Hi, zabel8484

Your shui lian hua is an interesting material for bonsai, if you control its grow and reduce the leaves size,
and when it comes to the stage of maturity and flower starts blooming, it will be just beautiful.


By the way, how much you paid for it ?

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Added on December 24, 2012, 10:36 pm

The fruit is edible. Each of the ripen fruit is said to contain vitamin c equivalent to an orange.

This post has been edited by Bonsailelong: Dec 24 2012, 10:36 PM

Hi G400x2

Your Christmas gift bonsai belongs to the Serrisa family. Serrisa foetida - Common name - June snow
It has small leaves and bear small white sparkling white flowers covering the top of the plant. that's why it's called June snow.
It cannot be placed in full sun condition. 70 to 80% of sun will be just fine for healthy grow.
Required plenty of water and little fertilizer. Over fertilizer and sunlight will cause the leaves turn yellow and drop.
The shoots will grow very fast, constant trimming can give thick beautiful foliage at the branches.

I like to use it to to create Tanuki Bonsai ( unlike the Japanese they use Juniper)

Here's 2 of my Serrisa for sharing, I've not trim them from sometimes and they look a bit messy.



(Will post photos of some better looking Serrisa later of the week.)

---

Added on December 25, 2012, 10:58 pm

BONSAI MATERIALS - Part 1

If any body think that he or she buys a small seedling or a grow from branch cutting ,
plant it in a pot and give all the care to it and hope one day it will become one like we see at the bonsai exhibition
or competition. I'll say that will never happen. Even a shohin bonsai, if plant from a seeding in a pot that might take a long long time. (or will never able to achieve the expectation)

I've been to a bonsai nursery several years ago, while admiring the bonsai on the displace benches and non intention asked the nursery owner about his source of supply,
unwillingly he answered " Plant my own lah ". I began to get curious and started investigating. I saw at the end of his nursery got a low zinc fence, so looked over and saw something
simply amazing. Lots of difference species of plant tall and short, growing in rows - that was a bonsai nursing yard!

Nothing grows better and faster other than on the ground because that's our Mother Earth.

And so from that day onward I bought only grows from cuttings, small seedling plants of difference species, started to learn air layering, propaganda from branches cuttings &.......
so on & so on.

Unfortunately, I've limited space in my garden, and yet by making use of the land between the road and the sides of my house I started my very own Bonsai Nursing Yard.

(to be con't)

This post has been edited by Bonsailelong: Dec 28 2012, 08:15 AM

BONSAI MATERIALS - Part 2

CHRISTMAS CLEAR UP

" You have already got so many bonsai inside and yet you wanna plant outside, not only make the house look messy but also inviting
toads, monitor lizard, rat, snakes ...blafff ...blaffff & blafffff...... gone crazy ah!?"
Despite the grumbling from my wife, the craze went on....

In actual fact, she's right. My so called Bonsai Nursery Yard is a mess. Only occasionally I dug up some bigger plants and potted them
and left all the weeds grow as freely as they wish.

And so I decided to do a clear up of the area during the Christmas Holidays.

Here some photos of my "Bonsai Nursery Yard " for sharing.

First, some Juniperous Shimpaku ( somebody called it Chinese Juniper, or Japanese Juniper or Taiwan Juniper or even American Juniper...only the needle leaves has a bit of difference.)

These was dug up and transfer to ground inside my garden because I don't want them to get stolen. (Main trunk still not big enough to do first shaping.)



No more place for this one to go inside and facing the risk to be stolen any time.



Another one facing the risk....



Replacement to the empty spaces



All mixed up but at least no more weeds.



One of my Murraya Paniculata with a 70mm diameter stump. Still not big enough to be potted.



Big bushy Wet Indian Cherrys



Simply give this one some cutting.



A Limau Rawit - Tiphasia Tripholea planted from a 3 ins seedling one year ago



My poor Hokkien Tea full of weeds and badly infected



Just cut it round and sprayed with insecticide.



Some Shuei Mei - Wrighthia Religiosa



Juniperous Horizontalis - "Toh Jong"



My one and only Causurina with a 70mm diameter stump



Ooop! Pufff! "Flying" creepy bambo !!??

False crypress - A 7 ft tall "fellow" What should I do with it ?

Enough ! Enough ! I think I'll clear that portion during the New Year Holidays !



