Hi
I'm a beginner, and I was given this bonsai tree. Does anyone know what kind it is? I want to care for it correctly and I suspect it is unhappy with it's sun level. It is in a window that faces southwest. I don't have a whole lot of window options, you see.
Anyway, if you can identify and give tips on how to make it happy, I'd be grateful!
It's a schefflera. It prefers a fast draining soil that is allowed to become quite but not entirely dry between waterings and lots of bright light - full sun outdoors as long as temps are reliably above 55*. Flush the soil each time you water and provide supplemental nutrition with a quality soluble fertilizer in a 3:1:2 ratio. I prefer Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 for all my bonsai and houseplants, but MG/Schultz/Peter's and others in 24-8-16 or MG 12-4-8 are good choices as well.
Al
Thank you Al. I appreciate your response. However, I am a complete and utter plant newbie and therefore I feel like a total idiot because I don't understand what you are saying - despite my status as an overeducated ivory tower denizen.
I don't know what flush the soil means.
I don't know what soluble fertilizer is (soluble as opposed to what?)
I don't understand the ratio - is this written on the product, or am I supposed to mix something?
Your picture is pretty but decidedly un-tree-like. Does it mean that it's not supposed to be a bonsai tree and I'm doing something dopey?
Now I'm sad because I think Fido, which is the bonsai's name, is doomed :(
But I am VERY APPRECIATIVE of the help you sent!!!
Sarah
Al will give you better advice than I can, but I can answer a few of your questions.
Flushing the soil means watering thoroughly until water comes out the drainage holes, not just topping off the pot with a few "sips" of water.
Soluble fertilizer means fertilizer that you dissolve in water to use (in other words, not granular fertilizer that you sprinkle on top of the soil, or fertilizer spikes, etc).
The ratio is on the package, but you may have to do some math to see if it comes in close to 3:1:2 or not. In Al's example, take the Miracle Gro 12:4:8 (that's what will be on the pkg), but the ratio if you do the math comes out to 3:1:2. Doesn't have to be exactly 3:1:2 either, some things will be close but not quite and that's fine. (as a side note--the numbers refer to nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium aka N, P, and K so if you see people talking about those elements or NPK that's what they're talking about).
Al's plant is very full & bushy--if you can manage to grow your Schefflera the same way he does then yours will look like that but most likely yours will end up a little sparser but can still be healthy. Your plant is probably also quite a bit younger than his, so you'd need to give it time anyway.
Thank you ecrane3! Now I can read Al's post and it is no longer in Swahili :). Also, now I understand a great deal more of what gardeners are trying to tell me in general. Seriously, it was like trying to read without knowing the alphabet.
What's interesting is that someone gave me this schefflera as a TREE! A bonsai one. Al's plant is decidedly beautiful and un-tree-like, which gives me pause. Perhaps I should put the schefflera in a hanging pot like Al's got and then get a different kind of tree for my bonsai attempt?
Many Schefflera's look somewhat tree-like. You just can't see the trunk in Al's because it's so bushy. Look at the pictures other people have posted in the Plant Files entry: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/243138/
Brilliant! Thank you for this inspiration! I am now determined to have the coolest scheff tree EVER. (See how I abbreviate it like a hipster, since now i'm "in the know")
C-76 - When I write something I always hope that if it's not understood it at least evokes questions, so I'm glad you asked & Ecrane was good enough to explain my meaning. You might gain some additional insight by reading the 'Sticky' thread at the top of this forum. It gives an overview of how easy it can be to become quite proficient at tending houseplants in a very short while.
Here is an old picture, of another scheff that I'm still working on as a 'root-over-rock' bonsai specimen, that is more tree-like. I wish I had a more recent photo than this, taken immediately after a hard pruning, as the plant has doubled in trunk caliper since the picture, and the roots nearly cover the rock.
Al
Ok you are officially my Scheff guru because you have got exactly what I want mine to look like. Your leaves are so nice and it really looks beautiful. I'm getting the fertilizer you said to get as soon as I get paid. I'm going to look up your other posts and learn how to shape a bonsai!
Cynical, Al is a fantastic teacher of bonsai and container culture. I'll be getting a small scheff from a fellow DGer in a couple of months and can't wait to get started myself. :-)
His posts here and on gardenweb have been so helpful. Good luck with your first bonsai!
Everyone appreciates being appreciated, but it's a 2-way street. I'm also one of the grateful - for having the opportunity to hang with good people who have open minds, and who look to their growing experience as one that serves as one of life's enrichments. Your kind words are always appreciated.
Al
This message was edited Feb 23, 2012 9:16 PM
