what do y'all think i should do with this bougainvillea

cdefoe

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i got this purple queen bougainvillea at the nursery in july. please be gentle with me as i've just started getting into bonsai this spring

Q8czdiZ.jpg


i chopped it back, cut the gallon container down, and repotted it in some bonsai soil. i've read mixed things about root pruning bougainvillea, but i did bare root it and prune like half the roots off and managed not to kill it. the foliage didn't do much but the roots grew like crazy the first month - could tell as it quickly became very firm in place

eventually a new leader started growing really quickly at the end of august. here it is in early september next to my ficus benjamina and a cutting from the bougie.
jQ1kpYLh.jpg

(ignore the dying moss - i thought i could try to grow moss indoors, but i'm not home enough during the day to keep it moist)

here's the cutting today. no idea what to do with it, mostly just wanted to see if i could get a cutting to survive.
s1ZBSL3h.jpg


okay so here's the main bougie today after getting my indoor greenhouse set up for the winter. i think it could look good as a literati but maybe i'd be best off just letting it grow and not die for now? open to advice/suggestions/being called a damned idiot for what i've done
KEjGgavh.jpg

fEybVA2.jpg

65p0Khv.jpg
 

cdefoe

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here's a bonus picture of some sedum in tiny pots i got around the same time

prUH59eh.jpg
 

Cadillactaste

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First I thought you just did the work...and cringed. But see you did it earlier on...warm temps is best to do work on these up north. Bougainvillea are a hardy species and are lovely when bracts are in bloom. As for literati...don't box yourself in just yet.

You keep them indoors during warmer months? They are much happier outside when temps are appropriate for tropical trees. Though I see a parking lot out the window on one photo. Apartment living? It can be done...do you have any balcony at all? There are several who take advantage of those as well. But, I do have a tropical hibiscus in my sunroom for 17 years...and it's only been outside one week during the time I had it. It was shortly after I did bonsai...and so I set it outside. Luck was not on it...for we had a tornado and it blew it across the deck...and inside it's been ever since for the most part. It can be done...but they are happy outside in sunshine. If you have no outdoor space...I would stay away from anything needing dormancy.

Welcome to the hobby...and enjoy the journey.
 

cdefoe

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yeah, i've tried to read up on the appropriate time of year for doing various operations... there's a lot of info out there (good and bad). from what i can tell it's less aboit the time of year than it is about making sure the plant is healthy enough and pushing new growth to handle the stress involved in the work?

and yeah, unfortunately for the time being it's apartment living for me and no balcony. i have a greenhouse set up with two pairs of 2 ft fluorescent t8's mounted above each of the two shelves, so i'm hoping that i can tinker around and find the optimal time to have the lights on (i may have baked my trees too much by the end of the first week :oops::oops: )

the only tree i've got that needs dormancy is a boxwood i snagged for cheap at my local club's auction in october. my parents have a three season porch that i'm planning on using to store it over the winter - i'll probably make a thread about it at some point since i have questions and have seen lots of conflicting info out there
 

Cadillactaste

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I have bougainvillea...and, even if it strong and healthy to do root work up north...only during end of June into July for me...But...I love my material...and to jeopardize it is foolish. Southern folk...have a longer growing season...so their time frame differs from ours. We had a long warm spell...so later could have worked just fine as you seen from experience. But, not knowing what the weather holds for later on...I don't go past July with repots on my bougie.

I don't have a boxwood...so no advice there. Good luck...

Fingers crossed you didn't bake your trees until they were done. They don't look worse for wear.
 

cdefoe

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hey anthony,

i have spent dozens of hours reading jerry and jack's articles on fukubonsai/bonsaihunk. very informative resources. in fact i was reading that exact article you linked by jack last night.

any particular styling suggestions for my bougie? seems like maybe i should just let it grow and see what happens
 

cdefoe

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it's not the most recent picture - i've since mounted some computer fans i had laying around where those holes are cut - but here's my setup

1cKRDAj.jpg
 

Anthony

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Yup, learn to get it healthy and experiment on cuttings.
Never the mother plant.

Tropics here, apologies, can't help you much.
Good Day
Anthony

* As to images always wondered about a light , midway down ?

Don't forget a fan for airflow once in a while.

Now you need some Sageretia t. and ohno Fukien teas.:eek:

Your light meter says -------------how many Lux / candlelight ?
 

cdefoe

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i hadn't even considered getting a light meter. that seems like a great idea, i will have to pick one up.

and for the airflow, before i mounted the fans, i just left one of the doors open and pointed a desktop fan at the greenhouse to get a breeze in there.

and i will see what my options are for picking up fukien tea and sageretia t. next spring, but my space is limited!! and because the hobby can get expensive, i'm going to try to restrict myself to only picking up material at the local club auctions in june/october next year : )
 

Anthony

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Do you know about Mame' and Pea size -
6" to 3 " tall trees.
You can get quite a good many and there is still satisfaction and a challenge.

https://www.amazon.com/Bonsai-Miniatures-Quick-Zeko-Nakamura/dp/4079753225

http://www.magiminiland.org/Days/Nakamurabasin.jpg

http://www.magiminiland.org/Days/ZekoNakamura.jpg

Look around you can normally get a copy for under 10 US.

