Hi All,

A couple of you have asked about Bonsai soil. Yes you can mix your own, generally it consists of loam, leaf mould and grit. The quantities of these will vary according to the species being grown. There are now modern bonsai soils such as Akadama, which is Japanese baked clay granules, or as a cheap alternative fullers earth style cat litter! With your bonsai(?) however, as it is a tropical plant and one that might be grown as a houseplant, I think you'd be fine with general houseplant soil.

Anyway, here are a couple of links that might be useful:

http://www.bonsai4me.com/Basics/Basics_Soils.html

http://www.bonsai4me.com/Basics/Basicscatlitter.htm

http://www.bonsai4me.com/Basics/Basicsdevelopingmallsai.htm

All the best

Nick

The links I gave haven't worked as links so you might copy them into normal address space. The last one is here:

Here is a link that might be useful: developing malsai

I bought a Sago Palm bonsai from Walmart, it didn't have the pebbles, green moss and it was $7!!! Is this a 'no care' plant except for watering?? This is my first bonsai. TIA

wal-mart dont care about plants its a tax write off i asked about some plant that was in bad shape and die'in need of some tlc and was told all plants get thrown away
and its done at nite so you dont go dumpester diggin

Home Depot carries these as well but they're not labeled as ficus. The tag reads Desert Rose.

Using "loam" or kitty litter either one will cause drainage problems resulting in "root rot".

The rule of thumb for any component of bonsai mix is that if it won't pass through 1/4" mexh screen, discard it.
If it does pass through 1/8" mesh, discard it.

I've bought five of those bonsais over the last year. All of mine have been ficus. Only one died in that time, and it was because I bought it with root rot (which I was able to exchange for another one).

All of mine have been the "ginsing" bonsai, which are actually some sort of ficus.

It is important to get the rocks off quickly. They make taking care of the plant very hard. They will also choke the plant as it grows and kill it. I get them off by misting the area around the trunk heavily (it dissolves the rock glue) and then breaking the rocks near the trunk away so that I can just smack the remaining rocks with a nail and hammer to break it away. Afterwards, since I like the rock look I usually put them in a zip lock with warm water to dissolve away the rest of the glue.

The thing to remember about ficus is that they are extremely sensitive. They are easy to keep, but sensitive. So if you take them home in the middle of winter and they get a blast of cold air from outside the car, they will probably loose all their leaves. Thats okay, just take care of it and keep it in a warm, but constant temperature. They will usually grow back.

I have repotted three of them and left two in the walmart pots. It is important to repot them, but they can last a year or so if you want to wait.

Wait until the soil dries 1/2" before watering, then soak all the way through. Just remember overwatering can kill just as underwatering.

My bonsai mix is about 1/3 perlite, 1/3 gravel, and 1/3 regular planting soil. Always put a layer of gravel at the bottom to give the water somewhere to go that is not in the soil if you overwater. If the soil is the kind with slow release fertilizer, I've waited a few months before fertilizing. Otherwise I fertilize with the fish fertilizer about once a month. (It's great fertilizer for hydroponic bamboo too!)

I have one of these too that I rescued. I found a local Napa Auto Parts store who carries the diatomaceous earth as Oil Dry, part number #8822 and it is working for me. I wasn't sure about it at first so I tested it by wetting it to see if it degraded (became muddy) and it did not. I wired the Ficus into a pot with this and it seems to be doing fine. I am just debating now what kind of shape I want out of the top.

"The thing to remember about ficus is that they are extremely sensitive. They are easy to keep, but sensitive. So if you take them home in the middle of winter and they get a blast of cold air from outside the car, they will probably loose all their leaves. Thats okay, just take care of it and keep it in a warm, but constant temperature. They will usually grow back."

Yep, that's what I was going to say. If the leaves all fall off, especially a ficus, don't be quick to say that it died. unfortunately, I think many of the people who posted above "accidentally" killed their bonsai by thinking it was dead... oh well.

and it will get some H20 that way.
Take it out and let it drain, then do it again a few days later. The water may (May. Not promising.) help remove the dang glue.

