AusBonsai

This Rosemary was dug because it was in the way of a Juniper I was about to dig. I stuck it in a big pot and let it go. Unfortunately the top died and so I cut it off and was left with this.
It has been sitting around home for a while now and this is the inspiration I needed to get it going. Currently it is 380mm high and 420mm wide.
This cost nothing and I was hoping to find the original photo when it was dug, but that is proving difficult.

Love it-bonsai you can eat!!!

Stock envy, look forward to watching this progress over the next 18mths

Got a plan now Matt (don't tell anyone), juniper impersonator complete with jins and shari.

I've seen some good rosemary bonsais in some of the old magazines.... Good luck with it and in the comp!

People tell me this is a difficult species when it comes to re-potting, but I will let you know my opinion after 1 April. Thanks for the encouragement.

Watto,

You should avoid cutting more than 1/3 of the roots.
I've had one that was getting along nicely, always cutting only 1/3 of the roots.
Then one day I decided to go further and the tree died.

Pinch and wire young green shoots, but be careful with semi-hard to hard wood they splint / snap easily.

Good luck with this one.

I really haven't done a lot with this so far. I dug out a few seedlings from the back of the tree and that's about it. I did see and listen to Ryan Neil on jin creation so I will give that method a go soon.

Here are a couple of photos taken in late August. I have dug out all the seedlings (more than 20 all tolled) and given the foliage a clean up.
Although winter has been mild this year I was still a bit cautious about doing too much work on this too soon.

The last photos were from August, however in September I gave it a more radical trim, and did a bit of wiring.

I have picked a pot for this tree and although it is a bit too big at the moment, it is a lot smaller than the plastic pot it was in. There are a few different sizes of mesh for the drainage holes of bonsai pots, and because I think this will need extra good drainage, I have chosen the large size for this tree.

I should have also said I drilled four holes in the corners of the pot for wire to hold the tree in place, and I think it helps with the drainage just a little as well. I was reluctant to show this photo because I don't want people to think I'm a cheapskate, but I think it is most suitable.

Watto wrote:I have picked a pot for this tree and although it is a bit too big at the moment, it is a lot smaller than the plastic pot it was in. There are a few different sizes of mesh for the drainage holes of bonsai pots, and because I think this will need extra good drainage, I have chosen the large size for this tree.

What's the mesh on the left? I have some similar in brown that I've had for years but can't seem to find anymore of it. The stuff on the right looks like gutter guard, a nice cheap alternative I use in grow pots.

And I don't think you're a cheapskate, I got some cheap diamond tipped hole cutters for converting different containers into pots & 'fixing' cheap bonsai pots.

Cheers

Watto wrote:I should have also said I drilled four holes in the corners of the pot for wire to hold the tree in place, and I think it helps with the drainage just a little as well. I was reluctant to show this photo because I don't want people to think I'm a cheapskate, but I think it is most suitable.

$15 - I thought that was expensive!

Ha Ha

Mark - the stuff on the left is a mesh sold for bonsai pots, and it does come in black, brown and white. The stuff on the right is gutterguard but a bit more rigid than the standard and appears to work OK.
Thanks for not thinking I'm a cheapskate, but this pot was made by a local potter who was selling out - so my story, trust me - its quality at a cheap price.
Anyway, all the bull aside, here is a photo of the potting......