I have never tried to grow a bonsai,but for some reason a little over a month ago decided to purchase a plant and pot and make one.
I bought a tropical hibiscus(the Path) and a nice pot. Brought home my plant unpotted it and ran for the saw. I had no book on what I should be doing but took it into my own hands and just started cutting. I ended up removing 2/3 of the root ball. It luckily was just feeder roots and no tap,so nothing major was damaged.
It began to show signs of yellowing on the leaves several days later and then dropped some but now a month later it is sprouting new growth and looks really nice.
Today I decided to try another. Went and bought another pot and started looking for a suitable plant. I ended up with a mayers lemon of all things. Found myself in the same situation as far as any root pruning. Nothing major cut and the plant fit right into the pot.
Now after coming to this forum and seeing a few pics,i'm interested in doing a wisteria. I have purple and white so may use the white for a bonsai. I also liked the pic I saw of the bouganvillea(spelling?) so will go get one of those tomorrow and try it out!
new to bonsai
I highly recommend the book "the art of bonsai" byYuji Yoshimura and Giovanna M. Halford to peak your interest...
David, whack all that you want on the top of a bougainvillea, but be careful about the rootball. The roots don't knit together as much as most plants, and don't like to be disturbed. Buy one (or a few!) and work on the top growth for a while. They bloom on new growth and love hot weather and bright sunshine. I put mine out on a concrete patio in full Oklahoma sun, and they bloom all summer long.
I know that it is the wrong time of year for bargains, but if you like bougies, you can find big hanging baskets marked down to a couple of dollars next fall.
Ronna,
I have a large bougainvillea planted in a 15 inch clay pot. I thought about using it but now that you mention the roots don't like to be disturbed i'll leave it alone and get a smaller one to work with. Logee's grenhouses offers them in 2 and 4 inch pots I think,so i'll just get a small one and go from there.
Today I bought a sago palm pup to start another bonsai. Now I want to do a wisteria,crepe myrtle and bougainvillea.
David You're hooked. I haave been dabbling with bonsai for 50 years. Just moved mine outof what I call my bonsai storage room. I have to keep everything inside over winter. Have 20 or 25 of them. I posted a picture of my wisteria bonsai last summer. Took me 12 years to get my first blooms, would have had some a year earlier but forgot to move it back inside when we had a really cold night and all the buds got frozen. I thought it was beautiful when in bloom. Donna
David, I certainly don't want to mislead you, they CAN be transplanted, and you can disturb the roots. I got one of those $2 hanging baskets late last summer with 2 plants in it. I separated them, and both are fine. It's much better to transplant them when the weather is very warm and they are actively growing. I just wanted you to be aware that they aren't crazy about having their roots messed with. I killed one of my very first bougainvilleas because I didn't know that, and I've been trying to replace it ever since. It has 5 or 6 names, I bought it as 'Vicky' but it's also known as 'Surprise' and 'Magic' among others. It has bright green leaves with a yellow splash in the middle, and some of the bracts are magenta, some are white, and some are both! I bought it locally, and have been looking for another one for years. I've bid on a couple of them on ebay, but was outbid. I got the 'Imperial Delight' and 'Blueberry Ice' that I wanted though, 1 gallon pots for $15 each!
Hey Donna,
Seems like we keep bumping in to each other!(LOL) I don't want to make a hobby of growing bonsai but would like to try a few just to see if I can do it.
I'm going to continue with my brugmansia but need to stay away from those forums and other brug sites. I personaly can live without all of the fighting,though a big part of the fighting last week was done by me. I am starting to feel not so welcome there anymore so i'll just grow my plants and enjoy them without all of the online fuss.
I have sent brug plants in to be tested for fusarium/SB but was told it could take up to 3 weeks for results. Will let everyone know one way or the other when I get them if it be good or bad news. Most likely will not post on any forums before then.
Back to the bonsai. If I were to take a rooted plant from my white wisteria and prune to fit a bonsai pot would I get blooms within a year on it?
Sometimes it will bloom that fast. Mine bloomed (the white wisteria) in a couple years, from a cutting. Most of what I've heard was when you take a wisteria cutting- it can take several years to bloom- just like any normal wisteria.
They are so beautiful as Bonsai.
I finaly got my pink wisteria from the nursery in TN they sent 2 1 quart size plants and they were perfect for a bonsai pot that I had so that's how I used one of them. The second one got potted into a one gallon pot until it gets some size to it and can be planted out in the yard.
I'll have to see now if I can find a plant small enough around the base of the white one to use for a bonsai. I also have a variety of wisteria that is native to north america,not one of the imported very invasive varieties. This one blooms after all of the others are finished and the flower spires are shaped like little pine cones and are only about 3-4 inches long.