Bonsai ID and Qs

Victrinia_Ensor

One last thing.... lol

In the begining you asked if it "looks like a real bonsai".... And Mcspeed answered that with a very literal interpertation of your question.

But when I read those kinds of questions I see the person as asking if the tree is credible or not.

What you will find is that your idea of what is credible is based on your experiance, as well as what trees you have been exposed to (mature trees you have seen). So what is credible to me, in the scope of my experiance, combined with the fact that I am surrounded by some of the most stunning and ancient trees in North America, shapes what I see as credible.

What you see and enjoy in your juniper will evolve. Many of us set aside the first trees we acquire in our beginings, because our eye will mature with exposure to the art. I have kept my first tree, mostly as a memorial to my beginings. (smile) I am bound and determined that it will always have an honored place amoung my collection. Is it credible to me now? Oh goodness no. Was it credible to me then? You betcha.

Sometimes you have to simply enjoy it for what it is, and never mind what it will never be. Enjoy it deeply while you may... if you catch the "bug" and become a true addict like many of us are... it only gets more challenging and generally more expensive... from here. (smile)

Kindest regards,

Victrinia

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Ms. Vic

Le belle cose prendono tempo...

www.elandangardens.com

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Pearl

Hey Fishbone,

Here is a link to the soil you asked about that others forgot to mention.

http://www.dallasbonsai.com/store/p...dium_index.html

The Akadama, or the Fujiyama mixed together or by theirselves will do the dirty job.

Corey

fishbone

THANK you for your patience and all the good information!
I have two of these 7.5w heater pads meant for aquariums so waterproof and will not be damaged if it runs "dry", ie not submerged in water. They only get warm to the touch, I can definitely take a temperature reading with a diode and tell you exactly how warm it gets. What I was thinking was to place either one or both of these pads, depending on how warm they get, directly under the pot, in between it and the mulch. Would that be a good idea or bad? With the temperature being below 40 and the amount of dirt in between, I don't think it will get TOO warm, but just keep it warm enough to not freeze. What do you think? Reading some of the Amazon reviews it seems they are strong enough to warm 2.5 gallons of water 8 degrees over room temperature, however my experience has been different. In a 70-degree room it barely managed to raise the temp to around 74 in a half gallon fish bowl. Again, I will do some tests, any suggestions on the "how" are more than welcome. I was thinking about simply filling a half-gallon bowl, set it in the garage, plug the thing in and see what the temperature difference is.

The tranzition to colder temperature may be an issue. The absolute coldest spot in my house is 69 degrees. I'll move it there and leave it for 3-4 days maybe, but then what? Should I wait for a warmer day, which I doubt will come or just take it in the garage a few hours at a time?

I am EXTREMELY busy this week but Thursday I should be able to get the insulation going. I already bought the mulch and I have a larger pot set aside. I will return with pictures of the two possible spots I was thinking about but after all that's been said here, it seems more and more that the unheated garage would be the way to go. The tree will even get direct sunlight for a good 3 hours or more.

jfecme

Well put, Miss Victrinia!!! Certainly you will write a book one day as your contributions here are always enlightening due to their clarity.

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Over 25 years experience - good and bad, and still learning!

Mcspeed

Nope, skip the heat, it's just not needed. You should be able to put it out during the day, then cover it at night for some protection, until it settles into frozen, then keep it that way til spring.

Soil is always a debate, you will need to find what works best for you in your micro climate, but a general bonsai soil is what you want to use. No the potting soil isn't what you want, read up on soils it's not what you expect. General mix would be large sand, bark mulch, and what we call turface, there are a ton of variations, and a ton of what I call suspect alternatives , use a general mix at first, experiance will guide you after that. Look for tachigi's posts and click on his link to Shady Side Bonsai( sounds "shady" but he does a good job keeping customers happy), he has a good all around mix, and he's one of ours, so I always say to support our friends in bonsai.

Good Luck.

__________________
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

Mcspeed

Watch the temps inside the garage, it will act like a car does in the sun, and thats get much warmer than you would expect, even if the witches you know what is out.

Burried by the foundation, with a simple wind screen, and mulch will work fine. This also acts as a deterrant to digging it up too soon, breaking dormancy, and getting sudden freezes that might kill it come spring.

__________________
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

fishbone

Temperature variations are a non-issue in the garage due to the fact it's a 3-car garage and the window just isn't large enough. I wish I had a way to datalog temperature readings instead of constantly having to check. I've set a thermometer RIGHT in the window and the temp holds steady throughout the day. I'll get going on winterizing the base and post the pics, hopefully tomorrow morning when the sun is shining.

fishbone

How's this one for a book? Is it any good? Besides "Indoor Bonsai" and this one, what other good ones would you recommend for a complete newbie?

Mcspeed

Colin Lewis is very knowledgeable, and not mentioned much about lately, but hes on par with most "experts".

Think about a subscription to Bonsai Focus Magazine, or check out Stone Lanterns various books, they have a bunch - http://www.stonelantern.com/ .

__________________
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