tomc
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Re: Avocado Tree as Indoor Bonsai?

The redened leaves in the last photo make me wonder if your teacup has any drains drilled into it. If not then those red leaves are symptoms of drowning.

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applestar
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It's OK, I think they are just very young leaves. Often the case with tender new leaves on tropicals like avos and mangos.

garmy yo
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Thanks for the words of encouragement, applestar! I am having a lot of fun with this project, but it is nice to know that someone is following along.
Here is my latest photo. I tied her down yesterday. Now she looks like an angry dragon.
P.S. Yes, there is a drainage hole. So far I have been removing the leaves before they mature and turn green.
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garmy yo
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Update photo:
I may let the two leaders get a couple feet tall before I cut them off. That should really help thicken up the trunk..
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garmy yo
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Avocado bonsai project #2. All three seeds have now sprouted and are being trained to slowly twist around each other. I am hoping the trunks will eventually fuse together and give the appearance of one thick trunk at the base.
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applestar
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Ha. That should be interesting! 8)

tomc
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I've been eyeing a couple of spools of "Bonsai" wires that to my inexperienced sense of wire pricing seem expensive for the amount, but have not purchased them yet. I wonder if there is ANY household wire that can be substituted?
Any copper wire can be used. Buy the largest gauge wire that will work for you. Ignore plastic insulation (more on that later). I look for mine at my local 'Ace' hardware store.

When it comes time to prep some build a small charcoal fire in the BBQ burn off the insulation, bingo annealed wire ready to use. Do it about as you need it.

imafan26
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Interesting thread. I never thought of an avocado as an understory tree. They get to be 50 ft tall here and are for the most part poor candidates for pots because we don't have a lot of dwarfs and most people want avocadoes, lots of them especially if you have to wait 9 months for the fruit to mature.
Trees with big leaves and long internodes are hard to turn into bonsai. Potting avocado will keep it smaller for a while but usually it is not going to be in a bonsai pot.

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applestar
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applestar wrote:This is SO CUTE! :D
-- definitely worthy of showcasing and a fun project.

Even if it turns out to be short lived in terms of decorative value due to issues previously mentioned, it really looks like you could enjoy the baby tree in the seedling stages -- I believe there is a name for that kind of "bonsai" -- it looks like you can play with the process for a good while.

Good work -- keep posting progress updates, I'm really enjoying this :-()
I think the term I was looking for here is "Kusamono" and although mostly non-woody/grassy plants are used, seedling trees seem to be also allowed for this kind of form.

garmy yo
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Update photo
The leaves are getting large now. I am going to let them keep growing to burn off some energy stored in that big seed. Once it gets to a couple feet high I will cut it way back and defoliate..
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Pilot
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Garmy yo, It looks wonderful. I was just about to give up my bonsai avocado idea but now made my mind thanks to you. Any chance we can see how are your trees right now ?

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rainbowgardener
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the picture right above your post was from yesterday... that seems like right now enough, it probably doesn't change much in a day. :)

welcome to the Forum!

garmy yo
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Avocado bonsai project #2 update:
Still growing, still twisting.
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applestar
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I feel like the multi trunk should work well with avocados since they seem to take grafting pretty easily. Maybe at some point during active growth, you could shave the outer cambium and match them up, then tape together. Probably hood it with vented plastic bag to increase humidity, just like for grafted branches.

garmy yo
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Update photo:
She was getting very rootbound so I trimmed a few roots and lifted her up an inch or so.
The wheels are spinning for my next avocado project. I'm thinking of doing a roots-over-rock. As soon as my seed sprouts.
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garmy yo
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Updates:
1st project: The leaves are getting bigger since adding soil on the bottom and giving the roots more room to grow in. But I'm OK with that for now. There is still a defoliage in the future, maybe the fall. The tree overall is vigorous but I haven't been cutting her back lately, just letting her grow.


2nd project: Recovering from a cat taste testing.


