Your guidance please!

[heisenberg]

Hi all,

Another newbie to bonsai requesting your ideas on what to do with my tree.

I was gifted this little tree by my friend who bought it on a whim at a local market but never got into bonsai. He thinks it is a conifer and is approximately 5 years old (from what he can recall). He has no idea what soil it is potted in, but to me it looks like some sort of fine sand/gravel + dirt mix.

I've been doing a bit of bonsai education and my vision for this plant would be an informal upright style. I see it as a masculine plant and feel that it is going to need repotting into a shallow rectangular unglazed pot of earthen colour. I live in New Zealand and we are currently in winter, so have a couple of months until spring to repot. For all I know it may be covered in root fungus. Anyway, these are the things I am not sure about:

- Is this plant too young to repot, or should I leave it in the bigger pot for now?
- When does the pruning process begin, and how do you think I should go about this?
- What should I do with the branches? I feel like they are starting to grow too vertically and think they may need some wiring to give them a more horizontal appearance

Any other ideas would be much appreciated. Sorry about the poor photo quality. The leaves look white but don't worry that is just the crappy camera - the close up gives a better view of the leaves.
Cheers!

 

[Stan Kengai]

Mr. Heisenberg, I see you're uncertain . . .

This plant is a Hinoki cypress. You should keep the plant in this pot for the remainder of the year, so long as it is draining. Even at this size, hinoki's only need repotting bi-annually. Make sure the surface of the soil dries slightly between watering because the pot is on the larger size for the plant. No pruning just yet. Keep it in full sun and fertilize regularly. At this size, you want the branches to go horizontal to get some movement in the trunk.

 

[sorce]

Welcome to Crazy!

Better Call Saul.

Sorce

 

[heisenberg]

Thanks Stan, would you suggest wiring the branches to get them to go horizontal now?
What type of fertiliser is good for bonsai?

 

[aml1014]

Welcome to Crazy!

Better Call Saul.

Sorce

Both shows ruined my city.

Aaron

 

[M. Frary]

Both shows ruined my city.

Aaron

They expose the seedy underbelly?

 

[aml1014]

They expose the seedy underbelly?

Not only that, but you'll never guess what I was asked the other day during a traffic stop, the cop says "do you have any weapons or axes in the vehicle" well I laughed at him and got a speeding ticket lol

Aaron

 

[Vance Wood]

Thanks Stan, would you suggest wiring the branches to get them to go horizontal now?
What type of fertiliser is good for bonsai?

Do not wire anything on any tree that is not woody. The Hinoki Cypress is kind of fussy about having this kind of growth messed with.

The green growth on a Hinoki is the source of all budding that takes place on the tree. There is a function of trees that you are going to hear about, sooner or latter, it is called back budding.

Hinoki Cypress is notoriously bad at doing this, and it becomes critically important that the green growth is protected and delt with carefully. When the green is gone the ability to produce the kind of growth that make bonsai look like bonsai.

 

[heisenberg]

So, a small amount of wiring to make the lower branch more horizontal. I also do not like how the two upper branches form a V-shape and may have to straighten one of these vertically.

I do wonder whether the bonsai has taken too much damage already - I can see that some of the more proximal foliage on the branches are turning brown and falling off in the wind and there are cracks in the forks of the branches - I wonder if this is a sign of disease or just normal winter process. I've added a couple of photos to show. What do you think?

 

[sorce]

Not only that, but you'll never guess what I was asked the other day during a traffic stop, the cop says "do you have any weapons or axes in the vehicle" well I laughed at him and got a speeding ticket lol

Aaron

But you Probly did have an axe right?

I got pruners a folding saw and a knife all the time.

Shoulda just hit em with the axe!

You know what I got told once after an accident with no insurance?

If you have any weapons or drugs on you....just put em back in your car.

Sorce

 

[sorce]

turning brown and falling off in the wind

The soil looks muddy....

Your NZ boy @fredman got a good place to get soil....pumice...

Sorce

 

[heisenberg]

Yeah been terribly rainy here and soil doesn't seem to drain as quick as hoped- might have to change to whatever @fredman suggests

 

[aml1014]

But you Probly did have an axe right?

I got pruners a folding saw and a knife all the time.

Shoulda just hit em with the axe!

You know what I got told once after an accident with no insurance?

If you have any weapons or drugs on you....just put em back in your car.

Sorce

No axe.
But I was coming home from my grandmother's property camping and had 2 ponderosas that would've been difficult to convince were legal, luckily I have 5 percent tint. Lol

Aaron

 

[eferguson1974]

Axes are not allowed. Bonsai hammers are recomended for any and all problems..

 

[Vance Wood]

You realize that in some circles a guitar is called an ax?

 

[sorce]

And in some other circles....

Playing a flying V is considered joining the mile high club!

Walter White...lol.... @heisenberg
I think Fredman uses pumice exclusively.
It is highly recommended in any corner of the earth...

Adjust watering accordingly.

Sorce

 

[GrimLore]

Axes are not allowed. Bonsai hammers are recomended for any and all problems..

Just picked up a new rockbreaker pick axe...

Adjust watering accordingly.

With equal parts of WTF - I can't tell you what I do works there all I can say is what works here as with everyone else. It takes awhile but making Adjustments is a learning process

Grimmy

 

[jomawa]

Axes are not allowed. Bonsai hammers are recomended for any and all problems..

So it's true then, beating on (or off) your bonsai with a hammer, creates wonderful trunk character???

 

[eferguson1974]

NO! Not a hammer. A bonsai hammer! You cant beat your trunk with any ol' hammer. Even I know that, and Im a fng.
Do you use cut paste while trunk beating? Someone will surely say its better when done dry.
Idk, you cant get that stuff here..
As far as guitars go, you shouldnt beat your Stratocaster, gentle stroking is the better way of handling them. But you can really bang on your little Les Paul hard. They all sound aweful lest made of hammered trunk bonsai wood.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Split forks come from handling or too much weight on limb. Suggest wire(carefully)only to support breaks until healed. May take 2-3 years or more so wire should not be tight. When can be repotted should put in bigger growing container to grow some trunk size. Do not worry about "Bonsai" pots for growing/developing trees. Save money for when ready to show off or display semi finished tree.