Hi Zabel,

That sound like a good idea.
No harm trying only rm20.
Do u think u can order together for me.
PM me your Bank A/C no. or I udang u for a while till I come down to Melaka
or till the beginning of next month when g400 flys over here.

Hi Jootat,

If I'm not wrong the first photo of "shui mui" you bought is from Sanfong. I've seen quite a lot of this shape there.
It's already 80% done, However I suggest you look into the wiring at the main trunk. Any sign of "eating in", if so
unwire only the main trunk wires.
Another suggestion is that don't put any stone or rock above the soil, in a long run, the weight of the stones or rock is not only
compacting the soil but will also result uneven grow of roots which in turn affect uneven grow of foliage.

For this one which you trained yourself, You are doing a good work.
I suggest you give it a little touch up.



Re pot your " shui mui" in a higher pot, plant it vertical, cover the small exposed roots, leave the big one exposed.
cut the big branches indicated in order to give your tree a balance look. Then cut the top layer of branches shorter, let it have a cone shape image,
wire and pull the lower level of branches a bit lower and let it grow for sometimes before doing further improvement.

This post has been edited by Bonsailelong: Feb 6 2013, 09:52 PM

Hi g400x2

The specie you have is actually a type of shrubby juniper called Juniperus Procumbens.
In Chinese it's called "sleeping pine" but it's not a pine specie.
This specie of juniper is not a good material for bonsai. It's only "interested" in growing
thin, long and side way. And for it's trunk it could hardly grows up to 1.5 ins in diameter
no matter how long you grow it. But to train it to become a thin trunk medium size bonsai is quite easy.

Here is my suggestion for you juniper procumbens. Up root your tree carefully, use a sharp cutter
cut the tree into 2 as indicated with each part with root attached. Plant them in separate pots so that you got 2 plants now.
This specie has very tough life, as long as you don't cut away any roots it will grow.
Let them grow for 2 months to recover then you can start you initial shaping to both of them.

The one sloping downwards i suggest you shape it into a cascading or semi cascading style.

For the other one maybe you can try to shape like these.

or

These 2 juniper procumbens of mine are still under training. I am not so happy with their shapes and hope to improve further one day.

Well, you can re pot any time convenient to yourself.

For the "shui mui" that you bought from sanfong, I suggest you maintain it in this shape constantly.
That means any branches grows out of shape got to be cut away.



This "shui mui" might have a decent trunks and branches but lack of nebari.
If you are willing to try, you can follow my suggestion.
Uproot the tree carefully, cut away the centre main roots, leave all the side roots.
Put a layer of soil at the bottom of the same pot, then place a piece of flat stone right
at the middle of the pot and place your tree right on top of the stone. Then spread out the side roots evenly
and put back the soil. Your pot might be a bit big but it's good for nebari training. Don't worry, your "shui mui"
won't die easily.



If I find time I'll try to do and post a photo series for the bonsai tree nebari training for sharing.

Hi g400 x2,

Remember your first post on 13 Oct last year asking that this topic is still alive or not.
Then there were only 2 of us, after that Zabel joined in .....
Now this topic is back to life!
There were some real good bonsai sifu posted here before, hope they can come back to this
topic and make it more colorful and lively. But more important share out the

Come on bonsai kaki !
Let's learn from each other...

That's something we bonsai kakis are sharing beside the passion for the hobby...
Like.....
" why ! Buy bonsai again ah!?"
" Make the house meshy lah"
" spent so much... buying some lalang looking things..."
"wanna eat dinner or bonsai ? !"
n so on...so on.........
Never mind about all the nagging "bonsaing" still carry on as long we are still alive, right? Everybody ?



This post has been edited by Bonsailelong: Feb 8 2013, 11:04 PM

GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY!

HAPPY & PROSPEROUS CHINESE NEW YEAR !

Welcome soonlee33 or shall I say welcome back soonlee33.

If you have bought that from Melaka, I believe it's the nursery where Zabel always go visiting.
There's no doubt a Premna microphylla from Taiwan. It's always refer as Taiwan small leaves specie.