3rd project: Instead of ROR, I am growing the avocado in a reenforced paper towel tube filled with rocks and soil. I am hoping the tap root will wind it's way around the rocks, then I will slowly expose the roots from the top down.
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garmy yo
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Hard to believe a whole month has gone by since my last post. Not much has happened with the avocados. It's been a cold and cloudy spring for the most part. Soon I will be able to put them outside for good. Then they should really take off.
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rainbowgardener
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You are doing things I wouldn't have thought possible. I have told people here that avocado isn't suitable for bonsai due to the huge leaves. I will never say that again! Just point people to this thread... They are beautiful!

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applestar
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This is so much fun! :D

I have two new sprouted avocado seeds -- dilemma deciding what to do with them.... :lol:

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Lindsaylew82
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OMG! This is so COOL! I can't wait to see those roots!!!

Asica
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It is really cool project. Thank you for sharing with us.

sjors
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Hi,

I have been following your project for a while, I think it's time for an update! :)
I am trying to bonsai an avocado too, it is working realy well ! I'll try to post a picture soon!

garmy yo
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Update photos:
Thanks for all the comments and interest!
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rainbowgardener
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These continue to be beautiful. The one in the tea cup, the leaves are now starting to get disproportionate to the teacup/ plant size. Will you try to do anything about that or just let it be what it is?

garmy yo
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Hi rg,
I am hoping that once the seed is no longer feeding energy into the plant, the leaves will reduce in size. The next time the buds start another round of growth, I am going to cut it back quite a bit. That should use up some of that energy too.

Asica
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This is so cool. You take great pictures too. The one with the tube around the roots. Will it be able to stand with its roots expose? How do you water it?

garmy yo
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I had to do an emergency re-pot on the twisted trunk avocado. The original pot did not have a flat bottom and water was able to pool in the low spots. I believe that caused one of the three to die. But that might be a good thing. I will stick a new sprouted seed in place of the dead one, and leave the dead trunk as a feature.
I started a Root Over Rock a month or so ago. There is a big quartz and granite stone under all that foil and soil.
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AnnaIkona
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So amazing! :)

what soil did you use? I'm guessing potting soil (or maybe Bonsai Soil)?
Also, what are you watering it with? Plain tap water? Or dechlorinated water?

garmy yo
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AnnaIkona wrote:

what soil did you use? I'm guessing potting soil (or maybe Bonsai Soil)?
Also, what are you watering it with? Plain tap water? Or dechlorinated water?
Hi Annalkona,
I mostly use potting soil mixed with perlite. And for water I fill a bucket of tap water and let it sit over night, then add 1/2 strength miracle grow.

AnnaIkona
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Thank you for the information! :) Your baby bonsai trees look amazing. Wishing you best of luck!

garmy yo
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update photos:
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AnnaIkona
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So beautiful!
Are you thinkin' of removing the pit?

garmy yo
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AnnaIkona wrote:So beautiful!
Are you thinkin' of removing the pit?
Thanks, Annalkona!
Eventually, they will fall off on their own. I don't know how long that will take though. :)

sjors
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How is your avocado bonsai in the tea cup right now? I am trying te create a avocado bonsai aswell, I'll post a picture of it tonight!

garmy yo
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sjors wrote:How is your avocado bonsai in the tea cup right now? I am trying te create a avocado bonsai aswell, I'll post a picture of it tonight!


Hi sjors,
Here is how she looks now. Just quietly doing her thing..
Yeah, I'd love to see a picture of how your avocado bonsai project is coming!
Cheers!
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rainbowgardener
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Lovely! Leaf size is much reduced on the teacup one, since we last saw it. How did you do that? :D

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ElizabethB
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Garmy Yo - your avocado is adorable. I am not a Bonsai expert. I have just played around with it. I would not leave the wire on. The look is not at all pleasing. That is the purpose of Bonsai - pleasing to look at and contemplate.

Knowing the very basics of Bonsai and the growth habits of an Avocado I wish you well. I look forward to progress reports.

Good luck!

e

garmy yo
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Update photos: exposed root and root-over-rock
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Lindsaylew82
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I have an ever increasing crush on avocado bonsai!

Image

hpontes
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Loved your bonsai, please don't give up the tea cup experiment and keep showing us pictures of these bonsais.
I'm thinking about keeping my avocado seedling as bonsai, so your tips are very welcome.



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