AusBonsai

Hello Ausbonsai community and thank you for having me.
I am seeking your advice. My father was a bonsai enthusiast who passed away in April this year. I always enjoyed seeing his bonsai trees and his passion for them but I never learned what was involved in maintaining them beyond watering.

Now I am lucky enough to have many of his bonsais including his most favourite trees. I have set them up in a special place in my garden but I'm now concerned maintenance is required and I seek your advice on what is required.

I will attach photos but one has been a bonsai since the 1960s and the other is one that my father paid a great deal for. Are you please able to take a look at the photos and let me know if action is required on these? I am concerned the older tree has outgrown its pot and the other needs a trim.

I apologise in advance if this sort of post is one you get often but I genuinely do wish to keep these specimens healthy as a way to remember my Dad.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Kind Regards, Andrew.

Hi Andrew. Welcome to Ausbonsai and also to growing these great little trees. It is great to see someone keen to take on family bonsai.

The first tree is a cedar and you are correct that it does need repotting. I can see that the new roots growing round the bottom of the pot have pushed the whole root ball up out of the pot. That is normal behavior by the way but does indicate a need for root pruning and repotting.
Fortunately cedar do not seem to mind repotting later in spring or into summer. You may find that this one gets increasingly difficult to water as the pot will be chock full of roots now and very little spaces left for water and air.

Trimming is an ongoing task with bonsai. Trimming is what keeps your trees small. Some species grow slowly and only need a couple of trims each year while others grow lots and need constant attention.
I'm guessing the second tree is a native. Looks like some sort of leptospermum? I can see a tag but can't make out the name on it.
My leptos are growing lots at the moment and I gave most of them a trim last week. In the short term you can just shear the new shoots like hedge trimming. The large bonsai scissors work well for that. It is likely you will need to do that 2 or 3 times over spring and summer, maybe even more if you are looking after them well.

Thank you ever so much for the reply.
I will take careful action as advised.
The second tree is a Leptospermum grandiflorum or Autumn Tea Tree - you were spot on there.

Thank you again for taking the time to provide advice, I really appreciate it.
Kind regards,
Andrew

I note you have not included a location in your profile which can make specific recommendations inaccurate.
L. grandiflorum is an endemic Tassie species so I assume you or Dad are/were Tasmanian?

I have not grown that species so can't give any specific advice on how it grows but all seem to respond OK to trimming new shoots as they grow.

Yes I am in Tasmania and knowing it is endemic explains why Dad would have wanted it so much. Thanks again for your help.

Hi Andrew, welcome to the hobby and sorry to hear about your dad. I started with bonsai after inheriting a couple of trees from my grandad; at first I was just researching how to keep the things alive and now I have half a back yard full of sticks and stumps in pots.

If you're getting keen, I really recommend joining your local bonsai club. The same thing was said to me when I first started asking questions online and I kind of dismissed it as not being for me, but since joining the club here in SA it's been amazing to see how many experienced people there are who just genuinely want to help others out, even the clueless newbies like me. There's a lot of interesting stuff to learn and having people throw their knowledge at you makes it a lot easier.

Good luck with your little trees.

Hi Andrew,

Re-potting can be daunting at first. If you've read up on it and feel like you know the process (and have good proper/appropriate bonsai soil) I'd say just go for it! Otherwise see if you can find someone locally who will repot it "while you wait" and if they can talk you through the process, things to look for, etc. Watching repotting videos is good, but seeing it happen on your own trees is much more beneficial IMHO.

Have them explain how to spot dry/wet soil, as watering is the main trick I've been learning (don't just do it on a schedule,though it's good to schedule time each day to spend with your trees, check them, maybe water, etc).

That maple is shooting well, could probably trim it back quite a bit, though not confident/experienced enough yet to know if now is not too late, especially in Tas? I just started with maple seedlings this year, from shibui (great saplings), all going strong, all had a pass of trimming, could probably do with some more soon, hear some are trimmed 3-4 times per year, depending on the trees.

Other tip: photograph them as often as you can!!! Look into the tips on the forum here, but even just a quick snap with a mobile phone is great reference. It's amazing how quickly the trees change, leaves and shoots grow, bugs appear, etc. Try a photo as they are, then some close ups.

Good luck, anything else, just ask, this forum is a great place for help!!! And welcome again!