As you have indicated you're from Melaka < > N Sembilan. So I believe you should be nearby my place.

Anyway, hope you can share some photos of your bonsai and your experiences.

This post has been edited by Bonsailelong: Feb 8 2013, 10:11 PM

There are many great Bonsai Masters in this world, and majority of those whom have posted their own block
are from the West. Europe, England, U.S and to down south.
Of coarse that are also great bonsai masters from the East like in Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan and Malaysia.
However, I personal feel that the bonsai masters from the West are more devoting and willing to reveal their works to let the world know and learn. But the East are
very conservative like an old Chinese saying " pass your kung fu to your son but never to your daughter."
Well, we can't change other's thinking but we can do to share what we know no matter how little it can be.

Of all the bonsai blocks in the internet, I particular like the one put up by Harry Harrington -Bonsai4me.
His recent post on bonsai styling give very good simple explanations plus good photos.
Here's the link for your reading pleasure.

 Basics_StylingForms.html ( 23.36k ) Number of downloads: 55

Saving A Stump - One man's trash is another man's treasure.

This is a Wrighthia "shui mui" found in a dump site when I was throwing my unwanted plant cuttings sometimes back in 2010.
It was an amazing found because it's a single stem 6 ins diameter oval shape stump.



However only one side of the stump had got roots growing from it and the middle part of the stump had began to rotted.



The rotten part was scrapped away and the wound was brushed with a coat of bituminous compound to prevent further rotting or it might
not have a chance to survive.

then planted

After 3 months...



August last year, I transferred it to my planting yard in order to let it grows faster and develop a better root system.



Will let it grows for at least another year before start thinking of how to shape it.

(Any suggestion of shape to it at this stage?)

This post has been edited by Bonsailelong: Feb 8 2013, 11:01 PM

There is an abandon housing project not far way from my house, an empty land there became a dumping ground
for people staying nearby to throw their unwanted plant cuttings and unwanted plants. I've actually found 2 big Wrighthia
stumps from there.
Will search through my computer photos files for the other stump photos and post up when I find free times.
The rotten parts was just scrapped away by a knife, treated with sulfur lime solution and brushed on a layer of bituminous compound
(The compound used by construction workers to patched up roof leakage, it's harmless to plant.)

Can't get the meaning of your word " syelek ".

Hi Zabel

Have you came across any neglected black pine in Ho Min Yuen?
Is there any photos of Ho Min Yuen's bonsai materials that look half dead?
I shall be glad if you can post up if you've it.

Oh No! You can apply that on the dead wood of bonsai but not the bark of a live tree.
Wood varnishing compound contain spirits and other chemicals that not only dry up the surface of the bark
but also block up tree bark respiration.

Have the intention to go and look around because the last time I've been there was more than 2 years.
will decide when to go later.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Zabel WoW ! your "sui lian hua" give you a beautiful flower during this season !
Good sign of prosperity !

However I do not think is called "sui lian hua" in Chinese. "sui lian" means water lily. The family of Nymphaea.
It's not Chinese Elm for sure. It looks like a kind of Chinese tea flower. I think I've seen it in one of my trip to
China many years ago. I just can't recall. If anybody can identify it, it's definitely something interesting to know.

Well done Zabel ! You really take care of that plant the right way, if not it won't give you a beautiful flower.

I'm wrong and right with the info given in the above.

"Wrong" is it's not a kind of Chinese tea flower. It's actually a native shrub from S Africa commonly know as Purple Lavender Star Flower.
Scientific name - Grewia occidentalis.
"Right" is I've seen this beautiful flower fully bloom in a bonsai and flower show in Naming, Kwong Sai Provence in 1992, and I'm still keeping the
film developed photos.

This post has been edited by Bonsailelong: Feb 10 2013, 10:44 PM

A photo of Grewia occidentalis bonsai from the internet.

That looks more like a Long Leave Pine - Pinus palustris which can be easily grown in hot weather.
You can always check out the difference between Japanese Black Pine - Pinus thubergii and Pinus palustris from the internet.