Schefflera Cut Back VERY HARD!

[Poink88]

You have a talent to make me worry about each tree I am getting!

Sorry. We all mean well and if you'd rather I not, let me know and I can zip my mouth (or my fingers)

You have a good source...Ryan being around your area and have been growing trees indoor have lots of experience. Tap it...esp since it is free.

 

[GrimLore]

You have a talent to make me worry about each tree I am getting!

Silly person - That is what Bonsai is all about!

 

[Poink88]

By the way, there is a current thread that might be of interest to you (somewhat similar topic). There are really seasoned and good advise there. Check it out!
http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthread.php?9934-Hello-I-recently

 

[vdeschamps]

Thank you guys! I got the Chinese Elm last night. Will take a picture and post it. It's a cute little tree - very different from my Schefflera.

 

[vdeschamps]

Well here is a picture of the Elm:



As far as the Schefflera goes, I put the growing light too close from the small trunk and burnt the top. So I cut an extra 2 inches and now I have about an inch left on it.

Is it worth trying to make it grow? I scratched the "bark" and it is bright green underneath which means that the tree is not dead.

I also read an article about the sumo technique where this guy left 1/2 inch of his tree.

I first cut it back 2 months ago almost and only the base of the trunk has thickened but I haven't seen any new shoot.

What do you guys think?

 

[mat]

Well here is a picture of the Elm:

View attachment 30489

As far as the Schefflera goes, I put the growing light too close from the small trunk and burnt the top. So I cut an extra 2 inches and now I have about an inch left on it.

Is it worth trying to make it grow? I scratched the "bark" and it is bright green underneath which means that the tree is not dead.

I also read an article about the sumo technique where this guy left 1/2 inch of his tree.

I first cut it back 2 months ago almost and only the base of the trunk has thickened but I haven't seen any new shoot.

What do you guys think?

You can chop a healthy schef down very far with no worries. Heavy chops are how he creates his "sumos". I'm not sure how healthy yours was or is though. If you lose it, it's no big deal at this point. pretty easy to find a little scheff stump like that.

As for the elm, it's hard to tell from that picture. You are choosing some pretty forgiving species to work with, which I think is the way to go when you're still trying to get a handle on keeping things alive.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

I really hope you have that elm in a spot where it'll receive as much light as possible. It's going to need lots and lots of light to survive indoors.

 

[augustine]

I like scheffleras and grow them in my basement under regular shop lights with T8 cool fluorescent bulbs. They remind me of palm trees on some tropical beach. They are very tough and almost bulletproof.

Growing any plant will be much better and easier if you use a well draining substrate suitable for bonsai. I use turface and bark at about 80/20%. There are other materials and ratios that will work just fine. The only thing about bonsai soil is that it must be watered frequently. Potting soil is no good in our climate.

They don't take a great deal of water in the winter. A good idea is to place a bamboo skewer into the soil. Water when they are dry (this is for winter, they'll take more water during growing season). They grow very slowly in the winter.

I bring mine outside around end of May, pump them up with sun, water and fertilizer and chop the trunks in the first part of July. I prefer not to chop in winter the growth is too slow (but you probably could if the plants were healthy).

I chop mine every summer and they are getting nice, short with thickening trunks. I also read the info on FUKU Bonsai but remember they are in Hawaii and have an ideal growing environment much different than ours. Therefore we have to adjust culture to our conditions.

Inside I give them good air circulation with a fan a couple of hours every day and shower or mist once per month to keep them clean and discourage pests. I feed at 1/4 strength about once every 6 to 8 weeks during winter. Outside, growing season, I give mine morning sun and afternoon shade and fertilize with something like regular miracle grow, at recommended rate, every 2 weeks.

You can buy a big pot of schefflera with decent trunk sizes at Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart or a garden center (just houseplants) for @ $10. Unpot and separate the plants gently and then replant as you like, do this during the growing season. Let them sit for a month and if they look healthy, chop away. If you want them to develop, plant in a larger (not too large) pot and not a small bonsai container and grow lots of foliage to thicken the trunks.

