7 yo sapling JBP

[PowerTap]

I've received this tree from a friend who is moving to Hawaii and cannot import JBP. It is 7 years old, grown from seed from an Amazon bonsai kit he's now wife bought him when they were first dating. It's lived indoors all 7 year between an office building and his apartment and I'm honestly shocked it's still alive.

At the same time I really don't want to kill a tree with this much emotional weight.

Step one is obviously that it needs to move outside. I'll start it in mostly shade so it doesn't get blasted by the sun. We are still in a mild June here in Washington so I think the temperature adjustment should be OK.

It needs to be a lot healthier before I think of doing anything to it beyond keep it alive.

I'm thinking it needs a healthy dose of fertilizer and some real sun and a few year to grow up.

 

[JeffS73]

7 years indoors and still alive is remarkable! Best wishes for this little guy.

 

[Potawatomi13]

I've received this tree from a friend who is moving to Hawaii and cannot import JBP. It is 7 years old, grown from seed from an Amazon bonsai kit he's now wife bought him when they were first dating. It's lived indoors all 7 year between an office building and his apartment and I'm honestly shocked it's still alive.

At the same time I really don't want to kill a tree with this much emotional weight.
View attachment 494495
Step one is obviously that it needs to move outside. I'll start it in mostly shade so it doesn't get blasted by the sun. We are still in a mild June here in Washington so I think the temperature adjustment should be OK.

It needs to be a lot healthier before I think of doing anything to it beyond keep it alive.

I'm thinking it needs a healthy dose of fertilizer and some real sun and a few year to grow up.

Seconded what is said here.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

I'd just sow another couple of seeds and keep them as.. backup?
Nobody needs to know that it died under your care, and when it does.. At least your friend still has "his" tree. But it was wired and grown outdoors so it looks different now and he can't put it back indoors again.

 

[Clicio]

It really looks weak and in need of sunshine and fertilizers.
Just for comparison - I am not hijacking your thread - some seedlings now 5 years old, kept outdoors, much bigger.

 

[PowerTap]

It's definitely very weak. I asked him how he was caring for it and he commented the soil mix had fertilizer but that was three years ago, so it might need more.

Last year I watched while he was on an extended vacation and it grew because I watered it with a mild balanced fertilizer. So I have hope.

 

[jevanlewis]

In Seattle, you can move it into full sun now. Just make sure you don't water again until the soil is almost dry (search this forum to find some good threads with more detail on watering JBP). Also, when you move it outside, remove the foil to allow the pot to drain freely.

 

[PowerTap]

Minor update, I moved this outside a my bench where it's getting some partial sun and it has been fertilized. It is responding really well with aggressive growth in its candles which I'll just let grow and strengthen. If it continues in good health it might get some wire and a move into a pond basket next spring.

 

[Wulfskaar]

Minor update, I moved this outside a my bench where it's getting some partial sun and it has been fertilized. It is responding really well with aggressive growth in its candles which I'll just let grow and strengthen. If it continues in good health it might get some wire and a move into a pond basket next spring.

Nice to see that you have saved it!

This is a perfect illustration on why to not keep it indoors. It looks like mine after 2 years, and mine are relatively weak.

 

[jaimezpr]

Nice! Glad to see you are saving it!

 

[PowerTap]

Let's go with saving. If it's alive in 3 years I'll call it saved.

 

[PowerTap]

Today this got a light trim. There were several whorls of almost branches that I wanted to clean up.

Before


After



Hopefully this sets us up for good development going forward. This probably gets some big bends and a move into an pond basket.

 

[hemmy]

Today this got a light trim. There were several whorls of almost branches that I wanted to clean up.

Before
View attachment 506414

After
View attachment 506415


Hopefully this sets us up for good development going forward. This probably gets some big bends and a move into a pond basket.

In one year, it grew 50% of what it had in 7yrs! Lol

When it was indoors, how long did it hold its needles? Longer than 3yrs worth of growth?

 

[PowerTap]

In one year, it grew 50% of what it had in 7yrs! Lol

When it was indoors, how long did it hold its needles? Longer than 3yrs worth of growth?

It's hard to tell, all of the branches were so small. But counting branches up, I think there were maybe 4-5 yo needles.

 

[PowerTap]

Uppotted into an Anderson flat style container and an lava pumice pine bark mix. This tree is primed for a big year. I didn't do a lot to the roots just gave it more space and carbon to grow.

 

[cmu268]

Wow amazing it survived indoors that long! Can't wait to see how it thrives being outside now.

 

[pandacular]

I always wonder how many people are turned off of this hobby because they think that those 7 years were what bonsai is. I wonder too how many of those could be brought back if they saw a thread like this, of recovering that tree!

 

[misfit11]

There should be some kind of award for keeping a JBP alive indoors for seven years.

 

[TimIAm]

I always wonder how many people are turned off of this hobby because they think that those 7 years were what bonsai is. I wonder too how many of those could be brought back if they saw a thread like this, of recovering that tree!

There are also plenty of people who took great enjoyment from their little tree "because they think that those 7 years were what bonsai is".

Individual perspective is funny like that. Quite often I am still chasing the feeling of the first tree and pot I brought home when I didn't know better.

 

[TR8Driver]

I looks like it is on its way back to health! If you can, you might try to bend it more down low, the curves you have there now will all but disappear as the trunk thickens.