Hey there everyone. I have been reading this thread off and on for the last 4 months or so. I too bought two of these poor walmart ficus bonsais a while back. I took the glued rocks off immediately to let them breathe. I have been watering them, misting them, letting them sit in the window sill, and outside on nice days. They have been growing new leaves, the existing leaves have gotten bigger. Some leaves have fallen off but thats okay I guess. Today I gave them a little bit of Shultz's Plant Food, and let them sit in the humid bathroom while I took a shower.

They seem to be doing great! In fact I am probably going repot them this week. I found some very neat pots at a thrift store here and they would look real nice. In fact they are much wider pots so maybe I can help the trees grow more aerial roots off the branches. (There is only one aerial root right now).

Anyway I also have a little Juniper Bonsai which I am trying to save. I left it outside in the sun/heat for too long. I was just an idiot and forgot about it. I have had it for a year, and have seen much growth but I think it is going to die. I have been babying it for the last 3-4 days now. I hope it comes back.

I didn't get the Juniper at WalMart. I bought it from some street vendor when I was in Tacoma WA last summer.

Anyway, the bonsais I got from walmart seem to be doing very well. In fact I kinda of want to got see if they have any more. The ones I bought are about 13-14 years old. (Someone in the past had cut/broken off a big branch and the rings inside count about 13-14). They are about a foot and a half tall. Very cool looking trees. I think with proper care they are going to be around longer than I will.

Here's a pic of the first one I bought. I bought the other one about a week later.

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/wardc03/105_7159.jpg

What you have is a Gensing Ficus and the glued on rocks are for shipping purposes and must be removed.

U have a ginsing ficus bonsai. The balled trunk are roots. The rocks are only on there for traspoting it. Take them off now and switch the soil for a good draining soil. I like to use 70% perlite or builders sand and 30% peat moss. It should live good after this is done. It's a indoor tree so keep it inside with a growing light on it.

Hello everyone!
I purchased one of the Walmart ficus with the glued rocks for Christmas. He has been doing very well since I bought him. I named him Champion, because he was the biggest ficus at the store. lol. I had been meaning to re-pot him and remove the rocks, but I got so busy. And after seeing how well he's been doing with his original pot and gluey rocks I would be afraid of re-potting him and disturbing him. I've re-potted some things in the past and the plants were not very happy with me and died. What I'm saying is that my Walmart ficus has been doing just fine and beautiful. Not all of them will die instantaneously. I bet if I keep him in his glued pot he might die in the future though :(

Is there any advice for me regarding re-potting and not giving my plant shock?

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:916}}

You know I have always hated that idea as well, those damned glued on rocks. As a crafter I hated glued on anything would rather attach things naturally. I can see them glueing them on for shipping purposes and for display..but yeah..what about the plant's health. I was appauled that no one cares from that plant distributer to the store not caring as well. Plants inhabit this planet as well and I have always felt fellow to them.

Good luck with all of your Bonsai..this post was an eye opener and informative.

When I was a kid I used to ask for the half dead plants and back then sometimes they would let you have them...but nowadays they have to send them back they say for credit..and here you say they were just tossing them. If they are going to toss them you would think they would let folks who care have them...grrr!

;-) Earth day perhaps needs to be every quarter not every year!

i got a ficus from walmart about 2 years back and its thriving, i of course immediately replanted it in a new pot and fresh soil, but i havent had any problems with it at all, and i have actually taken clippings from it and started growing other bonsai projects. have fun.

wardc03,

What's up with your Ficus retusa now? I have one just like it when I bought it and now the base of the drunk is about 5" thick. It's not quite as tiger barked as some other ones and I've heard of people applying oil to the trunk to darken the color that way. Regarding Walmart bonsais I wish they start carrying them again. I bought a couple a month ago and they're thriving beautifully for $10/ each. One is a Seiju elm, it's similar to chinese elm with smaller and denser leafs. The 2nd one is a chinese plum. I'm most excited about ficus. I've taken cuttings from it and make new plants every year and the newest project I got going on is trunk fusion with 3 cuttings wrapped together.

