A Blue Bill Buxus Built To Be a Broom

Saddler

Chumono
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I picked up this boxwood as a tester in early April to see how they respond to a heavy hand as it was pretty mangy and lethargic looking. In the first picture I already had the tree for about a month and fertilized it heavily. It sprang back from more yellow then green to what you see. I had also trimmed 60cm or so off the main branches so it would fit in my car to get it home.

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After a couple more weeks, at the end of May, I repotted and trimmed the little guy.
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It took a while to get the roots cut out that weren't horizontal. It lost a lot more roots then you see above when it went in the pot.
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After it started to show growth, I cut back further and will eventually cut the primary/secondary branches back to the lowest pair of new branches to minimize the straight bits.
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A beer and bonsai help me unwind after a long hot day in a hot kitchen. This is the first week of august.
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Harvest time! Ha!
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And this is the last pic I took in early October before it went to the farm where it is happier then living in the city. Just like my dog when I was a child.
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Saddler

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An update on this little fella. I was unhappy with the inside branch on the left as it was the same hight at the inside branch on the right while being significantly thinner. I was hoping to get a bud higher up but I found a way to make it look less like a stump and more like a branch by cutting off the branch that was sort of pointing toward the camera as it hid most of the limb I needed. Now all the primary branches are all close in the equivalent length to thickness and I have a pair of branches coming off the ends of every branch with the exception of the one I cut back again. I have used a minimal amount of wire to even out the branch structure.

I plan on repotting it again next spring into either a wide shallow pot or an oversized pot on a board and try out using chopsticks to get that added movement in the nebari, now that I have the roots under control. In about two years I hope to completely wire the tree. IMG_1629.JPG


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Saddler

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Here is my buxus today

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I am just going to let it grow this year to try and get girth on the secondary branches, the prune back hard in the fall.

Any suggestions for better pot colour/style? It’s still too early in development for a nice pot, but I like being prepared but I have no idea what pot this tree needs.
 

Saddler

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I’ve been fertilizing every day this year with 10-10-10 at about 1/10 strength. I spray both the leaves and the dirt every evening. Some of my trees already have half as much growth as they did last year. By far my best year growing bonsai... so far
 

just.wing.it

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I’ve been fertilizing every day this year with 10-10-10 at about 1/10 strength. I spray both the leaves and the dirt every evening. Some of my trees already have half as much growth as they did last year. By far my best year growing bonsai... so far
What do you spray them with in the evening?
Water???

I've seen Nigel Saunders use that method of fertilizing... A pinch in every watering can...
Definitely low doses... But maybe a good method, especially in certain stages of growth.
 

Saddler

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I spray them with the diluted fertilizer. I use this sprayer http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/c...-end-sprayer-with-metering-dial-0591114p.html because it lets me dilute it more then any other sprayer I have.

I have been using 3-4 times the amount of fertilizer compared to this time last year and I killed a few trees with over fertilizing last season. I have been monitoring my trees with extra care with my new system and so far, I am impressed. I will be waiting for the other shoe to drop until September rolls around though.
 

Saddler

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Growth has been quite strong so far this summer. 828338EC-DA38-40E9-BECB-591A109FEEA6.jpeg6E663D0F-B3BA-48BA-BE68-31D9B3A6FB25.jpeg64ED8162-504A-450D-903C-48E6F4EF4840.jpeg

It’s been killing me not cutting these branches back. I need to let them grow and thicken. A lot. But I want to get the tertiary branches started. But I need more thickness, but I want more branches, but need more.... this is me all summer. And occasionally.... maybe they will thicken twice as fast if there are twice as many,,,
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