Bonsai Trees

Ducky_Fresh

Ducky_Fresh

Treasure Hunter
OK - so I want to get a co-worker a gift. I guess he doesn't do anything but gardening. I was thinking a bonsai tree could be a cool gift but I know nothing about them.

Please educate me!

What would be a cool one, easy to manage and maintain, etc..

Details welcome.

Places to buy also welcome.
 
Melissa

Melissa

Peace,Love and Harmony
as a gardener, I always love great pair of work gloves, clippers and small hand shovel. These are prized possessions. The avocado pit sounds fun too!
 
Maddevill

Maddevill

KNGKAW
Better find out if they're into Bonsai. They actually take a ton of work. Without constant attention they just turn into a shrub. When I was younger I tried cultivating a bonsai. Quickly ran out of patience.

Mad
 
Johndicezx9

Johndicezx9

Rolls with it...
Bonsai trees are a lifetime commitment....

I went to a show a couple of years ago with some pretty amazing trees, one was planted and cared for by the same family since 1856!

This one was over 100 years old:

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lefty

lefty

Well-known member
I got excited, because I have always wanted to try Bonsai, and I started clicking on the Home Depot link that CINCINNATUS provided. I was getting excited ----- until I read the rest of the posts.

Bonsai are not for me.
 
Johndicezx9

Johndicezx9

Rolls with it...
Yeah, patience and hard work certainly required.

I have always been fascinated by them since I was a kid.

A few more pics:
 

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ctwo

ctwo

Merely Rhetorical
Wish this came up earlier. I just pulled out a bunch oak saplings last week. I think you can cut a ring of bark off the tree stump and wrap it back around inside-out, to stop it growing taller.

Some of those bonsai trees online there were freaking expensive!
 
kevin 714

kevin 714

Well-known member
bonsai is effectively taking up the martial arts of gardening. its a truly specific lifelong practice with a lot of skill aquiition requiered. my brother has a few he has been caring for for years now
 
R3DS!X

R3DS!X

Whatever that means
My 6th grade teacher was big in the Bonsai community. He brought a few into class and talked a bit about how to trim them and what he does to care for them. It sounded more like battle strategy than care.
 
easter bunny

easter bunny

Amateur Hour
I have a sago palm. Truly a cool plant and easy to care for. It thrives on neglect. I also have a ponytail palm which requires about the same amount of non-maintenance.

I also have a collection of pineapples I started from one I bought at the grocery store. You could spend the $3 and start one yourself for them. Takes about two weeks to root and plant.
 
900ss

900ss

Well-known member
Melissa said:
as a gardener, I always love great pair of work gloves, clippers and small hand shovel. These are prized possessions. The avocado pit sounds fun too!
Click to expand...


What can you tell me about avocado trees grown from seed? I have one that's about 12 feet tall, has flowered 3 times and has a bunch of leaves that always yellow and die off. It probably has 90% healthy foliage that renews regularly.

I live in a condo complex and planted it on top of a tree stump that was partially removed some years ago. It is likely under-watered as the landscapers have the sprinklers turned down to a minimum. I give it a few gallons of water from a can a few times a week. It would be wonderful if it would bear fruit, but I like it because it is green, alive, and I planted it. Asshole neighbours would steal the fruit anyway.

Thanks in advance!
 
Yakoo752

Yakoo752

USN
900ss said:
What can you tell me about avocado trees grown from seed? I have one that's about 12 feet tall, has flowered 3 times and has a bunch of leaves that always yellow and die off. It probably has 90% healthy foliage that renews regularly.

I live in a condo complex and planted it on top of a tree stump that was partially removed some years ago. It is likely under-watered as the landscapers have the sprinklers turned down to a minimum. I give it a few gallons of water from a can a few times a week. It would be wonderful if it would bear fruit, but I like it because it is green, alive, and I planted it. Asshole neighbours would steal the fruit anyway.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

Avocado trees grown from seed can take up to 20 years to bear fruit, if it every does. It's unlikely to and the fruit from it will likely not be any good.

Always plant a grafted root stock avocado tree, then the wait is only 3-5 years.
 
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Melissa

Melissa

Peace,Love and Harmony
yeah, what he said.
When I moved to SF from NY, in my first apt.there was a huge avocado tree with tons of fruit. Had to compete with the rats though. I was in the tenderloin btw.
 
WoodsChick

WoodsChick

I Don't Do GPS
My mom started an avocado tree from a pit in the late 70’s. By the time she passed in 2008 the tree was an absolute giant, and a very prolific producer. You could see it from several blocks away. It produced avocados the size of nerf footballs and they were the creamiest most flavorful avocados I’ve ever tasted. She called them bacon avocados. I’m guessing her experience was not typical? She was the kind of gardener who could find a dead twig on the sidewalk, stick it in the dirt, and have plums the next year. Anyway, when we sold her house in 2012 the new owners had it cut down within a week of closing.

I’ve always loved Bonsai, and think they’d look cool in those little fairy gardens, but knowing I have zero patience has always kept me from getting one. My local Ace garden center has nice collection of little Bonsai tree starters.
 
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