Bonsai Trees

[MC BumSlap]

Just buy a head of broccoli and plant it.

Fun fact: You won't find broccoli growing in the wild. That's because this vegetable was developed through centuries of careful plant breeding.

 

[i_am_the_koi]

Look for a local Bonsai Club.

We got one in the North Bay that is on the side of the road often selling them. Also find them at home and garden shows and mom and pop nurseries.

 

[FLH03RIDER]

Here's my indoor bonsai...
It started out as a California Juniper that I bought in the garden section at Orchard for like $5. They are good plants to start out with because the are inexpensive and pretty easy to grow. It was an outdoor "bonsai" and almost 11 years old but I think the squirrels knocked the watering drip tube out of the pot when I was gone for two weeks. It got about 8 hours direct sun and got watered twice a day in the summer.

Well, I rinsed all the dirt from the roots, trimmed it up a bit and re-potted it. It's now a real low maintenance indoor plant.

Oh, and that green conical shaped thing next to it is a Bushtit Wren's nest. It fell from a pine tree this Spring. They made it out of, moss, spider webs, bit of string, and grasses. I think the bluejays knocked it down.

 

[Yakoo752]

You are kind of far away now but Yamagami's in Cupertino sells some really neat baby bonsai.

I had a bonsai elm that was about a year old. It's probably dead on my desk in the office right now.

 

[Ducky_Fresh]

You are kind of far away now but Yamagami's in Cupertino sells some really neat baby bonsai.

I had a bonsai elm that was about a year old. It's probably dead on my desk in the office right now.

I tried to order a bonsai from Home Depot. Couldn't ship it..

 

[norcalAF]

I'll second the quality tools route rather than a plant. You will be remembered fondly every time the tool is used. I have some tools like this (guns mostly, but also a tent from my dad, etc)

But most importantly, source the item locally to you and send it in your own packaging, the time required to do these things will not go unnoticed.

 

[stangmx13]

The owner of this bonsai studio is an ex-WERA racer that I hung out with years ago. Hes cool and was fast.
https://www.californiabonsai.com

Fun fact: You won't find broccoli growing in the wild. That's because this vegetable was developed through centuries of careful plant breeding.

Fun fact #2: broccoli is the same species of plant as brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, many others. same genes, different expression of those genes.

 

[auntiebling]

What can you tell me about avocado trees grown from seed? I have one that's about 12 feet tall, has flowered 3 times and has a bunch of leaves that always yellow and die off. It probably has 90% healthy foliage that renews regularly.

I live in a condo complex and planted it on top of a tree stump that was partially removed some years ago. It is likely under-watered as the landscapers have the sprinklers turned down to a minimum. I give it a few gallons of water from a can a few times a week. It would be wonderful if it would bear fruit, but I like it because it is green, alive, and I planted it. Asshole neighbours would steal the fruit anyway.

Thanks in advance!

you're probably over watering it. i've started about a dozen avocados from seed so far, almost all dead now. none have gotten past ~2 years old.

avocados are easy to over water in this area as the clay in the soil retains a lot of water and drains for fuckall... at least in my yard it does. the top 3" dry out really quick, and under that is always a little damp all freaking year (my tomatoes love it though)

avocados are prone to root rot. they also need to be fed like most other fruit trees and prefer acidic soil. i'd find a good general purpose fruit tree fertilizer and follow the instructions. Iron deficiency is also easy to run into and there are supplements for that that can be sprayed on the foliage for a quick hit, and also introduced into the soil for long term happiness.

i suggest you hit the good old Googles, because the above may have conveyed some kind of useful knowledge that i have but in fact i'm just regurgitating thing's i've read over the years while slowly killing baby avocado trees. your research is just as good as mine and if you DIY, it's not my fault if your tree dies. a 12 foot tree is pretty good btw. feed it, don't water it too much. you might get lucky.

my most recent attempted murder involved transferring 3 of the surviving seedlings i'd been tending in water glasses for ~2 years into dirt and pots. having certainly drowned a few others with high clay content soil, i used loamy well draining soil this time and put them in smaller pots. ~1 gallon or so. i potted them, watered them and left them outside for some glorious glorious sunshine (2 years indoors ya know, i figured it woudl be good)

turns out that direct sun in a small pot for 1.5 days will dry the holy hell out of the leaves and nearly kill the thing. it might have totally killed them but the whispy trunks seem to still be alive so i'm not certain they're dead yet but they probably are.

once these ones are dead i'm going to move on to another plant to torture. something that really deserves it like broccoli. fuck that plant

oh i also killed 2 from a nursery because they froze over winter. little avocados really need to be kept indoors for like, i dunno, ever

My mom started an avocado tree from a pit in the late 70’s. By the time she passed in 2008 the tree was an absolute giant, and a very prolific producer. You could see it from several blocks away. It produced avocados the size of nerf footballs and they were the creamiest most flavorful avocados I’ve ever tasted. She called them bacon avocados. I’m guessing her experience was not typical? She was the kind of gardener who could find a dead twig on the sidewalk, stick it in the dirt, and have plums the next year. Anyway, when we sold her house in 2012 the new owners had it cut down within a week of closing.

I’ve always loved Bonsai, and think they’d look cool in those little fairy gardens, but knowing I have zero patience has always kept me from getting one. My local Ace garden center has nice collection of little Bonsai tree starters.

that does sound like a Bacon. they're delish but a PITA to peel becase the skin is really thin.

i hope the people that cut down that tree learn to regret it. avocado trees that fruit are magic. 2 of my neighbors have them and i am super envious. there are a half dozen in total in my neighborhood that i've noticed. they're mocking me.

 

[KWeezyXB12]

theres a dude out by harris ranch the sells them on the side of the road. always wanted to stop hes been there for years

 

[Johndicezx9]

There's a bonsai tree store/stand in Carmel Valley between Quail Lodge and the Earthbound Farm stand if you're down this way. The hours seem rather intermittent, though.

 

[easter bunny]

i potted them, watered them and left them outside for some glorious glorious sunshine (2 years indoors ya know, i figured it woudl be good)

turns out that direct sun in a small pot for 1.5 days will dry the holy hell out of the leaves and nearly kill the thing.

A lot of plants need to be 'hardened off' when moving from a greenhouse/indoors to the great outdoors. Especially true for tomatoes. Start with indirect sun for an hour and gradually increase time and exposure.