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Just got a little maple tree. Looks good to me, so I'll do my best to grow this guy out for awhile and perhaps turn it into a bonsai. One other question, as I haven't had an actual tree in quite some time. I fertilize all of my houseplants with a synthetic 9-3-6 fertilizer that is fantastic for...

Haha. No doubt! :)

Haha! And thank you - good to be here!

Awesome. I will get a small tree soon and see how it goes for summer. And you're right about the crazy warm winter weather we now have to deal with. I'll be prepared to shelter the tree one way or another and see how it goes. I appreciate all the help, guys!

Sounds good - I will look into it. And yes, I figured you meant to spray the trees and not the pigeons! Haha. :-)

Thanks everyone. Forsoothe - I will pick up some Sevin. Hopefully that will do the trick. I thought about using some sort of netting or fishing line but it's just not really feasible. If you saw the space you'd see why. But it's something to consider later on if the Sevin doesn't help. GGB -...

I'm not entirely new to bonsai. I had a few trees many years ago. I ended up taking a break from it because my balcony (in NYC) developed a real pigeon problem. I couldn't keep any trees out there without them being picked clean of all leaves and having the soil dug up and thrown all over the...

Thanks for the encouragement! I just got up the nerve and pruned the two lower branches. Going to wait on doing the top - baby steps! But I do think that removing the lower branches goes great lengths towards making this look more like a proper tree. I appreciate the feedback and advice, everyone!

Thanks for all the input! I've often wondered if perhaps those lower branches should go, but was never brave enough to chop them off. Regarding the three branches near the top... When the tree is full of lush foliage as it was before the spider mite problem, you really don't even see that mess -...

Yes, I imagine they would do great in Florida. Here in NYC I could probably keep them outside for the warm weather months and inside during winter, but alas, the NYC pigeons have completely destroyed every bonsai I've attempted to keep on the balcony, so sadly I'm limited to what I can keep indoors.

Can you show me exactly where you mean?

Yes, it's a C. ovata. I had a feeling that was the case. I've had Portulacaria afra before but they didn't do well for me. I think they need to be kept outside to really thrive, don't they?

Cool. Will definitely let the ficus just rest and grow this year - no clipping... And thanks re the jades. I'm giving them as much sun as I can, but unfortunately I'm unable to keep them outside. I guess I'll just go for density then - have lots of branches with 3-4, even 6-7 internodes that can...

Anyone have tips on getting the jade plants to produce smaller/denser foliage?

Sounds logical. So maybe I'll just let it grow this year and plan to prune it next year. Thanks, Colin. And yes, if anyone else has input, I'm receptive to any and all recommendations/advice.

Here's a pic. You can see the trunk is nice. But the canopy is pretty sparse.

I mean the canopy, sorry. The trunk on this ficus is very thick and beautiful.

Now that I have FINALLY (at least I think/hope) eradicated the spider mite infestation of my poor narrow leaf fig, I'm ready to start working on the tree again. This tree used to have gorgeous dense foliage, and after being assaulted by spider mites for such a long time, it's nowhere near as...

Thanks everyone. Going to try submerging the plant in cold water as the Hummert guy suggested. Will keep an eye on other plants too and be prepared to treat every plant in the apartment I suppose. Ugh...

I'm in NYC. I got this response from Hummert International, who deal with pesticides, etc: "Spider mites are not easy to completely eradicate. Fortunately, they have a life cycle that is easier to control than other pests. First of all, you’re sure these are spider mites? Other bugs can...

So as an alternative to defoliating, would I be better off ordering Neem, Avid, Bifenthrin and maybe Bayer Advanced 3 in 1 (Imidacloprid, Tau-Fluvalinate, Tebuconazole) off of Amazon and spray the heck out of the tree?

Yes, it's the dry heat in the apartments that does it. I run humidifiers but it still gets really dry. Would it be a mistake to defoliate the tree? I mean... It is what deciduous trees do in winter... But I have only ever defoliated in the spring or summer before. Would I risk killing the tree...

I'm not sure whether I've tried neem oil or not. I believe I have. I'm certainly willing to try again though. Is there a particular product I should track down? Or are pretty much all neem oil sprays the same?

I have a narrow leaf weeping fig that has been having an on again off again spider mite problem for years. The tree has a gorgeous gnarled trunk and is really beautiful, especially when the mites are at bay and its leaves are flourishing. I'm in NYC, and the tree lives in a windowsill with north...