CR trees

eferguson1974 · Jan 19, 2016

Hi Anthony, thanks for the link. Sadly it says error and I cant see it.
In Florida I never had the right combo of time, nothing to do, and interest in taking on bonsai. And yes, the chicks are hard to ignore there, bikinis on xmas and new ones all the time. Now things have changed and I have all day everyday to do anything as long as its cheap. I also have room for bonsai and plants and noone telling me where to put them. My only problem is being bored til they grow out more for now. I need to go hunt more stranglers to torture and others til I have some money again and can go to the nursery. I havent collected a thing since last week. Tree withdrawl, haha.
Thanks Anthony and Carp, you two know your tropicals and help me a lot. Everyone helps but you two have the specific info and experiance that really helps. So thanks a million for the help, from wherever it comes!

Anthony · Jan 19, 2016

Eric,

just got any clear quartz deposits nearby ?
Often quartz and gold are found together.
Ever make a clay anything, dig a hole in the ground and fire it?
Carving wood , making boxes, whittle?
Carve stone ?

You need to back off of the trees and just let them grow.

Wanna build a Tapia house - wattle and daub ?
Best to you.
Anthony

Geo · Jan 19, 2016

eferguson1974 said:
you two have the specific info and experiance /QUOTE]

Great. Leave you to them then.

eferguson1974 · Jan 19, 2016

Sorry Geo, I forgot you. Not on purpose..
Anthony the gold that I know of is along the coast. Hence the name of the country. So its kinda far. If I go to the beach Im going fishin. Thats was my hobby and obsession for 30 years. I came here to go fishin but it didnt work out. I like the idea of digging a hole and making something from clay. There are pieces of things made by the locals before plastic. Maybe that could solve the problem of not finding bonsia pots. But its trees and plants that interest me now. They bring me peace. And give me something fun to do that doesnt cost toooo much. So far bonsai has been cheap and for some reason Im hooked on little trees. And aquaponics, another fun but productive passion that provides all the salad I can eat, organic. But AP was easy to learn and costs more to do. I put fish waste in my pots sometimes and the plants like it. Soon the moon will be full and the locals swear that all cuttings, seed planting, and transplanting must be done within a few days. So I will go tree hunting. Ive been looking at a few cow pastures and thinking of getting permision to hunt trees. The jungle is obviously full of trees but its actually not easy to find material like you might think. I have some native ficus that I chopped where they grew. I gotta go check on them. I can find stuff to do but usually money is a problem. But nothing calls me like bonsai. So thanks to ALL of my new bnut friends for helping. Half the fun is improvising materials and plants\trees. Reading all the posts on bnut is fun in itself with the discusions that get so strange. And helpfull, friendly folks mixed in with the fighters. Ever notice the further north, the more folk fight? We southern types are calmer it seems like. Then you get to Canada and there calm. Strange..

Anthony · Jan 19, 2016

Eric,

the forest is where we get the new trees, and then have to learn, how to, takes up to 5 years or so.
Mostly you just plant, leave alone and watch, take notes.

Trinidad has a dry zone on the Western side from the Northern top, down to Southern part.
Within this long but narrow band, are located, the trees that make good Bonsai.
That, and the coastline with some swampland thrown in.

You look for the trees that have many branches / branchlets, and preferably small leaves.
Look up into the canopy.
Small leaves means 4" to 6 " or less.
The multiple leaves, pinnate and bi-pinnate, don't normally work.
Also look at the vines, and the sub-shrubs.

After a while things start to pop out.
Some like the Yellow Poui [ Tabebuia s] are for flowers, masses of yellow or pink or off-white.

Don't forget the shrubs, shrub means, any shape goes.

We are very fortunate, along the highway are many examples of shrubs, from the wilds.
An example - no Latin name as of yet.
But has potential. Goes red of leaf and then drops them after Christmas.
Pot is a UV stabilised saucer for a big pot, about 3" deep.
About 3' tall or so.

Second is from the beach cliff - Oxalis f.
Good Day
Anthony

Leo in N E Illinois · Jan 20, 2016

eferguson1974 said:
............ The jungle looks nice with orange spots and yellow from corteza amarilla. Now the cortezas are sending out long seed pods and will start opening in a month or so. This one is in my little piece of jungle. I hope you can see the flowers okay. Their leaves are kinda big but the structure and bark are nice. Maybe..
.

corteza amarillo scientific name is Tabebuia ochracea, I personally don't know if it is "do-able" for bonsai. My guess would be that it could work for a bonsai in the 2 ft to 4 ft range.

