|
| Bought a Bougainvillea (Bambino)a couple of months ago and have a couple of questions. It was a neglected "orphan" at a local supermarket and was not in the best of condition. It has been left in the nursery pot (10" diam x 9" height)until I felt it was in better condition. The plant itself is about 15" wide x 13" tall and has a trunk diam of about 1".
Now the questions: I would like to place it in a deep pot, about exactly the same size, for now.(I have the pot) Is this a bad time to just slip pot it - if that's the term -? Realize that spring would be better. Also would like to prune out a couple of low branches, and if I understand correctly this can be done at anytime. It will have to be kept indoors this winter. The weather here in the Black Hills can drop or climb 25 to 30 degrees in a matter of minutes and can get to -15°. Would love to post a picture if I can figure out how. Thanks
|
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| Hi, slip potting can be done anytime, but if you cut lower branches, you'll be defeating a major method of fattening the lower trunk for eventual taper and an aged look. Such branches are often called 'sacrifice(s)' as they may well be cut off in time, once the final design is achieved but they don't fit in, but if you want the trunk to develop well, let them just grow out where they are and don't worry about how they look now (unless the present look is more important to you than the eventual one). |
|
| Hello - Thanks for the reply. Nah, I don't need to cut the branches. Just got a little eager to see some progress. Poor little tree was in pretty bad shape, guess that's why I got it for 75% off. Looking really pretty good now, after being babied for a bit over two months. Did take out some small dead wood branches just to clean it up. Major concern is coming winter and keeping indoor humidity high enough to bring the little gal thru. Another concern is changing pots. The planting medium in the pot seems to be pretty sandy and have a bit of a concern about it crumbling when the move is made. But we shall see. Thanks a bunch, again. marsh |
|
- Posted by head_cutter (My Page) on Thu, Aug 7, 08 at 23:03
| The first poster pretty much fixed you up. I will only add that they are pretty much a 'weed' as far as growing goes and will take a LOT of punishment. Here in Viet Nam they are spectacular all year round and grow to tree size. I have one large one, multiple trunk, that is probably 10-12 years old and was pot grown. The soil is the typical 'soil' for here--sand and cow manure (not much of the second part) the pot drains well and I only water it once a week or when the leaves begin to droop a little. In your area and climate--even indoors in the winter--it will probably decline, get leggy and suffer some. In the summer, in full sun and with some care, it bounce back with no problem. Just keep it well drained, feed it heavy and you'll have a nice tree. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Bonsai Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.