birthday bonsai

Share your success stories about defoliation, bare rooting and anything else relating to maintaining healthy bonsai.
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matty-j
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birthday bonsai

Post by matty-j »

hey guy's and gal's :wave:

so my lovely girl friend gave me what i think is an umbrella tree?
its a ror as you can see but i have a few questions
because i have never worked with a ror or an umbrella tree
firstly the pot has no drainage hole or soil just some small white rocks is this normal?
is it meant to be kept very wet all the time?
in photo 4 at the base of the trunk where it meets the rock will this 'joint'
look better with time when the trunk and 'root' fuse together?
what are other ways of getting roots higher up on the trunk other than burring the hole thing?
ive read this is an indoor bonsai can it tolerate full sun?
if it did go into full sun, i would be worried it will drying out having no soil
if its in a tray of water as well will that be enough?
and can i use any fert on it or a native type one?

any help would be fantastic :tu:
happy bonsaing!!
front.jpg
side.jpg
back.jpg
joint.jpg
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“The beginning is perhaps more difficult than anything else, but keep heart, it will turn out all right.”
― Vincent van Gogh
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Bougy Fan
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Re: birthday bonsai

Post by Bougy Fan »

G'Day Matt ! Being an epiphyte it will grow just fine like that, but a tray of water or better still gravel and water will keep the humidity up. The humidity will promote aerial roots if you like them :tu: That "joint" looks really weird - is it a hole in the rock ? It will take full sun and any kind of fert will be fine with it. They like DL or any kind of chemical fert.

Perhaps in the future pot it into a bigger pot with a free draining mix once it outgrows this one.
Regards Tony

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matty-j
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Posts: 397
Joined: September 29th, 2011, 5:45 pm
Favorite Species: ficus, hawthorn
Bonsai Age: 4
Bonsai Club: School Of Bonsai
Location: Sydney

Re: birthday bonsai

Post by matty-j »

Thanks boughy :tu2:

I'am very keen for Arial roots!!
The "joint" is very weird
Yea there is a hole in the rock
To me it looks like they drilled a hole
Then made a u shape bend 3 quarters the way up the trunk
An pushed the "u" into the hole if that makes sense :lost:
“The beginning is perhaps more difficult than anything else, but keep heart, it will turn out all right.”
― Vincent van Gogh
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Re: birthday bonsai

Post by bodhidharma »

Happy Birthday M.J. Maybe the hole is to get more roots down into the soil.
"Advice is rarely welcome, and the one's who need it the most welcome it the least"
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matty-j
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 397
Joined: September 29th, 2011, 5:45 pm
Favorite Species: ficus, hawthorn
Bonsai Age: 4
Bonsai Club: School Of Bonsai
Location: Sydney

Re: birthday bonsai

Post by matty-j »

so i have been meaning to ask for some advice on this ROR

after bodhi said "Maybe the hole is to get more roots down into the soil"
i went to have a look an i noticed that the rock has been glued to the pot :shock:
so i thought this could be problematic when it comes to root pruning :lost:

do i just smash the pot off? any advice?
“The beginning is perhaps more difficult than anything else, but keep heart, it will turn out all right.”
― Vincent van Gogh
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