So first thing you post pics in this site using a photoucket or like acct pasting thecode that has the at the beg and end of the url. The avocado ive never seen bonsai. Would def b interesting. Ive cn them live quite happily in absorbant soil in a normal flour pot inside in a well lit room. However the principal behind bonsai requires root controll in a shallower pot so i have no idea what youd do about that. And id say with the spruce id say grow it in a whatever pot untill it has some shape and definition then decide what looks good with it. Lookin forward to cn ur trees. Ps growing from seed in my opinion gives you a more seemless transition to bonsai without all the scars.

thank you so much! on everything! I knew this cite had nice people. any way here are several picks of my tangerine and Avocado... the pot its in only has 6 inches when it could hold to about 10 inches of soil in it depth wise.

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the tangerine tree sorry all my picks are so big... or maybe that's a good thing?

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and yes in the pot next to my avocado is two of my apple seedlings... i don't have picks for them yet but will post as soon as i get them up.

Okay so this is what id do. The avocado needs to get out of that vase. Get it a pot a couple inches wider than its canopy and about 3 inches deep. If you keep it in there where the water can build up in the bottom and inevitably cause root rot. If it likes the moisture and dislikes fast draining soil id say line the bottom of the pot with peat or spagnum moss which retains moisture well. Then fill with some nice dark potting soil. That should keep your moisture levels up however you will still have to water more frequently to avoid it drying out. Next if you like the height the next set of leaves to begin forming at the top. Clip them and keep em clipped to force growth lower on the tree. It should start to spread out. Now to rhe tangerine looks healthy as hell but also wild. Id say a re pot in something shallower than massive pot from hell u got there allong with heavy root trim and some pruning to get it into a bonsai pot will go a long way. If you do it right you should have more new growth than u know what to do with but with that avocado if you dont stop it from growing up youll wind up with a 4 ft tall leafy stick lol ive seen it

The avocado doesn't like to be watered very much... and only gets a little bit of water... right now its in a mix of norm and cactus potting soil.. witch keeps its roots from drying out but not completely wet wet. I have a pot for my avocado that would fit that. As for the tangerine tree.. i know that's a huge pot... its roots have been trimmed not to long ago, taking half the root ball off because it was root bound. how soon do you think i should snip them again? as of right now they could get into a bonsai pot. but here in pa i have to get one made.... in my county not to many people even know what a bonsai is.. its sad i know. i have a pink plastic tub the diameter of the Pot from hell, but only three feet deep( making drainage holes in bottom).. that should work? I also when i trimmed the roots cut at least 3 feet off the top and thinking about trimming some branches down to about half there size. I also just two days ago removed some lower branches and the sucker on the base. also i think i am still not happy with the top of the tree and wish to make it smaller again but this time cutting the lead. witch should cause some branching in places ware it needs it. I have been pruning the tree here and there.. for its got 3 inch spines on it and makes it hard to prune it. its also hard to see ware to prune since its so wild to make it more tame.

thank you so much for the help with these trees.
i will post up dates... oh and the avocado pot is only i would say 3 or 4 inches from the ridge down in the pot. witch is ware i fill dirt up to. in most pots... save the pot for hell... lol

Id say the tub would work but if your going for asthetics id look on amazon for some pots i found many that were fairly inexpensive the shipping is whatll kill ya. You can trim the root ball down a great deal given you dont destroy too many feeder roots but most of the big mcnasty roots are what ya want to get rid of. Just get it to where itll fit in the shallower pot. You may have to rake out alot of the roots to get them to lay out sideways. Washing the dirt off also helps bc you must keep them wet or youll kill it. Youre also going to need to cut it back quite a bit leaving enough leaves for it to do its job but you also dnt want bare sticks so itll be the perfect time to wrangle it back in. Be sure to fertilize after this bc itll take a huge hit in its nutrient intake so youll want to compensate for that a bit. Ps dont cut all of the big nasty roots they play a vital role so save as many as u can. Its widely accepted to have your bonsai dirt mounded at the trees base to get it where it needs to be. Then it should grow at a more manageable pace concentrating on the recoup and regrowth both filling out and gaining a more hearty look

Thank you for the tip! i found several cheep cites for bonsai pots including Amazon thank you so much! I might even stock up on the pots.. since i don't plan on owning only one and a maybe bonsai.

and will wait till i get a better pot in a bout a month or to for the tree, making sure it doesn't get too out of hand in the mean time. As for the plastic tub i think it would make a good training pot for another down the road.

I call all my plants bonsai. Bonsai literally means plant in a pot. So you should be fine. However, bonsai as an art form imposes certain forms, aesthetics and styles. To achieve those it takes a lot of tinkering around and gather knowledge about plants. Certain plants easily respond to all the pruning and shaping and certain others do not. I have an avocado in a pot. It is about 10 years old and it is about 2.5 ft high. I keep trying to chop it shape it and nothing. It just grows in another direction. On the other hand I had been able to maintain this height for 3 years now with a little canopy on top. No particular shape. The leaves never really reduced in size. And once in a while a really monstrous leaf will also appear. All in all it is a fun plant.

