Newbie from Montana, USA

jjlars777 · Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 8:01 pm Post subject: Newbie from Montana, USA

Hi Everyone:

I've only been involved with bonsai for several months and have had wonderful luck germinating baobab, banyan and Japanese black pine seeds. These seedlings are growing beautifully, but I have a problem with two dwarf gardenias, which I purchased on eBay USA.

They arrived in good condition along with an orange jasmine and tea olive tree which are doing fine.

The dwarf gardenias have yellowing leaves. The plants are approximately 7" inch tall with small buds and I transplanted them into 6" x 6" x 2" bonsai pots using akadama and a bonsai soil mix. From reading other forums I'm thoroughly confused about using an acid fertilizer (applied four days ago with no visible change), or whether to water liberally or keep the soil relatively dry. Everyone seems to have a different theory about every aspect of growing this plant.

While I've read about and have had good results with my other plants, these dwarf gardenias seem to be an enigma.

Since this is my first posting and I'm very new to bonsai please excuse any lapse or omission in forum protocol.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Cheers,
James

jimothy · Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 8:37 pm Post subject: Re: Newbie from Montana, USA

hi james and welcome.

You did right to try to acidify the soil to combat the chlorosis of the leaves (assuming of course that high pH was the cause of the problem).

As for watering, you should aim to provide the plants with the water they need, rather than sticking to a once-a-day/ once-a-weekkind of regime. CHECK the soil every day, and water as necessary to stop it drying out (in the free-draining soil mix you describe, you will probably find this is once every one or two days, depending on the light/heat/humidity they experience)

Which brings me to the next point - you don't say where you're keeping the plants (inside or outside) or what the climate is like where you are (sorry I'm not familiar with Montana) - just checked a forecast, and it looks like you're probably experiencing very warm weather at the moment - highs of 25-30C and lows of 15-20. if this is the case, then put them outside, in a relatively shady (especially at midday) position - don't expose them to direct sunlight between the hours of 11am and 3pm or they'll fry.

jjlars777 · Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 9:24 pm Post subject: Thanks Jimothy

I appreciate the quick reply. Since I had two plants I put one outdoors that gets morning sun (as you suggested) and the other in my indoor greenhouse that receives 18 hours of fluorescent light per day, relatively low humidity. I'll put both in just the morning light and water as needed. Thanks again!

Cheers,
James

steve · Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2005 12:19 am Post subject: Re: Newbie from Montana, USA

How much time was there between potting and fertilizing? You should wait at least a month after repotting before you feed a tree. The damage done to the roots while repotting needs to mend before fertilizer comes along and burns them.

StaceyR · Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2005 5:41 am Post subject: Re: Newbie from Montana, USA

Welcome to BonsaiHelp! The greatest banyan grower in the world(IMO) lives in Montana I believe,Jerry Meislik. His website should be in the links section of BH.

jjlars777 · Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2005 2:12 pm Post subject: Jerry Meislik

There was about two weeks between repotting and fertilizing, apparently I should have had a bit more patience.

I didn't find a direct link to Jerry Meislik in the Links page, but I did find his web site at http://www.bonsaihunk.us/

Very impressive and shows me how much there is to learn about this fascinating hobby. He lives about 550 miles from me, but still in Montana!

Once again, thanks for the help with the dwarf gardenias. There are several blossoms and the aroma takes me instantly back to when I lived in Hawaii; I hope I can get past this floral speed-bump of yellow leaves to enjoy these beautiful plants.

Tuppence2 · Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2005 7:16 pm Post subject: Re: Newbie from Montana, USA

Nice to meet you James. See you around the site.

Penny Smile

jjlars777 · Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2005 9:49 pm Post subject: Hi Penny

Thanks for the welcome, Penny. I've been watching the site for a while to get a feel for it and have seen photos of your plants; very nice.

Tuppence2 · Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2005 9:20 pm Post subject: Re: Newbie from Montana, USA

Thank you, James. Best of luck with your bonsai. Smile

Penny

Dick · Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2005 3:33 am Post subject: Re: Newbie from Montana, USA

Hi James,

Welocme to the forum. It's very user friendly and I'm sure that all your questions will be answered.

About the gardenia, fetilizing with acidic fertilizer such as Miracid is a good idea for a healthy plant, but not so good for one the isn't healthy. If anything, it works against the plant when it's not in tip-top shape. So I would not feed your gardenia now until it recovers, which it should.

Gardenias ad hig ligh plants and benefit from a lot of sun, except for the hottest mid-day sunlight. They also like water during the mornings to make it through the hottest part of the day with enough moisture at the roots. So increasing the amount of light and watering properly should help the plant to rejenerate itself and re-sprout. Then when it's in good health, renew the fertilizing.

steve · Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 4:42 am Post subject: Re: Newbie from Montana, USA

DMicheleR · Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 8:42 am Post subject: Re: Newbie from Montana, USA

Hi James,
I'm new here too. When this group gets together, there is no bonsai question they can't answer, and they're all super-friendly. Good luck with the gardenias. I've also ordered some from E-Bay but they haven't arrived yet.

jjlars777 · Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 10:10 am Post subject: eBay Bonsai

Hi Michele:

Living in Billings, Montana I don't have access to a bonsai store. One nursery/greenhouse here carries some good quality pots at reasonable prices