Hello,

I know zero about bonasi, other than the popular idea that they are
dwarf trees. I fancy the idea of having one in my office, but know
nothing about how hard they are to keep, what I need, what type is
suitable, etc.

I did a quick search and, of course, found huge numbers of pages. It was
hard to get a good overview from any of them, and I don't know how
reliable any of them are. I looked on eBay, and there were loads for
sale, but again, I don't know if what they are offering is suitable or
reasonable.

Anyone know of a good resource for people like me? I'm not looking to
become an expert (don't have time), just looking for enough info to
allow me to keep one of the beautiful looking trees in my office.

TIA

--
Alan Silver
(anything added below this line is nothing to do with me)

Alan Silver wrote:
Alan Silver wrote:
Hello,

I know zero about bonasi, other than the popular idea that
they are dwarf trees. I fancy the idea of having one in my
office, but know nothing about how hard they are to keep,
what I need, what type is suitable, etc.

In general, an office is a terrible place to keep a bonsai.
The "conditioned" air (heat or cooling, but especially heat in
the winter) is so dry that the trees spend all their energy
trying to respire. Neither misting nor sitting your bonsai
attop a shallow, gravel-filled tray of water does any
appreciable good.


I did a quick search and, of course, found huge numbers of
pages. It was hard to get a good overview from any of them,
and I don't know how reliable any of them are. I looked on
eBay, and there were loads for sale, but again, I don't know
if what they are offering is suitable or reasonable.

We, of course, will recommend www.internetbonsaiclub.org.
Click on "Knowledge Base." You will want to look at the
articles on "indoor bonsai." But for growing in an office you
will be pretty much limited to one of the Ficus species.

I wouldn't touch an e-bay bonsai. And I don't recommend them
to anyone else, either. Try one of the sponsors you will see
on www.internetbonsaiclub.org. They're all reliable and you
may well find one that is near wherever it is you are.

Jim Lewis - - Columbus, NC - The four
universal laws of ecology: Everything is connected to
everything else. Everything must go somewhere. Nature knows
best. There is no such thing as a free lunch. -- Barry
Commoner

In article , Jim Lewis
writes
Alan Silver wrote:
Alan Silver wrote:
Hello,
I know zero about bonasi, other than the popular idea that
they are dwarf trees. I fancy the idea of having one in my
office, but know nothing about how hard they are to keep,
what I need, what type is suitable, etc.

In general, an office is a terrible place to keep a bonsai.
The "conditioned" air (heat or cooling, but especially heat in
the winter) is so dry that the trees spend all their energy
trying to respire. Neither misting nor sitting your bonsai
attop a shallow, gravel-filled tray of water does any
appreciable good.

Hmm, that probably knocks my idea on the head right at the start then.
My office is 10'x7' with two computers and a laser printer. I tend to
keep the window open (slightly in the winter, lots in the summer),
heating at a fairly minimal level and with a fan blowing, but the air
can still be quite dry sometimes. This doesn't sound like a good start
does it?

I have a large window, but it seems even that wouldn't be enough. I
don't have the space to start hanging lights over where the bonsai would
go, so I would have to rely on natural light. I am happy to put it on
the windowsill, but those articles didn't seem to think even that was
enough.

I did a quick search and, of course, found huge numbers of
pages. It was hard to get a good overview from any of them,
and I don't know how reliable any of them are. I looked on
eBay, and there were loads for sale, but again, I don't know
if what they are offering is suitable or reasonable.

We, of course, will recommend www.internetbonsaiclub.org.

Nice site, thanks. I didn't come across that one when searching.

Click on "Knowledge Base." You will want to look at the
articles on "indoor bonsai." But for growing in an office you
will be pretty much limited to one of the Ficus species.

Well, given my comments above, would even any of the Ficus be suitable?
If so, which do you recommend? Most of the sites I looked at (from the
links on the IBC site) used common names, didn't see Ficus mentioned.
What should I look for?

I don't mind misting the tree once a day and standing it over a tray of
water if that makes a big difference, but you seemed to think it
woudln't. Bonasi are small enough to pick up and move somewhere where
the stray water won't damage anything electrical.

I wouldn't touch an e-bay bonsai. And I don't recommend them
to anyone else, either.

I wasn't going to buy one from there, I was merely pointing out how many
sites/products I had found, and how little information I had found!!

Try one of the sponsors you will see
on www.internetbonsaiclub.org. They're all reliable and you
may well find one that is near wherever it is you are.