Howdy!

First, a Spruce bonsai would need to live outdoors.

Secondly, I have an avocado that I've been growing as a houseplant and pruning periodically.
I'm trying to encourage low branching to give a bonsai impression. The leaves don't reduce well,
which is why Avocado aren't usually considered good candidates for bonsai, but that's no reason
not to have fun! I absolutely agree that your Avocado requires drainage.

Here are links to two Threads on my Avocado that might be a good reference:

Avocado converted to Houseplant - Part 1

Avocado as a Container Plant - Part 2

Josh

I live in Pa i am sure the Spruce will have lots of fun outside like i intended... how ever i must bring him in every once in a while once a get him.

don't have very friendly town folk and like to smash pots... so spruce will have to have supervised out side time.

Doesn't hurt to have fun with and Avocado! I am still going to try and bonsai him or her... but my Avocado is a hass and something else... and likes the moister so thus the fifty fifty soil...

And to any new posters.
The Avocado has a new shallow drain pot... with a little bit more moister holding soil.. it doesn't like it when its roots get just damp.. it needs it kinda wet ish... don't know why and don't care to ask it... its not a very good conversationalist. lol

the tangerine tree well is getting pruned wired and left a lone for a while and will post picks on both trees when i find the time.

I purchased one of those bonsai pots that are split with one side for the bonsai the other for standing water I thought it looked nice now my problem is the water is starting to grow stuff in it and smells wether it's mold or fungus I am asking if there is a way I can stop or prevent this from happening maybe something I can put in the water or if I please help if anyone has answers

Don't put water in it (and get rid of what's there) unless you're prepared to siphon it out all the time, clean the slime and start over each time. Without disturbing the plant on the other side.

Thanx moochinka but my thing is what do i do for the future and my question.is what can i do to prevent this can i put pool water in it cause ibdidnt buy the pot for no reason and everyvody seems to use them whats the solution there has to be one please help if u can and thanks again mooch...

And excuse the typos im sure u can get what im saying i.NEED A SOLUTION plus i googled every which way i can ask the question and cant get an.answer please help if u can

You NEED air and shelter and food and love, but not a solution to this :-). I could suggest that after dumping what's in there and cleaning it up you then use a diluted bleach solution (rinsing very well after doing that), but unless you recycle the water often, the problem will return. I don't think there's a magic answer. So many things we see in pix look miraculous, but half of them are products of photographers trying to make a buck and manipulating reality, the other half are hard work. Have you considered a siphoning set-up to get the water out when necessary?

Thanx again you been very helpful i def thought of it but also thought an easier solution would occur like maybe using pool water but i am worried about the tree as far as evaporation with the chemical but then again my pool definately doesnt effect the trees in my backyard and lets be real pool chemicals is the.least of our trees worries with pollution and all so i.jus am curious i figured if i can use.pool water it has the.chemicals to stay.clear clean of algae and all that so i was hoping someone.would kno.if thats safe or not if.not.my only.other.option i figure is either.like u said or instead of using the filtered water i use for.my plants i.jus use sink water wich has the.lil bit of chlorine and whatever else in it and dont.keep.it filled.let it evaporate wipe doen and then fill again prolly my best easiest bet unless someone knows if the pool water will be safe for.my tree and thanx again moochinka people.like you remind me why i.joined thos forum in the first.place thanx and if you ever.need some.advice that i.can help.with.or.info please.by all.means hit.me up

HecticNature

Hi since this is my thread, and I keep fish tanks... I know the solution to your problem...

Go to your aquarium store.... pick out a nice bubbler and plop it in the water end.... get some smooth stones, put it up and around the bubbler hose and hide it as much as you can.

The water then will move, making production of stagnate yuckiness from happening. Also get some betta safe and dump into the side as well, that will clear out any toxins in that side of the pot, and should help cut down smell.

There is also a chemical that's completely plant safe, that is used for ponds, fish ponds, that will keep the algae from
growing.

Or you could use mineral oil, it looks like water, but isn't.

P.s. You could also go a really cool route, and put sand on that side instead and put some smooth rocks, get yourself a fork, and tun it into a Zen garden plus bonsai... which would be wicked cool.

This post was edited by wolfHhowling on Sat, Sep 21, 13 at 2:28

Awww man wolfhowling thanx alot great ideas thank you so much i am very grateful and the advice has been greatly appreciated guys thanx a million

Please check out my site to learn more on bonsai trees.

Here is a link that might be useful: The art style of a bonsai tree

Funny i thought about the sand idea nd i thought it would b cool thanx