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Japanese import - spring sprung.


Guest Farnsbarns

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Guest Farnsbarns

Why, that's a good idea! A tenner being £10 ($13.30), I take it? Google images for "cotoneaste bonsai" show quite a range of variations.

 

Yes. £10. Probably similar in dollars over there. Seems normal.

 

I know that in general the "good" bonsai trees in the US are nowhere near as good as those coming to Europe. Shame.

 

Still. Get down to what ever you guys call garden centres and find one which doesn't have a dead strait trunk or long nodes (gaps between leaves/junctions on branches) and bring it home. Don't take the crazy risk I have and repot in summer. Should be done in spring really, I just know this one will be OK but that's a judgement call I wouldn't put on anyone else. You can prune it down though.

 

Things to remember...

 

Taper. You don't want reverse taper, every thing should get thinner ideally so the lowest branch should be the thickest with each one up the trunk getting thinner. Each secondary branch should be thinner than the one it comes from. Not too thin mind, leave them to grow long if they need to thicken and catch up (nearly) with what they're growing from. An easy tree to learn from and if you kill it or just make a poor bonsaI it's a very cheap lesson.

 

Repotting really means root pruning. Just changing pots without touching the roots is generally fine any time but I hacked 80% of the roots off that tree.

 

Lots of bonsai nursery businesses do workshops, they can be great if the teacher is good but there's a lot of old fashioned, out of date nonsense said so choose wisely.

 

Cut paste is important to seal where you cut branches off (except very thin ones).

 

If you're cutting back to a leaf to create a fork, leave a bit of material to die back. If you're cutting back to a branch cut as flush as you can.

 

I'd be very happy to help as much as I can but it's obviously a very hands on tactile thing so teaching from afar might not work, then again, we go back to the very low cost and what's the risk, really.

 

Let me know if you do it!

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Guest Farnsbarns

Bence took the words out if my mouth, I was gonna ask you how long before you can make a guitar out of it....Grin~

 

Well looking at that autumn colour it will self-burst.

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Guest Farnsbarns

[thumbup] Looks good! This self-burst probably will be a transition period only. Curious about more pics to follow in the future! [love]

 

It is. They turn purple at the edges first and then as the purple fills each leaf the edges turn red while the centre turn yellow. The red the fills each leaf before the turn brown ad fall off. Known for a bit of a show. Spring is almost the reverse, starting with red foliage going green via yellow greens.

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It is. They turn purple at the edges first and then as the purple fills each leaf the edges turn red while the centre turn yellow. The red the fills each leaf before the turn brown ad fall off. Known for a bit of a show. Spring is almost the reverse, starting with red foliage going green via yellow greens.

This must be a fascinating play of colours, in autumn as well as in spring. [love]

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Guest Farnsbarns

I would say wrong thread but I think you might have the wrong forum.

 

ACK

 

 

Dont mention Israel. I was just there....and I am definitely a supporter. Thats another reason people dont like Kerry....b/c he is not as pro-Israel as Bush seemed to be....or, rather, it was believed he would pressure Israel more than Bushie.

 

 

Israel isnt 100 in the clear on policies, IMO....but I am a supporter of the country, to be sure.

 

Where is the guy from Tel Aviv??? We need input

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Guest Farnsbarns

I forgot I was updating this seasonally. Here's its winter image...

IMG_20161206_155004.jpg?raw=1

 

Soon it will come back to leaf in another burst of red before turning green again.

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I missed the Autumn shots; WOW! Pretty Bloody Spectacular!!!

 

msp_thumbup.gif

 

...Spring is almost the reverse, starting with red foliage going green via yellow greens...

Obviuosly it's just Nature copying the UK traffic-light convention; from 'Go' in the Spring to 'Halt' in the Autumn.

 

Why will it be red before it goes green, Farns? Do regular full-size acers do that as well?..............eusa_think.gif.............

We have a yellow acer and a red acer in the garden but they stay yellow and red when in leaf.

 

...and where IS the guy from Tel Aviv????? We need Input!!!

 

Pip.

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Guest Farnsbarns

The why is due to chlorophyl which is the green pigment used in photosynthesis. A lot of deciduous trees have redness in the leaves in spring (or new leaf growth any time in summer) as the leaf's growth hormones dissipate and the tree starts producing chlorophyl. With some species the redness is more pronounced especially Acers. Your yellow and red acers just don't have as much green pigment as others so the leaves stay their vibrant colours all year.

 

You should read up on air-layering. We/you could create lots of red and/or yellow acers.

 

I learned over the weekend it is now ilegal to import/export shishigashira unless they have grafted root stock so they're only going to become rarer. I let the seeds go last year but I shall be planting some this year so if you'd like one in your garden let me know.

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Guest Farnsbarns

Just done the spring prune. Buds cracked and about to open. Perfect timing. Also lopped off a major branch which just somehow ruined the lines.

 

It'll be producing leaves very soon.

 

videotogif_2017.03.10_22.00.22.gif?raw=1

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Guest Farnsbarns

I just had to go through this and put the pics back. Dropbox changed the way shared files work. Some pics will have changed, i cant remember what was where. Some I've left out, no idea.

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Guest Farnsbarns

And now I get the appeal...so pretty!!

 

Thanks. I know what you mean. Many people see these cheap twiggs sold as bonsai by garden centres and supermarkets and don't see the appeal. That really isn't bonsai at all.

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How in the world does one import something like that without damaging it? Very tricky, I'm sure.

 

It's gorgeous, by the way - looks like someone took an old-growth tree from the forest and zapped it with a miniaturizing ray gun! [smile]

 

 

Honey I shrunk the .......?

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