Bonsai Tree help? Does anyone know how to take care of one?
 

Well i just bought this pre-potted bonsia tree from Supertarget, and i thought it would be cool for my dorm room. Some of the stems are brownish, but i bought the tree like that (all they had were like that) So i am afraid im not taking care of it right. So if anyone knows any tips on how to take care of it, like, watering, sun, temp, trimming, potting. Thanks.

here are some pictures.

http://members.cox.net/drzeaius/DSC03016.JPG

I have no respest for your googling abilities

http://www.bonsaisite.com/mainten1.html

Well, ive been there! Im no google dummy. But all of these pages are dumb and floosy. I want to commuicate, more than just read.

there is a whole forum dedicated to bonzai. :)http://www.bonsaisite.com/forum.html

I'm sure they can provide you with high quality help.

Urarg. You guys are harsh. Just wanted to talk to someone.

Water it a lot.. thats about it=P but I mean a lot.. you need to practically submerge it in a tub of water once a week for a certain amout of time.. but yea look into it a bit more.. dont want to be responsible for any dead lil tree's.. =) I used to have one but I was kinda young and didn't water it enough. didn't last long

Ditto the water...A LOT.

Bonsai are HARD to grow. I managed to kill mine in about a month even though I was religious in taking care of it.

I still don't know what I did wrong.

If you're really interested, I would suggest hooking up with a local bonsai society if you can locate one. Otherwise, get into that discussion group online.

Good luck!

I agree with the watering part... submerge up to the bottom of the trunk in a sink of water every 2 weeks or so.

ALSO - and this is a huge one - the tree that you bought is a juniper, just like the shrubs that are used to landscape, and is meant to be grown OUTSIDE. if you wanted the tree to stay inside, you should have bought an indoor bonzai tree. There is a difference.

Do plenty of research, and dont be discouraged if it dies, remember, its just a juniper and you can probably pick another one up for $15 when that one dies!

Well it had a little tag on it saying that it was indoor. But all the tags said that. Either way thanks for the tips. Oh and if i submerge it in water, every 2 weeks, how long should i keep it under water? Thanks.

yeah, I really hate it when they put tags on items like that. I bought a book from the local book store on bonzai, and they had a good list of trees meant for outdoor growing and indoor growing.

As far as watering, I'd say, since its meant to be outside, that during the summer you'll want to water maybe once a week, submerged for about 10-15 minutes. Then in the fall and spring, less frequently. If you do choose to keep it outside, it would probably be a good idea to bring it in on extremely cold days.

just my 2 cents...

Ok thanks for the tip, i have been watering it just like any other plant, just spraying down the tree, then making sure plenty of water gets to he base.

I guess if i submerge once a week, do i need to water it daily like i have been doing as well?

Oh and if you know, what is the benifet of submerging, what does it accomplish?

I've had a few of these. Don't be surprised if it doesn't last the week. They are quite fickle. One I watered a little bit. One I watered a lot. One I kept outside. No luck. Now I just grow rosemary. Tastes better too.

If this plant doesnt work out, if anyone has any suggestions for a plant that can survive in a dorm room window. :)

cactus:lol:

A dead one!!:)

:( noooo.....Oh well, ill tell you guys if it dies. Maybe we can have an online TFP funeral....:( JK. Thanks for all the possitive help.

Didn't Shredder from the Turtles cartoon have a precious bonsai tree?

I've had two of these...Killed both with Google advice. This particular on is better outside and hard to keep alive indoors. Best of luck...I know I haven't been much of a help!

Its alright thanks for the input.

from watching the karate kid, i think how you cut it doesnt really matter unless u wanna follow a specific thingy. i wanna get a bonsai tree goin just so i have a plant in my room. are they expensive, i think i saw a starter kit at like barnes and noble, it came with a book, one of those yuppie things :)

I got mine at SuperTarget for 15 dollars.

i had one before and it soon became infested with little spiders. i guess some momma spider laid the eggs in it and it was infested like crazy. i sprayed it down with some raid and the bonsai tree just started to wither away until it finally died. so my advice, don't spray it with raid. and water it lots, and keep it away from pregnant spider mommas

Haha, ew spiders, thats no good at all. Thanks for the raid advice.

Make sure it gets a lot of sunlight.

Trim is sparingly, but keep the dead leaves off.

And baby spiders do suck, because you can't kill them all and they grow up. Now we have cobwebs everywhere and still can't find all of the spiders. (They hatched in a palm tree we HAD inside)

Oh, and the tree will need some type of plant food once in a while.

i want a venus fly trap for my room.

I have to agree here.

What is TFP if not a forum to meet, discuss and debate issues and interests?

Those of you who simply insult someone for asking a question should jump ship and leave TFP yourselves.

Sheesh....

With regards to the topic in question, I too recently bought a Bonsai very similiar to this one. I was told by an elderly Japanese man that it needed to be watered every few days in winter and EVERY DAY in summer. He also said not to bring it indoors (or for a day or so maximum).

Other than that, he said nothing much else was required. Very minor pruning one a year at most.

Good luck! I think Bonsai look cool...

Mr Mephisto

Thanks Mephisto. Anways, so far is hasnt died yet.....some of the limbs are slighly brown, but there is still 90% green, so im sure im in the clear. Ive been watering heavy every day, and its getting plenty of sunlight, so i hope the best for it. Thanks for everyone input.

i just got two from a nursery near me!

Weeping Barbados Cherry, and Texas Ebony


http://www.freewebtown.com/macgng/bonsai.jpg

I've grown/killed several of these, try to find out:

If your Juniper needs Acidic or Alkali water, your tap water may be incompatible. (also, sometimes Chlorine can be bad for some bonsais)
Keep it out of drafts.
Make sure that it gets plenty of sunlight, but not TOO much DIRECT sunlight.
Is your plant in an organic medium, or glued stones? You may need to give it nitrogen fertilizer once every two weeks. An OTT light (compact flouro) may help with supplemental light.

Overwatering, WILL kill a plant, the more water that stays in the pot, the less oxygen can get to the roots. Yes plants MAKE oxygen, but they NEED oxygen at the roots for osmotic transfer of nutrients and such.

Just remember, nothing good will happen fast with anything that grows!!!

;)

-SF

Kill it now and save yourself the agony of watching a slow death!:)

Seriously, good luck- I've always loved them but how do they always return my love? By dying!!!

yeah true, thanks for the tips. i fixed the picture of my bonsai i watered them and read up on some specifics about them, just gotta watch em grow now :)

I'm with the flytrap guy, and for that matter, they had some awsome one's at SuperTarget last month, only they were the pitcher trap kind. Unfortunately I didn't get one before they sold out, and now they stopped carrying them. Does anyone know where to get that sorta thing without ordering it online. I don't get out to shop much due to finals coming up.

All this advice was great! I've been wanting to get one for some time but didn't know what to do or which books were decent on the subject. A little cut and paste of all this info will really go a long way - plus the good links.

Thanks!