( to be con't)

This post has been edited by Bonsailelong: Dec 26 2012, 10:53 PM

Hope u don't mind to post the photos of your boxwood again just by it self - 2 directions (front and back)

For the others hope u are not paying high price for them, I think each of the plant should not be more than RM 10.

Will try to give my suggestions to your bonsai tonight when I return home after works.

This post has been edited by VincC454: Dec 28 2012, 01:49 PM

Hi Zabel 84x2

I wish not to hurt your feeling but I got to say you shouldn't buy this Boxwood.
It looks very unhealthy, may be due to over exposure to hot sun or what should I say ... expired goods.

Since you have bought it , I give you a suggestion.
Plant it again in a bigger pot, an ordinary round flat type of pot, use 2 portions of coconut fiber block soil mix with 3 portions of hard burnt red soil- mix well.
Don't put the soil up to the top, leave about half an in from the top of the pot for easy watering purpose.
Put in half- sun location and let it grows for 2 to 3 months and see whether you can start shaping it or not.

There are some simple tips in starting bonsai -
Don't be hurry to re pot you bonsai, let it get use to new environment first.
Don't be hurry to buy a bonsai pot, let your bonsai grows, started shaping, then eventually only choose a pot to suit and look nice.
Buy a bonsai without exposed roots ( aired roots species like ficus is difference) and if possible to have the first branch approx. one third the height of the plant.

For your shui mui, I suggest you cut off the side roots and leave only a single stem.

Hey,I nearly forget, you are in Melaka right? Only 40 mins drive from my place.

Why not PM me?

This post has been edited by Bonsailelong: Dec 28 2012, 08:13 AM

This is a specie of Hokkien Tea. But not the actual bonsai Hokkien Tea.
There are many people plant this as bush fencing around their house.
But still you can train it to become a bonsai.

---

Added on December 27, 2012, 11:07 pm

Sorry I shouldn't use that description.

The stem of the boxwood will tell the difference, I'll try to pose some close up photos of boxwood stem tomorrow.

This post has been edited by Bonsailelong: Dec 27 2012, 11:10 PM

You mean sulfur lime solution?

Can get from Sanfong Bonsai at Semenyih.

Check this out you will get the address

马来西亚盆栽交流站bonsai malaysia | Facebook
www.facebook.com/...bonsai-malaysia/116169048

This post has been edited by Bonsailelong: Dec 28 2012, 05:03 PM

[quote=g400g400,Dec 28 2012, 10:53 AM]
[quote=Bonsailelong,Dec 27 2012, 11:03 PM]


This is a specie of Hokkien Tea. But not the actual bonsai Hokkien Tea.
There are many people plant this as bush fencing around their house.
But still you can train it to become a bonsai.

---

Added on December 27, 2012, 11:07 pm


Bonsailelong, can you show us the actual bonsai Hokkien Tea. TQVM

[/quote]



Hokkien Tea, the Google spelling is Fukien Tea. Botanical name - ehretia micropylla

The bush fencing specie is ehretia micropylla lam, common name - wild tea.

You can search from Google and read about their differences.

The wild tea can be found all over in my neighborhood, growing wild.


a wild tea bush by the side of the main road.


My neighbor's wild tea bush fencing.

This post has been edited by Bonsailelong: Dec 28 2012, 09:23 PM

Hi, Zabel84x2

Here are some photos of my young boxwood grown from cutting.

(sorry, photo quality is poor.)

the stem should be whitish in color and foliage should looks fresh green.

This post has been edited by Bonsailelong: Dec 28 2012, 09:34 PM

BONSAI MATERIALS - Part 3

REDISCOVERY

somethings behind the bushes ?!



Wow! The Serrisa I left more than a year ago still around!



Time to go back to the garden.



( I started planting and propaganda the species few years back. It grow very easily, and I got too many
of them and began to get fed up. So I simply left them out there not expecting them to grow well
and get stolen. Well, looks like I got to shape them up and accept them back to the garden again.)

I think ..I just clear the area around the tree stumps will do..

We won't call it Water Jasmine without a reason.

" Why did I plant them so near to each other in the first place?"

"Hi, little fellow please don't make too much noise after a rainy day"

Beautiful but poisonous.

I must start figure out how to shape this Weeping Willow to become a bonsai before it grows into a BIG tree!



..Should I start cutting some branches ... air layering branches so that I can get....

" Dinner is RRRReady !" calling from the house.

" O K, coming."

should I cut at this position.... or lower...

