What things do I need to get started?

[Revenantwing]

What stuff do I need to start bonsai's?

[url]https://s1137.photobucket.com/albums/n509/Revenantwing/?action=view&current=aimimg_1.jpg[/url]
Does that look like a Ficus to you? Left of the bonsai shelf

[kdodds]

Yes, it looks like a Green Island Ficus, but it's hard to tell from the photo. If the rocks are glued on, I wouldn't buy it.

[linlaoboo]

looks like some kind of ficus but not green island, green island has rounder leaves. . .

[kdodds]

Both 'Green Island' and 'Golden Gate' can have circular or oblong leaves as far as I've seen, though not on the same tree:
https://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t1421-green-island-ficus

[Revenantwing]

Why not if its glued? Hard to repot?

[tomc]

Why not if its glued? Hard to repot?

Glued on rocks can profoundly interfere with watering. Often its use cooks roots (its hot glue when applied).

Immerse your tree at least for a few minutes to loosen glue and please please get it off your tree & soil.

'Glued' on rocks are soley for the conveinience of shipping. If you deside you want this kind or ornament on soil after, simply pry rocks free from glue and replace the rocks.

Many thousand mallsai have been killed, by merchants not mentioning removal of glued on rocks.

[Revenantwing]

https://s1137.photobucket.com/albums/n509/Revenantwing/?action=view&current=aimimg_11.jpg


clearer picture. Does that help?

[kdodds]

No. LOL, now I have no clue what it is, it was better farther away and blurry. Hehe. It doesn't really look like F. benjamina either. I can't tell if it even has the alternating leaves of Ficus, but it looks like it actually doesn't from the angle. There IS a tag there. Did you happen to actually read it?

[Revenantwing]

Yea I searched for a name but all I found was bonsai, indoors, no direct sunlight.

[kdodds]

And no one at the shop was able to identify it either?

[Revenantwing]

Nope but I have the barcode scanner. I'm hoping this will reveal the species.

[Revenantwing]

bonsai house plant thats what I got -_-

[Revenantwing]

Oh and do Fukien trees do well indoors?

[kdodds]

For many, yes, for me, not so much. Every bonsai grower eventually comes across a species that the just can't "conquer". For very many enthusiasts there are a few species that you'll hear about over and over again. These "difficult" (indoor) species are: Serrissa, Sagaretia, Fukien Tea, and Chinese Elm. The thing is, for many they do well, but for others they do poorly, and there's no real rhyme or reason to it in terms of experience levels. We can all make guesses as to what we've done wrong, but nobody has a recipe for how to do it "right". Hence, I would avoid these trees as a beginner. You're best off going with a Ficus spp. or with a Schefflera as both are very easy.

[linlaoboo]

Thanks for the info. Just realized my Green Island is the round leafed type. Gotta find me the oblong type to work on now =)

Both 'Green Island' and 'Golden Gate' can have circular or oblong leaves as far as I've seen, though not on the same tree:
https://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t1421-green-island-ficus

[Revenantwing]

mystery tree...

[kdodds]

Thanks for the info. Just realized my Green Island is the round leafed type. Gotta find me the oblong type to work on now =)

Both 'Green Island' and 'Golden Gate' can have circular or oblong leaves as far as I've seen, though not on the same tree:
https://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t1421-green-island-ficus

LOL. Yeah, but who know, both cultivars are the same species< AFAIK, and, unless it's from a cutting, seed grown can always come out differently. And frankly, I don't think I could tell the difference between the cultivars if I even needed to do so.

[linlaoboo]

Kdodds,

I thought you'd like to hear I found the oblong type from a local bonsai nersery near me in Ringoes, NJ yesterday. He had tons of different ficus startrs in 2.5" pots for $6.50. Not the ceapest compared to some places but they are pretty good deal as some are as tall as 2 ft tall with 1/2 inch trunk width. I repotted them last night and found that they were way over due for repotting.

But you are right about tha 2 different cultivars can be hard to tell apart on some when it has a mixture of round and oblong leafs in the same tree. Some are more distinctively all oblong like the one I bought.

I've learned as the ficus bees fly around, it can actually cross fertilize among different cultivars in the seed. That's why growing ficus from seed doesn't get you the same seedling vs the mother plant. Or it can happen if the scion and root stock mix are different.

Thanks for the info. Just realized my Green Island is the round leafed type. Gotta find me the oblong type to work on now =)

Both 'Green Island' and 'Golden Gate' can have circular or oblong leaves as far as I've seen, though not on the same tree:
https://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t1421-green-island-ficus

LOL. Yeah, but who know, both cultivars are the same species< AFAIK, and, unless it's from a cutting, seed grown can always come out differently. And frankly, I don't think I could tell the difference between the cultivars if I even needed to do so.

[linlaoboo]

mystery tree...

It looks like a ficus Retusa, tiger bark judging by the whie dots on the brown colored bark.