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Species Guide
Placement: Ficus are tropical trees and do best in a warm, bright environment. If you live in an area where night time temperatures drop below 50 degrees consistently then you will need to be protected/bring in your ficus tree during the winter.
Light: As much as you can give them. If grown outdoors, your ficus will thrive in full sun. If grown indoors, it is best to place it near a bright window or supplement with grow lights. Always allow your tree to gradually acclimate to different lighting conditions. If it has been grown indoors all winter, under a grow light, and then being placed outside, allow this to happen gradually by slowly increasing the light the tree receives week by week until it is back into full sun.
Strong light allows for bonsai trees to maintain tight, strong, healthy growth.
Water: In general, Ficus likes to stay moist but not water logged. Always allow the surface of the soil to dry out between watering.
Ficus
Water demands will changes throughout the year depending on a number of factors (growth rate, temp, light, etc.) The best habit to get into is to “water the tree when it is dry”. Sounds simple but, mis-watering is the number one killer of bonsais.
Use your finger and scratch/dig into the surface of the soil about a 1/4 inch down and feel if there is moisture. This is the best indicator whether or not your tree needs water. Sometimes it will need water once a week and sometimes it will need it once a day. By using your hand to determine your trees water needs, you start to establish good habits and tune into your trees need
Pruning: Pruning techniques depend on the goal that you are trying to achieve at that particular moment.
If ramification is the goal, then prune more often throughtout the growing season.
If thickening of a branch is needed, allow the branch to grow until desired thickness is achieved, than cut back to shape
Ficus are a large genus of trees that originate from tropical regions of the world. They are most recognized for their "banyan" form. Easily recognizable for they're aerial roots, massive canopies and general "jungle feel".
Placement
Bougainvilleas thrive in full sunlight and warm temperatures and require these conditions to bloom. Therefore, they should be positioned outdoors in a sunny spot during the growing season. Their blooming season lasts from late winter to early summer. The can also be semi-deciduous and can lose leaves in the winter months as they bloom.
Water
Ensure the bougainvillea receives a thorough watering when the soil dries out, but steer clear of keeping the soil consistently wet. They thrive in a mediterranean climate, so that tells you that they like to be on the drier side.
Pruning and Shaping
Trim the shoots post-flowering, retaining two leaves. Bougainvilleas can sprout from older wood following extensive pruning. Avoid pinching and trimming during late summer if you desire flowering. Apply cut paste on larger cuts as they heal slowly. While wiring is feasible on young shoots and twigs, older branches are rigid and prone to breakage. Exercise caution with thorns when wiring bougainvilleas.
Deadwood on Bougainvillea rots very easily. Know that large wounds wont heal over and they will ultimately rot through. Dead wood also won't last long, even when treated with wood preservatives.
Bougainvillea
Repot
Smaller bougainvilleas should be repotted every two to three years, while larger ones can be repotted every three to five years. A well-draining standard soil mix suits this species. Bougainvillea roots are thin and delicate so take care to avoid tearing them when removing the rootball from the pot. Gently untangle the roots and refrain from using excessive force with a root rake. Root pruning is generally well-tolerated.
Bougainvilleas generally resist pests well when they're maintained in good health and kept away from overly wet soil or inadequate light. However, weak plants may fall prey to powdery mildew, aphids, scale insects, mealybugs, whiteflies, or caterpillars. Here in South Florida, we deal with caterpillars and leaf borers. For the Caterpillars I use something called BT spray. For the borers I use a systemic pesticide.
Unraveled for their beautiful blooms, bougainvillea are hard to ignore. A genus of thorny ornamental vines, bushes, and trees orignally from south america, bougainvillea are great bonsai trees.
Placement:
Bald Cypress must live outside. They need full to mostly full sun. These are strong growers and need lots of light to thrive. Give them as much as possible. They are deciduous trees and will turn brown in the fall and then lose their leaves in the winter. Bald cypress can handle quite a bit of cold.They should be protected once temperatures drop 27*f
Water: Water Water Water. Bald Cypress grow in swamps and many times have their roots fully submerged for most of the year. Some bald cypress owners will submerge their pots for half the year to emulate their natural growing conditions. You don't have to do that if you don't want to. That being said ALWAYs keep you bald cypress watered. You can't over water a bald cypress.
Pruning and Shaping:
Bald cypress are deciduous so pruning should be done at strategic times of the year. They should be pruned after their initial push of growth, in late spring/early summer. The growth should be hardened off before pruning. This action will hopefuly produce biforcation
of the branches.
This process can be repeated through the growing season, as growth hardens off. Major branch work should be done in late winter , before the tree begins growing.
Bald Cypress will produce a lot of buds from the trunks and branches. Any branches and buds not intended for the final design can be removed after the spring flush
Bald Cypress
Bald Cypress is a decidous conifer native to the southeast United States. They are known for their large bases, delicate green fronds, and swampy feel. They are one of my favorite species to work with.
Repot:
Bald Cypress have very vigorous roots systems and will quickly fill a pot. Repotting should be done every 2-3 years. All root work should be done in late winter, right as the new buds start to swell.
Placement: Premna is native to tropical and subtropical regions. It should be placed outside in full to partial sun. If the midday sun becomes to intense, its ok to keep premna in partial shade.
Water: Watering Premna follows normal bonsai watering protocol. This means never letting the soil completely dry out. Water when the first 1/4 to 1/2 inch of soil is dry. A open, bonsai soil should be used to unsure proper drainage.
Pruning: Premna are VERY fast growers. Also their leaf reduction is incredible. Leaves that normally grow bigger than a sand dollar can be reduced to the size of a pinky nail.
Prune shoots as the tree outgrows its sillouette, cutting back to sets of 2-3 leaves.
Premna
Repotting: Premna have very vigorous root systems. Repot every 1-2 years.
Premna are great trees to work with. The have nice flaky bark. Their leaves reduce incredibly well. The also grow very quickly and develop into nice bonsai in a short amount of time
Species Guide
Placement: Jade can be grown in a range of lighting situations. it will alway be best in full sun but can handle shade and even indoors if given enough light. Jade most be protected from cold tempuratures. Protect Jade if temperatures drop below 40*f
Water: Jade is a succulent so it is relatively drought resistant. Allow them dry out a little bit between watering. Make sure to not let them sit waterlogged for too log or they will develop root rot.
Pruning: Allow new shoots to extend 3-6 inches before cutting back to two leaves. Jade is a great tree to learn pruning on because of its very predictable growth pattern. Whenever you cut back to a pair of leaves, branches will emerge from the base of those leave. This repetition of pruning back to sets of leaves allows you to build ramification quickly and create tight foliage pads.
Jade can be wired and are surprisingly flexible. Allowing them to dry out a little before styling will increase branch flexibility
Repotting: Jade have fibrous roots systems. They root very easily from cuttings. When taking a cutting, allow the cutting's "cut" edge to dry out and callous over before placing in soil. This prevents rotting of the new cutting.
Repot in early summer using a well draining bonsai soil.
Jades are actually succelents that make great bonsai. They are probably the most forgiving species to work with. They develop thick trunks with flaky bark and tight foliage pads in a short amount of time. They are one of the few trees that can be grown in a bright location indoors.