How small can you go???

lackhand · Post by **lackhand** » April 8th, 2013, 9:26 am

I mentioned I had collected a couple of small acacia, and it looks like 2 of the 4 have decided to live. I'll give the others a few more months as they are desert trees and dormancy is a trick of survival for them, but I thought I would share the one that looks the best so far.

IMG_2063.jpg

I thought it was an acacia farnesiana (commonly known as sweet acacia or needle bush) as that's what it was growing under, but I'm not so sure now, I suppose time will tell. Definitely has the thorns for it, but then just about everything that grows here has thorns and compound leaves so I'll just wait and see.

Of the four, I put two in small pots, one in the ground, and this one in with a bigger plant, it's actually in the same pot as the cape honeysuckle I currently have in the shohin comp. This one has done the best, probably because it's getting lots of shade. If the one in the ground lives I'll probably just let it get big, but the others will stay small. Time to find a mame pot.

Beano · Post by **Beano** » April 8th, 2013, 12:50 pm

This is my smallest. Of course its just a baby tree in a tiny pot at the moment...

Neli · Post by **Neli** » April 8th, 2013, 3:32 pm

My first bonsai was one of this...bought it in Japan last year for the plant and not because it is a bonsai.
That is how I posted first here. I killed it before I reached home, and only decided to try again bonsai in October last year.

Rory · Post by **Rory** » April 8th, 2013, 7:52 pm

I would have thought that to keep a bonsai that small would be too risky on hot days.

Bonsai this size certainly don't appeal to me, but I'm curious if they are more prone to problems on hotter days?

Beano · Post by **Beano** » April 8th, 2013, 8:06 pm

Well I've killed a bigger bonsai than that on hot day, so absolutely they run into problems with hot days. I now keep my smaller trees on a sand tray which I keep wet, that was advice given to me here. Seems to work well.

Jasonb · Post by **Jasonb** » April 8th, 2013, 8:28 pm

BBM, they really aren't too bad on hot days if you take precautions. I have now taken my trees out of the gravel tray they live in during the hotter months. I have them sitting under some larger trees in what would be considered partial shade now. I haven't had any dry out yet ( touch wood ). Agreed that the little trees aren't everyone's cup of tea, they definitely weren't for me when I started, but after seeing the old mame sized trees in Japan through the Internet, I got researching and quickly fell in love with them. I've got around six of them in pots and I'm aiming to get a few more cuttings into some small pots.

thoglette · Post by **thoglette** » April 9th, 2013, 8:51 am

bonsaibuddyman wrote:I would have thought that to keep a bonsai that small would be too risky on hot days. Bonsai this size certainly don't appeal to me, but I'm curious if they are more prone to problems on hotter days?

Definitely a problem. Pick plants that are drought tolerant and/or can survive with wet roots.

Sand or gravel trays with water; shade and protection from the wind on hot days are essential. Mine come indoors if it's going to be a stinker and I'm going to be late home.

I keep threatening to build a "coolgardie safe" to hide the wee ones in.

Can't find the cite but I recall one person including a wick of string to pull water from the tray to the pot.

AusBonsai

How small can you go???

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