According to the Bonsai's guide by H. Tomlinson. Philippine-tea should bloom in early spring and summer, then it should bear fruits. Unfortunately this tropical plant for 2 years in a row only has shown flowers late in December. Thus with the absence of pollinators as a result I'm missing out on the fruits. Is there a way I can manipulate the tree and coax it to bloom earlier? Any help would be appreciated.
Do you know if the flowering is initiated by day length, temperature , or a combination of both? What is the form of the flower? Can you fertilize it with an artists brush? Is it self fertile?
Some plants can be easily manipulated for bloom others, especially among the South African specie and genera, are notorious for difficulty.
Beth
Good morning Beth; I've no idea whether or not the P.T. is self fertile. I did use the artist brush to try to pollinate 2 flowers yesterday. The flowers are very small, it's but a mere half an inch cross section. I just pollinated the 3rd flower that opens this morning. I'll keep you posted. The 2 that I pollinated yesterday seem to hold their forms.
Here is the flower that was taken yesterday.
Kim
It may be that this is its time to bloom and that you are stuck with the timing. It is blooming and that is positive.
How many bonsai are you maintaining now? It must be quite a few. I keep hoping to find something wonderful at the Wall, but all the local has are the sweet potato rooted Ficus benjamin.
It is cold, but clear today and,after the rain that we have had, I think that I shall go a diggin. There is a most spiney wild rose that I want to get by the edge of a local cotton field. There are also a smallish winged elm and a rooted section of wild grape that I may dig as well.
I might even press gang my son into helping me dig up an old quince and an erythrina that are in bad spots in the yard. He hates work but loves money, and at the moment I have more money that energy.
Beth
Hi Beth,
I've just a few already made bonsai for my enjoyment at present. Though, I've several trees and shrubs, as well as Wisterias that I'm training for bonsai. It's a slow process, but is most enjoyable and rewarding for winter's activities where little can be done outdoor due to the cold. Erythrina? A cry-baby plant? Is it hardy there? Whao, I've a cutting of the plant and has it overwintered indoor.
Kim
yes, it is hardy here. I grew it from seed collected at a cemetary in Rhine, GA, so I am certain of its age. It doesn't bloom well where I planted it, although it has grown quite large. I want to dig it up and see if I can save a portion for a pot or just toss it and start over. The seed germinate well, if you nick and presoak them. It should be hardy in your area in a protected location. I saw them in Birmingham on the western side of town where i grew up.
I am not sure how the plant qualifies as bonsai, but then, I don't know how Cycas revoluta does either, and I love that as a bonsai. Why does wisteria make bonsai growers swoon, when they seem to turn up their noses at trumpet vine. I am still puzzled over the acceptance of Ficus carica as a bonsai. It is all just one more puzzle to pick at and unravel.
I need all the new things that I can find right now, especially at night when the worries start running thru my head like squirrels in a cage. Distractions are always welcome
Beth
That's interesting info. that you've shared, thank you. Beth. I guess it dependent on each individual's taste as to what good, or not good for bonsai. If there are enthusiasts out there, whose persuit is to make bonsai out of herbs. Wisterias should preceed their standard (herbal bonsai), if they were to ask for my opinion. lol.
Learning about the art of bonsai, is indeed rewarding. If I fail to succeed in this realm, the knowledge is benificial to my gardening hobby.
Kim
I've used the artish brush to pollinate roughly half dozen flowers for the past few days....I'll report the results as I see them.
Lily that is so cool looking! I see there is a Dale, Jr. fan there, too! :)
Hi Misty; thanks. It's going to be some adjustment to see my boy going from 8 to 88 this year. :-)
Beth, after the cold-snap, the weather is like spring again today. But that's typical of our weather in the South. :-) I bet you're out there digging up sapplings for your project?
Kim
You betcha, Kim. And it will definitely be weird to see him in a different number, but can understand why he is doing it, too.
How did you guess?
I put a rose and a Prunus glandulosa in nursery pots for their year of root growth prior to further shocks to the system. I cut the rose way back, since I hope to thicken the main stem. I want to force the growth near the root stock, instead of letting it send out long rambling stems.
The Prunus came up with a good root system so I didn't cut it back so severely. I took out the top half of its growth. I couldn't tell what the stem really looked like until I got it up. It runs at a shallow angle for about three inches, then turns upward. There are lots of buds at the base of the stem and there are two or three good strong roots that could be exposed in a roots over rock style. The other possibility might be a wind swept shohin. With the fully double powder puff flowers it should look really good in bloom in the early spring. That is the only time it will shine, but still for those brief weeks....
