On Tue, 20 Feb 2007 14:43:59 +0000 (UTC), FragileWarrior
wrote:

Gee, if this isn't a young plant, how do they sell them so cheaply? When
you figure the length of care that the plant had to have had, the pot,
the soil, the transportation, the cost to the retailer -- how would
anyone make any money unless this plant was very young??

They are imported, or they are grown in warm climates outdoors where
greenhouse space is a premium. Everything in the industry comes down
to space and length any given plant takes to be complete enough to put
to market.

I never thought of a bonsai as sexy before but I see your point.
Actually the trunk on this one is better than it looks in the photo. I
was just balancing the plant and my camera and didn't catch the right
angle on it.

I only wish it didn't have the rocks epoxied to the surface of the soil!

You can take a pair of pliers and pry the rocks out of the epoxy. It
shouldn't be that hard. If it's solid it can impede gas exchange of
the plant and kill it.

On Feb 20, 5:50 am, scfundogs wrote:
On 2007-02-20 07:52:10 -0500, FragileWarrior
said:



What causes the loss of leaves? I wonder if the other ones that were being
sold for $5 ea. due to their leaves being shriveled and dry are actually
going to recover?

This plant had brown spots on the leaves (not scale, the brown parts were
sort of indented into the leaves) which made me think they got cold
exposure during our recent cold snap but it's just a guess on my part.

Ficus are stupendously picky about their location. I love them but
don't own them anymore because the littlest thing can cause them to
drop leaves. Sometimes they recover, sometimes not. They don't like
to be moved, IME, and they like a certain amount of sunlight.

That's a lot more true of ficus benjimina than ficus retusa. Ficus
retusa are pretty much tough as nails.

On Feb 19, 12:54 pm, FragileWarrior
wrote:
Has anyone seen the current crop of faux Bonzai at Walmart? The are
selling for $10 but I was able to pick one up for half price out of a bunch
that looked like it had freeze or sun burn. Most of them were pretty
shriveled up and sorry looking but one had some promise so, unable to
resist a plant in need, I hauled it home, trimmed off the top of the
damages branches (taking out about 1/4 to 1/3 of the plant) and now it
looks pretty respectable. The branches oozed a milky sap briefly after
being cut. I have no idea what plant this is. I suspect some sort of
ficus but I don't know ficus at all. It has a most interesting and
contorted root system.

I'd appreciate it if you would take a look at it and see if you can
identify it. Go to:http://community.webshots.com/user/deerhnd

It's the first photo in the PLANTS and GARDENS folder. (That should be the
first folder, too.)

And if anyone can tell me what Walmart pours over the gravel layer on top
of the soil that turns it into a solid, unmoveable mass, could you share
that info, too?

Thx.

Ficus retusa are actually pretty robust plants, not like the wimpier
Ficus Benjimina you see all over the place.

Yank that glued down layer of rocks out of the pot with a pair of
pliers. It's keeping your plant from being watered properly and from
getting air to its roots.

I have a couple bonsai I rescued like this. One is a ficus, the other
is a fuchien tea plant.