I'm in the UK. Do you know of any suitable suppliers here? Of the ones
linked on the IBC site, only www.mishobonsai.com mentioned shipping
internationally. hollowcreekbonsai.com didn't mention it (that I could
see), and the others only shipped to the US.

I noticed two more local sites (one in Northern Ireland and one in the
UK) in the links section of the IBC site, but neither had good ratings.

Thanks very much for the helpful reply. Any more info would be
gratefully received.

--
Alan Silver
(anything added below this line is nothing to do with me)

Hello from Norway - getting rather international, aren't we? ;-)

I have this summer visited Green Lawns Bonsai Center. Great experience,
nice selection and very helpful. Guess if I had some strange looks,
bringing back two bonsai as hand luggage instead of the duty-free bags
normally seen in the hands of Norwegians ;-D))))

Mniature regards

Morten M
"Alan Silver" skrev i melding
...
In article , Jim Lewis
writes
Alan Silver wrote:
Alan Silver wrote:
Hello,
I know zero about bonasi, other than the popular idea that
they are dwarf trees. I fancy the idea of having one in my
office, but know nothing about how hard they are to keep,
what I need, what type is suitable, etc.

In general, an office is a terrible place to keep a bonsai.
The "conditioned" air (heat or cooling, but especially heat in
the winter) is so dry that the trees spend all their energy
trying to respire. Neither misting nor sitting your bonsai
attop a shallow, gravel-filled tray of water does any
appreciable good.

Hmm, that probably knocks my idea on the head right at the start then. My
office is 10'x7' with two computers and a laser printer. I tend to keep
the window open (slightly in the winter, lots in the summer), heating at a
fairly minimal level and with a fan blowing, but the air can still be
quite dry sometimes. This doesn't sound like a good start does it?

I have a large window, but it seems even that wouldn't be enough. I don't
have the space to start hanging lights over where the bonsai would go, so
I would have to rely on natural light. I am happy to put it on the
windowsill, but those articles didn't seem to think even that was enough.

I did a quick search and, of course, found huge numbers of
pages. It was hard to get a good overview from any of them,
and I don't know how reliable any of them are. I looked on
eBay, and there were loads for sale, but again, I don't know
if what they are offering is suitable or reasonable.

We, of course, will recommend www.internetbonsaiclub.org.

Nice site, thanks. I didn't come across that one when searching.

Click on "Knowledge Base." You will want to look at the
articles on "indoor bonsai." But for growing in an office you
will be pretty much limited to one of the Ficus species.

Well, given my comments above, would even any of the Ficus be suitable? If
so, which do you recommend? Most of the sites I looked at (from the links
on the IBC site) used common names, didn't see Ficus mentioned. What
should I look for?

I don't mind misting the tree once a day and standing it over a tray of
water if that makes a big difference, but you seemed to think it woudln't.
Bonasi are small enough to pick up and move somewhere where the stray
water won't damage anything electrical.

I wouldn't touch an e-bay bonsai. And I don't recommend them
to anyone else, either.

I wasn't going to buy one from there, I was merely pointing out how many
sites/products I had found, and how little information I had found!!

Try one of the sponsors you will see
on www.internetbonsaiclub.org. They're all reliable and you
may well find one that is near wherever it is you are.

I'm in the UK. Do you know of any suitable suppliers here? Of the ones
linked on the IBC site, only www.mishobonsai.com mentioned shipping
internationally. hollowcreekbonsai.com didn't mention it (that I could
see), and the others only shipped to the US.

I noticed two more local sites (one in Northern Ireland and one in the UK)
in the links section of the IBC site, but neither had good ratings.

Thanks very much for the helpful reply. Any more info would be gratefully
received.

--
Alan Silver
(anything added below this line is nothing to do with me)

Did you look in the IBC "Links" Section? There are a few UK
firms listed under the suppliers. There also will be some other
UK links under other headings, and some of them will be
commercial spots, too.

Sonmeone's suggestion of a Portulaca for your office might work.
I know little about so-called indoor trees, so can't really
recommend anythings specific, but Ficus benjamina and F.
nerifolia both are easy-to-grow trees.

Jim Lewis - - Columbus, NC - People, when
Columbus discovered this country, it was plumb full of nuts and
berries. And I'm right here to tell you the berries are just
about all gone. Uncle Dave Macon, old-time country musician

In article , Morten K. Agerup Myhr
writes
Hello from Norway - getting rather international, aren't we? ;-)

That's fine ;-)

I have this summer visited Green Lawns Bonsai Center. Great
experience, nice selection and very helpful.

