My new tree!

Hi all, Im very new to the bonsai world and I want to get it right. I have just bought a well grown but small 'chinese box' tree. It clearly has some new growth. My question is this, what do I do with it? Do I cut back the new growth to make it bushier, or do I leave it? Hopefully this will be my first succesful tree and Im after all the info I can get! (I will be attending a beginners course at greenwood studio soon hopefully) Many thanks, Ben

It's tough to give you a how-to-do-bonsai course in a brief response, Some of us have been trying to learn for 40 years and still often think we haven't gotten there. I'd suggest you hie yourself down to your nearest public library and see what they have to loan out, then do some reading. This is the wrong time of year to do much to your new tree other than enjoy it, anyway, so spend the winter months reading books.

There may be a bonsai club in your area -- there seem to be a LOT of UK bonsaiers. If you find one, join and meet folk who have been doing bonsai for a while. They're your best teachers.

First of all, you need to know exactly which species of tree you have. There are at least two with the common name "Chinese box." I suggest you post a picture or two here, including a close-up of the leaves. When we know just what you have, we can better advise you.
Iris

I'll try and find out. The one I have has a very rough bark and it is quite a light colour. It was sold as an indoor tree by greenwood bonsai.
Im not sure if I worded my question quite right. I would like the tree to get a bit bigger, but keep its current shape. Obviously Im not going to re-pot it til spring, but should I just leave the branches to grow a bit until it is a bit bigger then trim it? Thanks, Ben

Here's some pitures of it. Could you tell me what the scientific name is from this?

I want this tree to get bigger, so I am wanting to put it in a bigger pot in spring. I obviously want the trunk to get bigger as well as more/bigger branches. How is this achieveed? Do I put it in a bigger pot and trim down the branches so nutrients are kept in the trunk or or should I just re-pot it and leave it for a season? Any tips for me would be greatfully recieved. Im so pleased with my new tree!

It indeed seems to be (what we call over here) a boxwood, probably Buxus microphylla. They are very slow growing, so don't expect it to take off like a maple tree. If you want the trunk to grow, don't trim it for now, except to remove extraneous twigs. It needs all the leaves it has to fatten the trunk. To get significant growth, plant it in a big shallow training pot with coarse bonsai soil. Unless you can grow it under fluorescent lights for the winter, repot next spring.
It will tolerate growing indoors, but for best results, grow it outdoors most of the year, except when it is below freezing. It likes part shade, but may take more sun in your climate than mine. Watch for spider mites, root rot, & potting shock.
And join the nearest bonsai club.
Iris

Where can I find out about the different names of things? Like you just said shallow 'training' pot. Would that be the classic oval or rectangular shaped shallow bonsai pot sold by many places. Thanks for your help, Ben

Hi Mujician,

A training pot is usually something inexpensive that is larger than a formal bonsai pot. I've use shallow wide clay azalea pots , old nursery pots (cut down) or mica bonsai pots . What you are trying to achieve is training roots to spread out and NOT down.

I'm unfamiliar with your boxwood(English??) but my boxwood( kingsville/japanese) thrive in dappled shade and I keep them cool in the winter. Some box are sold as tropicals but cannot thrive in tropical conditions for long.

Oh and another thing is to keep moss off the rough trunk by using soft tooth brush or tweezers, the moss will destroy the bark eventually.

Good luck!
Norma

Thanks Norma - can you tell me what the purpose of a training pot is then? Why cant I just put it in a pot of the size I want? Is to 'train' the roots to spread out and not go down? I was sold this Box as an indor tree. The nursery that sold it seems to be quite well reapected here in the UK and they had it in their heated greenhouse. What kind of soft brush do you suggest? For future reference, where can I get moss from to put it at the base of a tree? Many thanks, Ben

Mujician wrote:Thanks Norma - can you tell me what the purpose of a training pot is then? Why cant I just put it in a pot of the size I want? Is to 'train' the roots to spread out and not go down? I was sold this Box as an indor tree. The nursery that sold it seems to be quite well reapected here in the UK and they had it in their heated greenhouse. What kind of soft brush do you suggest? For future reference, where can I get moss from to put it at the base of a tree? Many thanks, Ben

In your case, the purpose of the training pot is to grow a bigger, fatter trunk. To do this, you need a pot that is big enough to encourage lots of root growth. But since you are growing a bonsai, you want a shallow root system. Hence the advice to put it in a large but shallow pot, such as a bulb pan or an oversized bonsai pot.
Don't believe everything a nursery tells you, no matter how well respected. I also grow Kingsville box indoors over the winter. It is a cultivar of B. microphylla, which I believe is what you have. However, during spring, summer, & fall, when the weather is above freezing, it belongs outside.
In this country, we use automotive detailing brushes to clean the bark. They come in a set of different hardnesses. If you can't find such a thing, use an old toothbrush.
Look for moss that grows in the sun. You can find it on the edges of asphalt paths & car parks.
Iris

There is so much to learn about bonsai and speaking to knowledgeable hobbyists really is a good place to start. If you put 'fobbs' into your search engine you will have the opportunity to find a Bonsai Club local to you (East Midlands?). There is one listed in Derby but I don't know how far that is for you. Anyway, the fobbs site would be a good place to look. I'm in the West Mids.