Acacia Advice, Please?

Herman / YukiShiro

Yes, general care --- watering, feeding, sun exposure, any major pests I should be aware of: things like that. I think it was trimmed by the nursery, judging by the shoots which I can see have been clipped. I've moved the tree into the full sun, at the advice given. :) Thank you for all the advice! I'll go check out the websites you provided. :p
Definitely going to have fun doing some research on Acacia Galpinii. :)
P.S: In case I don't find seagrow (doubtful, but just in case), is there anything else I can use? When spreading the pellets of seagrow, does it matter that the top layer of the Bonsai is comprised of little stones and not sand?
 
hi,

I must correct myself, it is seamungus pellets, seagrow is fish emulsion(liquid fertilizer), and no it does not matter if it was stones, we generally don't use fine sand in our bonsai mixes, anything from 4mm to 8mm in diameter is fine depending on the size of your tree,

Best regards
Herman
 
@Neli is in Zambia and she's brilliant! Maybe she gets down to SA now and again. It sounds like you are on your way to getting help @Angela! At 18 you have what many of us don't, time! Enjoy bonsai, be patient, always learn and never give up. Come back often and tell us how you are progressing.
 
milehigh_7 said:
@Neli is in Zambia and she's brilliant! Maybe she gets down to SA now and again. It sounds like you are on your way to getting help @Angela! At 18 you have what many of us don't, time! Enjoy bonsai, be patient, always learn and never give up. Come back often and tell us how you are progressing.
Click to expand...

... and I'd add, get a few other plants to love over" too, that way you won't strangle your tree like Linus with his blanket, unlike a new puppy, most trees thrive when we provide the basics and leave the wire and trimmers to the appropriate times of the year
 
Angela said:
Bonsai is comprised of little stones and not sand?
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Angela if you looking for good home made soil for your tree then look no further than Herman. He makes his own. You might even get together with him and have a rock and brick bashing day....You'll have to bring your own hammer though..... :p
 
Craigm said:
There are some Acacia which are not African that have thorns also,
Acacia lasiocarpa native to Aus is one,
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Craig I find that interesting. I've often wondered if any Aussie Acacias has thorns. All the ones i've seen don't have any. Is it only this one or is there more? Is there any with a hooked thorn?
 
fredman said:
Craig I find that interesting. I've often wondered if any Aussie Acacias has thorns. All the ones i've seen don't have any. Is it only this one or is there more? Is there any with a hooked thorn?
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Hi @fredman , there are probably more than a few but 2 are
Acacia farnesiana and Acacia aphylla, not sure about the hooked types though.
 
fredman said:
You'll have to bring your own hammer though..... :p
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Last time I got my hands on a hammer (we were attempting to do some woodwork) I accidentally smashed my Dad's thumb ... it went blue ... He wasn't impressed. :D:D:rolleyes: Making soil? That's pretty cool! I just chuck leaves and eggshells into a pot and let it rot, then add that to my carrot patch ... Pretty basic ... I should try to improve that ... Hope everyone's holiday season (if you celebrate Christmas) is going well! :p
 
SKBonsaiGuy said:
like Linus with his blanket ... we provide the basics and leave the wire and trimmers to the appropriate times of the year
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Who is Linus? :) I will definitely keep my fussing to the minimum, then. Luckily I still have my herb garden to play with ... :p
 
Angela said:
View attachment 125679 View attachment 125680 View attachment 125681

Thank you for the welcome, all! :)

Here's some pictures. (The silver-y stringy plant on the left of the tree is an air plant.) The bark of the tree looks a bit darker as I just watered it, as the soil was on the turn of dryness. I watered until water ran from the pot a little bit, then a few minutes later I watered again, as the first watering the roots may not have got wet, due to water running between the soil and the pot, possibly -- is this correct? I felt the soil a bit later and it was damp, but a dry sort. My tiny patch of moss is bright green.

As you can see in the second image, the soil seems to be a basic organic mix (?).
I live in South Africa, for a reference to climate. :) I tried finding out what species it is, but no such luck. The nursery didn't tell my parents, and I really can't tell -- if anyone there is able to inform me, it would be appreciated. :p

(Hopefully I posted the pictures correctly ... I'm not the best with technology, ironically enough ... :rolleyes:)
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Hi Angela. Welcome to the forum.

Like Herman said you have an acacia Galpinii (Monkey Thorn) and they can make very nice bonsai.

Lets start at the beginning. Where in South Africa are you based? The reason I ask this is because if you live in the Cape, you will treat your tree differently then what people do in Durban and again differently what we do here in Johannesburg. Let me know where you are based and I could also assist with recommending a club and someone you could contact. Joining a club is definitiley the best thing a new person could do when they start bonsai. You will save yourself many years of hardships, disappointments etc by spending time with likeminded bonsai enthusiatists that can dirrect you in the right direction

You have a good start for a tree there so you will have to decide on a style for the tree. (If you join a club you will get much advice and help on that) Till then, have a look at google. Type in monkey thorn bonsai, have a look at the images for inspiration.

Please post more pictures of the tree. Take one looking at it from directly from the front so that we can see the tree properly from the front. Rotate the pot 90 degrees and take another. Repeat the process till you have 4 different pics which allows us all to have a basic 360 degree view of the tree. We will then also be able to assist with future view.

Acacia do not mind that the soil gets dry (Albeit for not too long). Try not to water the trunks of acacia trees. Water the soil only. The reason for this is that the bark does tend to turn black and flack off especially right at the base of the tree. You could very easily end up with a very thin trunk at the base because of this so only water the soil.

Once again, Herman is correct. Get it into full direct sun. They thrive on it. Even if your leaves to burn off in the beginning, the new shoots will be much tougher and handle the sun perfectly. All my acacias are also outside and have no cover.

Post some more pictures etc and we can definitely help you with your tree.

PS. Your airplant is called a Tillandsia usenoides.

Hope to see some more of the tree and have more information.

Cheers
Dorian
 
Angela said:
Last time I got my hands on a hammer (we were attempting to do some woodwork) I accidentally smashed my Dad's thumb ... it went blue ... He wasn't impressed
Click to expand...

DEFINITE thing to avoid:mad::eek:! Us guys hate smashing own thumbs. Even more so when someone else does for us!
 
ps don't chuck eggshells or leaves into your soil for bonsai

Dorian Fourie said:
Like Herman said
Click to expand...

Hello @Dorian Fourie
:D
Hello Mr acacia expert! @fredman (Mean this sincerely:cool:)

Wassup @sorce !!!

hammer does not work to break the clinker smaller, pieces might take your eyes out when you hit, talking from experience :rolleyes:
I use a spitgraaf bra, can work at an angle and have some distance between me and the clinker pieces

best regards
Herman
 
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