www.bonsaitreeforums.com - I don't know what species my bonsai is...

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I don't know what species my bonsai is... - 2007/09/18 22:33 Yesterday me and my brother got a bonsai each, as a gift from our father. They were bought from a supermarket and we have no information and no instructions for them. I understand that the first thing is to find out what species they are in order to know what they need.
So.. I am attaching the pictures of the two bonsai, both 20 cm tall, and hopefully you could help me identify them and maybe give me some advice.
Thank you in advance,
Liza.

p.s. my bonsai has two main branches emerging but they seem to have been cut off, and smaller branches come out of them... do you know why it has been cut like that?

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mikey012076

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Re:I don't know what species my bonsai is... - 2007/09/19 09:12 Liyzette wrote:
Yesterday me and my brother got a bonsai each, as a gift from our father. They were bought from a supermarket and we have no information and no instructions for them. I understand that the first thing is to find out what species they are in order to know what they need.
So.. I am attaching the pictures of the two bonsai, both 20 cm tall, and hopefully you could help me identify them and maybe give me some advice.
Thank you in advance,
Liza.

p.s. my bonsai has two main branches emerging but they seem to have been cut off, and smaller branches come out of them... do you know why it has been cut like that?

Yes I know why they where cut, your tree grows fast and very large and there are baout 800 species of Ficus, also a ficus is a fruit tree and will grow Fig's, a Ficus will grow up to 60 feet tall and 60 to 70 feet wide with roots reaching 5 to 10 miles. So your tree was growing it got to big, so the people you got it from cut it back to plant the cuttings to make more Bonsai's to sell, and where you cut on a tree a branch will grow. I will put some links here about your trees. if you wouls like to read them.

http://www.bonsai-bci.com/species/ficus.html

http://www.bonsai-bci.com/species/fukien.html

Hope this helps....

Mike........:O)

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mikey012076

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Re:I don't know what species my bonsai is... - 2007/09/19 09:22 Also I for got to welcome you to the forum . I have not been feeling to well the last week or to so I forgot. So welocme to the froum Liyzette I hope we can help you here. Thank You for joining the forum.

Mike.....:O)
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Sayuri
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Re:I don't know what species my bonsai is... - 2007/09/19 09:48 Liza, welcome here

I am happy you joined.

Mikey: those are remarkable sizes for a tree

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Liyzette

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Re:I don't know what species my bonsai is... - 2007/09/19 21:37 Thank you Mikey for the info and for the links, they are very helpful, and thank you both (Mikey and Sayuri) for the kind welcome

So I understand that I should let the soil dry a little between waterings... and then water it generously. But I don't understand the daily misting... what does that mean? spraying it superficially with water? Oh... and I also read somewhere about a pot with stones and water under the pot holding the bonsai itself...?
I also went to the store we got it and asked the plant keepers there how often they water the bonsai.. and I was a little puzzled to find out they'd been watering them daily... I really don't want to make a mistake and let it die if it's been used with water every day..
And just one more little question..

I don't live with my parents during the faculty time, and if I take it with me, my apartment only has windows facing north and there is very little light, and I was wondering if it could adapt to artificial lighting... I would buy a special spot for it with white light and keep it lighted during the day... is that an option or should I just leave it home with my parents?

... and if that is the case.. is there any species of bonsai I could get that could somehow live in a north oriented apartment...
I hope I'm not too much of a headache..
Thanks for all your advice,
Liza

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Liyzette

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Re:I don't know what species my bonsai is... - 2007/09/19 21:39 I hope you get better Mikey..

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Sayuri
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Re:I don't know what species my bonsai is... - 2007/09/20 09:51 Mikey, I second what Liyzette writes:

I hope you will feel good soon!

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Sayuri
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Re:I don't know what species my bonsai is... - 2007/09/20 10:07 Liyzette I think it depends on what tree it is in order to water them daily and the conditions they are kept. Overwatering (when, as Mikey often writes, a wooden stick held close to the roots comes out wet) is NOT good. At all.

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mikey012076

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Re:I don't know what species my bonsai is... - 2007/09/20 22:00 Liyzette wrote:
I hope you get better Mikey..

Thank you Liyzette, I will put a link to my article here for you , it should help you on what you need to know.

http://www.bonsaitreeforums.com/articles/contributors.html

Also yes you can have a light to grow your tree in side your house look for fluorescent lights you can find them in hardware stores i will show you mine i have in a small grow room i have two types of lights I will circle in red either one will work for your tree.

As for watering your tree get a wooden chop stick , when testing to see if your tree needs water, take your stick push it in the soil down by the roots, wait 10 min's then pull it out if the stick is wet do not water your tree, but if the stick is dry then water your tree just that ez. A ficus will go with out water in dry soil for up to 4 days it hold's water in it's roots.

Mike....:O)

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mikey012076

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Re:I don't know what species my bonsai is... - 2007/09/20 22:05 I for got to add, put your light about one foot from the top of your tree, keep light on for 6 to 12 hours a day.

