i have a few questions about species

[gallum90]

i have a question about what trees would work as a bonsai cause i live in wisconsin in the green bay area and theres lots of willows. idk if willows would work but can they? and if so how would i make my leave smaller, another type of tree is ginko i love ginko (mostly cause of its prehistoric history)


and i have alot of different and odd pets in my home and i would like to be different and have a uniqe bonsai that shows my personality like a ginko or a weeping willow (lol not cause I'm sad)

and i have another noobish question if i got an apple tree....would it make mini bite sized apples....

[Zombiefreak]

Ginkgo is a fairly common Bonsai don't let that disuade you thought they can be really awesome trees. I considered doing a weeping willow myself at one point eventually I will. I know that as a full scale tree they love water this is generally why they are seen in swamps and near ponds flourishing. I know on the full scale trees it has a tenedancy to drop the branches but I don't know if that is because the one I was observing wasn't getting enough water or not.

Wisteria are wonderful Bonsai and have that same weeping appearance similar to a willow. They seem to go for the pretty penny even in small stock form. They flower very beautifully during the spring and are very ineteresting as Bonsai. There is also the weeping or hairy wattle you may want to investigate that.

http://www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Gingko.html has information and a couple nice pictures though its a full scale tree not Bonsai of the Ginkgo. There are lots of really great and unique trees out there that make awesome Bonsai so just keep searching until you find something that fits your taste. As well I'm, sure others will have ideas and suggestions in this matter.

[Gnome]

Gallum,

Are you looking for trees to grow indoors or out? From your question about native plants I am going to go ahead and assume that you want to grow outdoors.

Some plants that I like are Chinese Elms, Zelkova, common Elms from the landscape can also be used. A new tree for me is Korean Maple, it has many of the good qualities of Japanes Maples but it is much hardier, which is a plus in your climate.

I hope you realize that it is too late in the year to do most work now. You can purchase trees now at a discount but you will simply have to overwinter them. Perhaps you could use the off season to do some research and acquire some material in the spring.

As far as apples go, a tree that normally produces full sized fruit will still produce full sized fruit when grown as a bonsai. If you want an apple with small fruit get a crab apple. They make good bonsai too.

Norm

[gallum90]

i also heard that tropical plants can be grown indoors and that would benifit me the most probably cause i live on the 2nd floor of an apartment building and i am affraid some one would jack my tree if i left it downstairs

[Sharp]

i also heard that tropical plants can be grown indoors and that would benifit me the most probably cause i live on the 2nd floor of an apartment building and i am affraid some one would jack my tree if i left it downstairs

They do work well indoors, but you gotta get them tons of sunlight, and in alot of cases supplement it with a grow light.

[gallum90]

what type of tree would you recomend for indoors planting? do palms work?

[Petra26]

i recommend ficus ficus retusa, not ficus benjamina, they are very tempermental.

[Sharp]

i recommend ficus ficus retusa, not ficus benjamina, they are very tempermental.

benjamina are tempermental?

[femlow]

I think benjamina drop their leaves pretty easily, but that doesnt actually make them tempermental. They are really pretty hardy normally and a good species for beginners, as long as they understand that leaf dropping doesnt mean they need more water or fertilizer or anything else. Its just how they maintain their hardiness and flexibility.

fem

[Sharp]

I think benjamina drop their leaves pretty easily, but that doesnt actually make them tempermental. They are really pretty hardy normally and a good species for beginners, as long as they understand that leaf dropping doesnt mean they need more water or fertilizer or anything else. Its just how they maintain their hardiness and flexibility.

fem

Yea, thats kinda how I had thought of them.

[Petra26]

I think benjamina drop their leaves pretty easily, but that doesnt actually make them tempermental. They are really pretty hardy normally and a good species for beginners, as long as they understand that leaf dropping doesnt mean they need more water or fertilizer or anything else. Its just how they maintain their hardiness and flexibility.

fem

that's what i meant most newbs like me are bothered by leaf loss

[gallum90]

yeah, leafe loss to me kinda means it needs a flood of water...and alot of fertalizer i wouldn't have known that droping its leaves are normal

[femlow]

Its a common mistake, especially if you are new to the world of ficus, because with most other plants, dropping leaves does mean something is wrong (except in fall of course) and we are taught to try to fix whatever it is (normally the first step people take is to give it more water. Its like instinct or something, even if its not always right). So if you get a ficus, just be prepared to stop yourself from changing the routine just because they drop some leaves. If you give them more water, more fertilizer, move them somewhere sunnier or shadier, then it will just cause more stress for the tree and they will drop more leaves. So don't freak out if your ficus sheds a little...

fem

[Gnome]

Gallum,

Willow leaf Ficus, (Ficus salicifolia, also known as ficus neriifolia), is also an excellent choice for indoor culture. It wil definitely be the next Ficus that I acquire. F. benjimina has a reputation for not back budding as readily as some of the others.

My experience with Ficus has mostly been limited to a variety of benjimina known as Mini Lucie. The leaves are smaller than standard benjiminas and seem to bud back fairly well outside. Inside under fluorescents, not so much.

Norm

[gallum90]

does by ne chance like the name implies look like a willow (i really like the weeping willow look) and how hard do u think it would be to obtain a bayobob tree? (pretty sure i spelt the name wrong but if you say it out it makes sence)


i feel like a sponge just soaking up all this information

[Gnome]

Gallum,

Here is a pic.

http://www.bonsaitrees.com/inventory/Pc140022.jpg

I have no idea about the other though.

Norm

[JoeLewko]

does by ne chance like the name implies look like a willow (i really like the weeping willow look) and how hard do u think it would be to obtain a bayobob tree? (pretty sure i spelt the name wrong but if you say it out it makes sence)


i feel like a sponge just soaking up all this information

if you are talking about the upside down tree, it is baobab, and i was looking into that for bonsai also, but im not sure where to find it....

[femlow]

http://www.baobabs.com/nbga_IN.htm has seeds and plants for sale but the are located outside of madagascar.

http://www.horizonherbs.com/product.asp?specific=jpnrlqr4 has just the seeds.

[gallum90]

isn't it sacred to a tribe that lives in parts of africa cause i had to do a project on it and the tribes that revolve around it.


thanks for the picture gnome,

i think i am going to look into a baobab tree

it also says its a tropical tree and i qoute "lends it self to bonsai" i also found seeds and small specimens on ebay you could buy. and with the research i was doing i found it grows really really fast but as it gets older it loses hight and speed in growing and becomes plump and round ( alot like my uncle gary)