Pots for these can cost very little and you can get interested in making them.

https://i68.servimg.com/u/f68/19/00/27/56/small10.jpg

http://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t17137-mame-thread

Good Day
Anthony
 

cdefoe

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yeah, i was hoping to train the sedum i posted above as mame

i'll have to keep a lookout for that book, looks interesting.

maybe this is getting off topic, but it seems like you would want to start a tree out in a larger pot to let it grow and develop a bit before repotting into a mame pot? otherwise i would guess you would be waiting quite a long time to develop the trunk and then ramification.

i have a shohin ficus benjamina that i was thinking i could take a cutting of and, if it roots and survives, plant in a mame pot

and i think i have quite a bit to learn about bonsai yet before i start taking on pottery! baby steps... :D
 

Anthony

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The guidelines are simple -------

[1] 1' trunk to 6" of height.

[2] 1/2 " trunk to 3 " of height.

It would be more enjoyable and you end up with finer cuts, that heal faster.
if you simple planted a seed or did a cutting / airlayer.

See all - Indoor Bonsai - only $3.00
https://www.amazon.com/Indoor-Bonsa...pell&keywords=indoor+bonsai+-+paul+leisnewicz

only - $4.25
https://www.amazon.com/BONSAI-INDOO...4440&sr=1-33&keywords=indoor+bonsai+-+gardens

The limit is your imagination.
Enjoy
Anthony

Fukien tea from seed -
pot is 5 inches long less than 1 inch deep

ibc 102.jpg

how about some Japanese black pines from seed ----- they grow well down here
how about indoors -

john 6.jpg

Japanese black pine from seed ---------- home made pot ----------- think you can't make a pot ?

j 5.jpg

How about a native - a hackberry, all you have to do is place near the window and let the
cold take it for winter.
[ We have maintained this since 1980 - Lafayette, Louisiana. ]

hack 3.jpg
 

M. Frary

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you can drop him a line.
He is! I met him 3 years ago. We talked lighting for indoor growing.
He's a metal halide guy. I believe he told me he has 9 1000 watt lights.
 

cdefoe

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Take those lower trees and move them way up close to the lights.

i will look into getting a stand of some sort to see about getting my little dudes closer to the light.

one question relating to this: would moving them much closer be too abrupt of a change?

i noticed when i transitioned my trees under the lights from just sitting in my windowsill that the tips of the leaves on my ficus started to brown/dry out. i think i was giving it more light than it was used to/ready for. i'm hoping that after a couple weeks of 10-12 hours under the lights i can bump it up to 16. also hoping to experiment with on/off cycles (currently doing about nine hours on while i'm at work, a couple hours off, then a couple on before turning them off for the night) to see what works
 

cdefoe

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The guidelines are simple -------

[1] 1' trunk to 6" of height.

[2] 1/2 " trunk to 3 " of height.

It would be more enjoyable and you end up with finer cuts, that heal faster.
if you simple planted a seed or did a cutting / airlayer.

The limit is your imagination.
Enjoy
Anthony

thank you for all the posts, you've given me a lot to think about and look into! i will definitely see if i can snag those books. my current amazon cart is starting to get pretty expensive...

i hadn't considered japanese black pine. i'll have to search to see if anyone has had any luck growing those indoors. i assumed all pines were off the table. on a similar note - will a hackberry go dormant just sitting next to a window in a room temperature apartment (does it need to?!)? the other thing that gives me pause is that i currently live in an apartment heated by radiators, and all of my windows are right above the radiators which i'm guessing wouldn't make a tree happy.


as for growing from seed, i'm currently sitting on a packet of olive seeds as well as a packet of baobab seeds (from what i've read, their dormancy cycle is rather interesting!) that i'm looking forward to trying to stratify and plant in the next couple weeks.
 

Anthony

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The Celtis l, needs about 6 weeks to 2 months of sleep.
We use the temperature of the vegetable crisper in an old fridge.

Basic guideline -------- Tropicals ------ no colder than 55 deg.F

But when checking zonal ranges, go to the zone maps and look at the
area.

We grow a , from seed olive tree, small leaves outdoors in full sun
since 1986.

No windows without radiators --------- next to the window the temperature
will if boxed keep the tree dormant in winter.
Brother-in-law lived in Florence, Italy, it frosts and snows. Just the snow
melts quickly, but can pile up.
Used to grow trees in a window with a internal shelf all winter long.
They slept.
Good Day
Anthony
 
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i will look into getting a stand of some sort to see about getting my little dudes closer to the light.

one question relating to this: would moving them much closer be too abrupt of a change?

i noticed when i transitioned my trees under the lights from just sitting in my windowsill that the tips of the leaves on my ficus started to brown/dry out. i think i was giving it more light than it was used to/ready for. i'm hoping that after a couple weeks of 10-12 hours under the lights i can bump it up to 16. also hoping to experiment with on/off cycles (currently doing about nine hours on while i'm at work, a couple hours off, then a couple on before turning them off for the night) to see what works
Well, you could do the fancy way or just do it and get it over with. And be prepared for shohin sized trees if you want quality stuff under lights. Google Jack Wikle and do what he says. He's one of the best indoor growers of qualitybonsai in America.
 

sparklemotion

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Did you pick up that Purple Queen at Bachman's? I had the same impulse this summer.

Here's mine after the wimpy trees got their indoor home last month (far left). I should get a fresh picture, since I am being naughty and letting it bloom.

Will you be doing Bonsai Basics with MnBS next year? I am planning on my bougainvillea to be one of the "project" trees that I plan to improve next year.

IMG_20170925_224728.jpg
 
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