Bonsai Trees

[game_over]

I've been looking into buying one, does anyone on here grow them?

They look awesome!

I've been looking around and some go up into the ?100s, but then i come across seeds for pennies? Not really sure were to start.

[BeerFan]

I had one. It died after about 3 months, although I followed the instructions of the old Asian dude that sold it to me perfectly. Don't buy one from him!

[Stalk3r]

I always wanted one as they look awesome, that is until my girlfriend told me how much care they needed - a cactus would suit me better :p Hope you find a great one though!

[Inklin]

I had one and it died after a couple of months, they are extremely hard to keep healthy.

You definitely do not want to get one costing ?100's unless you're experienced in Bonsai

[Shock Doc]

Bonsai trees are very very difficult to keep. In order to keep the Bonsai tree small they have to restrict the growth of the roots. They actually try to get the plant as close to dying without actually killing it, it creates a lot of problems with its metabolism (drainage, ions accumulating around the roots, weak immunity). Waste of money IMO.

If you do decide to spend the money, I suggest you use some of the money to buy a good book ;)

Your fellow gardener,

Doc

[epk]

Same as everyone, had one and died. Yeah, either get a book or make sure whoever you're buying it from has a clue about how to keep em.

[Jen Smith]

May as well add myself to the Bonsai serial killer list too. Tried a couple, didn't end well, but I'm no garden expert. I have trouble keeping plastic plants from dying.. I suspect one more and the local garden shop is going to ban me. Great to look at, but not something I'd want to try taking care of again.

[Shock Doc]

May as well add myself to the Bonsai serial killer list too. Tried a couple, didn't end well, but I'm no garden expert. I have trouble keeping plastic plants from dying.. I suspect one more and the local garden shop is going to ban me. Great to look at, but not something I'd want to try taking care of again.

There is a trick to keep plastic plants from dying: dust them once in a while :cool:

Doc.

[_neutrino Veteran]

I have grown them in the past they are almost like pets they take daily care and are very difficult to keep in perfect condition however, a lot of people get some sort of stress relief from caring for the tree.

[game_over]

Murderers :p

I don't mind looking after them i could do with another hobby (something to drag myself away from the computer)

[paokun]

I've been growing four Japanese maple tree (Acer Palmatum) bought two years ago in Japan.

I bought them very small and although I'm far from being a gardener, I can say that following the instructions given on some websites proved to be very easy and, so far, worth it.

It's a very nice hobby and it's great to see the leaves getting pure red in autumn :)

All I do is watering them 2-3 times a week and cut some extra leaves to balance them a bit. No much effort during winters, and overall I never spent more than 5 mins a week on them.

I'm currently on vacation for three weeks and I've attempted an automatic-watering approach, let's see how they look when I get back.. somehow I feel like I may join the murderers club soon ;)

Anyway, give it a go, and I think it's better for you to buy a young tree rather than the seeds, that's easier as you can start with something that's already out of the pot ;)

[Teebor]

I got one from an old guy who had his shop trashed, luckily a nearby shop made pottery and she made some custom pots for them so it was all good, but he did keep asking me to wax his car and paint the fence :blink:

My nan used to grow bonsai, she just kept them outside and didn't pay them all that much attention, but I do remember her clipping them and using wire to shape them

[Dark_ph0enix]

I tried about 7 years ago - the thing lasted about 3 months before dying. Went out and brought a 'money tree' and a Bamboo stick - both of whic are still very much alive six years later.

[Kerm]

Tried.

Died.

[moloko]

I grow and sold bonsai for about 8 years. It takes alot of care for some plants. Winter can be easier for the outdoor ones as they just sleep. Tropical bonsai are easier to grow. if you do buy from the store..and the rocks are glued...transplant in bonsai soil and it will be fine. Water every few days and give lots of sunlight. Do not over water as that is as bad as underwatering.

[Vice]

I've been looking into buying one, does anyone on here grow them?

They look awesome!

I've been looking around and some go up into the ?100s, but then i come across seeds for pennies? Not really sure were to start.

Check out B&Q - I got a really nice bonsai tree in there already grown and trimmed for ?25. They had them ranging in price from about ?13 to ?55.

Unfortunately I killed mine by not feeding it, then over-watering it. Poor plant :(

[SMELTN]

I wanted a bonsai as well, but after reading up on how hard they are to manage and keep going, I decided to get a Bamboo plant. I love it.. Close enough for me :)

I wanted a bonsai as well, but after reading up on how hard they are to manage and keep going, I decided to get a Bamboo plant. I love it.. Close enough for me :)

[PNWDweller]

I had a bonsai one time I picked up from a road side stand for $25 (Really!). I used to keep at it at a place where I worked in my cubicle. That bonsai flourished and did very well for several months, it grew some and was nice and healthy looking. I watered it almost daily and it seemed to really like the flourescent office lights. I had to remove it though, when an all company memo went out asking people to remove their plants at the request of the main office plant supplier (outside company took care and supplied plants), to help keep the occurance of pests down.

I took it home after that, and within a month, it perished. I figured that the office environment must have been just right for it as opposed to where I lived at the time. By the way - mine was a juniper bonsai I later found out.

My next one I buy, which I hope in the near future will be something more exotic like a bonsai fruit tree or something along those lines.

[thefonz]

I got a Bonsai in October from my girlfriend when we moved into our new house together. Ive been watering it every day (just a little bit) and it has plenty of sunlight and yet it still does not have a single green leaf.

Very disheartening! And dont know what I'm doing wrong.

That said, i live in Sydney and its not been the best of summers sofar...

[painejake]

I'm really tempted to grab a little tree and a book on the subject and give it a good crack. I enjoy 'gardening' to a certain degree and have a lot of love to give the little fella'

Any advice?

[jamies]

ya that is interesting. Keeping artificial plants is a good choice, but the real ones are real, their beauty is unique though quite difficult to maintain.

[game_over]

I ended up picking one up when i passed through a market stall and someone was selling them.. i've seen little activity up to now i think it may have already been dead when i bought it?

there are lots of small green leaves and small small purple bulbs that i'm hoping with develop as the weather improves. I got it Dec last year and it doesn't appear to have any growth at all.