Pkboo
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Camilla as a bonsai?

So the other day my mom & I were at our local home depot picking out a camilla to put in our garden. As we were looking at the different ones I noticed a broken branch on the display and picked it up since I figured I would try to get it to root. I am 99% sure its a camilla since it was on the same display as the camilla plants and it has a few buds on it which match the buds on the other camilla plants and the leaves are the same as well. I had stuck the broken branch in the camilla we chose to buy and brought it on home. The day after we brought it home I trimmed the end a little bit, put a little bit of rooting powder on the end and put it in a zippy bag with some organic dirt I had picked up from the store and just waiting for it to root now. But I was wondering if camillas are a good bonsai projects? I have been waiting to try doing bonsai and since I have been keeping my clipping by my laptop to provide it some heat its made me think about trying it with the clipping.

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rainbowgardener
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People do make bonsai of camellias. Personally I don't think they make a great bonsai subject. They have large showy flowers, which makes them beautiful as a full sized shrub, but makes it out of proportion on a miniature tree:

Image

But that is mostly personal preference. The first thing you need to do is work on keeping your cutting alive and growing and developing a root system. You don't want to do any trimming or shaping on it at this point, just try to get it to live and grow.

Pkboo
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Getting it to root and then a developed root system is at the top of my list. Since I havent seen or heard about camillas being used as bonsai before I wasnt sure if could be done so figured I would at least ask since one I start seeing roots then I will be putting it in a normal pot so wanted to make sure I chose the right one for what I was going to do with it.

imafan26
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You can bonsai any plant that does not have a taproot and is fairly long lived. However, some can be very challenging. Beginners usually start with ficus, jade, geometry tree, or junipers here. Small leaved plants are easier than large leafed plants which look out of scale. Branches have to be pliable and not brittle. It is better to grow a plant in a style that is best suited to the natural growth of the tree rather than try to make it do something it does not really want to do.

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applestar
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Woody branches are not always easy to root. It’s usually easier with semi-woody (immature bark) cuttings. It’s important to trim off flowers and flower buds which demand nutrients and support (though flowerbuds and flowers are generally aborted) -and will tend to mold in humid environment needed to root cuttings- as well as most of the leaves (sometimes just cut the leaves in half) to reduce transpiration (moisture loss through the leaves).

When I have a largish branch/cutting candidate, I prefer to cut into three or more pieces so I have multiple chances of success, as well as because a cutting from different part of a branch (tip/youngest, middle, oldest) has better chance of rooting depending on species.

Pkboo
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Location: Archer, FL (by Gainesville FL)

I did pull off the buds from the branch. Before I dipped it in the rooting hormone I did remove a little bit of the outter bark at the bottom to try and help it root. I am still not 100% on if I will make it a bonsai or allow it to become a full sized bush.

I have thought bout trying the juniper but havent seen the right one when I stop at the local lowes or home depot. As for Jade they are pretty but we have dogs & a cat so I am careful about what toxic plants are brought into the house & yard incase they want to taste it for some reason or they are looking for something to chew if they have an upset stomach. I use to live in Miami where full sized ficus were almost everywhere and whenever it rained too much there would be an occasional downed ficus so one reason I don't want one & I just think they are ugly

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rainbowgardener
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You are better off not looking for a juniper bonsai. Look for an actual little juniper shrub, like prostrate juniper, in a nursery. Depending on the size, you may or may not still need to grow it out a little, but cutting a shrub down saves years of waiting compared to growing one out. The juniper bonsais sold in malls and big box stores usually are just a little cutting rooted. They have very small root systems and a low survival rate.



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