" Are You going to take your dinner or eat your bonsai !!!"


( Final part - Hiding place for toads, snake.... Prenma Nursery yard )

This post has been edited by Bonsailelong: Dec 29 2012, 10:18 PM

HI ,Zabel 84x2

Sanfong bonsai is the place that I always like to go. It's not a big place (like Ho Min Yuen in Melaka) but got lots of terrific, stunting bonsai for sale. Terrific prices too!

The bonsai materials are fantastic (+ the prices), for most of the bonsai materials sold there one got to have some knowledge before can train them into good looking bonsai.

However all I've bought from there were bonsai anak only.

If you are thinking of dropping by, you are most welcome. Give me a sms to confirm your arrival.

O K. Out for the time been.

will be back after dinner to post something.

Hi, Zabel 84x2

You are talking about writing a book on bonsai....
Well, I hope you are only joking.
There are so many bonsai masters, grand masters, professionals ........ in our country.
People like Abang Yie - (Pls refer to his block Mat Yie Garden), Mr.Robert Looi, Mr. Chong Hon Thong, Chegu Yau from Seremban, Mr. Chong Yong Yap, Mr. Lim of Kim Loong Bonsai at Mantin (expert in mini and small Wrighthia Religiosa bonsai. His 3 acres bonsai nursery is so well set up that when you enter, you don't feel like leaving. Unfortunately, no photos are allowed.)
and so on & so on.......

Zabel 48x2. Your Limau is actually Limau Rawit or Sang Kit, botanical name - Tiphasia Tripholea.
It is actually a good bonsai material, however by looking at the photo of your limau, It's simply too thin and tall.
I think it's more suitable to trim to become bonsai like garden tree rather than a bonsai.

Here's my suggestion.



or if your are willing to sacrifice all the top portion, cut as indicated and let back bud of new branches than from there wire and control it's grow
and train it into a thin shohin bonsai.



For G400x2's Fukien Tea.....
It looks quite out of proportion. Here's my suggestions.

Cut the lower branches foliage smaller, always expose the branches & don't let leaves grow up to the main stem.

The top 3 levels make the tree look out balanced. Cut all of them the away and let the new shoots grow back and form one cone like apex only.
Fukien Tea can grow very fast, don't worry about over cutting (but not cut until botak)
Your Fukien Tea looks very healthy and over feeding. I suggest you don't put any fertilizer at this stage and do defoliation. the grow back leaves will definitely be smaller.

Zeba84x2

By looking at some photos of your space, I give you a suggestion.
Buy a 60% medium size bonsai, say not more than 3 ft high. Put it in the center, then surround it with smaller size ones and mini size ones of difference species.

---

Added on December 30, 2012, 10:16 pm

You have spotted it !
Is this one belongs to you?

This post has been edited by Bonsailelong: Dec 30 2012, 10:16 PM

Did some works to these today.







...cut away the roots...brush clean the stem..

...and they are more than happy to be back on the old wooden bench again.

This post has been edited by Bonsailelong: Dec 30 2012, 10:56 PM

Thanks for the applause
I'm no master but just got the craze with bonsai. And still learning... learning.
I intent to start off on Juniper and Premna and hope to put my hand on creating jigs and dead wood.
Any green horn in bonsai are welcome to post questions here, and if they are within my knowledge,
I'll try my best to answer.,,

Will post some things to show how to do air layering later.

Zabel84x2

I sympathize your friend's father. His bonsai look lack of maintenance, now become more like garden plants. Can't blame.
His Prenma requires some fine crafting works, will than look fantastic.

If you really want to spend some money on bonsai, I propose something like the followings.

Prenma Microphylla

A small size easy for maintenance, price +/- rm120 at Sanfong.



Probably rm300++

Why not get a cucur attap.

Get one without dead wood, easy maintenance for beginner. Price rm300 ++



Since you have limited space, I suggest you get one of each, Premna and cucur attap. Put them on the highest stands in
the middle of your place, than arrange others, of coarse medium and small size around them. sure your will feel great with what
you have that way.

( The idea is plan your displace, than look for what is suitable in term of species and sizes, and bonsai stands is also an important part of it.)

This post has been edited by Bonsailelong: Jan 1 2013, 07:36 PM

My 2013 New Year Bonsai Wish.

Wish my Boxwoods will turn into like this



.... and like this..



... and like this..



.. and ... and ...n... &....

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL AND MAY YOUR WISHES COME TRUE!