CR trees

eferguson1974

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Since I always find strange trees here and some folks like to see them, I will just add new things on this thread. I do not claim any are bonsai. Its a sort of open question if there good for bonsai. I look for interesting trees and plants. Mostly I like fruit trees and ficus species, but anything Ive never seen interests me. So I hope people enjoy seeing tropical exotic species. If I find good material for bonsai in your opinion, do tell because with everything living here and still no field guide its hard to find suggested species. The nursery people dont care about latin names and use local spanish names, creating confusion.
Btw, my name is Eric. I used the erferg name cuz there is at least one other Eric.
Today I will show you "fruta de milagro" or miracle fruit. Now its tall and skinny but maybe after a couple years in the ground it'll fatten up. This is the size fruit trees are sold in. Take what you can get is a common theme here. Later I will add more.
 

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eferguson1974

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This is known as pitango here. Its a fruit tree, I have no idea what the fruit looks like. This one is only 3/16"thick. I like the leaves, and they said it grows fast. Like a lot of little trees I find, this was a dollar or less really. I dont buy them cuz there cheap, I buy them in the size and prices that are available. My idea is to kinda reforest my little piece of land thats not jungle, house, or greenhouse and if something looks good for bonsai its great. If not, my yard will be full of fruit and ficus trees someday. Not a bad plan in my way of thinking..
 

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eferguson1974

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This is pitango from another view, I didnt intend to hit send. Oops. My phone only wants to work with this font right now. Welcome to Central America! Sometimes it wont upload pics...or find bnut..or whatever
 

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eferguson1974

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This is a tree called marion or something like that. Its not mariñon, which is cashew. This one is an endangered species cut down for wood. Mine has a cool knot thing going on at the soil line. So maybe someday it will work out for bonsai. If not Im helping the world and the species while maybe growing ok material.
 

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eferguson1974

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This bougainvillea was brought to me by a guy who wants me to bonsai it. It was nice of him to go out of his way and spend two bucks on it then give it to me. What do y'all think? Its got a unique look to it even if its skinny by most standards. Maybe that first branch needs to go, and let all the new growth. Or maybe its better left there to thicken the trunk.
On the subject of bougainvillea, there are lots of colors here that I never saw in Florida. Veriagated with pink flowers, veriagated with white, and a purple. I have yellow, red,orange, pink, white and purple with green leaves. I bought them to make my fence more effective, but some have cool shapes down low and are maybe an inch thick. When I see another color or nice shape (to my eyes) I buy it for the collection. The veriagated ones have different leave color patterns and flower colors. For some reason that suprised me. The pics didnt turn out of the one with pink flowers and veriagated leaves. Its blooming now and the flowers are the softest shade of pink. I dont think the veriagated ones are very good for bonsai. There kinda vine like, spreading out not up so far. There better for natural barb wire and nice colors outside.
 

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eferguson1974

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Now for some air layering questions, so I can get some fatter trunks too. I can get coconut fiber, moss but maybe not the kind I need, or several types of potting soil with lots of organic stuff in them. Which is better? Say I want to air layer a four or maybe six inch thick branch, how much bark do I really need to remove? I want to start with a ficus in my yard before going looking around others yards. Better I have practice than go killing branches on other peoples trees, right. I have no id for this ficus. Its foliage starts out pinkish orange. They dont send out exposed roots that Ive seen. The leaves are benjamina shaped but get darker and young wood is brown. The leaves are fairly usable I think. I once air layered off a smaller branch from it, for the first time. All but the one bridged back. I just read that alcohol will kill cambium so I got a bottle. Do I still need to scrape all the green off? How much deeper to I go? If I understand right, the alcohol kills off any small bits if cambium. Do I rinse it off or let it evaporate? I have rooting powder thats ready to use and another that mixes with water. Which sounds better? I have to climb the tree to do this and to water or check on it. So the best methods are kinda important since the branches are sorta high and a ladder isnt available to me. How many should I do ? I took a couple pics so you can see the species of ficus. I believe its native because the seeds are viable and there far more common up here than benjaminas. Its the most common up here, lots of yards have them. There nice trees and make good shade. The first pic is of the pitango because I screwed it up last time. Then the ficus. The branch was cut about a year ago by an idiot with a machete so I bought a saw and fixed it. Its healed very well I think, for being an untreated wound. Maybe a good thing for bonsai.
Im trying to fallow Source's advice and get some bigger trunks but Im learning all of this on the web and doing it without any help telling me if its well done or not.
 

