A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 bonsai trees

i dont know if here is the right place ive just bought a serissa seroides small bonsai tree and basically dont know a thing
i really want to look after them i think there cool
please help m out
it also says bonsai assorted

p.s it says age 4-5 years is that how old it is or how long it will live
and how long will it live?

Hi, Phil and congratulations! Will you be able to post up a picture of your new tree? In general, bonsai love humidity and indirect light. Mist daily. I only water sparingly, especially when adjusting to a new environment. Do a google search for your variety and you'll find lots of information. Five years old is a relatively young age. The tree can last forever. In Asia, bonsai are passed down from generation to generation! BTW, your tree is known as "The tree of A Thousand Stars." Good luck!!

Yep Pekemom is right a humidity tray will help alot too!! I have a Lugustrium(SP?) and it is about 10 years old now...
Nearly killed the poor thing did not realize it was an out door type.. Its creeping back to life though!!
Good luck with your tree Phil!!

SpringFev,

I'd love to see a pic of your ligustrum . Can you post one up? Ten years old? That's awesome!!

thanks
well how do i get a humidty tray
if mine is a outside tree then its no good becasue i have it in doors
i cant find much on google
do you have to give it rainwater or is any water good ?

heres a pic

Phil,

Your tree is BEAUTIFUL!! Keep it indoors. The first thing I would do, is buy a little plastic mister. Mine is the size of a small milk carton, and I got it at the supermarket for $2.00 or something.

I put one or two drops only of liquid MiracleGro houseplant food in the mister. Mist every day.

Always keep it moist, never let it dry out completely. But Phil, DO NOT OVERWATER. The tiniest bit of water every few days is sufficient. Or use the mister to soak the top of the soil every third day or so. CAREFUL NOT TO OVERWATER.

Underneath the bonsai pot, you could place a humidity tray. That is a tray filled with gravel/grit and enough water in the bottom to keep gravel/grit wet. Make sure that the level of water is not too high, you do not want the bonsai pot to stand in the water. I don't find it necessary, but it will keep the humidity high for your plant and that's what bonsai like!

Only trim it lightly to keep a good shape, never prune it hard-back. I wouldn't trim it for a month or so.

Make sure it has a good light source, but not direct sunlight. Don't move it around alot. Decide where you want it, and leave it there to get used to its' new home.

Serrisa's can be finicky. You will most likely have to do more research on your bonsai to keep it healthy. Here's a helpful site dedicated to bonsai, but we still need you around here, too!
Bonsai Help
Good luck with your beautiful tree!

lol ill be posting a lot as i odont have a clue with bonsais but i will stay incase anything happens i have a mister
is baby bio good

it was £4.98 which is $9.43

thganks ill prob ask some more questions soon
do i need to feed it
and is baby bio ok
just mist it WITH NORMAL WATER?

Phil,

Is this the baby bio you have? It's just like what I use. I like the liquid because I can measure out only a drop or two in the mister. Less is more, Phil. Small amounts of everything.

I use regular water. But I fill the mister and let it sit overnight. If you paid under $10 US for that plant, you STOLE IT!! You couldn't buy that plant commercially for less than $30 or $40 US here. Now, let's try to keep it healthy!! BTW, that bonsai link I gave you is from the UK.

yes that is what i feed it,do ui just put water in a mister bottle and a bit of that and mist it.
no i never stole it,that was its price

Hmmm let me see if I can find one!!

Found it... I hav not taken a recent picture of it since its near death experiance!!

spring~

I don't know if I'm looking at this right - Is there a (hanging) plant BEHIND your bonsai...or are all the branches and leaves above the window sill, part of your bonsai?? If so, it's HUGE!!! How is it doing these days?

It is the same tree I did not know how to trim it at first I was afraid!! It is slowly getting back to its old self now I will try to get a picture and post it soon.. Perhaps you could give me some prunning advise

Pruning is the most fun part of caring for the bonsais, Springfever!! You get to buy teeny tiny little tools, and everything you do, is in miniature. It's alot of fun. And if and when you want to actually shape or form your bonsai (have it grow down or around) you learn how to wire it up for specific growth.

