FUCHSIA BONSAI There are basically two ways of achieving this: (a) From rooted cuttings. (b) From an established plant which has been growing in a pot or garden. Most important look for small flowered varieties. Method (a) Take a tip cutting in the normal way. Tip cuttings are best taken from new growth, between a quarter and half an inch long. Plant in a peat based compost, you can add fine perlite but this is not absolutely necessary. If using a propagator 60f/15c. They will root perfectly well without a propagator, it just takes a little longer. Watering is best done in the mornings, if they are too wet at night you run the risk of the cuttings getting botrytis and then they will rot-off. When rooted pot up into a 1 or 2 inch pot. Pot-on when roots appear through the drainage holes. Keep moist, never over water. If you put a small plant into a small bonsai pot it will stay small and the main stem will never thicken enough to become a trunk. Therefore carry on potting-up as the plant grows. After the 3 inch pot size add 20% of horticultural grit and 5% of perlite to the soil. Carry on potting up until they are in the 5 inch pot size. According to the variety it can vary between 1 and 5 years before they are ready to be transferred into a bonsai pot. During this time shaping can begin. When using wire on fuchsia main stems/trunks and branches be very careful, the reason being is that they mark very easily and can also become very brittle. Wire more on the loose side than on the tight side. Patience is required. It is better to wire once on the loose side, and at a later date remove and then re-wire again to get the shape you are aiming for. U' shaped and S' shaped wire can be used for thinner branches, for training in a downward or upward direction respectively. During the growing season use quarter strength of any balanced feed NPK 20-20-20 every watering. During growth keep removing large leaves, new leaves come back very quickly and smaller in size. If plants remain in the same growing pot for more than 6 months, renew the bottom third of soil, also removing any roots in bottom third. Six months before it is time for a plant to go into a bonsai pot begin to pot-down, that is gradually transferring to a smaller pot size, so that the plant gets used to living in less soil with less roots. Method (b) If a plant has been growing in the garden or in a large pot for several years, have a good look at the branch/stem structure, bearing in mind the bonsai aspect, look for thick and even contorted stems. You may even find this type of plant at your local fuchsia nursery, especially towards the end of the fuchsia season. Scrape away the top soil, you may find some nice thick roots coming directly out of the lower part of a particular stem which later could be used as nebari(surface root/roots.) Remove all flowers and foliage. Cut out unwanted stems, cut back remaining lateral stems anything between a third/half, according to the size of the plant and your intentional shape for a bonsai, remembering that the new growth will shoot much lower down on the remaining lateral stems. Dig out of the garden or remove from large pot, remove soil and any tap-roots, leave as many fine white roots as possible. Plant into a growing pot with new soil, allowing plenty of room for remaining roots to recover and grow. Place out of direct sunlight and keep moist. After two weeks, water once with a high nitrogen feed, and mist/spray with water, this helps new growth to come back more quickly. Then carry on as above for a 5 inch pot. WHEN TRANSFERRING INTO A BONSAI POT/DISH. Soil mix for bonsai pot - 50% peat based compost - 25% loam - 20% horticultural grit 5% perlite and a small amount of horticultural charcoal (helps to keep the soil 'sweet') Always do any re-potting in the Spring. During summer months outside, place in a well ventilated position, protect from hot pm sun, eg use green shade netting. Water in the mornings, keep moist, never let them dry-out completely. Constantly remove any large leaves and dead or dying flowers. Continue with shaping. The removal of growing tips will delay flowering between four to six weeks according to the variety. Feed during the growing season with a balanced feed, NPK 20-20-20 at a quarter strength twice weekly. A monthly feed of Sequestrene (iron chelate, magnesium and manganese) helps to produce healthy foliage. As fuchsias are deciduous carefully remove any flowers and foliage that are still on your fuchsia bonsai in late Autumn, and prune back anything between one quarter and one third of lateral branches (except for the encliandra type fuchsias, only give a light trim). Give them a real good clean. Remove any moss and debris from the top of the soil. Treat with Provado against any vine weevil larvae that maybe lurking in the soil. Spray branches and stems with tepid water in the mornings, this helps new foliage to come back quickly. As soon as new foliage appears start shaping again. In frost prone areas place in a greenhouse for the winter and keep at a temperature of 45f/8c. If you don't have a greenhouse, a west facing windowsill indoors in a cool room is ok. Keep them just moist not soaking wet. In Spring/early Summer do harden-off the foliage before placing your fuchsia bonsai permanently outside again. When the weather is suitable, put outside during the day, returning them to the greenhouse for the night, until night temperatures stay above 45f/8c. Kath van Hanegem

Its not burlap. Much finer and thinner. Should I cut it off and just go ahead and repot??

Succulents need to be potted in very well draining mix - best if repotted after purchasing - and pot with drainage hole(s). Watering frequency depends on temperatures (cooler it is, watering should be less frequent) for typical home-growing plant. Some are winter growers, some are summer growers. But even plants that are dormant during winter will grow at home, where temps are relatively warmer during winter. Very simple test: get a wooden/bamboo skewer or chopstick or thin dowel, or pencil. Stick it deep inside of pot - at least 3/4 deep. Leave stick in for about 10min (some ppl leave it longer, or even all the time). Pull it out: if dry and clean = time to water. If there is still lots of moisture, stick will be damp/cold, and may have small particles sticking to it. In that case, wait few more days; repeat and water only if dry. AT THE SAME TIME: lift the pot before watering (when stick is dry) to feel how heavy or light pot is. Do the same after watering. You should be able to tell difference after a while, and may not need stick test anymore. Some ppl test with their finger; but IMO, it is too 'chunky' and usually can't reach deep enough. Especially with small pots. Testing just top of potting mix is often not enough - mix could be damp/wet/too moist in lower part of pot where you can't reach. Do not leave pot sitting in the saucer or draiholeless cachepot while watering. If using those, let it drain first for about 1/2 hr, and insert into cachepot or put on saucer after excess water drained. Mos succulents need lots of good light. If you have plants you are not sure about, post a clear photo for more help.

I think what every one is saying, that from your question you are working under the assumption that this is simple and can be done cheaply for a couple of thousand. A couple of thousand that will just get you into the game. I don't know what it is like in your area, but in our area you need a permit for everything and once you have the building permits, you have to get an occupancy permit. Examples of permits you probably will need, Permit to tap into the house water system, sewer permit, Electrical permit. Construction permit. Each permit will have to have a city approved inspection. You may have to get some sort of permit from the power company to increase the amps provided to the house. One of the question that will have to be answer is the current fuse panel in the house large enough for the increase demand made by adding the shed. If this is an older house, the whole thing will have to be resized. This is especially important if you are planning on heat / AC with electricity. If you are going to heat the shed with gas, you will need a permit to tap into the line and extend the line to the shed. None of the items mentioned above even considers that actual cost of labor and materials to do the item. Some items like electrical work, water plumbing, and others must be done by a city authorized and licensed person. Some times it takes different people with different licenses to get the job done. As an example; It you have an AC/Heating unit installed you will need a licensed AC/Heating person, and some on with an Electrical license to get the job done; It there is a gas heater that is another licensed person. We are not trying to be difficult, just trying to help you see the size of the project you want to undertake. In an effort to produce an absolutely safe environment simple jobs become quite complex.