the bonsai project

[peewee0015]

after w8ing 6 months for chinese elm seeds to sprout still nothing so I decided to go in the garden and get a cut from a tree I liked just woundered what people think about it and if it will grow[/img]

[linlaoboo]

it never hurts trying. especially after 6 months of wait. Good luck rooting the cutting. It may help using rooting powder. Or did you chop off one allready with roots? Success rate is much higher in spring, unless you're rooting it in doors. . . but the tree you chopped may not be suitable for growing in doors, all considerations to make

[Gnome]

peewee0015,

Check out this recent thread we had about a Chinese Elm from the UK.

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=29863

That tree for 7 pounds (about $11.00 USD) is a very good price IMO. You will eliminate a lot of waiting and growing out by getting something that is a little further along.

Norm

[peewee0015]

yeah I used rooting powder but why u saying not sure if u can make bonsai any tree u can make bonsai cant u

[josh1812@live.com]

Pewee
In all technicality yes any tree can make a bonsai

But not every tree should be used bonsai should not be little sticks in pots but rather evocative of a large old tree in nature.

So a cutting will usually not have much potential, potential meaning the ability to become a real bonsai

PS: When u typ3 l,^k3 th!$ !t$ h@%d to understand
(its hard to understand when you type like this)

[JTred]

yeah I used rooting powder but why u saying not sure if u can make bonsai any tree u can make bonsai cant u

Not all trees do well indoors. In fact, most trees do very poorly indoors. Unless you live in a tropical climate, anything that you collect from outside will do much better as an outdoor bonsai. Consider looking into buying more mature material, as Gnome suggested. $11 will save you years of waiting for a cutting or seed to become a usable tree.

[peewee0015]

yeah I see where ur coming from I put the cutting in the pot the seeds are in so if the sseds do sprout I will see them but I I see is white pusss tuff in the seed but nothing green sprouting I can see the cutting not making good bonsai as the trunk wont be that big I understand this but I'm a newb I need to experiment with things to learn y go out to by a bonsai then mess it up of kill it this way I'm learning as I go does anyone know roughly how long until roots should start to grow as don't really know much about cuttings

[JTred]

I can see the cutting not making good bonsai as the trunk wont be that big I understand this but I'm a newb I need to experiment with things to learn y go out to by a bonsai then mess it up of kill it this way I'm learning as I go

But what we are saying is what happens if you wait the 5 years or so that it will take for a seed to become something that you can practice on and you kill it then? Then you have lost 5 years. Good beginner trees are ficus and schefflera You can get 2 or 3 2 foot sheffleras at wal-mart or lowes for $15, split them up into individual pots, and have three trees to work on. They grow quickly and are very forgiving. If you kill one, you still have two more. You could also look for ficus, but they are sometimes a bit more expensive and harder to find.

Also, just because you buy some more mature material doesn't mean you have to give up on your seeds. You can practice on the mature stuff so that when the seeds become usable trees in 5-10 years, you will have experience and will be less likely to kill them.

Trust me, having something to work with right now and seeing results quickly is much more fun than waiting to see whether or not a seed will sprout, then waiting years before you can actually do something with it.

[rainbowgardener]

If your seeds have "white pus stuff" they have rotted and are dead. No need waiting for them any more, they aren't going to do anything.