Bonsai ID needed please

[froughty]

Hello all,

I received this as a gift about 4yrs ago and it has been on my desk ever since.

I'm curious to know what kind of Bonsai it is, as well as any other pertinent information on caring for it. I did some googling and a preliminary ID seems to indicate that it is an Arboricola, but I wanted to be sure.

Thank you all in advance

[url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/14655469@N02/7267599950/][img]https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7225/7267599950_1678a824e5_b.jpg[/img][/url]

[url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/14655469@N02/7267601446/][img]https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7084/7267601446_6a05fbc20c_b.jpg[/img][/url]

[url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/14655469@N02/7267603034/][img]https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7215/7267603034_10b4ab4db5_b.jpg[/img][/url]

[rainbowgardener]

Yup, schefflera.

Not sure you could call it a bonsai yet, but perhaps with bonsai potential. They do make good subjects for it.

[froughty]

Yup, schefflera.

Not sure you could call it a bonsai yet, but perhaps with bonsai potential. They do make good subjects for it.

Thank you!

I don't know anything about Bonsai, can you clarify what you mean by Bonsai potential and how a plant becomes one?

Thanks!

[rainbowgardener]

You probably need to do some reading about bonsai. But just as a little explanation, bonsai is the art of styling/pruning/ maintaining trees in miniature form. The effect that is usually strived for is to look like a mature tree that has weathered and survived, but in miniature. Check out our bonsai gallery here for examples and check out our bonsai learning library.
There is a ton of technique to it, but the art is to develop a small tree with character, balance, graceful proportion, interest, etc.

Here's a couple images of schefflera bonsai to show what I mean

[img]https://www.donnan.com/images/Schefflera_Bonsai.jpg[/img]

[img]https://www.evergreenplantnursery.com/v/vspfiles/assets/images/schefflera%20bonsai.jpg[/img]


[img]https://artofbonsai.org/galleries/images/rayner/002.JPG[/img]

Yours is currently a house plant in a smallish pot. If you have had it for four years, you have done an excellent job of keeping it alive and healthy in an office environment, which is often difficult.

[froughty]

Wow, those are absolutely beautiful!

Can you share some recommended reading on Bonsai techniques?

Thanks again.

[kdodds]

Technically, I suppose, any "tree in a container" is a bonsai in the most literal sense of the word's translation. However, bonsai are a lot more than trees in pots. Yours looks more like a houseplant in a bonsai pot, one that could become a bonsai with care and training. Bonsai, IOW, is the art of bonsai more than it is putting a tree in a pot.

Some impressive Schefflera bonsai:
https://www.fukubonsai.com/3a3b.html
In varynig stages of development:
https://www.bonsaihunk.us/info/ScheffleraBonsai.html
A simple, yet impressive design (second tree from the top):
https://artofbonsai.org/galleries/rayner.php

Compare some of the above trees to yours, you should redily see the difference. Once you've done that, look at the overpriced, poorly designed Scheffs from Bonsai Boy and Joe Bonsai (which are still more "bonsai" than what you currently have going on). You should be able to readily identify the differences.

[rainbowgardener]

So dodds, can you suggest any good beginners intro to bonsai books?

In that Bonsai Learning Library section here that I mentioned, is this thread on recommended reading:

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4139

[kdodds]

My favorite is "The Art of Bonsai". It's not as preachy as some, not as simple as others. It also does not assume any prior knowledge of bonsai, but may require a little further reading when it comes to details like repot times, prune times, etc. As well, it offers the most consistent series of very high quality bonsai examples. Most of the trees I have seen in other texts do not compare to the amazing trees shown in this book. IOW, it's a good introductory tome that can easily be filled in with specific knowledge of specific species online or in other more specialized texts. There are also instructional videos on YouTube and elsewhere, Graham Potter's are probably the most popular. When in doubt as to the quality of the advice given (it is the internet, after all), just link and ask around for opinions.