Rescued bonsai trees

Hi All,

Well I have taken on another rescue case. This time my Mother-in-Laws Bonsai trees.

They belonged to her husband who died last year, and they along with his Bonsai and Japanese Garden were his pride and joy. They used to send them to a Bonsai Specialist, but as is often the case, her husbands death has left her totally and utterly unable to pay for them to be seen to, and she thought that me being good with daffodils and the like would be able to do something ( er....ok I will try-thinking of you guys). She thinks they are dead-that they have died with her husband.

I can`t afford to get someone in any more than she can so I have to do it myself.


My first instinct is to find out if they are in fact dead-leaves have shed and there are some obviously dead branches, but I think they are still alive-they look strong in the main branches. I have watered them lightly and given them a very mild fungicide spray.

I am going to post some pics of each of them tonight, but just thinking in the meantime, whilst it`s daylight and the shops are open are there any kits I can quickly buy that may do some sort of tests etc.

And also just hoping there are some Bonsai experts on here really.


Here`s to hoping

 

Claire, I have a beginners Bonsai Book, I don't need would you like it. Let me know and I'll mail it to you. I don't have the book because of interest, it was given to me.

 

Hi Red,

What a kind offer, but are you sure chuck? It`s a long way over.

 

I could send it book rate, should be cheap. And you can owe me a drink when I visit you. How's that.

 

Some great information on this site
http://www.bonsai4me.com/index.htm

 

Thanks for that Sam, I will be contacting him with pics to see what, if anything can be done. I do hope so for her sake.

 

Do you have a local Bonsai society near by Claire or a fuchsia society our Fuchsia society we also have a member who is in the Bonsai society and have been very helpful.

Goodluck Lollipop and sorry to hear of sadness in your family take care.
http://www.bonsaihelp.com/

http://www.bonsaidiarydil.co.uk/online help.htm

Here are two more may be of some help to you .

 

Hello lolli ... I have only just come upon this thread as I'm not on as much at the moment due to visitors so missing lots of posts.

I'm not an expert at Bonsai but has been a hobby for about 15 years. It would be useful to know whether the trees are evergreen and/or deciduous so it the leaf loss could be determined.

Here is a recent link regarding them within which there are other links which you may be useful.

http://www.gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=18064&highlight=bonsai

Bonsai have to be tended to daily and often several times a day, ie, watering. Once established, that is all you need to do on a regular basis and yearly trim. They say a pet is for life .... Bonsai is for life and beyond .... our center here has trees many hundreds of years old. For the several years I travelled between the UK and here, my little family of trees travelled with me.

It must also be remembered that for the most part Bonsai are trees and shrubs whose normal habitat is outdoors ... they need air. One of the greatest failures of success is keeping them indoors especially in unnatural conditions, ie, central heating.

Hope this sheds a little light on the subject.

 

Thanks LoL, and ScotKat

your hubby does them-very interesting piece of info I will tuck away for future reference.

There are two conifers and one deciduous-but I can`t tell what it is due to the nil leaf issue and the distortion done to Bonsai s.

Have you ever heard of anyone being emotional about them LoL I wonder. Because-I am angry that someone has done this to a tree. I don`t know why, but I feel enormous sympathy with them.

I have unfettered them all, and planted them in the soil ( I know it sounds ridiculous, but I feel like I have set them free).

If good Northern soil can save them, nothing will.


Re-the initial problem.

They were kept outsidealong with other Japanese plants, around his Koi Pond. They were always perfectly fine before, but as I say they have been neglected sorely, so maybe it was indeed just their time.

I am keeping my fingers crossed for them and going out (mad woman alert) talking them through it so please God-help me do this.

 

Hi again lolli.

No, I didn't say my 'hubby' does Bonsai .... he and the word gardening in any form or fashion is not synonomous (is that the word I want?) anyway ... they don't go together! It is me who has had the 'hobby' for 15 years.

I know a lot of people who do not like this sort of thing ... perhaps even emotional about it .... my sister for one abhors it. I do not find 'much' difference to this than keeping a bay tree pruned in a pot or other similar plant, say a standard rose or fucshia (which is technically a Bonsai which means a tree in a pot in both Japanese and Chinese) or someone keeping a shrub or small tree trimmed into a nice shape for aesthetic reasons in their garden. With the little ones they are just kept smaller still. I personally have never altered the trunks of mine, they are natural .... I just trim the branches and trim the leaves off to keep them small.

I am surprised you took these on taking into your account your feelings toward such a thing .... surely your Mother in Law would/could appreciate your feelings, especially since she thinks they died with her husband anyway.

As you have now planted them in the ground, I don't think any advice regarding Bonsai is necessary and I do wish you well in their growth returning to their original size.

Please keep us posted on their progress.

 

Thank LoL,

I took it on because I was pressured into it to be completely honest with you. I developed these feelings only since I have had them in my safekeeping.

Pulling the wires off and seeing the scars left behind is what set me off.

I can understand it-especially if you really do have a genuine fascination-after all I have become a peony anorak of late. But the scars-it upset me, I don`t mind telling you.

Anyway, I will certainly keep you all posted, and until they recover they are still bonsai-until they tower over me that is.

 

Lolli ... you didn't mention the wires ... I am not keen on them (bit like braces on teeth I guess). I believe the marks go away in time. I say that because I had a Prunus lusitanica in Bucks which grow to humongous heights if left to do their own devices and I had to tie a rope around it to 'straighten it' and the tree grew around the rope with no suffering consequences from the tree in latter years. The Jacaranda I photograph most here of the two I have also had a 'leaning' problem and for many years we had it 'roped' back to straighten it .... again to no suffering consequences now. The problem now is the cats using it (as it's their favourite) as a scratching post (as they did with the Bay Laurel in the UK). Now they are both scarred for life ... but with cat claws .... such is life ....

Good luck with it all and all I'll say is treat them as trees now.

 

Thanks to you for trying to help me.

 

If bonsai is done corectly, the wires should be removed/ adjusted before scaring ocours.

If you want them to return to trees then it would help to break the rootball as it will likely be very root bound

 

I`ve pulled the wires off the roots too, done a quick Carol Klein ( ie pulled them out and chopped about an inch off theM), fed them0yes I know ot`s the wrong time of year but took a leaf out of CLloyd books and decided the best time is usually when I remember to do it, mixed in a good dollop of compost(my own yippee), watered them in gently-about abucket each and left them.

I`ve put like with like, the deciduous I`ve put under the oaks, and the conifers under my.er...conifers, so it`s now in the hands of mother nature, I can`t think of anyone better qualified.