JuniperSol
Shohin
I am mainly starting this thread because I feel like there is not a ton of information out there on Escambrons, which I feel is a disservice to the species because of how wonderful they are to work with. I hope to share what I know, have I have learned, and let others contribute with their personal experience with this species.
To start off, I own three escambrons; two shohins and one, three-foot-tall literati I call Tall Boi. I have had them since the summer of 2021 with my literati being my newest of the three and I love them to death. They are fast growers with absolutely beautiful bark and small leaves, which is desirable for bonsai as we all know. The only downside to them is that they are tropicals (as they are natives of Puerto Rico), meaning you need a good set up for them to continue to thrive during the colder months. But I personally do not mind this too much since I already have a ficus, buttonwood, and plenty of jades along with them.
Placement:
Repeat after me: Full sun, full sun, full sun, and more full sun. Unlike other tropicals that may not have designated spots to grow along the branch, Escambrons grow in nodes. The less light they receive, the longer the nodes will be which can be difficult to deal with since their leaves are so small. I will go into more detail about the habits of the Escambron nodes later on. Always protect these guys from cold just like any other tropical tree you may have with PLENTY of artificial light.
Watering:
Escambrons are not very thirsty trees. They have the watering needs of bougainvillea from personal experience, meaning they do not like sitting in soggy soil and can go longer without watering (to an extent). Although they may ask for additional water in more porous soil even if it is not completely dry. While they prefer not to have wet feet, missing out on watering will make them droop and drop their leaves like crazy if neglected (I may or may not be speaking from personal experience on that one...).
Fertilizing:
For some reason, they do not seem to like BioGold all that much. But a friend of mine has had a good experience with fish-based fertilizer and his Escamrbons have been doing fantastic. If anyone has any insight on fertilizing recommendations, let me know!
Pruning:
As mentioned, these guys grow nodes along the branches in order to produce leaves and additional branching. So with this in mind, you have to consider dieback while pruning (preferably during the springtime after the last frost date). Now Escambrons will not necessarily dieback like a Brazilian Raintree is known to do, but it does require some space before the next node*. The cleaner the cut, the lesser the dieback. Now it is important to mention that Escambrons love to grow from where they were recently pruned, which is great if you prefer the clip-and-grow technique, but not so great if you already have a long branch without much else to it. The best way to get back budding, according to Bonsai Junky on Facebook, is through defoliation during the springtime so it has time to recover and receive sun during the summer.
P.S. Always wire after defoliating. These guys do not have thorns, but they do have sharp ends that protect the leaves from being crushed. The nodes pave the way for you to wire them with ease. Just make sure you do not wire over the node in the sense of preventing new growth from occurring.
* Additional Note: I have had no encounters with dieback along the trunk nor primary branches while removing limbs. So you should not have to worry about this from my experience so far. It is mainly an issue when trimming back the ends of limbs.
Repotting:
These guys take repotting like a champ. Yes, they will be grumpy for a couple of weeks, but they bounce back very quickly if you handle the process correctly. Just be mindful of the amount of roots you remove (I would say no more than 40%) and not to fertilize too soon after repotting. Of course, always repot during the spring after the last frost date. BUT, if you are in need to repot it sooner rather than later (bad soil has been killer for me), they can handle being repotted indoors and put under a grow light again (as long as the grow light isn't too close). I am still learning the habits of Escambron roots, so this may need some elaboration later on down the line when I repot my Tall Boi.
I hope this helps someone who is still learning about their tree!
To start off, I own three escambrons; two shohins and one, three-foot-tall literati I call Tall Boi. I have had them since the summer of 2021 with my literati being my newest of the three and I love them to death. They are fast growers with absolutely beautiful bark and small leaves, which is desirable for bonsai as we all know. The only downside to them is that they are tropicals (as they are natives of Puerto Rico), meaning you need a good set up for them to continue to thrive during the colder months. But I personally do not mind this too much since I already have a ficus, buttonwood, and plenty of jades along with them.
Placement:
Repeat after me: Full sun, full sun, full sun, and more full sun. Unlike other tropicals that may not have designated spots to grow along the branch, Escambrons grow in nodes. The less light they receive, the longer the nodes will be which can be difficult to deal with since their leaves are so small. I will go into more detail about the habits of the Escambron nodes later on. Always protect these guys from cold just like any other tropical tree you may have with PLENTY of artificial light.
Watering:
Escambrons are not very thirsty trees. They have the watering needs of bougainvillea from personal experience, meaning they do not like sitting in soggy soil and can go longer without watering (to an extent). Although they may ask for additional water in more porous soil even if it is not completely dry. While they prefer not to have wet feet, missing out on watering will make them droop and drop their leaves like crazy if neglected (I may or may not be speaking from personal experience on that one...).
Fertilizing:
For some reason, they do not seem to like BioGold all that much. But a friend of mine has had a good experience with fish-based fertilizer and his Escamrbons have been doing fantastic. If anyone has any insight on fertilizing recommendations, let me know!
Pruning:
As mentioned, these guys grow nodes along the branches in order to produce leaves and additional branching. So with this in mind, you have to consider dieback while pruning (preferably during the springtime after the last frost date). Now Escambrons will not necessarily dieback like a Brazilian Raintree is known to do, but it does require some space before the next node*. The cleaner the cut, the lesser the dieback. Now it is important to mention that Escambrons love to grow from where they were recently pruned, which is great if you prefer the clip-and-grow technique, but not so great if you already have a long branch without much else to it. The best way to get back budding, according to Bonsai Junky on Facebook, is through defoliation during the springtime so it has time to recover and receive sun during the summer.
P.S. Always wire after defoliating. These guys do not have thorns, but they do have sharp ends that protect the leaves from being crushed. The nodes pave the way for you to wire them with ease. Just make sure you do not wire over the node in the sense of preventing new growth from occurring.
* Additional Note: I have had no encounters with dieback along the trunk nor primary branches while removing limbs. So you should not have to worry about this from my experience so far. It is mainly an issue when trimming back the ends of limbs.
Repotting:
These guys take repotting like a champ. Yes, they will be grumpy for a couple of weeks, but they bounce back very quickly if you handle the process correctly. Just be mindful of the amount of roots you remove (I would say no more than 40%) and not to fertilize too soon after repotting. Of course, always repot during the spring after the last frost date. BUT, if you are in need to repot it sooner rather than later (bad soil has been killer for me), they can handle being repotted indoors and put under a grow light again (as long as the grow light isn't too close). I am still learning the habits of Escambron roots, so this may need some elaboration later on down the line when I repot my Tall Boi.
I hope this helps someone who is still learning about their tree!