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eferguson1974

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Cool, this is the tree whose fruits make sour things taste sweet is it not?
I believe thats correct. Ive never seen the fruit yet. Thats what I read on the web anyway. Not many things are certain here! I havnt scratched the surface of the fruit trees here yet!
 

Anthony

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Look for Cocoa trees, you will get cocoa moss.
Used for airlayerings and if you follow the guy on Youtube, you can use it as 100 % growing medium.
Good Luck
Good Day
Anthony
 

eferguson1974

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Look for Cocoa trees, you will get cocoa moss.
Used for airlayerings and if you follow the guy on Youtube, you can use it as 100 % growing medium.
Good Luck
Good Day
Anthony
Thanks Anthony! Great idea. I just need to find a few growing somewhere. I bought a white veriaty but its small. I will ask around. Is shorter moss ok, like grows on branches here? Thats common in my piece of jungle without leaving to get something. Do you think wet or dry season makes much difference? Were drying out here and I have to water every two days, not three or four like wet season. Should I try wire ties or wire to make a ring? Ive seen that on the web too. If getting dry is a problem I will do some smaller ones that I can water from the ground. Thanks again, you sure help!
I need to go check on some of the same species that I chopped in my jungle to see how it back buds. If its like my benjis I will be moving on...The strangler types bud fine. This one is however not a strangler, at least that Ive seen. Just a regular tree.. Im also going to try the more common strangler fig here because I have access to some, and I like their arial roots a lot. They would make great root over rock trees for a bigger size bonsai. I can only use what I get access to, right? Better to practice on ficus before trying harder species. Do euchs respond well to air layering? I have to have a rainbow bark euch. Awesome trees.
 

eferguson1974

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Here is a real pine tree of the common type up here in the mountains. I just had to find one that could be seen. Five inch seedlings are available if anyone thinks there worth a dollar. This ones bark is similar to slash pines but with more texture. I dont know about pines at all but this one has immature cones growing alone, not several together. I was asked so here it is. Its not the same as I showed a few days ago. Shall I look for a bigger one for bonsai, or are the needles too big? Seems like Ive seen pics of mugos with needles about the same size. Worth my time?
 

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carp

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Synsepalum dulcificum/Miracle Fruit. It is the fruit that causes sour foods to taste sweet. You can eat a whole lemon just like an apple after eating a berry. The lemon will taste like sweet lemonade. They call it Miracle Fruit because Chemotherapy patients are able to enjoy the taste of their food after eating some. Chemo is known to leave a metallic taste in your mouth which causes food to have a bad taste.

There is a guy here in Florida who has been growing Miracle Fruit for nearly 30 years. I haven't seen his tree in person, but I was at his nursery looking for stock a while ago. Somehow I missed his Miracle Fruit.

_____________

Eugenia uniflora/Pitanga/Surinam Cherry makes excellent bonsai. In the US we call it Surinam Cherry and in Hispanic countries it is known as Pitanga. Eugenia uniflora of course is the botanical name.

Before fruiting, you get a very nice, small, white and fragrant bloom. The bloom fragrance is very sweet almost like a Jasmine. The fruit is about 20-25cm with 2-3 seeds and cherry red when ripe. The taste is primarily tart and acidic with a subtle sweetness. I don't have any good ones in my personal collection, but I take care of two nice Pitanga.

