my new schefflera

Hey Y'all.

I picked up this shefflera (arboricola) over the weekend. It's a good start, but has a lot of growing to do. What do you think (even if you don't think of arboricola as bonsai)?

For the "before" picture, imagine a 4x4 foot ball of green.

Here it is cut back...



Here it is potted....



Root detail...



Russell

Beautiful!

Forgot to mention, it's 22 inches tall and 30 inches wide.

Wow, Russell...great find....lovely structure...what is the cultivar? Are you friends or know of the work of Andy Graham....I have not seen such material since his posts on the forum sometime back. I am looking forward to seeing updates....you southerners do some fine work with tropicals indeed.

Regards,
Tom

Very good start indeed, without the leaves it looks like a Ficus.

Xuan

Thanks Xuan.

Tom, I don't know the cultivar. I'm not really sure I'd be able to tell any of them apart when grown as bonsai. Anyway, probably just run of the mill arboricola.

I don't know Andy Graham, and I don't recognize his name from here. Is he still around? I'd love to see his arboricolas. I posted pictures of a friend's tree back in March in another thread. It's different from this one and has almost swallowed a rock, much lower and wider.

Russell,,,that is someplant to start with!!! a massave root system looks good already...you chopped it hard .iwant to know how you got it in such a small pot???? please post when it leafs out.. scheffera are bonsai every where why can,t they be classified as a tropical one???? good start take care john

Russell,,,that is someplant to start with!!! a massave root system looks good already...you chopped it hard .iwant to know how you got it in such a small pot???? please post when it leafs out.. scheffera are bonsai every where why can,t they be classified as a tropical one???? good start take care john

Russell,
Great tree.
I love it.
Jerry

Thanks Jerry, hopefully I won't screw it up!

John, I put it on its side and sawed off the bottom 3/4 of the root mass, there wasn't really any soil left. There was a solid mass of wood in the middle of the "trunk", this one was obviously produced by planting a bundle of sticks together. Then I reduced and loosened the edges so it would fit into the pot. We'll see what happens.

That tree's a winner for sure.

Lucky you.

That's a really nice tree you have there Russell.

There was a time when I didn't have a very high opinion of arboricola for bonsai. Then I visited a club members garden was was exposed to a few bonsai that looked like this.



I changed my view. Your's is well on it's way.

Good luck,
Ed

Hey y'all.

Just wanted to update. First trim since the initial cutback in July...



Schefflera... Not just for houseplants anymore.

Russell ,, The tree has come a long way since july !! I like it and it leafed out really good.. when you said you just sawed the bottom off before i thought if I were to do that,,it would be fire wood!!! great job now where will you keep it for winter??? thanks for posting take care john

Russel, wonderful.
Jerry

I love it Russell , i wish i could have something like that.

Thanks!

John, I don't have a greenhouse. Some tropicals are far more sensitive than others. The malpighias go to a friend's greenhouse, but ficus and schefflera are only inside (on the dining room table) on the coldest days and nights. My big live oak is like an umbrella, so periodic frosts aren't a problem. The ficus in my avatar is still outside and we've already been down to freezing - as I can see on my bananas that aren't under the oak. It's 70 degrees here today, so everyone's back outside on the patio table in the sun.

Your tree really reminds me of one I sold a few years ago.
This pic is from after it was reduced quite a bit by the new owner and potted into a big mica pot, and LOTS of stringy arial roots removed.

Very appealing lush looking tree, like the structure of it.

It's coming along well - nice piece of material! Some of the others posted look great too. I don't get to see too many decent schleffera bonsai up here...

Chris

Superb piece of material Russell!

Hi Russell
Amazing tree. I've never seen anything like that. Only shrubs into the apartment, very young and spindly. A minimum of branches. Only the leaves. Your tree is beautiful. Reminds me a little ficus.
Gretings Pavel

Just a quick update...

I've not done much to this except for the occasional trim, so it's time for a hard cutback and repot. Since I don't have a greenhouse I decided smaller is better. I cut it back a little harder and repositioned some branches; and put it into a smaller and better pot. One thing I've learned about scheffleras - if you're wondering if you cut it back hard enough you probably didn't.

Before...



After...



R

Very nice indeed!

Wonderful!