Growth rates of seedlings

[BonsaiLittleMe]

Hi,
I am just a beginner, but one of the first tips from this forum that I took on board was to grow my plants in colanders. I have been amazed at the difference in growth rates, so I thought I would share this with other beginners so that they can see what a difference it makes.

I am a real scrounger, and if I can find free plants I grab them. Pepper trees keep coming up from seed in my garden and in the surrounding streets. I pull them up and grow them on, and this has resulted in my having lots of experimental plants that I can practice my techniques on. If the trees don't survive, I have learned a lesson at no cost, and I haven't lost an expensive plant. The pepper tree seedlings are bullet-proof! They have taken everything I have tried, and not dropped even a leaf -very impressive! As to whether they will make good bonsai, it doesn't really matter -if I have a success, great. If not, I can just throw them away.

Anyway, last winter I potted several pepper seedlings into little bonsai pots -I was a newbie and just wanted to have a few trees that I could call "bonsai". I put a few more pepper seedlings into little hydroponics baskets which were planted into the ground. Al the plants were about the same size (10cm tall) with just a few leaves.

The plants in the bonsai pots are doing well, but very little thickness has been added to the trunks and the growth is very slow. They were defloliated a couple of weeks ago, but look like they will need doing again soon.

The ones in the hydro baskets have put on heaps of growth, reaching 40cm tall in the nine months they were in the ground. I have now removed them and chopped them off and replanted them as a group into a normal colander. They will be left in the ground to recover for a couple of weeks until some new shoots appear, and then I will think about styling, defoliating etc.

Here is a pic showing the different rates of growth, and the little hydro basket I use for all my seedlings and tubestock.

Pepper tree seedlings 30Jan19 resized.jpg

I find using the small baskets gives the tiny plants a chance to increase their root mass. They can then be safely lifted without disturbing the young roots and transferred later into a bigger basket or a bonsai pot.

Thanks again to all the forum members for the wonderful advice they have contributed to this amazing forum. If my 2-bobs' worth can help any other beginners, then I am pleased to be able to contribute and pass on the favour.