Podocarpus

Kind of as a follow up to Dorothy's Podocarpus thread, they are a very nice species to work with.

I've had this one since a Hal Mahoney workshop at the Texas Bonsai Society show in Corpus Christie in 2000.

It is planted in a roof tile scavenged from a wste pil near my daughter's house in St. Pete Beach, Fla.

First, the workshop tree.



The tree today.

I like the idea of the roof tile, unconventional but it works somehow=)

Nice tree Jim. Very effective use of rocks, moss, and companion plants - something I don't usually like, but in this case, nice.

Hi Jim,

Your special pot is very original

and fits absolutewell with the Podocarpus.

The earth's surface is very natural, good work, good idea.

regards
Peter

Thanks, all. I'm probably going to remove all the moss and accents next spring and add some soil here and there before putting some of the ground cover back on.

An interesting (AKA odd) note. The original pot (first pic) was filled with garbage -- bits of plastic, orange peels, bacon rinds, a couple of razor blades, cabbage leaves, etc. So I had to do a full bare root when I put it into its first training pot.

I've often wondered where it came from, but maybe that's why it was a healthy plant.

Jeepers Jim, that's one hard core potting mix! Could start a whole new "soils" debate!

Sometimes you just have to wonder what is going on in people's minds when they throw that sort of crap into a pot.

Sounds like crap was the only thing missing!!

will baddeley wrote:Sounds like crap was the only thing missing!!

Hahaha!!

Jim, nice tree and cool idea with the roof tile! It isn't a Japanese roof tile, is it?

-dorothy

As a FYI, I learned that Podcarpus trees, sometimes called Budhist Pines have become very popular in main land China. So much so that if one is in someones yard, it is likely to be stolen eventually. The prices of podocarpus bonsai have risen in Taiwas as the bonsai are being imported into China. It appears the connection with Buddah has given the bonsai species cachet in China.

Are they slow growers ?

sixhunter wrote:Are they slow growers ?

In a pot yes, very slow. In the ground they grow a bit faster but still not as fast an an oak or pine.

They also prefer to have very little root pruning done to them.

Jim, nice tree and cool idea with the roof tile! It isn't a Japanese roof tile, is it? Laughing

Thanks. No it's just the typical old, south Florida ceramic tile roof -- now being replaced by smaller, machine-made tiles that aren't nearly as attractive (on roofs or as "pots"). I saved three. One was donated to our club auction last year. I have one left and may try some kind of group planting in it.

Yes, they dislike excessive root work (which is why I worried a bit when moving from garbage to soil), but this one will put on 6-7 inches of new foliage every summer if I let it.