I have the Ginseng Ficus Bonsai. I have alot of top growth and wanna cut it back. Can I do it hard? Will I need to trim the roots as well? What would happened if I used a slightly deeper pot to move it inside? (double the depth the come in)

Thanks.
Tropicalfreak

Hi all:
Well, I figured I might as well put one post for this topic in 2011, although most on the subject has probably been discussed and exhausted. I too have three "rescue" Ginsengs, one from HD and two from WalMart. At least HD is trying to sell you a decent product and waters/maintains its inventory rather well. WalMart in my opinion is plant-Auswitz (sorry)and I therefore love my rescues the more. After removing the glued rock cover, I gave them air, lots of overhead light and a good water regimen and read all I can read about them. They are thriving. My plan is actually to combine the three, tied together by the exposed gingseng roots at interesting intersections, and have them fuse over time. I am hoping this will give me a more massive, Banyan-style base. Will then prune and wire a beautiful apex above it with the three existing crowns.
Has anyone ever fused ginsengs or any experience to share pertaining to this attempt? I will wait till Spring '12 before doing anything.

I got a ginseng ficus rescue. Immediately re-potted it and had two. I planted them across the square pot from eachother ad wired two of the branches from each one to span the pot and join wit the other. The speed this thing is growing is insanely fast. Someone was talking about using the branches to create arial roots. Itd b bad ass to have roots drape from the spanned canopy so two questions. How do you do that and how do you get it to drop a few roots over rock?

http://i1058.photobucket.com/albums/t414/dashodge/IMAG0360.jpg[/IMG]

{{gwi:918}}

Hi everyone! So, I too am a first-time bonsai owner. I just bought a bonsai tree, tonight actually, and I got it from Wal-Mart. I was wondering if you could tell me a little bit about it? Perhaps what type it is and what I need to care for it properly? I've taken off the glued rocks and moss that was put on the top, but I do not know what to do aside from that. Also, on the long limb that extends out to the side of my plant, the limb is part green and part brown...is that normal? Thank you for your help :)

taskeymia That looks like a Juniper to me. I am not an expert myself, but I would suggest buying or making your own bonsai soil for it. Yes, the brown/green limb is normal, the green will eventually turn completely brown as it ages. Here is a site that can give you better tips: http://www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/juniper :)

The above is Juniper prosceniums nana Used alot for bonsai. You need to use a soil which water runs through easily (some use straight little stones). Keep it outdoors. It is probably in potting soil those usually are. Now is the time to repot. Lots of sunlight.

Hello, I received my first bonsai tree (also from Walmart) and plant overall for my birthday on march 12th. Since then I have been watering her every other week and she has grown. The tag from walmart said nothing but bonsai, and when I called they also were not able to identify the types of trees they sell, ahaha. None of her leaves have died, but I noticed some small flies around her recently, and I think they are fungus gnats from overwatering. From this post, I learned that I should remove those glued rocks and the moss that came with her? Currently, I'm waiting for her soil to dry out before another watering. Can someone help me identify what type of tree she is so I can properly care for her? I may be wrong, but I believe she may be of the Ficus genus, but her leaves are not very waxy? So I'm not sure. Also, I'm not completely sure, but I believe she may be potted in the "mush" everyone keeps mentioning. So would it be advisable change her soil? Also, if I do so, would it be unwise to keep her in the pot she came in? Or is it too late for her already and is she doomed to death? ):

Ginseng ficus, and yes probability lies with fungus gnats. Remove the rocks and fake moss as you say, and have it outside, or when inside have something like a rotating fan that will dry the top of the soil quicker.

LINK

ez

Is there a hole in the bottom of the pot, if not the soil is get saturated. I would repot it into new soil also. I bought a ficus from Walmart because of the root and repotted and trimmed the whole thing back. It is doing well.

I bought my tree about 7 years ago from Walmart. I kept it in its original pot and never thought of removing these 'glued rocks'... I am so upset at myself right now :(

This tree has been very easy to care for, but is very sensitive, and doesn't like to change environment. A couple of times, I have had to travel, and left her with my neighbor for a week or 2 at the most, when I came back, she had lost all of her leaves. Back at my place, they all grew back. She has been doing so well and is now outgrowing the original pot. I am looking to re-pot it as soon as possible, because I think some of the roots are coming out of the pot (see second picture close up). When I saw this post, I couldn't help but wonder about these rocks that I never removed.... Now I am concerned that if I remove them, my tree could go into shock.

