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killyspike
- Full Member
- Posts: 43
- Joined: Sat Apr 26, 2008 3:53 pm
- Location: Norwich UK
Looking for new bonsai material
Hi all, I'm going to be going round garden centres for a little while looking for new raw material to work on. Finding this raw material can be tricky. I tend to have a look at the mallsai section in these garden centres to see if I can turn them into bonsai. They already have their trunks chopped and my question is can they be planted back into the ground and grown freely again to grow and thicken the trunk? Or is it too late?
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Gnome
- Super Green Thumb
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- Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2006 12:17 am
- Location: Western PA USDA Zone 6A
killyspike,
Sure you can move things from a pot back into the ground but be careful what species you are dealing with. Many typical mallsai are tropicals or sub-tropicals so be careful what you put in the ground it will have to be able to withstand your winter temperatures. Also if you don't think you can leave the tree undisturbed for at least three years you might be better off leaving it in the pot.
Norm
Sure you can move things from a pot back into the ground but be careful what species you are dealing with. Many typical mallsai are tropicals or sub-tropicals so be careful what you put in the ground it will have to be able to withstand your winter temperatures. Also if you don't think you can leave the tree undisturbed for at least three years you might be better off leaving it in the pot.
Norm
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killyspike
- Full Member
- Posts: 43
- Joined: Sat Apr 26, 2008 3:53 pm
- Location: Norwich UK
I have been round a couple of places so far and how disappointed can one bonsai lover be? Very! If the idiots that send them before importing the trees didn't mess with the trunks of them then some of the trees could be absolute winners! One nice large chinese elm looked really great certainly the branch structure at the top was superb but look down the trunk and it was unsightly. Big lump and twisted in such a rediculous way. Sickening!
If you want a mallsai that had the trunks untouched apart from a trunk chop a while before then they were quite small and in my eyes needed a few more years of growth. So to find anything that had developed enough and could be trained from the outset to transform it into a proper bonsai is nearly impossible. I'm gonna try a couple more places now to see if my opinion can change but its gonna be tough!
The chinese elm seems to be hardy enough to get through our winter but I don't know about others. I would probably take it out of the bonsai pot and put them in large pots to unrestrict the roots and let them grow freely.
I will probably have to buy small mallsai's and leave them as long term projects, in the meantime will work on other ways to get raw material.
thanks norm
If you want a mallsai that had the trunks untouched apart from a trunk chop a while before then they were quite small and in my eyes needed a few more years of growth. So to find anything that had developed enough and could be trained from the outset to transform it into a proper bonsai is nearly impossible. I'm gonna try a couple more places now to see if my opinion can change but its gonna be tough!
The chinese elm seems to be hardy enough to get through our winter but I don't know about others. I would probably take it out of the bonsai pot and put them in large pots to unrestrict the roots and let them grow freely.
I will probably have to buy small mallsai's and leave them as long term projects, in the meantime will work on other ways to get raw material.
thanks norm
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Gnome
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 5122
- Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2006 12:17 am
- Location: Western PA USDA Zone 6A
killyspike,
Don't overlook nursery material or local landscape trees that are being removed because of redesign or development. If you like Chinese Elms but cant find anything of suitable size keep your eyes open for a native Elm you can work on, they should not be too hard to find. Good luck in your search and keep us informed as to what you find.
Norm
Don't overlook nursery material or local landscape trees that are being removed because of redesign or development. If you like Chinese Elms but cant find anything of suitable size keep your eyes open for a native Elm you can work on, they should not be too hard to find. Good luck in your search and keep us informed as to what you find.
Norm