I'm not buying another bonsai until I find a good Pitanga for sale. For now, I'm growing a very rare dwarf variety right now. Super tight internodes, not sure about the fruit size yet. This photo is the dwarf Pitanga (left) as compared to Pitanga (right).

https://scontent-mia1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=d896542cf152c6b28601b68cf2ab04e8&oe=57186E20

The best examples of Pitanga come from Taiwan. I've attached several photos of the Taiwanese trees. In my opinion, the most overlooked and underrated tropical species for bonsai.

_______________

I don't know the other trees, except the bougie and you've got a good start.
 

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eferguson1974

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Wow, thanks Carp. Now I wonder if I have the dwarf pitanga. Either way they look like mine. Do you know how fast they grow? I think mine needs to spend time in the ground to bulk up, like all my cheap trees. You probably recognise others that I have or will have. Thank you. Looking stuff up is expensive with this phone system. Good to know that the miracle fruit works too, as its twice or more as thick and has leaves very low. I was told it backbuds and can take a chop with no problem. For now its gotta grow. Are you familiar with cas? Here its used as a refreshment and it looks like guyava as far as the trunk goes. The leaves are a bit diferent, longer and narrower. I have one that I chopped way down to make a bonsai but its only half an inch thick so it'll be a while. I will post oics tomorrow of it and some more guayaba cousins. They look similar anyway kinda like the bark on jaboticaba, a couple of colors and I think very nice for bonsai. Thanks again for the help and for taking your time to look things up for me. Muy amable! Very friendly....
 

carp

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Psidium friedrichsthalianum/Cas is a Costa Rican guava species native to you. I have some friends who grow rare fruit trees on the west coast of Florida, I've heard of Cas, but never tasted it. I'm not very crazy about fresh guava fruit because they have lots of seeds, but I love guava paste and guava nectar. The fruit looks small, so thats good. I have seen a few good examples of guava as bonsai, again from Taiwan, but I'm not sure of the exact species.

You know Jaboticaba makes great bonsai too?

Your Pitanga is not the dwarf, you can tell by the distance in the internodes. Look how tight the internodes are here.
1044565_228702184130638_34642573090815725_n.jpg


That little guy has been fed with 26-5-10 NPK fertilizer and unpruned. The internode length is tiny.
 

carp

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These are both Guava from Taiwan. The second is absolutely killer.
 

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eferguson1974

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These are both Guava from Taiwan. The second is absolutely killer.
Your right, that second tree is great. It looks like one in someones yard but with much finer ramification. The structure is perfect to mimick a big one.The first one is well developed but looks nothing like the trees I see all the time. I love how they look but Im not a big fan of the common yellow ones that are golf ball size. Its good in jelly and not much else imo.
My miracle fruit has tiny little fruits on it! Cool. Its still in its nursery bag with aweful soil.
Theres a bit of confusion for us maybe that the yellow fruit we call guava is guyaba here. Guava is a tree that grows a black seed pod. There are large and small versiones. There not much to look at but the slimy white stuff around the seeds is edible, sorta sweet. Having said that, guava is understood by us as a fruit tree with lots of types of fruits. Cas for example I believe. If Im thinking of the right thing there ping pong ball sized green fruit. The seeds and slimy stuff are mixed with water and sugar. It looks like frog eggs, exactly. I cant describe the flavor but theres a reason its not a better known fruit. I didnt like it at all. I have a couple mire that have the same bark as guava or jaboticaba with small leaves that will be great if they fatten up. I forgot a couple names... I just got a palm called pejivalla that has edibke seeds. They often have three inch spikes sticking out from the ground up. Nothing climbs them. I found a smooth type. Not bonsai but very cool and very tasty, the nuts get boiled and are popular with mayo on the side. Not worth a pic just yet..
I have three jaboticaba that I got with the hope one works out for bonsai. One is maybe four feet tall. Its in a pot but they should all go in the ground. Trouble is that its clay here in my yard. Pot making clay maybe. No more expensive hobbies please! So whats a good way of dealing with it? I thought about collanders with gravel and good soil for succulants from miracle grow. Its available. Maybe with a plate underneath so the roots grow out not down. Sound ok? Or maybe just a hole filled in with better soil?
I also am thinking about using a wicking bed for trees. The open type would be best so as to use rain also till the wet season comes back.I have test boxes in the closed style and there working very well. Potatoes and squash are very happy, any veggie really. If I get the soil right it should work. With worms in the box one can toss organic trash directly in a dark box on top of the soil and the worms compost scraps quickly. No extra compost bin.. I will experiment with it and if the trees are as happy as other things, it should be like a tree turbo. Mañana I will look for some names. And a tree or two, I gotta go to town..
 