I know that I am going a bit over board by collecting so many potentials, but right now I need something positive to focus on.
Beth,
Sounds you've some great prospect going. Care to share some pics. when you have time? You're working on the Prunus, I with the Wisteria, we can compare notes? You maybe just the source of inspiration for me with my bonsai practices. I'm excited with the thought.
Kim
Beth, I was currious to what your prunus glandulosa looks like. I thought of making crape apple into a bonsai, but never thought of dwarf Almond! Beautiful species for spring bonsai indeed!
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/65085/
Mine are not going to look like much for a while, but I will see what I can do as things progress this spring.
Beth
I understand about the forms that are not much to show at present. Like these two Wisterias that I'm training right now.
Beth; have you any experience with training Mountain Ash? I've 2 that I purchased as sapplings this past spring. They did well in our hot/humid environment so far. They're about 2 feet tall (pictured above among the two Wisterias). I'm contemplating making one of the two into a bonsai specimen eventually in the near future.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2082/
Meanwhile, the Philippine Tea's hand pollination is showing promises. The flowers faded, but the stems remain green and viable. While those flowers left without hand-brushed, the stems withered and turned brown.
As can be seen here, I'm getting ready to hand pollinate yet another tiny flower of the Tea tree.
It seemed as if the tea's flowers maybe sterile. Thus far, none has shown signs of accepting the cross pollination.
Beth, I get to think about your remark about the daylight exposure that triggers flowering in the wrong time of year. From my observation; YES indeed, I've inadvertently "forced" the plant to flower too early.
1. It's sitting indoor with the cool ambien temp.
2. The lighting in the area is exceeding longer than the average day light.
I now know what to do next season.
Thanks,
Kim
Some plants are self sterile. The style and stigma mature at different times to prevent pollination. The obvious answer is that you MUST purchase a second Tea tree before next years blooming season so that you can cross pollinate. Barring that you can exchange pollen with some one in your area who has a tea tree.
In answer to your earlier post, no, I have never worked with mountain ash. All I have right now are potentials that need to rest from being dug up and potted. It will be a year before I do anything drastic to any of them. I do have an order that I intend to send off to Forest Farm as soon as I get paid again. Most will be rather small starts but three will be gallon sized which is large enough to start training.
I am going to move the Haws to a sunnier position and start shoveling food to them this summer. They are said to be heavy feeders and I want them to bulk up quickly.
I am continuing to work on the kusamono plants as well. I have a start of Ophiopogon, an interesting weed from my brother's flowerbeds, a nice pot of Sempervivens , lots of Saxi. stolenifera, and a couple of sedums.
Beth
Hi all. New here but not to Bonsai.
To Lily: What kind of soil mix have you got your tea tree in? You, too, Beth. When you take your Punus out of the nursery pot, what kind of mix are you going to put it in?
Of the 3 types of soil mixtures, the Philippine-Tea requires but a basic soil mix, which is 1/5 Loam. 2/5 sphagnum moss peat, and 2/5 granite grit. Hey, I borrowed that from the "The complete Book of BONSAI guide by Harry Tomlinson. My Tea was an established bonsai when I purchased it. But, your question aided me in that when I need to repot my tree, I'd know what to do. :-)
Kim
I have a very sandy loam here. I intend to run a batch of screened loam through the oven at about 350 for 30 to 45 minutes. I will then mix that with some milled sphagnum and add grit. I want a very open mix but also one that will retain some moisture. I will probably bed the pots in a larger container of wet/damp sand since I am planning to work with shohin and mame. I will not be able to water multiple times durig the work day. I will probably follow the practice of keeping the plants over potted most of the year for that reason. I can move them into display pots as appropriate.
I may play with the inported soil components, as I have money and the time to go to Conyers to pick it up. Most of my plants are a long way from being moved out of the nursery pots. The hawthorns have done OK, but are not thickening up yet, so I am going to plant them out in a better location and feed them up this summer. Actually I am just pleased that so far all of my transplants have lived. The darn rose has already broken buds with little pink sprouts along the stem. I am going to have to make some decisions about what to keep and what to remove sooner than I had planned.
It is hard to juggle the money and the desires. I need to purchase paper and paint for my classroom (my budget for over 700 students has been $0.00 for two years now) and I want to purchase plants and pots for my sanity. I think right now the plants and sanity are winning.
Beth
Beth, what do you teach?
art K-5th grade at the moment, however I was certified this year for early childhood and I am looking for a position teaching 2nd or 3rd grade.
Beth
Wonderful profession! Best of lucks on your quest.
I was selfish, I was hoping you teach Bonsai techniques. :-)
Kim
