My first bonsai--Fukien Tea

[Poink88]

October, 2011...I got bitten by the bonsai bug so I went on eBay and purchased this fukien tea. For the size, it is very cheap...thought it is "S" shaped, I liked it.

Today, 04/27/2014...I decided to repot and change the front by rotating it about 45* clockwise. I like this much better.

 

[Cadillactaste]

I like your new front...I feel the base of the tree looks more proportionate to the overall size of it. As well as like the looks of the overall appearance.

 

[Poink88]

Thanks Darlene. Yes the base was the biggest driving factor for me to change the front...as well as making the curves less pronounced. It required removal of some branches and growing out new ones but worth it. Lower-left side still need a lot of building but it will (slowly) come.

 

[Steve C]

Totally agree that is a much nicer look with the new front. I'm a sucker for Fukien Tea's myself. That was also my first ever bonsai when I got into it in 2012. Even though they can be touchy little trees they just have such a great look to them I think. Nice looking tree.

 

[Poink88]

Thanks Steve.

It is a difficult tree to change once the branches hardened. I've bent 5x thicker boxwood branches but FT is much more stubborn...springs back too even after years!

As much as this blooms and almost continuously, I still haven't seen it bear a fruit...I hope someday.

 

[Steve C]

I've never had any of mine bear fruit either. I always thought maybe it was just me. Yeah I pretty much gave up on wiring my FT because of what you said, they are just so hard to get to take a shape with wire. My latest one I bought about a month ago is a bit larger than my others and it just dropped all it's leaves because of the move from the greenhouse nursery to my home, never seen trees freak out due to a move like FT's seem to do lol. I see some tiny little new green though starting to poke out so think I'll just have to wait him out for a bit.

Yours looks super healthy, nice dark green leaves. Do you ever have any issues with bugs at all on yours? My FT's seem to attract bugs, not any sort of damaging type but just those pesky little nat type ones.

 

[Poink88]

Now that you've mentioned it...I haven't had pests on this for more than a year now. Used to have aphids (regular and wooly) but not lately (knock on wood). It is fairly low maintenance for me now. I water twice a week and that is it!

They do drop leaves like no other (next is ficus nerifolia)...but as you mentioned, within a week or two, you will have new set anyway so no biggie.

 

[steve27]

Hey Fukien tree lovers most people on this site have no use for them
I have two of them one of them was my first bonsai that I got at a nursery by my house last summer.It's in a south window right now and is doing fine after a rocky start. it had scale that took some time to get rid of. the other one I got as a gift on my 50th birthday In Nov.it was doing great to about a month ago when it started to drop lesfs like crazy. I noitice very sticky
leafs and the surRouned area. but havent seen and bugs.
I beeN using dish wasshing soup mixed with water spraying about once a week. AND NEED OIL but still dropping leafs.I am a bit concerned now. can anyone help?

 

[Poink88]

Hey Fukien tree lovers most people on this site have no use for them
I have two of them one of them was my first bonsai that I got at a nursery by my house last summer.It's in a south window right now and is doing fine after a rocky start. it had scale that took some time to get rid of. the other one I got as a gift on my 50th birthday In Nov.it was doing great to about a month ago when it started to drop lesfs like crazy. I noitice very sticky
leafs and the surRouned area. but havent seen and bugs.
I beeN using dish wasshing soup mixed with water spraying about once a week. AND NEED OIL but still dropping leafs.I am a bit concerned now. can anyone help?

Your tree may have aphids which sometimes is very difficult to see. I think what you did is enough, you just leave it be for now...wait and see.

Good luck!

 

[KennedyMarx]

That's one hell of a first bonsai. When I saw first bonsai and Fukien tea I'm sure you know what I expected.

 

[Poink88]

That's one hell of a first bonsai. When I saw first bonsai and Fukien tea I'm sure you know what I expected.

Thanks. I guess I was a bit "different" from the very beginning.

 

[M. Frary]

Yeah different. That's it.

 

[Poink88]

What if I take it this way? Thoughts?

 

[Milly]

Doesn't do it for me.

In this case "less is... just less"

 

[Poink88]

Doesn't do it for me.

In this case "less is... just less"

Thanks. I am not too sold on it either. I just know I am not happy with the current look and need to change it. I'll keep looking.

Any suggestions appreciated.

 

[KennedyMarx]

I'm on my phone so this is a quick and dirty virt. The idea being chop the lowest branch, change the potting angle, then arrange the branches for the new angle. (iPhoto wouldn't let me copy and paste to move foliage pads around).

 

[Poink88]

I'm on my phone so this is a quick and dirty virt. The idea being chop the lowest branch, change the potting angle, then arrange the branches for the new angle. (iPhoto wouldn't let me copy and paste to move foliage pads around).

Thanks. I'll look into it more later but for now, I do not see it yet.

 

[Poink88]

BTW, I am not afraid to chop if it is what is needed to be done.