Anthony

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Eric,

get Seth to give you some sizes on those plants he was showing from Taiwan. That is very important,

There is a strawberry guava, that is used for Bonsai over in Hawaii.

As to clay and pottery, you probably have locals already doing - pit firing - much as we do. The pots cost
very little.
We had a good few made for growing J.B.pines [ from seed ]

Listen if you get desperate, in a year's time, give me a notification, get a Phytosanitary [ spelling ? ] from
the Costa Rican Gvt. folk and pop over here, and we will load you up on a few standard Sub-tropicals,
Chinese Elm types. Sageretia t, Fukien tea and so on for free.
We are dumping them now.
Good Day
Anthony

* Were the yellow guava is concerned, you just eat the whole thing, the seeds and worms won't bother you.
High in nutrient.

Still have no West Indian or Barbados Cherry ? Malphigia e. Grows all the way to South Texas


west indian cherry 1 IBC.jpg


west indian cherry 2 IBC.jpg
 

eferguson1974

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Eric,

get Seth to give you some sizes on those plants he was showing from Taiwan. That is very important,

There is a strawberry guava, that is used for Bonsai over in Hawaii.

As to clay and pottery, you probably have locals already doing - pit firing - much as we do. The pots cost
very little.
We had a good few made for growing J.B.pines [ from seed ]

Listen if you get desperate, in a year's time, give me a notification, get a Phytosanitary [ spelling ? ] from
the Costa Rican Gvt. folk and pop over here, and we will load you up on a few standard Sub-tropicals,
Chinese Elm types. Sageretia t, Fukien tea and so on for free.
We are dumping them now.
Good Day
Anthony

* Were the yellow guava is concerned, you just eat the whole thing, the seeds and worms won't bother you.
High in nutrient.

Still have no West Indian or Barbados Cherry ? Malphigia e. Grows all the way to South Texas


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Andrew, a little problem I have is the local names, english and latin. Nobody here cares about anyrhing but local names. So untill my field guide comes I dont know what the things are that you suggested. Another problemita is I cant leave the country. Im trapped by child support laws. I pay but cant leave without permision from my ex. Aint happenin'. But I bring home all the fruits I find, plus cuttings or non fruiting trees that might make nice bonsai. The nursery people know what Im looking for and they try ti find interesting things. I cant believe Ive only found one veriagated ficus, it shouldnt be too hard. I have a small leaf one but its tall and skinny. Im afraid it'll die if I chop it below the leaves.. Theres a bigger leaf thats common and I will try air layering some. I like veriagated plants and trees. I can get veriagated ivy but there small too.
Does anyone do other succulants besides jade? I have something similar but blueish and with pointy leaves. No name came with it. The leaves root like jade. Its in a little succulant garden but I could put it in a little pot.. The others I have wont bonsai very well or at all. Thanks again for the ideas!
 

eferguson1974

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Sweet little Bougainvillea you got there...my "heart" tree.
Thanks! Do you think the branch should come off? I was thinking it would fatten the trunk. But maybe it will make reverse taper. I dont see it as part of a design for this one. Id like to use the trunks line and grow new branches. They grow great here. Since the rain let up, the bougies are in bloom everywhere and they look great. Yesterday I got two branches and chopped them into pieces for rooting. Do fatter branches root? I can probably find some great bougainvillea to learn from. Id like one of every color. Thanks for looking and any answers you may have..
 
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