I can recommend a beginning bonsai book. Here are two of my fav's:
Indoor Bonsai
Guide To Bonsai

is it the middle one
will it get that big
how do u trim?

Here it is now Poor thing!!

Actually, it looks very healthy to me, SpringFever!! The shape of the bark is awesome and perfect for a bonsai. Great job restoring your baby back to health. Not easy...I know!!

Using this photo as a guide, can you see the big differences between your ligustrum and their's?


Bonsai (bon means pot, sai means tree) is the art of growing miniature trees (the symbol of life) to look like their grown up counterparts. Beause of that, everything bonsai is in miniature - the bark, the branches, the leaves, the fruit/berries/blooms, even the roots, when they are exposed.

That being the case, we want to prune back the branches, and make the branches and the leaves smaller. The idea is to train the tree to mimick its' original form, keeping it natural, simple and assymetrical.

I'd begin by cutting back those side branches to bring the tree back into balance. Then, I'd work on removing (yes, actually pinching away) the biggest leaves, and continue that effort for the life of the tree.

I hope that helps!! Next time I'm in Boston, visiting my daughter (who from time to time works in Lawrence!!) we'll have to get together!

You're off to a great start, spring..PLEASE let me know how you progress! And investing in one of those books (they're cheap on Amazon) is a good idea, too!

Thanks For the advice Pekemom! I was affraid after all the leaves fell off that I would put it into shock for good by trimming too soon..
I do have a book have to find it though.. :rolleyes:
The leaves on mine never seemed to stay little and I was not sure of what to do to keep them small... I did however Re-pot it this spring which Helped it out a super bunch!
I really do need to get out the trimmer on my poor tree!

It would be nice to meet you on your next adventure north!

Thanks Again!
Rita

CAN SOMEONE ANSWER MY QUESTIONS

Phil,

Yes. I put tap water in a mister bottle and let it sit overnight. I mist frequently and water sparingly, maybe every third day or so.

Yes. SpringFever's bonsai was the middle plant in the picture. A "big" bonsai, is one that is large, but still in proportion. You should be able to "squint" a little, and see a full sized tree in miniature!

Trimming is an art that you learn by doing. Training the tree to grow a certain way, by trimming and wiring, is what bonsai is all about. To keep the leaves small, you must pinch off the larger leaves. Over time, the tree will have all tiny (or at least smaller) leaves.

Please try to get the books I mentioned, Phil. They will help alot. Also, Kew Gardens is in the London area with a bonsai collection. The link I sent you is strictly for bonsai help .

And try Google for a bonsai group or exhibit near Liverpool! And let us know your progress. We love pictures!

ok but im not getting books
thanks
do u have to wire it

No. You don't have to wire the bonsai if you're happy with the shape it already has. And yours is a beauty, so you don't have to worry about wiring anything. Just trim it so it keeps its' shape and looks balanced. And similar to serrisas you find on the internet that are professionally cared for. You may need to pinch off larger leaves if they look out of proportion to the rest of the tree. Good Luck, Phil!

Pekemom I do have a question .. I have been to the help forum in the past... The info I have received is that I have an outdoor tree... I am in zone 6... the tree is zone 7... how am I to over winter without it freezing or Killing the poor thing??
I heard I was suppose to put it in a rubbermaid box...and leave it out side..
that it is suppose to loose its leaves and have the full cycle of seasons
Thank you for all your teriffic information!

oh so u just keep it a shape not leaves hangin everywere.

spring,

I just looked up your variety in the bonsai guide. It specifically states that the tree must be "under glass" in the winter ie, BRING THE BABY IN THE HOUSE IN THE WINTER!! The description says it does adapt well to indoor life. So I would take it inside for the winter. Mist it regularly. You might even get pleasantly surprised with some flowering this year!

Your bonsai has a beautifully shaped bark. I look for those all the time. I can rarely find them, or when I do, they're too expensive!

Prune the branches in, to keep the tree in visual balance. Pinch off the bigger leaves. And keep us up to date with pictures. We're excited to see a beautiful bonsai tree emerge!

~Nikki