First Tree - Fukien Tea

Greetings IBC!
As some of you may know, I have several kinds of seeds sprouting to turn into Bonsai. However, that will take a long time. So, in the meantime, I have purchased a Bonsai! It is a Fukien Tea Tree. IKEA sells several different kinds of trees they consider "Bonsai", but they were priced fairly well, and looked nice. The tree I got, my Fukien Tea, was among 30+ other Fukien Tea Trees, all roughly the same size and style. There were some Trees that could be turned into Literati, and some possible windswept desings, but I chose the underdog. This tree looked nice in general and was different from most of the others. I picked up a white pot for it as well. IKEA also sells 2 other kinds of trees in their Bonsai section. There is a smaller selection of Ginseng Ficus, the tree I wanted to get but was out of my price-range. There is also a few Plam trees, of whose variety I do not know. The Fukien Tea Trees were $14.99, and came in a plastic pot, and all desperately needed to be re-potted. They were in the range of 7-8 inches tall. The Ficus came in an oval dish with a tray on the bottom. They were all about 1 foot and 1 half to 2 feet tall, including the pot, which was about 6 inches tall. They were $29.99. The Palm trees were very small ( about 6 inches ) and were $9.99. I will post photos of the tree when I find my camera. I think there is a small amount of scarring from wire at one of its curves. I can't wait to here your ideas on what I should do with my tree. I have an idea in mind, but I also have no experience. I need some advice on how to care for this tree. Also, when is it best to wire, trim, and work on them?

Briddell

Following up on the photos.

A general view of my tree

I think this will be the front

The base of the trunk

More of the trunk

Pre-existing deadwood without flash

Same deadwood, less of a view ( with flash )

The scarring from wire

Another view of the scarring, pretty much the same as the other

A view of the back


Thanks in advance !

Hi Briddell.
What kind of pot was the tree in before? This one is way too large and completely the wrong shape for this tree.

Oops. Nevermind what I said

To Lee,
It was in a pot that holds 21.932 fl oz. That is 1 pint and 6 oz. Also, the pot it is in now is only to hold it until I can get a bonsai pot

I like the back as the new front.

Mick

Now, the more I look at it, I agree

What about the branch that sticks out on the side?

Should I cut it off?

Should I cut it off?

I wouldn't. You need it to help the trunk grow larger.

@ Mr. Rhodes, it appears to me that the branch he's asking if he should cut actually originates from the lower right branch. If that's the case, should it be cut off, or left there??? I'd assume it'd need to be cut back at the very least, it does cross the trunk as it stands now... and couldn't it possibly contribute to an inverse taper somewhere down the road? Not trying to be critical, it just took me a while to see that it may originate from a branch and not the trunk. Maybe I'm seeing things, but if I'm not, I think that'd change the diagnosis a bit, correct?

@ Briddell, does the branch in question originate from the trunk, or from that lower right branch? That may help clear things up a bit.

Congrats on your first tree, by the way! Like you said, it'll give you something to do while you wait for your seedlings. As Mick stated, I like the back as the new front too. I think it has a bit more balance that way, just a little easier to look at/see what's going on. If you are satisfied with the current size and feel that you want it in a bonsai pot, go for it! But if it takes more than a couple/few weeks for you to obtain a bonsai pot, I'd leave it alone till the next repotting season where you live. If you want it to get much bigger, I'd suggest a bigger (plastic/nursery) pot... but not too big. If you have the space (and if your age is correct, your parents permission/help), put it in the ground, as trees grow the fastest this way (keep in mind, this is only if you want it to get a lot bigger). If you're planning on styling with the "rules" in mind, remove any other branches that cross the trunk (that start on the left side of trunk but end up on the right, or the opposite). Other than that, pretty good for your first tree!

Oh, yeah, as far as general care... Most people (myself included) prefer to use the "clip and grow" method on Fukien Teas instead of wires. Unless the branch is very young, they aren't very bendable and break easily. For now, google "clip and grow method for bonsai" or something similar (if I don't get the results I want, I think of other ways to word the same thing... usually works), and save $$$ for a book or two. John Naka's books have been very helpful to me (I'm still a beginner too). Here's a link to some basic care info...

http://www.bonsaihunk.us/info/FukienTea.html

Hope we've been helpful so far... I'm sure others will chime in soon too.


G

put it in the ground, as trees grow the fastest this way (keep in mind, this is only if you want it to get a lot bigger).

He can't leave in the ground over winter, it isn't cold hardy and he lives in Kentucky, USA.

Any growth he leaves on the bottom will help the trunk.

Ahhhh, good point. Thought that's where he was, but wasn't sure. Sometimes I forget there aren't as many people with climates like ours here... I only suggested these options if he wanted it to grow a lot more, which he very well may not. And as far as that branch, it wouldn't cause "too much" growth on the trunk??? I'm not trying to be argumentative, just curious, for my own personal knowledge. I may be way off base, but it seems logical to me that this may cause a bit of inverse taper... But that's just the way I think This, again, is probably affected by our differing climates. Thanks for pointing out my bad advice, Mr. Rhodes.


G

@ G,
Said branch originates from the trunk.

Yup, I see it now! There's a point (in the picture at least) where it grows up and meets that right branch. It lined up just right and I couldn't tell where it started and where it ended. Had to look at it a few times to figure it out. Sorry for the confusion.

I have dug around in the soil and found a surprising amount of trunk buried. I cleaned it up and have it put back in the pot with some potting soil and some of it's original soil. I hope I didn't mess it up :silent :

In my experience with Fukien Tea, a single branch doesn't tend to cause reverse taper. Now, if we leave a whorl of branches, it might.

One of the exciting things about Bonsai is the differences in our situations. We are alwayas learning about our plants, what we can do and what we shouldn't.

I just pruned my tree for the first time! I am loving this! I can't wait to get more trees!

briddell wrote:I just pruned my tree for the first time! I am loving this! I can't wait to get more trees!

That's the spirit!

Climate forgiving, it may be an idea to get a couple of chinese elms as they're relatively hardy and backbud well. I myself have just started with Mountain/Japanese maples, also a good choice (again, climate forgiving) although the green leaved 'normal' varieties tend to be be better for bonsai. The red leaved ones are fine, but the leaves don't reduce well in size. Bad frosts can cause dieback on some maples, although given enough care they generally recover well.

Be careful not to do too much to your tree at once; number 1 cause of tree death for newcomers is loving them to death, something we've all done at one point.

Cheers

Thanks!