Leo in N E Illinois · Jan 20, 2016

eferguson1974 said:
Good point.

Good point. I just looked and the buds are very different from any ficus I have or know of. I have this veriagated plant I believe to be a succulant and other than leaf color there very similar. I kinda doubt these are going to make bonsai. Maybe a forest? Since I dont have names, I cant read about them. This is another example of liking a plant and if it can be bonsai, I'll try. If not its cool like it is. Thanks, now Im pretty certain that its not a ficus. The trunks are segmented kinda like jade and ficus dont do that either. The seller was wrong I guess. But he said I could see the big tree these came from. I have to see it next time I can take a trip to the nursery, now Im more curious!

I think this and the previous are Peperomia inaequalifolia called ‘Lachay’ or “Congonita” in the Andes mountains.
it is an herb, without woody stems. Crush a leaf, if it has a pleasant balsam with hints of citrus fragrance then it likely is Pepermonia. Often used as a medicinal tea, and also as a salad garnish. Said to be a mild anti-anxiety herb. But if it has an unpleasant fragrance, or no fragrance, don't try consuming it.

Anthony · Jan 21, 2016

Leo,
the Puerto Ricans use a form of the Tabebuia, a white trumpet flower for Bonsai
The T. serratifolia which we have, will flower from as low as 4" of height.
I will see if I can find the image we have.

As we call it the yellow poui, has to have a large trunk and well placed branches, or it will be boring, visually.
Heals well.
Flowers three times during the Dry Season, then magically the rains will fall,
We also have a Pink flower [ imported from S.America ] a near white, but not the Puerto Rican type
and a local Yellow [ T. s is also an import ] with a dark green almost black heartwood with gold flitters.

A beautiful family, very noticeable in the Dry Season.
Good Day
Anthony

eferguson1974 · Jan 24, 2016

Today I got cuttings and pics of this fruit tree. Not even the locals I asked know its name. When the fruit is mature its red. It starts green, then orange then red. The one I tried was almost mature and was very acidic. The locals make a drink with it and add sugar. They say any size branch will root easily. Maybe the leaves are too big for bonsai. The trunk and branches have a texture like f benjamina that looks like it has latent buds that should pop out more leaves. So here are some pics.

eferguson1974 · Jan 24, 2016

This is what local almond trees leaves look like. The colors remind me of sea grapes. No good for bonsai but fun to see if you have no idea what there like. Mostly they live down hill from here but this one is in town. It was planted there, not naturaly growing from seed. Fwiw, heres a pic. Only one turned out, saddly not the whole tree.
Then the local ficus with reddish new growth. I still dont know the species. They dont send out areal roots or root from cuttings easily like others. I havnt seen this one strangling or even in another tree. I did get a branch to air layer once but I killed it in my hurry to pot the poor thing. Im trying again. My benji air layer worked! Still alive. Too bd my strain here wont bb or play along with the torture. All the stranglers here root and grow fairly easy compared to this native and my benjis.

eferguson1974 · Jan 24, 2016

Heres a strangler of the rarer type here. Maybe f aurea? Anyway its got four trunks, two of which are crossing. It has scars all over that give it a unique look too. What do y'all think? Trash or maybe it has potential. Its growing quickly now, with lots of leaves. I kinda like the long branch to one side. Should I chop off any of the other trunks? Its no more than about 6" tall. Later I will post others that I have questions about. All of them were rescued before the machete got them. As always thAnks for looking and steering me in the right directions..

eferguson1974 · Jan 24, 2016

Heres one of the common type strangler here. I think I should chop off the small trunk and shorten the other. Its got plenty of taper and a cool scar down low. Its another rescued tree so I just wonder if its worth the time to bonsai it. Id like to get some arial roots going I think they could work with the lean it hss and scarred trunk. Or I could toss it in the jungle....

Geo · Jan 24, 2016

eferguson1974 said:
This is what local almond trees leaves look like

Is that the beginning of the colouring? Ours are in full display now.

eferguson1974 · Jan 24, 2016

I ho

Geo said:
Is that the beginning of the colouring? Ours are in full display now.

I honestly dont know to tell the truth. Its right near the fruit I posted so I tossed it in just to show the leaves to folks who never have seen them. There lots more common at the beach, not 50 yards from the water in Pavones. The locals sometimes slice the shells in thin pieces to make jewelry for tourists. Are your mangos flowering too? I bet down in the lowland here they are. Up here the trees live but rarely produce. The rain knocks off the flowers plus it gets chilly at night. Right now is time to flower here, if they dont have late rains. Some years a single downpoor kills the whole crop. Up here there sending out new, almost purple leaves. Or maybe you dont have mangos?

