Finally, New Growth! [Bonsai]

in #hive-1406353 years ago

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This tiny citrus tree has been trying to tell me something lately. It is one of the few proper bonsai trees I have, since it breaks no rules. This older picture shows the slant style or shakan that I am trying out. Its home is an upcycled disposable container, which may not sound proper but it allows me to frequently check the root system without doing any invasive sort of work to the tree.

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Here you can see the roots were growing in that nice radial pattern, fanning out from the center. This is what we want. Criss-crossing is bad (this rule also applies to branches). Some roots may also be disproportionately more vigorous than others, such as the several roots beginning to grow along the circumference of the pot. These will be addressed, however I do not want to overly stress out this plant.
The best thing I thought to do was to "slip" repot the plant. Slip potting is when you pull the plant out of its old home, roots, soil, and all, and simply slip it into a new pot. All you really have to do is add minimal soil on the bottom of the new pot and some more around the edges I've you slip the plant in.
That's exactly what I did except I pruned the long potbound roots as well. By skipping the step in which you completely break apart the root ball, the tree has less damage to repair and, therefore, less stress and downtime. Even if you are extremely careful, some fine roots are bound to be damaged in a normal repotting, not to mention the fine root hairs/fungus that grow on the surface of roots themselves.

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Almost immediately after its healthy repotting (and some homebrewed fertilizer), the tree started showing signs of growth!

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New young leaves developing! So tender, so precious.

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This is what the tree looks like today. I got scared because when I came home from 4 days away taking care of my sisters' cat (placement of that apostrophe is not a mistake, I know my grammar!) I found the newest leaves drooping and at the point of falling off! I flooded it with water. Twice! As you can see it's doing fine now, though I may have lost one growing tip or two. That's what happens when you leave your babies in someone else's charge.
With the fresh soil added to the bottom (and top) I can no longer see the roots. They'll show soon enough though. I'm glad I didn't have to do a full repotting on this tree. It's time consuming but that's not even the issue. I probably get as stressed out as the plant I'm working on and by the end of the job, I feel drained. And I can only work in natural sunlight! That's the only light source capable of charging my batteries.
I'm a big nitpicker and always try to keep my trees in tip top bonsai shape but I'm trying to do this less and let my children grow feral for longer periods of time. After all, that's the only way they'll grow (and develop a nice thick trunk that we all like). I'm going to try to prune this tree's foliage as little a possible (within reason) and see how it develops.

Thanks for visiting a little part of my indoor garden today!

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I find the care you are giving to this little tree very loving. I can see that having a bonsai requires special care, which must be maintained throughout the life of the plant and knowing exactly what to do. Thank you for sharing this experience with all of us.

Thank you. It is true, I put love into everything I grow. That's what really keeps them alive!

Wow this is awesome! What a cutie, and you obviously know what you're doing, so much love and care!

I am with you on needing sunlight, same here!

Oh thank you! I'm no expert. I've learned from YouTube videos, blogs, and practice of course.

Well I don't much, so it sounded very smart to my eye haha

That is so awesome! And the use of clear plastic container is brilliant too as you can see how the roots are going.

It takes a lot of the guesswork out! Thanks for stopping by.

It looks so cute and healthy! I am looking forward to see how this one grows. :)

It has a lot of potential. I'm surprised everyone already likes it so much. Well, it's a little more than just a stick in the dirt now, but I still see it that way. Thanks. As long as this tree lives I will continue to provide updates!

I had a lemon tree that I grew from seed in a small plastic pot for years and I nearly killed it a number of times. Finally, it's happy in the ground and bearing fruit. I'm not nearly attentive enough for bonsai

I agree. Small plants in small pots just dry out so quickly! I really have to be on top of my watering game.

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Fantastic! I always learn a lot about bonsai from you! I agree it's hard to leave plants - there's only one person I'd trust, maybe too, my Mum and daughter in law. I need to replant my fiddle leaf fig - it's slightly bigger than that bonsai though! Wait - so 'sisters' - you have more than one sister who has... eek.. more than one cat?

The citrus bonsai looks cute!

Sorry I took so long to get to this - I've had a busy week and I'm going through all the entries now. I hope you aren't wilting from lack of attention.

Haha no I'm not wilting, I'm pretty hardy. I think I nagged my mom too much about overwatering and now she underwaters.
I don't know if I will ever want a ficus because I heard they are spider mite magnets.
And yes. My oldest sister, #1, handed down a cat to #3. I gave my spare to #4, as a hand-me-up. Oh and #2 has a pair as well!

Wait.. you have Four sisters??

Haven't had spider mites nor have I heard anyone with them.here..

Indeed I do! Does it "explain a lot"? Sometimes people tell me that.

If I ever do get any sort of ficus it might be a true fig tree of the Chicago Hardy variety!

waooo, that looks great! It's like a pomelo tree in my country. Really great job!

It could be! I don't know what fruit it is yet. Thanks!

Your bonsai is looking good. I am excited to see its development in the next couple of monts.

Thanks! I can't wait either! There are some other trees I can work on until then. Just waiting for the right time. I'm not waiting for them to be ready. I'm waiting for myself to be ready! Haha

You're welcome (^_^)

This looks great. I love growing cuttings in clear containers because you can monitor the roots on the bottom.

Clear containers are sort of the best for this very reason! I don't want to let go of this crutch but I will have to upgrade eventually.

It brings me no greater joy to see two bonsai fans talking in the Garden Hive. You guys are awesome xx

wow! Your little bonsai looks so healthy❣️Did you start it as a cutting with rooting powder then? And how long has it taken to get to this point? I can see that it gets a lot of love and attention. I hope you one day get mini citrus fruits adorning the foliage💖

Thank you, kindly! I started it as a cutting in water and it sat there for months not doing anything. Then, I think I added rooting hormone, perhaps not, and stuck it in some homemade compost in July. That's when I rooted it and planted it. So it has been growing for 7 months! I hope it fruits one day too!

That's fantastic! You're doing a great job with it !ALIVE