posted this story on a different forum that I've joined, but being a beginner I thought I'd spread it around a bit and see if the people here had some different advice!

I got a juniper for my birthday from my girlfriend back in October.

I love it, and got to thinking it'd be nice to have a bonsai or two inside...

More to be con't...

Attached Images

desi resized.JPG (49.3 KB, 71 views)

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Spencer

My grandfather (90+ years old) gave me a small amount of money for Christmas, so I thought I'd add to my small (read: one plant) bonsai collection. After asking a question or two in the above link, I visited a local bonsai nursery here in Vancouver Canada (Japan Bonsai), and purchased a Green Island Ficus that I named "Lucy" (and then I named my juniper Desi, *lol*).

She's estimated at about 12-15 years old, maybe a bit older.

more yet to come...

Attached Images

lucy resized.JPG (44.6 KB, 60 views)

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I love trees. Growing them, climbing them, admiring them...

Spencer

After, I headed to Home Depot, and picked up some 4" baby benjaminas. I took them to another local bonsai nursery (Sunny Bonsai) and with the help of the resident Bonsai Master Sam Law, I potted them up - one by itself (a potensai), and the rest in a forest setting.

So... I guess I'm partly proud of my new family members (my girlfriend thinks I'm nuts, but she also thinks it's cute). I also would like to know what you all think...

1) Shape?
2) Potting?
3) Lighting?
4) Suggestions/recommendations?

Thanks everyone! Sorry for all the photos... I guess I got carried away. *lol*

All the best,
Spencer (the proud new papa)

Attached Images

	potensai resized.JPG (39.5 KB, 44 views)
	forest resized.JPG (42.9 KB, 44 views)
	bonsai 1 edited resized.JPG (51.0 KB, 52 views)

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I love trees. Growing them, climbing them, admiring them...

Spencer

No, I don't mind at all, Pootsie. Thanks for doing that - like I said, I'm a newbie so I wasn't sure what the regs/norms were on image #/size. I checked for a post about the "regs", but couldn't find one.

So, that said - any thoughts on my new friends?

Spence

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I love trees. Growing them, climbing them, admiring them...

Spencer

Aha! I think I've made my photos the proper size now.

That said, if anyone out there has any thoughts about my new bonsai, I'd really appreciate hearing them. I'm quite new to this, and my enthusiasm is thick. *lol* I keep telling my family and friends about them, but they don't really get it.

Thank you!
Spencer

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I love trees. Growing them, climbing them, admiring them...

Joanie

"Lucy" is particularly sweet.

Can't tell you about the lighting, as I don't have indoor trees, but I will tell you that your appreciation of bonsai will grow and change as you read and learn. We all start with younger trees, and as we learn to keep them healthy and prune and trim, we also learn about how to choose more advanced stock. Your passion for learning will determine to a great extent how quickly you move ahead. And it looks like you have the bug. Learn for now how to keep your trees happy, and do lots of reading.... your juniper is nice, your ficus are going to be a lot of fun, but Lucy has potential. The trunk being larger gives her an advantage. The thing is, you want to give the illusion of an old tree, which is more convincing when you have a larger trunk diameter in relationship to the height. The juniper may eventually get a bigger trunk but it will take a long time in the little pot.... like fish, bonsai grow bigger when they have more room. The ficus look very immature now, and the forest was a good choice, it will give you an enjoyable image while they grow out. Ficus grow fast in the right conditions and you'll have good chances to pinch and prune.

The little rocks on the juniper, if they are glued on, will need to come off. Rocks are put on the surface and glued to keep the soil in place, but when you water over them they may inhibit the water and the oxygen from penetrating the root ball. Looks like you are using rocks also on the ficus, to mulch or keep the soil in place. Make sure the rock isn't too thick and that the water penetrates quickly. It's better not to have them at all, especially since you need to be able to tell when the soil is dry. Don't keep your trees too wet, make sure to let the soil dry slightly first. When the top is dry but the lower level is just damp, then you water. Especially with the juniper, they die easily of root rot.

If the windows are very cold it could be harmful to the ficus'. Keep them away from heat sources as well. It looks like the heater vent is under the window sill. If the heater comes on, it will dry them out quickly and they will be crispy critters. Think of Goldilocks... not too hot, not too cold, not too wet, not too dry.

Well, that's a little info anyway. Good luck and welcome

Joanie

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Aaron_K

Hi Spencer and welcome to the forum,

The best thing you can do initially is read as much as you can on the forum and also to get a good book or two on the subject of bonsai. Understanding what a bonsai is, how you "construct" a bonsai, the time frames involved, how to maintain and care for them and how you style them. Looking for a local club will help you greatly also.

Your juniper should actually be kept outside 365 days a year, as they do not adapt well in an indoor environment. I don't know how cold it is where you are at the moment, and whether or not this tree has been kept outside or inside prior to purchase. If it has been kept inside, moving it outside into the cold might be too much of a shock, so waiting till its slightly milder outside may be safer.

I'd suggest you read up on the species of tree you have and how to care for them.

All the best,

Aaron

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palmettopark

Spencer, bluntly spent some cash on better stock. We've all been here. If you keep going with this you will have those window sills filled in no time and the plants you named now will no longer matter to you. I got inspiration from this thread the other night http://forum.bonsaitalk.com/showthr...ght=walter+pall maybe it will help you as well. Type the word ficus into the gallery photo seach engine and check it out. Also check online dealers for price ranges on potential trees. Google the word bonsai and see what happens. Im not dissing you or anyone out there but step outta the kitchen, breath, have a drink, then step back on the line and show the Chef what you got.

Joanie

Chef, I disagree. We all do start at a similar place, but his trees can teach him a lot. No use buying expensive stock unless he knows how to care for it.

When we start, we are charmed by the little trees and we enjoy them greatly. As we learn, and train our eye, we advance in our tastes but sometimes our younger stock can grow with us. Now, it's good advice not to buy a whole bunch of trees until you know a little more, but everyone needs to learn a certain amount of horticultural stuff to be able to keep them healthy. Give him time to grow, just as you have.

And ficus can be used in more advanced work too, consider the grafting techniques that fuse multiple trunks.

Joanie

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