GrampaMoses
Sapling
From 2013-2016 this mini poinsettia was grown by a window in a Christmas ornament sized pot that my father in law had gotten me. It was growing such small leaves and such small internodes that I decided to try to start training is as a bonsai. I have no earlier picture than when I first put it in bonsai soil in 2016.
I quickly tried to wire the tree and had almost every branch snap and die on me.
I then realized I needed to use clip and grow methods and saw the trunk slowly thicken over time. In 2017, the roots were growing well in bonsai soil, so I gave it a full defoliating chop to see if it was worth training as a bonsai.
It responded very well, so I continued to repot, defoliate, and clip and grow every year, putting it outside in direct sunlight during the growing season and indoors by a south facing window every winter. It has flowered for me every year. Here it is in 2018 compared to a small store bought poinsettia. Notice the difference in internode length and leaf size. The small orange pot in front is what it was grown in from 2013-2016. The period of time I have no pictures from.
Today it is getting a nice thick woody trunk and I'm very happy with the nebari. But it's the time of year for styling and I'm not sure exactly how to style this tree. I know it has a bit of a sling shot in the first split, but I'm not sure if I want to part with either side. I'd love any thoughts on how to style this before working on it.
Alternate views.
I quickly tried to wire the tree and had almost every branch snap and die on me.
I then realized I needed to use clip and grow methods and saw the trunk slowly thicken over time. In 2017, the roots were growing well in bonsai soil, so I gave it a full defoliating chop to see if it was worth training as a bonsai.
It responded very well, so I continued to repot, defoliate, and clip and grow every year, putting it outside in direct sunlight during the growing season and indoors by a south facing window every winter. It has flowered for me every year. Here it is in 2018 compared to a small store bought poinsettia. Notice the difference in internode length and leaf size. The small orange pot in front is what it was grown in from 2013-2016. The period of time I have no pictures from.
Today it is getting a nice thick woody trunk and I'm very happy with the nebari. But it's the time of year for styling and I'm not sure exactly how to style this tree. I know it has a bit of a sling shot in the first split, but I'm not sure if I want to part with either side. I'd love any thoughts on how to style this before working on it.
Alternate views.