Indoor Mame Bonsai Tree's
Got any idea's on good tree's that would make good mame bonsai's? My living conditions currently require me to stay small, plus I'm not going to lie I just find them so cute. I really love the gnarled aged asymmetrical stumpy short look. Also techniques would be great too, When can I start training.
-
rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
Wow! I didn't know about mame bonsai, so I looked it up... super minature bonsai, under 6" tall!
Here's a mame bonsai gallery, showing a range of trees that have been styled as mame.
https://www.bonsai4me.com/gallery%20mame.htm
Note that a number of them have links for bonsai progression series, that show the steps in how they were created.
However INDOOR mame, seems to be a tall order. None of the ones in this series with the possible exception of the cotoneaster, will be very happy staying indoors all the time.
I did find this:
https://www.fukubonsai.com/5a17.html a serissa done mame style
and this one:
https://www.happybonsai.com/bonsai-tree-species-mini-bonsai/
mentions ficus as one candidate for mame
Note that in the first link, the first progression series, the fuji cherry, he describes about a decade of working on the tree to get it to the end stage pictured.
But making a super mini bonsai, does seem like it might eliminate some of the years growing out a tree to thick trunk size needed for a "full size" bonsai (sort of a contradiction in terms?). Since trunk size (diameter) is proportional to height, by doing a shorter bonsai, you could get by with less trunk size.
Here's a mame bonsai gallery, showing a range of trees that have been styled as mame.
https://www.bonsai4me.com/gallery%20mame.htm
Note that a number of them have links for bonsai progression series, that show the steps in how they were created.
However INDOOR mame, seems to be a tall order. None of the ones in this series with the possible exception of the cotoneaster, will be very happy staying indoors all the time.
I did find this:
https://www.fukubonsai.com/5a17.html a serissa done mame style
and this one:
https://www.happybonsai.com/bonsai-tree-species-mini-bonsai/
mentions ficus as one candidate for mame
Note that in the first link, the first progression series, the fuji cherry, he describes about a decade of working on the tree to get it to the end stage pictured.
But making a super mini bonsai, does seem like it might eliminate some of the years growing out a tree to thick trunk size needed for a "full size" bonsai (sort of a contradiction in terms?). Since trunk size (diameter) is proportional to height, by doing a shorter bonsai, you could get by with less trunk size.
-
applestar
- Mod
- Posts: 30540
- Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
This is a Japanese website but you might find it interesting.
https://mini-bonsai.com/
There are [url=https://mini-bonsai.com/c4/mainichi/index.html]photo galleries of observations[/url] (before and after pruning, shaping, repotting, etc.), even [url=https://www.mini-bonsai.com/mini-bon/]manga/comic[/url] (it looks like they've published a collected edition as well -- main characters are a couple of mini-bonsai enthusiasts and a masked "super hero" Mini-Bon Kamen that flies in to give bonsai-care advice
).
There used to be a link for translated English pages but I don't see it now. If I can find the direct link in my bookmarks library, I'll come back and post it.
https://mini-bonsai.com/
There are [url=https://mini-bonsai.com/c4/mainichi/index.html]photo galleries of observations[/url] (before and after pruning, shaping, repotting, etc.), even [url=https://www.mini-bonsai.com/mini-bon/]manga/comic[/url] (it looks like they've published a collected edition as well -- main characters are a couple of mini-bonsai enthusiasts and a masked "super hero" Mini-Bon Kamen that flies in to give bonsai-care advice
). There used to be a link for translated English pages but I don't see it now. If I can find the direct link in my bookmarks library, I'll come back and post it.
-
manofthetrees
- Senior Member
- Posts: 236
- Joined: Mon Aug 09, 2010 7:14 pm
- Location: west seneca ny
that is the most amazing group of mame I have ever seen, I can't beleive they sustain the trees with that little of a root system let alone having flowers and fruit ... I know this style takes alot of attention I was resently in a discusion about bottle cap bonsai which are in even smaller pots. the major problem I have heard is keeping them watered. it can be 3 or more times a day.it looks to me like its alot of root control... RB is on the right track sugesting ficus, they are pretty tolerant to adverse conditions and in my opinion if you have a larger one, cuttings are easily rooted in case your first atempt doesn't fair well... thanks wort I think you've given me a new project 
best of luck
Scheffleras can be used to a degree for mame bonsai, however I find them difficult to keep them in a small stage for long. There is a variety of Dizygotheca elegantissima (in the same family as the schefflera) called 'castor' that lends itself very nice to a mame size bonsai. It is in every way just as resilient as a schefflera, and far more willing to branch. The only problem with it is it can take a while for a nice trunk to form, but seeing as how you are working with mame, this may not be much of an issue.