Generally just search the web and read up on all things bonsai. I found a bunch of books at the public library. LOts of videos on youtube. The best thing is to join a club.

Chinese elms grow very well outside in our area.

Best,

Augustine,
Central MD - 7a

 

[vdeschamps]

I really hope you have that elm in a spot where it'll receive as much light as possible. It's going to need lots and lots of light to survive indoors.

The Elm is under a growing light from 8a to 11p every day. Hoping that will suffice!

 

[vdeschamps]

I like scheffleras and grow them in my basement under regular shop lights with T8 cool fluorescent bulbs. They remind me of palm trees on some tropical beach. They are very tough and almost bulletproof.

Growing any plant will be much better and easier if you use a well draining substrate suitable for bonsai. I use turface and bark at about 80/20%. There are other materials and ratios that will work just fine. The only thing about bonsai soil is that it must be watered frequently. Potting soil is no good in our climate.

They don't take a great deal of water in the winter. A good idea is to place a bamboo skewer into the soil. Water when they are dry (this is for winter, they'll take more water during growing season). They grow very slowly in the winter.

I bring mine outside around end of May, pump them up with sun, water and fertilizer and chop the trunks in the first part of July. I prefer not to chop in winter the growth is too slow (but you probably could if the plants were healthy).

I chop mine every summer and they are getting nice, short with thickening trunks. I also read the info on FUKU Bonsai but remember they are in Hawaii and have an ideal growing environment much different than ours. Therefore we have to adjust culture to our conditions.

Inside I give them good air circulation with a fan a couple of hours every day and shower or mist once per month to keep them clean and discourage pests. I feed at 1/4 strength about once every 6 to 8 weeks during winter. Outside, growing season, I give mine morning sun and afternoon shade and fertilize with something like regular miracle grow, at recommended rate, every 2 weeks.

You can buy a big pot of schefflera with decent trunk sizes at Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart or a garden center (just houseplants) for @ $10. Unpot and separate the plants gently and then replant as you like, do this during the growing season. Let them sit for a month and if they look healthy, chop away. If you want them to develop, plant in a larger (not too large) pot and not a small bonsai container and grow lots of foliage to thicken the trunks.

Generally just search the web and read up on all things bonsai. I found a bunch of books at the public library. LOts of videos on youtube. The best thing is to join a club.

Chinese elms grow very well outside in our area.

Best,

Augustine,
Central MD - 7a

Thank you Augustine for your insightful comments! I'm wondering if my Schefflera will survive but I hope it will. I just wonder if it is supposed to take that long to grow new shoots.

If only I would have thought about buying Schefflera stock at Home Depot instead of spending $30 at Bonsai Boy of New York...lol!

 

[thams]

I would also highly recommend taking a trip to Meehan's both for selection and expertise. I'm in Alexandria -- it takes me about an hour and some change to get up there, but it worth the drive. They have a HUGE selection of good indoor trees to choose from. More ficus than you can shake a stick at. The first time I went there it took me about 3 hours to really go through all of their stock. I walked away with an awesome sumo ficus (see picture) that was more than I really intended on spending... But that's always the way it works out.

I think they run workshops in the summer where you can get repotting, pruning, styling, etc. help for a small fee. I plan on taking my sumo ficus for repotting, root work, and branch selection help.

I'm not trying to push this one particular nursery, as there are other decent ones in the area. I just want to share my positive experience with others in the area.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

The Elm is under a growing light from 8a to 11p every day. Hoping that will suffice!

Just out of curiosity, what kind of "grow light" is it under??

 

[vdeschamps]

I would also highly recommend taking a trip to Meehan's both for selection and expertise. I'm in Alexandria -- it takes me about an hour and some change to get up there, but it worth the drive. They have a HUGE selection of good indoor trees to choose from. More ficus than you can shake a stick at. The first time I went there it took me about 3 hours to really go through all of their stock. I walked away with an awesome sumo ficus (see picture) that was more than I really intended on spending... But that's always the way it works out.