Good Luck.....

Mike.....:O)
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Sayuri
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Re:I don't know what species my bonsai is... - 2007/09/23 13:09 Good to see you're 'back again', Mikey. I've missed you

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mikey012076

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Re:I don't know what species my bonsai is... - 2007/09/24 06:05 Sayuri wrote:
Good to see you're 'back again', Mikey. I've missed you

Thank You Sayuri I was feeling a little ruff there for a wile my leaves where falling off, but now feeling better starting to grow again just needed a little sun and TLC.....

Mike....:O)
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Liyzette

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Re:I don't know what species my bonsai is... - 2007/09/24 16:37 Ok ... haven't been around because I've been away from home in a trip in the mountains, and don't really like spending too much time on the computer anyway... so I am sorry about that...
I do want to thank you for all your help though.. I am trying to learn as much about my little tree as I can and until now you've been the best guide anyone could ask for.. so thank you

And now I have another question

I've recently noticed that through the water holes at the bottom of the pot there are the bonsai's roots hanging... quite a bunch of them... and I don't know what I should do about it... should I change the pot, or cut the roots?...
Which brings me to another issue I've been thinking a lot lately, especially looking at the large trees in the mountain forests I've been through... I have to tell you trees, forests, and mountains are my favorite elements in nature... and the thought occurred to me that by making a tree grow into a bonsai is like stopping it continuously in it's evolution... doesn't the tree want to grow at it's full nature given potential?...

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Sayuri
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Re:I don't know what species my bonsai is... - 2007/09/25 09:46 I think you might have to repot it to a larger pot, Liyzette if the roots are bulging out.
Mikey?
That's what I would do....

I, after reading you went on a trip, have another question:
what do people do to keep their Bonsais healthy if they're away from home for a longer period of time (watering etc.) ?

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mikey012076

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Re:I don't know what species my bonsai is... - 2007/09/25 10:16 Liyzette wrote:
Ok ... haven't been around because I've been away from home in a trip in the mountains, and don't really like spending too much time on the computer anyway... so I am sorry about that...
I do want to thank you for all your help though.. I am trying to learn as much about my little tree as I can and until now you've been the best guide anyone could ask for.. so thank you

And now I have another question

I don't know how I could cut it's leaves and branches and roots, knowing that it has the potential to grow into a large and beautiful tree.. ?
I don't know if I should ask you this... Have you had these feelings when you started in this art of bonsai?..

Well this is a hard one to answer, but I will try my best, Yes I have had feelings to let my trees grow to full size, but as in bonsai the tree stays small so you can look at it and take it with you, keeping a tree small does not hurt the tree, also the tree will live longer then a full size tree if you take care of it, what is nice about bonsai is it looks like a full size tree but just small, every thing about the small tree is the same as a full size tree, and yes your tree will grow as a full size tree if you let it. Your tree is the ficus it does look as it needs to be repotter in to a biger pot, your tree is a very hard tree to kill so if you think you hurt it you probley did not, if you like you can trim the roots it will not hurt it or you can keep the roots and put it in a biger pot, but every two years you will have to repot your tree this is becouse your soil will not be good for ever fresh soil is a must to keep a happy tree, the tree stays small becouse you keep the roots small not becouse you trim the branches and leaves, you trim the branches and leaves to keep it looking good, like how you go out and get a hair cut same thing for your tree, if you take off leaves it will make your leaves grow back smaller over time, but do not take off all your leaves becouse with out leaves your tree does not make food to grow new ones.

So yes your tree will grow to full size, if you plant it out side make sure that the winters does not get below 50°F or 10°C or your tree will freeze and die, a lot of people like to make forest style bonsai becouse they can not get out to a forest and they look grate I will add a photo, your brothers tree the fukien tea is not really a tree at all but it is a bush/shrub that grows fruit that you can eat, as your tree is a tree and also grows fruit you can eat, but people like to take shrubs and make them look like trees becouse they stay small and the leaves always stay small and bonsai trees are small trees and do not have to gorw large.

If you need to know more let me know I am always happy to help....

Mike.....:O)

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Liyzette

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Re:I don't know what species my bonsai is... - 2007/09/27 00:27 Thank you yet again for all the advice... I will have to wait until I get to my "faculty" home and I will do the repotting there, and also set up the necessary lights for the little ficus..

Take care,
Liza.

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zoken
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Re:I don't know what species my bonsai is... - 2008/05/13 13:29 can anyone tell me what species my bonsai tree is, it is only little so i dont know if you will be able to tell

thanks!

i have the picture onmy profile as the file is too big to post here.

Post edited by: zoken, at: 2008/05/13 13:33

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sam1

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Re:I don't know what species my bonsai is... - 2008/05/13 17:47 Hi zoken,
Welcome to the forum. You can go to shrinkpictures.com and resize your photo to a max size of 500.
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