Does anyone have any advice on how to go about this? Should I re-pot the tree with these 'glued rocks'? Should I remove them with a hammer and nail (as suggested in the post above by head_pigeons+ivil_gmail_com)? Will my tree survive this drastic change after all these years? Re-poting in the morning might help with the recovery process because of the warmer temperature of the day.

I am not sure what to do... Your thoughts and comments are greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

there is a relationship between the roots and the leaves and it appears your tree while doing well, is reaching for light. If it were mine, the first thing I would do is remove the rocks. They make it impossible for oxygen to reach the roots. Let it set awhile - 2-3 weeks and see how well it does. Then cut some of the branches back to the lowest group of leaves. These slip easily so you could try to slip them. I bought one ficus years ago and now I have about 20+ plus of various sizes. when it shows new growth, then consider repotting it. use houseplant or bonsai mix. With tropicals you would need to water more often in bonsai mix. Also prune the root ends and any big gnarly roots. You will need to cut back all the branches at that point. New growth will pop out.

good luck!

@Valerie. Those roots you see on top of the pot are aerial roots. You can chop those if you do not like them. Ficus do that and is considered a desirable feature.

Napapen has good suggestions for you. If you can keep it outside in the summer where it can get more light. Move it to a shaded area first and over the course of two weeks move it to a more lighted area. Half a day of sun will help the plant a lot. For tropicals late June is a good time to repot. They are at their peak of health during that time. You will see roots circling around the pot. Chop those off and use a slightly bigger pot and use a well draining soil mix if you can. Store bought bonsai mix will do for now. Use a chopstick to pack in the soil around the roots. Chop the top off to a few branches with a few leaves. A healthy ficus will take a complete trunk chop but not advisable since you are new to this. Water really well the first time and then keep it moist.

Thank you for the feedback.

The rocks are glued on there. How would you suggest removing them? head_pigeons+ivil_gmail_com suggested using nail and Hammer: I get them off by misting the area around the trunk heavily (it dissolves the rock glue) and then breaking the rocks near the trunk away so that I can just smack the remaining rocks with a nail and hammer to break it away.

Is it possible that there could be roots growing beneath the rocks which could cause this method to harm the plant? Are there any other ways to get them off?

What would be the best time for re-potting if I live in michigan?

Thanks again,

V

an ice pick works too!

It is a cheap sort of glue and you should be able to pry them off using nail or ice pick as suggested. It will not harm the roots. Take off as much as you can and the stuff embedded in the soil can be taken off when you repot. Late June is usually the best time to repot for tropicals.

I used an icepick (carefully! slowly!) to remove the exact same glued-on rocks from a big box store "bonsai". I had to pick (like you would with ice), rather than pry, to remove them. Took a while and quite a bit of elbow grease. Won't purchase a plant like that again, no matter how inexpensive. In my case the glue was quite effective, and did not weaken at all in water. I didn't try other solvents.

don't try other solvents. The growers know this is not healthy for plants but it keeps the soil from falling out when they ship the plants. Usually they are rooted cuttings put into the wrong soil and then glued. The dead ones they throw away. I have asked about these poor plants.

Thank you for all the feedback, I really appreciate it. I am re-potting today (summer has finally arrived in Michigan). Will let you know how it goes.

So after re-potting, I left it the plant outside the first day. I am wondering if I should leave it out for several days due to the warm weather. My only concern is that sometimes at night, the temperature tends to slightly drop (from 80 to 63 d). Would this be an issue for an indoor plant? Thanks again.

Keep it in shade for a week. If the leaves tend to wilt then another week in shade. Keep it moist during this period. Then you can gradually give it more Sun. That way the plant will get used to the increased light and you will get better at watering it when it needs it.In general, they should be let to dry out a bit (at least the top inch or so) before watering again. When watering soak it well.

Nothing to worry about those kind of temperatures. When night temps fall below 50F consistently it is time to bring them in. I wait till it is 45F in the night to bring them in for the winter.