I think they run workshops in the summer where you can get repotting, pruning, styling, etc. help for a small fee. I plan on taking my sumo ficus for repotting, root work, and branch selection help.

I'm not trying to push this one particular nursery, as there are other decent ones in the area. I just want to share my positive experience with others in the area.View attachment 30516

Thanks for pointing out this nursery. I never head of them before and I'm glad I did now! Do you know of other nurseries in the area?

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Thanks for pointing out this nursery. I never head of them before and I'm glad I did now!

Well in all fairness, I did mention them back on page two

 

[vdeschamps]

Just out of curiosity, what kind of "grow light" is it under??

I got a light fixture that looks like this one (except that I paid $8 for it at Home Depot):


And I use this type of light bulb:

 

[Redwood Ryan]

I got a light fixture that looks like this one (except that I paid $8 for it at Home Depot):
View attachment 30521

And I use this type of light bulb:
View attachment 30522

Ah, there's your problem. That won't really do you much good, as there's nothing "grow worthy" about it. You want to get a 4 foot, T8 fixture from Lowes with bulb(s) that are in the 6400K range.

 

[thams]

That's true, Ryan -- you did mention Meehan's a few posts back. There's also Wolf Trap Nursery whose selection is decent. They tend to stick to smaller shohin size bonsai, but they usually have a few larger finished bonsai for purchase as well. They also run workshops, but I've never attended so I can't speak to the quality of advice.

Merrifield (which I think you mentioned) is hit or miss depending upon whether they've restocked recently. For what it's worth, I think Meehan's sells wholesale to Merrifield, so Merrifield's bonsai are usually of decent stock.

For lighting, you can also invest in a smaller 2-foot T5 light that runs a little cheaper than the 4-foot version. It's a good choice for those who only have a couple smaller bonsai to provide light for. I have a 4-foot, 4 light setup that provides a good amount of light. The ficus absolutely love it and even my Bougainvillea has thrown out new growth with its help.

 

[vdeschamps]

That's true, Ryan -- you did mention Meehan's a few posts back. There's also Wolf Trap Nursery whose selection is decent. They tend to stick to smaller shohin size bonsai, but they usually have a few larger finished bonsai for purchase as well. They also run workshops, but I've never attended so I can't speak to the quality of advice.

Merrifield (which I think you mentioned) is hit or miss depending upon whether they've restocked recently. For what it's worth, I think Meehan's sells wholesale to Merrifield, so Merrifield's bonsai are usually of decent stock.

For lighting, you can also invest in a smaller 2-foot T5 light that runs a little cheaper than the 4-foot version. It's a good choice for those who only have a couple smaller bonsai to provide light for. I have a 4-foot, 4 light setup that provides a good amount of light. The ficus absolutely love it and even my Bougainvillea has thrown out new growth with its help.

Do these T5 light fixtures require specific neons/bulbs to grow indoor plants? What is wrong with the growing bulbs that I've been using?

 

[thams]

Do these T5 light fixtures require specific neons/bulbs to grow indoor plants? What is wrong with the growing bulbs that I've been using?

The T5 lights do have special bulbs, but they aren't too expensive (depending upon how large your rig is). The fixtures are also somewhat energy efficient so you're energy bill won't suffer too badly.

Honestly, I'm not sure what's wrong with the light you have. Can you give for specifics as to type/model, etc? Spectrum is the important component of the bulb's stats as well as lumens. It can get a little complicated, but you don't need anything too elaborate.

 

[KennedyMarx]

I have a pretty good hunch that the light you're using doesn't put out enough foot candles, lumens, or lux, depending on how you measure light production, to really give the tree what it needs. Also the color temperature of the light may not be in the correct spectrum. Then you have to consider that it doesn't spread light out over the entire tree relatively evenly, if its actually mounted close enough to the leaves not to waste the light output (which diminishes drastically the further away the light is).