OK, thanks for the tip. I found their web site, but it doesn't look like
they do on-line orders. I'll have to ring them and ask.

Guess if I had some strange looks, bringing back two bonsai as hand
luggage instead of the duty-free bags normally seen in the hands of
Norwegians ;-D))))

I lived in Paris for a while, and met an Indian fellow there who had a
terrible time getting through the French customs as he had brought
several kilos of various spices with him. They were convinced that they
had an international drug smuggler!!

Mniature regards

And minute ones back g

--
Alan Silver
(anything added below this line is nothing to do with me)

In article , Jim Lewis
writes
Did you look in the IBC "Links" Section? There are a few UK firms
listed under the suppliers. There also will be some other UK links
under other headings, and some of them will be commercial spots, too.

I did, and I have already sent e-mails to a couple, but the two that
stuck out as being UK ones both had poor ratings, so I wasn't sure if
they were good choices.

Sonmeone's suggestion of a Portulaca for your office might work. I
know little about so-called indoor trees, so can't really recommend
anythings specific, but Ficus benjamina and F. nerifolia both are
easy-to-grow trees.

Thanks for the tips, I'll check those out.

Jim Lewis - - Columbus, NC - People, when Columbus
discovered this country, it was plumb full of nuts and berries. And
I'm right here to tell you the berries are just about all gone. Uncle
Dave Macon, old-time country musician

--
Alan Silver
(anything added below this line is nothing to do with me)

In article , Jim Lewis
writes
Sonmeone's suggestion of a Portulaca for your office might work. I
know little about so-called indoor trees, so can't really recommend
anythings specific, but Ficus benjamina and F. nerifolia both are
easy-to-grow trees.

www.thebonsaistore.co.uk wrote back to me and suggested a Chinese elm.
Does this sound like a sensible idea? They reckoned that if it was right
next to the window (which rarely gets direct sunlight) and standing over
(but not in) water, then it would be OK.

Their indoor bonsai page is http://www.thebonsaistore.co.uk/indoor_trees

Any comments? Thanks again

--
Alan Silver
(anything added below this line is nothing to do with me)

Alan Silver wrote:
Hello,

I know zero about bonasi, other than the popular idea that they are
dwarf trees. I fancy the idea of having one in my office, but know
nothing about how hard they are to keep, what I need, what type is
suitable, etc.

I did a quick search and, of course, found huge numbers of pages. It was
hard to get a good overview from any of them, and I don't know how
reliable any of them are. I looked on eBay, and there were loads for
sale, but again, I don't know if what they are offering is suitable or
reasonable.

Anyone know of a good resource for people like me? I'm not looking to
become an expert (don't have time), just looking for enough info to
allow me to keep one of the beautiful looking trees in my office.

Most bonsais are outdoor trees, and need to be outdoors or they'll die.
They have to go through winter dormancy for their normal life cycle.

However, there are some good indoor options. My personal favorite is
ficuses, which are very hard to kill and grow quickly. If you buy one
ficus, you can easily root the cuttings when you prune it, and end up
with as many as you want.

There are a lot of different kinds of ficuses. My favorite is Ficus
retusa, which grows a nice thick trunk and is generally not as wimpy as
ficus benjimina (the most common houseplant variety). There is a sport
of ficus benjimina called "too little" which has very small leaves and
is pretty cute.

I have a Fukien tea plant that I got at a Fred Meyer store that was
dying in a pot with rocks glued over the dirt. I pried that off and
repotted it and it's doing fine. Fukien Tea plants are easier to kill
than ficuses though.

Another plant you might want to try is Texas Ebony, although I don't
have much experience with them, I have one recently sprouted from a
seed.

People worry about air conditioning drying the air out too much, but
all I can say is the plants in my office window seem happy enough.

Hello again

As I came all the way from Norway to visit them, you should really pop
down/up to them and have a look (ok - didn't go to the UK just to visit
Green Lawns ;-)).

Their selction of Bonsai on display is quite good, enjoyable/knowledgable
staff. They also have a micro "Japanese garden", including a Koi dam
(largest "gold fish" I ever saw - hungry beasts!)