Tropicofcancer about: 'Keep it moist during this period' - Before re-potting, I was watering it twice a week (wednesdays and sundays). Would you suggest watering more frequently during this period? How much more? when should I go back to the typical twice a week regimen?

Also, the tree is an indoor type, and I have found 2 articles contradicting each other when it comes to where to leave the tree after re-potting. One says 'We recommend that all trees are put outside for
at least a couple of months in summer to benefit from the increase light and fresh air. This will reinvigorate the tree.' which I agree with, but another article goes against this: 'Indoor bonsai should be returned to their normal position
immediately after potting'. Should it be kept inside or outside...? Any thoughts?

Thanks again,

V

Hi, all my ficus stay outside year around. In the winter I do put them in the hot house to keep them from freezing. Also mine get watered daily because outside dries out more and also in the hot house. Some Ficus grow in water.

Everyone that wants to learn soil basics should read about perched water. To avoid root rot and other problems bonsai soil must be a free draining mix. Inorganics such as Napa pn 8822, or lava, or turface should make up about 2/3 or 3/4 of the mix. And some organics make up the rest. They should take a little longer to dry out than the inorganics. Bonzai mix is an ongoing topic among little tree lovers. Or maybe its an argument.. But if you read the soil war threads enough you will see many opinions. I think my examples sort of average what Ive read and the point is that only a little water stays in the pot and not for too long. They usually have big particles that dont stay wet like potting soil does. I water twice a week or so when the soil is dry at the bottom of the pot. Not on a schedule. You can learn to judge by the weight of the pot, and not need to poke holes. Overwatering kills too many trees planted for sale in the cheapest soil possible. It drowns them. It looks dry on top, but the bottom 2" retain a lot of water. How big is a bonsai pot? Around 2". So the problem really is this effect multiplied with looking dry on top. People "love their tree to death", thinking theyre doing it right and they over water their trees. With a good bonsai mix its hard to overwater, by design.

I hope that helps anyone who is new to the addiction. Watering correctly is the first lesson, and soil mix has everything to do with watering your trees.

So look up parched water if you want to read a better version of this.

And good luck

Eric, well said!!

Eric, good advise. It is "perched" water just in case people search for "parched" instead. I am sure it was a typo.

Valerie: After repotting you will notice the water requirement actually drops since the plant is more busy repairing the damage. Moist is just damp. If it is a good bonsai mix the top may look dry. If you put a skewer in and lift it out you can touch the tips to check how damp it is inside. Eventually, you will learn when to water by the weight of pot.I cannot tell you what a regular schedule should be - it all depends on many factors.

And no need to bring it inside. Just leave it in a shaded from Sun so it is still bright from the indirect light.

Bonsai soil sold as a specialty item can be very expensive, especially acadama and lava, but even turface sold for that purpose. I buy Turface MVP at the nearest John Deere Landscape store (not tractor store) where 50 lbs is only about $12. Yes, everyone has their own favorite soil recipes, mine is turface with some chopped sphagnum moss added. That's not peat moss, but the stranded green moss sold for topiary and basket lining purposes.

Thanks again for all the feedback. I have attached a picture of the tree one week after re-potting and staying outside. This may seem silly, but it seems like up close the leaves appear to be growing inwards, instead of outwards - as if they are trying to go back inside (LOL). I have kept this tree indoors all of its life, well over 7 years.

Because it is outside, I dust off the leaves and remove spider webs occasionally. other then that, it seems fine to me.

PS. I live in Michigan.

If you want, you can drench the entire plant each time you water. Among other things, that will minimize dust, webs and pests.

ez

Hello I just purchased my first Walmart bonsai tree this evening and I bought it at my Canadian Walmart store. I was wandering I do have a cat and was wandering if the bonsai trees from there are poisonous .

Can you show a picture?

For those who like I was a week ago, looking for a bonsai soil, there is a blend relatively cheap called "Brussel's Bonsai Professional Blend Soil". Currently, Walmart sells it for $8.88 for a bag and you can pick up locally for free. The bag looks little bit more than a gallon and for me it was a great deal. I have seen quite a few good reviews on internet. My bonsai are starters and I have rather small pots so I sifted it through 3/16" sieve to remove larger gravel pieces.

I've heard good things about Brussel's soil.

ez