I was walking around with my mom in a Rona homeware store. I had heard of Bonsai trees and decided that I wanted one. I have no idea what kind it or whether or not it should be inside or outside. All I know is that it is an 8" tree. Its in a fairly small pot that has 2 holes in the bottom of it. Can I keep it inside ? and can I just follow the general guidelines to care for it.
Thanks
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The Helpful Gardener
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The Helpful Gardener
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Okay it's a Ficus retusa, a tropical so inside for cold weather (no tree should stay indoors all year long)...
They are good beginners trees as they take a lot of abuse; generalized help is okay.
This tree is pretty fresh so keep an eye as new foliage breaks; should be fine. Read our articles about pruning and such to be better prepared this spring...
Scott
They are good beginners trees as they take a lot of abuse; generalized help is okay.
This tree is pretty fresh so keep an eye as new foliage breaks; should be fine. Read our articles about pruning and such to be better prepared this spring...
Scott
I've recently purchased my first ponytail bonsai and it has rocks that are
glued onto the soil. I've heard that it isn't good for the plant, but I don't
know what type of soil I should use to repot and whether or not to trim
the roots before placing it in it's new pot. I have three ponytail palms as
houseplants and they're quite large; will my bonsai require special care or
do I treat it the same way I do the other palms? I also have a lava plant, which is quite interesting.
glued onto the soil. I've heard that it isn't good for the plant, but I don't
know what type of soil I should use to repot and whether or not to trim
the roots before placing it in it's new pot. I have three ponytail palms as
houseplants and they're quite large; will my bonsai require special care or
do I treat it the same way I do the other palms? I also have a lava plant, which is quite interesting.
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The Helpful Gardener
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It's mostly the same, but because of the restricted roots there is a tendency to start new off shoot all the time. Good way to propagate this plant, so you should have more of these plants soon (sounds like you better build a corral at the pony ranch 
)
Okay that was bad, but I can't resist. So pull the rock and just replace with coarse sand or pea stone. I probably wouldn't repot until spring, and even then I'd wait untill this thing was really rootbound. Only very light haircuts to the roots on this one (desert plants are notoriously finicky in the root) and keep ity in a pot that just fits it with only an occasional step-up (read five to ten years) in pot size. A cactus soil would actually be good for this one and only water when it gets dry (like a knuckle down)
Scott
) Okay that was bad, but I can't resist. So pull the rock and just replace with coarse sand or pea stone. I probably wouldn't repot until spring, and even then I'd wait untill this thing was really rootbound. Only very light haircuts to the roots on this one (desert plants are notoriously finicky in the root) and keep ity in a pot that just fits it with only an occasional step-up (read five to ten years) in pot size. A cactus soil would actually be good for this one and only water when it gets dry (like a knuckle down)Scott
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The Helpful Gardener
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