All are well suited to bonsai. The Live oak & myrtle are commonly used, the Bauhinia is still a good choice, though less commonly used.

Appropriate container size hinges on your soil choice. The heavier your soil ('heavy' describes soils that are comprised of small particles and water-retentive) the more attention you need to pay to avoiding over-potting. Your best bet is to use a large container and a soil that is very open (well aerated) and free-draining, the combination opf which will promote very speedy growth.

{{gwi:1295}}

Al

Thank you, Al. I was going to put them in 1 gallon pots for growth, then go from there. I don't want tiny bonsai, but I'd like to keep them as close to that size pot as possible. Since I have so many seedlings of the oak and bauhinia, I can play around and experiment. I have a book on bonsai, so I'll read about proper soil mixes.

Love the picture!

Hi Steppy

Sent you a message since I was interested in the Bauhinia seeds. Another one of those plants that I miss from back home in India.

I have not tried live oak but it seems it should be a good candidate. Crepe myrtle is a good candidate. I am trying to do one myself. In March I repotted one in sort of a gritty mix as Al shown in the picture in his post above. These like to send out shoots from the base and they need to be promptly pruned. Mine is still about 30 inches tall and I need to get it down to about 18 inches or so. Next year. I am happy to say it took a massive root pruning and survived. I took out nearly 80% of its roots just about the time when it showed signs of budding. I have another one in the ground as a backup and to produce seeds for more plants.

If you can a wide and shallow pot is more suitable. But i also keep plants/trees in plain nursery pots initially for a few years and eventually put them in shallower pots.

If you have lots of seedlings and are in the mood for an extreme project check out this link. I am trying it out on maples from my yard and I am eyeing a big patch of hackberry seedlings

bonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t33-fused-trunk-trident-acer-buergerianum?highlight=trident+maples

sorry this link should work

http://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t33-fused-trunk-trident-acer-buergerianum

Ricjo22, where do you get your trident maple seeds from? I would like to do the same experiment as dugz shows on his website(www.dugzbonsai.com)