Geo · Jan 24, 2016

eferguson1974 said:
Are your mangos flowering too? I bet down in the lowland here they are

Just starting to see flower buds on the Mangoes at the back of my lot.Temp today: 76,tonight:57. Dry season,but Todos Santos is in an oasis because of the aquifer.

eferguson1974 · Jan 25, 2016

I havnt seen the mangos below, but I know its flowering time for them. Sounds like its a January thing. Maybe Anthony can pipe in and tell us whats up with them in Trinidad. Now Im curious. Too bad mangos dont bonsai very well, There will be seedlings like grass at the beach, here there weeds for most folks. Here the big ones known as mangos to us are mangas, the smaller yellow ones are mangos. Some taste great and have a nice texture, others not so much. Two trees touching can have two flavors and or textures. I think the seedlings are mixed and its luck if there good. They do graft them sometimes for good fruit. Ive noticed the big ones get more worms and problems. Igual alla'?

Anthony · Jan 25, 2016

Eric,

ours are grafted - Julie - Graham - Donkey Stones - Sweet and Sour but we do have wild ones, dou dous, rose or calabash.
Some come in like grapes - Table top.
Yup flowering now.

Yes they do Bonsai - aim at 3' - the Ministry of Agriculture, has many for displays in 5 gallon tins. Accidental.
Do a broad tree.

Julie, has smooth, sweet, flavourful flesh, and no strings. It is the the standard backyard tree on this side.
Good Day
Anthony.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_(mango)

https://www.google.tt/search?q=juli...ved=0ahUKEwjWrevk0cXKAhWDPB4KHf77CDcQ_AUIBigB

eferguson1974 · Jan 25, 2016

Anthony said:
Eric,

ours are grafted - Julie - Graham - Donkey Stones - Sweet and Sour but we do have wild ones, dou dous, rose or calabash.
Some come in like grapes - Table top.
Yup flowering now.

Yes they do Bonsai - aim at 3' - the Ministry of Agriculture, has many for displays in 5 gallon tins. Accidental.
Do a broad tree.

Julie, has smooth, sweet, flavourful flesh, and no strings. It is the the standard backyard tree on this side.
Good Day
Anthony.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_(mango)

https://www.google.tt/search?q=juli...ved=0ahUKEwjWrevk0cXKAhWDPB4KHf77CDcQ_AUIBigB

I dont know about all the types of mango, I just have a little experiance with them from when I lived at the beach. Mostly they grow where someone tosses the seeds. There are so many flavors and textures all crossbred and unique sometimes. The shapes vary too. Arent the leaves big and the fruit out of scale for bonsai? Maybe a big bonsai? I am familiar with mangos with long leaves. I could look around for a small fruited one, but it has to wait til there fruiting to know. Maybe its not important since they dont flower much up here at 1000 meters. I think there from India, so none are really wild here, more like invasive. No matter, I love eating them. The second link you sent is a good example of how much they can vary, and crossbread must be the most common here as there are so many that few bother planting a specific cultivar. They seem as diverse as oranges and other citrus here. Most "good" citrus here and in Florida are grafted but some grow from seed here that are tasty. I bought a valencia to put in the yard. Citrus do fine up here and in the lowland. I want kumquat to bonsai but havent seen them here yet. There are some here according to google.
Do you know what the other fruit I posted is? I planted about 15 cuttings yesterday to play with. I would air layer a thick branch but that tree is in a park and someone would be bothered I imagine. I took cuttings and left quickly...

eferguson1974 · Feb 1, 2016

Today I found this tree. The lady at the nursery didnt even have a local name. She did say that little white flowers that smell good will open from the bb sized buds it has. She says cuttings will root. It also has young leaves down low and she said I can chop it but to leave a little green. The leaves are small. So for three bucks its not a big loss if it wont play nice. Anyone have an idea what to call it? I havnt chopped anything in a while and my shears are suffering withdrawl.

eferguson1974 · Feb 1, 2016

This is roble de savanah or savanah oak. CR has several oaks. This is a lowland tree but can live here in the mountains no problem. Only time will tell if it can be bonsai, but this has the smallest leaf of the bunch. It has a great curve that I left under the dirt because it has cool roots coming from just under the curve. I dont know its range yet since I only have a common name. Maybe the tropical bnuts will know more. Anyway fwiw here it is. For now its another three dollar chance to learn from and maybe a bonsai someday. Sorry for the crappy pic, my cell phone camera sucks like always.

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