MM

PS No, I am no way connected to Green Lawns
"Alan Silver" skrev i melding
...
In article , Morten K. Agerup Myhr
writes
Hello from Norway - getting rather international, aren't we? ;-)

That's fine ;-)

I have this summer visited Green Lawns Bonsai Center. Great experience,
nice selection and very helpful.

OK, thanks for the tip. I found their web site, but it doesn't look like
they do on-line orders. I'll have to ring them and ask.

Guess if I had some strange looks, bringing back two bonsai as hand
luggage instead of the duty-free bags normally seen in the hands of
Norwegians ;-D))))

I lived in Paris for a while, and met an Indian fellow there who had a
terrible time getting through the French customs as he had brought several
kilos of various spices with him. They were convinced that they had an
international drug smuggler!!

Mniature regards

And minute ones back g

--
Alan Silver
(anything added below this line is nothing to do with me)

In article . com,
Scooter the Mighty writes

Thanks for the info. I'll have a look and see what I can find of those
types.

Alan Silver wrote:
Hello,

I know zero about bonasi, other than the popular idea that they are
dwarf trees. I fancy the idea of having one in my office, but know
nothing about how hard they are to keep, what I need, what type is
suitable, etc.

I did a quick search and, of course, found huge numbers of pages. It was
hard to get a good overview from any of them, and I don't know how
reliable any of them are. I looked on eBay, and there were loads for
sale, but again, I don't know if what they are offering is suitable or
reasonable.

Anyone know of a good resource for people like me? I'm not looking to
become an expert (don't have time), just looking for enough info to
allow me to keep one of the beautiful looking trees in my office.

Most bonsais are outdoor trees, and need to be outdoors or they'll die.
They have to go through winter dormancy for their normal life cycle.

However, there are some good indoor options. My personal favorite is
ficuses, which are very hard to kill and grow quickly. If you buy one
ficus, you can easily root the cuttings when you prune it, and end up
with as many as you want.

There are a lot of different kinds of ficuses. My favorite is Ficus
retusa, which grows a nice thick trunk and is generally not as wimpy as
ficus benjimina (the most common houseplant variety). There is a sport
of ficus benjimina called "too little" which has very small leaves and
is pretty cute.

I have a Fukien tea plant that I got at a Fred Meyer store that was
dying in a pot with rocks glued over the dirt. I pried that off and
repotted it and it's doing fine. Fukien Tea plants are easier to kill
than ficuses though.

Another plant you might want to try is Texas Ebony, although I don't
have much experience with them, I have one recently sprouted from a
seed.

People worry about air conditioning drying the air out too much, but
all I can say is the plants in my office window seem happy enough.


--
Alan Silver
(anything added below this line is nothing to do with me)

On Thu, 31 Aug 2006 19:50:18 -0400, Scooter the Mighty
wrote:


Alan Silver wrote:
Hello,

I know zero about bonasi, other than the popular idea that they are
dwarf trees. I fancy the idea of having one in my office, but know
nothing about how hard they are to keep, what I need, what type is
suitable, etc.

I did a quick search and, of course, found huge numbers of pages. It was
hard to get a good overview from any of them, and I don't know how
reliable any of them are. I looked on eBay, and there were loads for
sale, but again, I don't know if what they are offering is suitable or
reasonable.

Anyone know of a good resource for people like me? I'm not looking to
become an expert (don't have time), just looking for enough info to
allow me to keep one of the beautiful looking trees in my office.

Most bonsais are outdoor trees, and need to be outdoors or they'll die.
They have to go through winter dormancy for their normal life cycle.

However, there are some good indoor options. My personal favorite is
ficuses, which are very hard to kill and grow quickly. If you buy one
ficus, you can easily root the cuttings when you prune it, and end up
with as many as you want.

There are a lot of different kinds of ficuses. My favorite is Ficus
retusa, which grows a nice thick trunk and is generally not as wimpy as
ficus benjimina (the most common houseplant variety). There is a sport
of ficus benjimina called "too little" which has very small leaves and
is pretty cute.

I have a Fukien tea plant that I got at a Fred Meyer store that was
dying in a pot with rocks glued over the dirt. I pried that off and
repotted it and it's doing fine. Fukien Tea plants are easier to kill
than ficuses though.

Another plant you might want to try is Texas Ebony, although I don't
have much experience with them, I have one recently sprouted from a
seed.

People worry about air conditioning drying the air out too much, but
all I can say is the plants in my office window seem happy enough.



here is one that is interesting

--

Yet, with all this
inherent drama, the
film skims over the
surface. --Susan Granger