Bonchi (And other things)

[Zathura]

Really just sending out feelers, because I'm not sure discussion or pics of bonchi would even be welcome (Apparently they aren't on Reddit).

Also just curious to know if anyone foregoes wiring (at least mostly) and instead tries to use purely pruning at the right leaf nodes to get things to grow in the shape they want, or bases their bonsai (more or less) on the natural shape their plant decides to take?

I like wiring, and I love seeing professional or artistic specimens, but due to laziness a desire to keep things natural, I prefer to influence the growth through pruning rather than dictating via force.

 

[Harewood Hobbyist]

I just looked bonchi up. I am torn because it doesn't seem masochistic enough but also if something makes people mad on Reddit then I should probably do it...

Are you talking about the "cut and grow" that is more typical of Chinese penjing?

 

[Potawatomi13]

Watching Ryan Neil work and personal practice personal belief is most of us use at least some clip and grow or directional pruning alongside wiring. Likely is prevalent means on especially brittle trees.

 

[Zathura]

An older pic, but for anyone who doesn't know, bonchi is just mangling your pepper plants as a fun and compact way to overwinter them indoors.

This little one is special; as it grew naturally compact and dense. I have another, from the same seed, that's over twice the size and grows more like you would expect a pepper to grow. These are "Filius Blue".

Nice diversion while my actual trees are in dormancy or just.....not growing, during winter.

 

[leatherback]

several thoughts come to mind.

First of all, as it is your plant, you can do whatever you want.
Second, as bonchi is not really bonsai, and rather short lived (?) you can do whatever you want
Thridly, considering wiring bonsai is a relatively new practice, I see no reason for you to not work on clip-and-grow mostly. Wiring just is a method that gets you results faster AND creates smoother patterns. But if that is not your aim, you can do whatever you want.

Just note that you woudl probably need to make a more convincing tree to get it on display than you would using more traditional species.

 

[Zathura]

several thoughts come to mind.

First of all, as it is your plant, you can do whatever you want.
Second, as bonchi is not really bonsai, and rather short lived (?) you can do whatever you want
Thridly, considering wiring bonsai is a relatively new practice, I see no reason for you to not work on clip-and-grow mostly. Wiring just is a method that gets you results faster AND creates smoother patterns. But if that is not your aim, you can do whatever you want.

Just note that you woudl probably need to make a more convincing tree to get it on display than you would using more traditional species.

You're funny, assuming I (or anyone) would ever dare take a pepper plant to a bonsai show.

Peppers aren't long-lived, but they aren't annuals like most people think they are. They'll continue to produce ever more prodigious bounties of fruit for 5+ years, so a lot of dedicated growers over-winter their peppers in greenhouses, garages, or window-sills, because they toe the line between a tropical plant and a temperate plant. A pepper CAN go into dormancy, but doesn't tolerate extremely cold temperatures. On the other hand, it doesn't seem to give a flip whether it has a dormancy or not, so it's just easier to bring it inside and keep it growing.

Hence bonchi; a fun way to overwinter your peppers without taking up a ton of space for a full-grown plant (peppers love to be pruned. You can cut a 3-foot tall monster back to 5-6" and it'll spit in your face while it grows in front of you).

I think obviously the fact that they're fast growers and create a bark-like exterior on just months-old growth, along with predictable growing patterns from leaf-nodes, lends them to being great practice for amateur bonsai enthusiasts.

 

[Wulfskaar]

Just yesterday I planted habanero and cayenne seeds. I plan to let them grow all summer to fatten up the trunks as much as possible. I heard they don't fatten up a lot after the first year. I'll try to develop some kind of shape as it grows though. Seems like a fun and rewarding project to me!

 

[Zathura]

Just yesterday I planted habanero and cayenne seeds. I plan to let them grow all summer to fatten up the trunks as much as possible. I heard they don't fatten up a lot after the first year. I'll try to develop some kind of shape as it grows though. Seems like a fun and rewarding project to me!

My advice is to top them once they have 5-6 leaf nodes. That encourages them to branch out more instead of being a single stalk. Follow that up with more pruning every other month or so; focus on maximizing surface-area, thinning out large upper leaves, and removing tiny lower branches that aren't getting much sun.

These are some reapers, ghosts, and scorpions I grew a couple years ago. Only had 8-9 plants and got several pounds of peppers, more than I knew what to do with. Dried a bunch, froze a bunch, and one entire harvest I just let rot on the plant because I couldn't give them away.

 

[Wulfskaar]

My advice is to top them once they have 5-6 leaf nodes. That encourages them to branch out more instead of being a single stalk. Follow that up with more pruning every other month or so; focus on maximizing surface-area, thinning out large upper leaves, and removing tiny lower branches that aren't getting much sun.

These are some reapers, ghosts, and scorpions I grew a couple years ago. Only had 8-9 plants and got several pounds of peppers, more than I knew what to do with. Dried a bunch, froze a bunch, and one entire harvest I just let rot on the plant because I couldn't give them away.

Thanks for that advice! I'll try that.