Big Benjamina Freebie

[jason biggs]

this tree is coming along superbly but that one aerial root isn't doing you any favours....
for a benjamina it really has some potential.

 

[Woocash]

Great thread! Really nice progression year on year. I’m not going to argue with your vision, because you’ve stuck to your guns so far and got great results, but I do prefer the trunk line on post 31. This current selection seems to offer less movement, but I understand why you’ve chosen it, based on the nebari. I think the best thing about this species is that you can change your mind about something and it’ll only take a year or two to totally transform the look.

 

[MHBonsai]

this tree is coming along superbly but that one aerial root isn't doing you any favours....
for a benjamina it really has some potential.

Thanks! I agree on the aerial root. It will go eventually. I'm keeping it to help heal the big chop on the back.

 

[MHBonsai]

Another cutting from this one I rooted two years back that I've been playing with.

 

[MHBonsai]

Aaand one more. This is the old apex cut off last spring. Rooted in spagnum and repotted.

They will never be amazing trees, but they make for good gifts and club raffle starter trees.

 

[MHBonsai]

More messing around with cuttings. Summer time I potted this one in a really shallow oval.



Then the awesome combo of 80 degrees + 100% humidity + neglect in the back of the grow tent forced out a TON of aerial roots.



I like the look. It hides some of the awkward trunk. I wanna keep the roots growing but that pot is too small. Need wide and shallow.







Hoping for back budding! Benjamina grows so fast in the right conditions. Fun.

 

[MHBonsai]

Another good winter in the grow tent. Defoliated and cut back so I can see what I’ve got. Struggled a little with scale this year too.

I need to develop the right first grafted branch this summer. I will let it run. The apex still has a long way to go ramifying as well. The rest I’ll regularly cut back until it balances completely.

Benjaminas are quick . 3.5 years.

27” tall from top of pot

 

[MHBonsai]

I’ll end up carving out the big wounds when it gets hot and is really growing hard. They are showing a bit of decay and the callus growth has slowed.

 

[boguz]

Great progress, thank you for sharing for all this work

 

[MHBonsai]

 

[sorce]

That.... Is the Jam!

Sorce

 

[MHBonsai]

Still a long way to go, but I'm pleased. I'm going to gradually keep ramifying and widening the canopy. First right branch has a long way to go to catch up.

 

[MHBonsai]

 

[Iowa newbie]

Struggled a little with scale this year too.

Incredible work, very impressive, what did you use to treat the scale?

 

[MHBonsai]

Incredible work, very impressive, what did you use to treat the scale?

Thanks. The most effective thing I've found on tropicals is defoliation and squishing the buggers by hand. Then neem oil and keep them outside. In the grow tent they have no predators which makes it harder.

 

[just.wing.it]

Great thread, nice work, very cool!

 

[ShadyStump]

Following, for cool ideas.

 

[19Mateo83]

@MHBonsai awesome tree and great thread! I will be following this one as well. Great work on this benji

 

[MHBonsai]

Repot time.

Filled several of the big cuts with epoxy to give the tree something solid to callous over.

Nebaris getting fatter, branches thickening. I’m letting the low right branch run this summer.





The back isn’t too shabby.

 

[MHBonsai]

Cut back and ready for the summer heat.