"Pam Moore" wrote in message
news
On Sat, 16 Jan 2010 22:11:59 +0000, Rusty Hinge
wrote:

David WE Roberts wrote:

I am now wondering if it would be happier (though perhaps not as pretty)
in a larger, deeper pot where it wasn't stunted by fighting to survive.

Yes.

But...

You would lose the bonsai qualities of restricted growth and
semi-miniature leaves (and possibly, flowers)

To get over the watering problems, you can get drip-metered watering
devices - just fill a reservoir and adjust the control until it reaches
equilibrium.

This has the advantage that you can add traces of nutrient to the water
from time to time.

You could try propagating cuttings when you trim it.

Many bonsai, when young, are grown in open ground or large pots or
tubs to encourage them to put on growth. You could try with this one,
and keep it in a greenhouse for a couple of years, then if it grows
well, cut back top and roots in Spring and repot it in a smaller (not
very small) pot and retrain it as a small tree.
(Sorry about previous typo; more like senior moment!)

The point I am trying to make (which is probably politically incorrect for a
gardening group) is that I am nor really interested in anything that
requires specialised and constant care.
I have cats and children (in that order as the kids are out in the great
wide world) to fill any needs I have in that direction.

An automatic watering device is going to mar any visual appeal of the plant.

I was thinking it might be kinder to the Bonsai (which as far as I can see
is a plant tortured to the point that it cannot grow as nature intended) to
pot it on and give it a better chance of long term survival even though it
is not suited to the UK climate.

I don't have a greenhouse at the moment so the options for the poor thing
are either a centrally heated house or the nasty bleak world of the
outdoors.
It is still dropping leaves like snow - I can't work out where they are all
coming from as it is still green and bushy!

Cheers

Dave R