grouper52
Masterpiece
Some may be aware I'm traveling in the Philippines to start solidifying an eventual move here with my wife, who is from here. There's a concomitant travelogue thread about some of the travels, and another thread about some work on a bougainvillea I bought here when last here a year ago, and have been storing at my sister-in-law's home in Manila.
This thread is about a new little tree I purchased at what was an abandoned, run-down/neglected bonsai stall at a little alleyway of plant vendors. I have no idea what it is, but it looked promising, so when some girl from a nearby stall came by to see if she could help us, we had her call the owner ion her cell phone, describe the tree, and see how much it might sell for. I whispered to my wife, who always likes to bargain as is the culture here, to see if we could get it at some sort of discount by telling the girl that it was obviously in bad shape and not healthy since much of the trunk was dead and rotting - my wife just laughed and said the girl had just said that to the owner! Anyway, it was sold for about $40. Stands about 14" tall.
It was in very poor soil, in a small plastic pot that was falling apart, very root-bound, and the old wiring - fairly well done in the simple style prevalent here - had been left on far too long, and was digging in markedly in places. All I did was root prune, put it in a cheap Thai plastic "bonsai pot" reposition and trim the foliage a small amount, cut of the dug-in wires, and I think it cleaned up very nicely for a $40 tree. My sister-in-law will get some lime-sulphur and cure the deadwood in my absence, I hope.
I think the lower foliage either needs to go altogether, with the first photo as the front, or else be radically re-done if left on, and perhaps use some other angle then as the front.
Anyway, enjoy!
G52
This thread is about a new little tree I purchased at what was an abandoned, run-down/neglected bonsai stall at a little alleyway of plant vendors. I have no idea what it is, but it looked promising, so when some girl from a nearby stall came by to see if she could help us, we had her call the owner ion her cell phone, describe the tree, and see how much it might sell for. I whispered to my wife, who always likes to bargain as is the culture here, to see if we could get it at some sort of discount by telling the girl that it was obviously in bad shape and not healthy since much of the trunk was dead and rotting - my wife just laughed and said the girl had just said that to the owner! Anyway, it was sold for about $40. Stands about 14" tall.
It was in very poor soil, in a small plastic pot that was falling apart, very root-bound, and the old wiring - fairly well done in the simple style prevalent here - had been left on far too long, and was digging in markedly in places. All I did was root prune, put it in a cheap Thai plastic "bonsai pot" reposition and trim the foliage a small amount, cut of the dug-in wires, and I think it cleaned up very nicely for a $40 tree. My sister-in-law will get some lime-sulphur and cure the deadwood in my absence, I hope.
I think the lower foliage either needs to go altogether, with the first photo as the front, or else be radically re-done if left on, and perhaps use some other angle then as the front.
Anyway, enjoy!
G52
