TinanaTaffy wrote:
jtpthe3rd Wrote:
http://www.anewshop.co.uk/mybonsai.jpg

and dont say Tesco None Bio!!!!!

I've wanted a Bonsai for a while now and I bought these 2 from the
local garden center today. The guy there didnt know what type of tree
they are, my question to you is..... what are they?

Also while i'm here I may as well ask a question.....

I was planning to water the once per day and feed every 2 weeks. Is
that about right?

I am going to trim them but not for a few weeks.

Bye for Now

James.

Hi James,
Your photo is quite blurred, but I would hazard a guess that the one on
the left in the blue pot is one of the Ficus Benjamina types - if you
remove a leaf does it bleed white sap that turns sticky? if it does
then that is most likely what it is. Yes, all ficus like water, but not
too much or you may get root rot - especially in UK (I live in a part of
Australia where we do need to water every day). Benjaminas respond very
well to trimming and as you are coming into your summer, you should be
able to completely defoliate it, but cut all the leaves off and leave a
bit of the stalk, don't just pull them off. When the new leaves shoot
the old stalks will drop off on their own. You may be able to do this
twice in the growing season - we can do it here 5 times a year with no
ill effect, and the leaves will get progressively smaller. I have
eleven different types of Ficus and all are excellent to work with.
Don't know what the one on the right is, but if you can post a clearer
photo we may be able to better help you. Hope this info helps. If I can
help further, send me a pm
Taffy



Hi!

New here, but I second what Taffy said, but I add that feeding every two
weeks kind of defeats the purpose of keeping it small. Watch out for
root-rot and defoliation is your friend when it comes to miniaturizing
the leaves. I am about half size on this one:

http://img3085.imagevenue.com/loc57/17811_000_0251.jpg
http://img3085.imagevenue.com/loc279/17812_000_0252.jpg

When defoliating, I hit it with a about a teaspoon of
super-phosphate(0-55-0) to encourage the re-growth, but not bigger
leaves. It's not like your going to burn the leaves at this point, and
it helps it come back quick.

With maples and other deciduous, defoliation has to be carefully
accomplished with a little more care. This Japanese Maple was doing
well with one in late spring and once just after solstice. Now, I just
do it immediately after solstice:

http://img3085.imagevenue.com/loc187/17145_000_0242.jpg
http://img3085.imagevenue.com/loc201/17146_000_0243.jpg

This Japanese red is responding much slower, so I'll have to seek some
advice with it.

http://img3085.imagevenue.com/loc229/17148_000_0248.jpg

Donald