Trip to the Nursery

[florida_bonsai]

Went to my local nursery today to look around and discovered a 70% off sale on all bougainvillea! I tried to find one that was somewhat reasonably priced (the one I picked came to about $10) and had good trunk character (bark and movement). I think I picked a good one out but I'm not entirely sure which direction to go with it not that I've got it home. It's currently in a 7 gallon nursery pot, but I'll try to get it into something smaller in the spring. Would really appreciate some input as to possible directions to go with this tree.

 

[florida_bonsai]

I also got this "little" juniper today for $9.99. The tag said it was juniperus chinensis 'parsonii'. Its hard to see from the pictures but the trunk is pretty large (1-1.5 inch caliper) and splits into 2 or 3 smaller branches inside the mass of foliage. Not sure what I'm going to do with it yet but for now ill just give it plenty of sun and water and take another look at it in a couple months.

 

[QuintinBonsai]

The bougie is nice. One thing is for certain, you have to figure out what you're going to do with what's circled in red. Concerning the very lowest branch, is there a way you could bend that one to the right so that it's not crossing the trunk?

 

[Smoke]

Went to my local nursery... but I'm not entirely sure which direction to go with it ....Would really appreciate some input

Not sure what I'm going to do with it yet but for now ill just give it plenty of sun and water and take another look at it in a couple months.

I just bought a cobalt laser and I'm not sure what to do with it. Can anyone give me some direction?

 

[florida_bonsai]

The bougie is nice. One thing is for certain, you have to figure out what you're going to do with what's circled in red. Concerning the very lowest branch, is there a way you could bend that one to the right so that it's not crossing the trunk?

Its a decently thick branch, and it's not very pliable when I try and bend it with my hand. I might be able to move it slowly with some thick wire but it could also break. Do you think that branch is necessary? Its pretty close to where a larger branch was removed, should I just remove it at its base?

 

[florida_bonsai]

I just bought a cobalt laser and I'm not sure what to do with it. Can anyone give me some direction?

Those were related to two different trees, but touché smoke...touché.

 

[Smoke]

Glad you have a sense of humor.

I think it is prudent to buy material with a thought in mind rather than purchase something and hope like hell something can be done with it that the buyer doesn't see. It is OK to buy something very simple and play with it gaining experience while doing it and learning how things work so that good decisions can be made later.

I took some pottery classes some years ago. I wanted to try my hand at the pottery wheel. The teacher made me spend two weeks just learning how to center a blob of clay on the wheel.


Baby steps.

 

[markyscott]

I just bought a cobalt laser and I'm not sure what to do with it. Can anyone give me some direction?

How about hair removal...

Scott

 

[edprocoat]

You could chop that at both ends, Bougies grow like weeds anyway. I would definitely chop it just above the bottom branch and cut off about 2/3rds of the root mass. It would sprout buds all over the trunk in a few weeks.

ed

 

[Neli]

1 I do root work on bougies through out the warm month. Take cuttings in summer too.
2 dont cut anything yet...cut it just at the beginning of spring for maximum back budding.
You might consider shortening the tree from bellow or from above.
3 I do drastic root reductions...up to 100%...without problems.
4 you have several trunk lines there...two for informal upright and one for cascade.
Which ever you decide on...dont cut off just as yet the continuation of the trunk but use it as escape branch to fatten lower trunk some more.
dont bother with jin on bougie...they rot....and they rot so much that I plant them in very large particle soil 6-7mm without any organics in it and make sure no part of the trunk is bellow soil level.
Hope this helps.

 

[florida_bonsai]

1 I do root work on bougies through out the warm month. Take cuttings in summer too.
2 dont cut anything yet...cut it just at the beginning of spring for maximum back budding.
You might consider shortening the tree from bellow or from above.
3 I do drastic root reductions...up to 100%...without problems.
4 you have several trunk lines there...two for informal upright and one for cascade.
Which ever you decide on...dont cut off just as yet the continuation of the trunk but use it as escape branch to fatten lower trunk some more.
dont bother with jin on bougie...they rot....and they rot so much that I plant them in very large particle soil 6-7mm without any organics in it and make sure no part of the trunk is bellow soil level.
Hope this helps.

Thanks for the advice Neli! I'm sure that there is some trunk beneath the soil line right now. Should I be removing some of the top soil to make sure that the entire trunk is exposed?

 

[edprocoat]

1 I do root work on bougies through out the warm month. Take cuttings in summer too.
2 dont cut anything yet...cut it just at the beginning of spring for maximum back budding.
You might consider shortening the tree from bellow or from above.
3 I do drastic root reductions...up to 100%...without problems.
4 you have several trunk lines there...two for informal upright and one for cascade.
Which ever you decide on...dont cut off just as yet the continuation of the trunk but use it as escape branch to fatten lower trunk some more.
dont bother with jin on bougie...they rot....and they rot so much that I plant them in very large particle soil 6-7mm without any organics in it and make sure no part of the trunk is bellow soil level.
Hope this helps.

But then again Neli its always spring in Florida.

Like I posted earlier, they grow like weeds and can be hacked severely at both ends simultaneously .....



ed

 

[florida_bonsai]

But then again Neli its always spring in Florida.

Like I posted earlier, they grow like weeds and can be hacked severely at both ends simultaneously .....



ed

So true ed! We have two seasons down here...hot and hotter. But the endless spring/summer is great for raising tropicals!

 

[Neli]

But then again Neli its always spring in Florida.

Like I posted earlier, they grow like weeds and can be hacked severely at both ends simultaneously .....



ed

I was not sure which part of Florida he is from...he he he

So true ed! We have two seasons down here...hot and hotter. But the endless spring/summer is great for raising tropicals!

Dont need to do that...just dont overwater it and keep it on the dry side...I normally remove any soil in packets that is above the roots but then I have gardeners that water in a frenzy 3 times a day....
this is how I plant my bougies, and what my gardeners do to them...

 

[Cadillactaste]

Not sure how I missed a thread about a bougainvillea...I think it could have potential, it looks to have a bit of thickness to the trunk. Though...do bougainvillea have die back from pruning branches at all? I first thought these were delicate trees. But later learned they can be chopped and roots grow on thick pieces of wood. So...not as delicate as once seen.

I would love to see updates of this tree at a later date.