Mangrove bonsai

Hi IBC.
Has anyone seen actual mangrove bonsai or tried a mangrove tree for bonsai? because in my never ending quest and search for rare specie of bonsai I have seen some weird species but never a mangrove. but my luck today seems to change I hope. I think I found one, or two or three, if it is a mangrove specie. I have never seen one in real life as bonsai ,,,until today I think...and it's lovely... and...to be continued...

if any kind soul out there got a bonsai mangrove please post the photo here, if you won't mind of course.

regards,
jun

In Florida it is illegal (and seriously enforced) to collect or even trim a mangrove (we have three varieties - White mangrove, Black mangrove and the Red mangrove).
A landowner and his landscape service had to pay a $40,000 fine when they trimmed Black Mangroves that were blocking his view of the water. Didn't even cut them down, just trimmed the height.

It is not illegal to grow one from a seed and I tried a Black mangrove seedling 10 years ago but it didn't last long in a pot. Sorry no photographs of it.

Rob Kempinski wrote:It is not illegal to grow one from a seed and I tried a Black mangrove seedling 10 years ago but it didn't last long in a pot. Sorry no photographs of it.

I also tried to grow Mangrove from seed, (not sure the variety) they survived of a while but then died.

Hi there Jun

I've never grown mangrove as bonsai, but have grown them extensively in pots and in marine systems both for decoration and as filtration (They are great at removing nitrite from the water). the species I was using is the dwarf mangrove (Grey mangrove) Avicennia marina. Initially I grew them in tubs of shallow sea water with the roots buried in crushed coral, but later just grew them in potting soil and fresh water with no issues. They were relatively slow-growing but hardy and respond well to artificial lighting. I also had a cool Arabian pupfish tank where the mangroves grew straight into the aquarium with the roots not anchored at all.
At the time I was working for the Sharjah Government's environmental agency and we had to remove a few hundred trees from near a harbour prior to that patch of swamp being developed. In hindsight, there was some stunning yamadori with piles of deadwood and all the twists and twirls you'd expect from strong tidal movements. That wood would preserve well too. Strong as hell! All of those trees were transplanted to a lagoon under rehabilitation.
Growing from seed was basic, but grey mangrove have a little round fruit and a round seed, not the quill as is seen with other species.

Hope it helps.

Damien

Thanks Rob, Billy and Damien.

Mangrove here is also a protected specie. But No guilt for me the trees are grown from seeds and it's an added treat for me because it is very rare here to have a bonsai from seeds or cuttings.

So guys, please help me to ID the tree...I hope it is a mangrove specie.
here is some shots...

the leaves



the nebari of 1st tree


the nebari of 2nd tree



no cuts
oops! blur shot sorry.




Some pointers I got from the grower- never let the soil get dry, always in a muddy soil, reduce the size of pot hole, spray with salty water,,,it bears fruit.
...all of the clear characteristic of a mangrove tree. the seeds came from the beach.

regards,
jun

clearer shot of the leaves.
characteristic of the leaves- leathery and thick

Yep sure looks like a mangrove. Any redfish hiding in the roots?

I searched the web and found this one using Red Mangroves, which I guess could be considered a Mangrove bonsai, but it doesn't have the characteristic Mangrove qualities:

http://toptropicals.com/pics/garden/2004/7/7681.jpg

collected an awesome red mangrove years ago. the tree lived for years and was actually shown several times. like the best ones do, the tree died a year or so back. I haven't been able to throw the stump away. this one hurt.

best wishes, sam

don't mangroves thrive on a wet saline biome? it'll be tough to replicate that on a pot on terra firma.

Nice find

It looks like Avecennia, in which case it can be grown in fresh water, but I guess the salt water might help control certain bacteria etc in the substrate???. Generally all mangroves can live in freshwater and the reason they are marginalized to brackish and saline systems is usually because of out-competition with more vigourous freshwater species such as Phragmites. The Niger Delta is an awsome example of a completely freshwater mangrove system. In South Africa, more than half the day would be freshwater for most of the mangroves in estuaries and lagoons.

One thing though, if you want that tree to produce the little pencil roots (pneumatophores), then you'll have to make a thick, oxygen-depleted slimy and stinky substrate. They only throw them up in anaerobic conditions.

I reckon a large shallow dish of mud with the water level just above that would look cool.

Let us know how it goes Jun

Hi People,

thanks for the input.

here is the full picture. I'll do my best to keep this trees alive. I found some extra clues on how to keep it thriving... very funny but interesting clues, and very different technique on how to keep the tree, much different even from a Phempis acidula which can be found in the seashore.. even the pot it is planted on is unlike any other bonsai pot. I think the grower of this tree which is unknown here finally find the secret, thru trial and error. he didn't tell me everything other than some of the pointers that I said above...but I found lot of clues under the soil.


before...



after...Isn't she gorgeous for a rare specie.


...and oh. one more good thing, the leaves reduced by around 80% as you can see from the photo of matured leaves above.
regards,
jun

for reference on leaves size and as a living proof of a healthy thriving mangrove here is the other one...younger sister. hehehe.









PS. and a very important NOTE to other people who might want to try the specie.

-this specie is very important in the ecological balance of the ocean and river system,, much much important than any other tree species in the world.
-PLEASE don't hack down any of this specie from the wild because it won't survive as collected yamadori...101% it wont make it. Some body who tried it before told me it wont work as yamadori from their own experience, and it took me years and lot of contacts to find this two trees.
-I won't state some of the other clues I mentioned above for the sake of the specie, probably send only PM.
-Both trees above are from seeds.

regards,
jun

nice find jun!

goodluck..

I was given a couple of red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) propagules about 6 months ago, which I have succesfully grown until now. I do not have any plans to turn them into bonsai but it would probably be interesting and unique. Red mangroves produce aerial roots and therefore you would at least have to let them get about 4 ft. tall. I plan on keeping them short and eventually plant them along the edge of a man-made pond.

Man,,is there anything you can,t grow !! nice looking tree there.. i seen a lot growing when i lived in miami,florida .. it looks like it is doing really good..take care john

I remember back in the early years, people would have mangroves mixed in with buttonwoods after coming back from collecting trips in the Florida Keys. Knowing even back then that any mangrove was protected, we would tell them what they had, tell them to be careful next time in what they collected, and if anybody asked what these were in their back yard, to make sure and call them "Whatonwoods" ! I never saw one last more than a couple of years in a container.

Ed Trout

moyogijohn wrote:Man,,is there anything you can,t grow !! nice looking tree there.. i seen a lot growing when i lived in miami,florida .. it looks like it is doing really good..take care john

hahaha John! I tried to grow the beanstalk that "Jack" used to reached the golden goose...but I always failed, that's why I turned to bonsai. hehehe. but if I find Jack's beanstalk I'll chop it down for a good yamadori.

regards,
jun

Some mangroves in nature... these trees inspired me to look for the specie suitable for bonsai.

photos taken in one of my nature hikes.







regards,
jun

pemhis is a species of mangroove too isn't it?