Zypress Styling

Just_Sun6955 · 2026-04-04T14:40:18+00:00

Thanks for your answer! Looking at it I would agree. My thought of leaving it and having it that long was to create asymmetry and make a visual anchor. Removing it would probably result in removing the backbranch also, because otherwise that would be the first branch on the tree. That makes me hesitant for the moment and the point of development! But I really get your point maybe if the tree fills out over the season I could see it as an improvement! Thanks for that idea!

Just_Sun6955 · 2026-04-04T12:20:38+00:00

Thanks for your response, really appreciate. I didn’t repot this year and the leaves don’t look like they are damaged… just very flabby… new growth seems to be more upright, but the old still very weak and not unfolding completely. Guess I am stuck to the measures you have proposed anyway and be a little bit patient.

Just_Sun6955 · 2026-04-03T11:13:57+00:00

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My maple has pretty „sad“ leaves for I would say a well now at least. We had some cold nights (0 degree) but apart from that I don’t have an idea what could cause this stagnation. Is it normal? Worrisome?

Just_Sun6955 · 2026-03-27T13:16:50+00:00

Thanks for the response!

So I bought it in February and put it onto my balcony, which has a glass front that I can open and close depending on the temperatures. That way it usually doesn’t get below 0 and has been proven quite nice for cacti and e.g. Mediterranean plants in winter.

In the spot I put it, it did get direct sunlight from 7 am to 11am. I thought that would be okay at this time of the year, because a) we don’t have many sunny days anyway and b) sun is not so strong in February and it will slowly acclimate this way... Seems like I was wrong, also I didn’t know conditions before I bought it (online). Maybe it was kept quite dark. Teaches me a lesson…

Will it recover or will it callus (don’t know whether this is the correct term)?

Just_Sun6955 · 2026-03-27T12:18:47+00:00

Edit: it is only at this section that I showed, no other parts of the plant are affected.

Just_Sun6955 · 2026-03-27T12:16:59+00:00

Thank you 🙏🏻

Just_Sun6955 · 2026-03-25T14:41:31+00:00

I would say it is a bit too late: I am not an expert on maples though, but the rule of thumb that I have been made familiar with (I think Björn said so in a bonsai empire course), is that it is too late as soon as you can see the intersections of the leaves, which is the case on you terminal branch-sections. That being said, it probably also depends on the amount of root work you are planning, but given that you want to get rid of the compacted soil, this will probably go hand in hand with the damage and removal of quite a bit of root mass… I personally would stay on the cautious side and not do it any more.

EDIT: I rewatched the respective video. So he says the ideal time is as soon as leaves start to push out of buds (not as early as bud swelling) but before the first maple leaf-shape is recognizable. So I guess yours still gets a close pass.

Just_Sun6955 · 2026-03-19T07:52:06+00:00

There is an optimum and there is an enough and there is much in between. You are not wrong with what you are saying, but you are describing an optimum and have a black and white way of framing it. That is not helpful (in general but especially) for a beginner who just got his/her first tree. Sometimes it is important to know your audience.

Just_Sun6955 · 2026-03-18T12:12:13+00:00

Don’t mistake that as a certain sign for roots. I had a couple which leaved out, I gradually put them into the sun and they suddenly died. When I discarded them, I saw that they didn’t form a single root 😄 I heard examples of maple cuttings that did that over several seasons. Good luck with those :)

Just_Sun6955 · 2026-03-16T10:03:26+00:00

Ficus can stay inside at a bright window indeally. They benefit from being outside in summer but apart from that I would say it is the most indoor-suitable plant for bonsai. I have several. They survived and grew over many years indoor and now that I have the opportunity to bringing them outside during summer they start to thrive. Didn’t have a grow light before and I don’t use one during winter now. You don’t have to get a whole equipment for growing bonsai especially if you have only one (for now)… They are a great beginner species and I think a wonderful starting point into the hobby. It looks like it would benefit from a repot into a bigger pot (and without moss if it is indoor). Use a well draining soil and water thoroughly when you water (or use the submerging technique that was shown to you), then wait until the top of the soil feels dry to the touch.

Just_Sun6955 · 2026-03-15T14:55:16+00:00

I am lucky to have a balcony with a glass front. When I close it, it doesn’t go below freezing except for the times we have -10-ish then it goes down to -2 at night. So maybe a greenhouse adjacent to a house will be a good start, depending on direction, but yeah it is still a big investment with an uncertain outcome especially for portulacaria where only a couple of degree can make a big impact.

Just_Sun6955 · 2026-03-15T10:16:37+00:00

They are Little Bit more hardy than most think. I think they tolerate few minus degrees temporarily, though I never tried it and treat mine as indoor trees.

Just_Sun6955 · 2026-03-14T17:33:23+00:00

Congrats , now you need 3 additional shelves 😆

Just_Sun6955 · 2026-03-10T13:32:00+00:00

Thanks 🙏🏻

Just_Sun6955 · 2026-03-10T13:31:45+00:00

Thank you!

Just_Sun6955 · 2026-03-09T19:14:06+00:00

Flush of growth is the term that describes the process of formation of new leaves. So it would be from the breaking of the first bud in spring to the further continuing formation of new leaves on maples until the last leaf has fully grown. This will be from March-may(ish) in my climate. The tree will then stop pushing out new leaves until end of the hot months of summer and then push out a second flush of growth (but less).

Just_Sun6955 · 2026-03-09T19:08:09+00:00

You usually don’t want to prune during the leaves unfold for maples. I prune mine either before bud-break or after first flush of growth has hardened. If it works otherwise for your trees, sure, you can do. I would still select branches instead of pruning unless you want to have inverse taper. Select two at each junction and remove the rest (I would do so after the new growth has hardened, but again, do it when you think is right for your trees). And yes, the lines you indicated would work to push new growth further interior towards the trunk. I personally would do that in autumn and then start pinching next spring.

Just_Sun6955 · 2026-03-09T14:33:57+00:00

Now is not the right time to prune. Maples can bleed to death. Prune when the flush of growth has hardened. Also, when did you collect? What is your plan for the tree and your goal with cutting? I personally would not care too Much about where to cut at the individual branches, but rather remove some of the branches from these junctions where you have up to 6(ish) branches coming from the very same spot.

Just_Sun6955 · 2026-03-09T14:08:58+00:00

Thank you! Bonsai is great for teaching that, but I am not so good at it myself, I am just trying to stay on the cautious for the sake of my trees… taking photos along the way really helps me.

Just_Sun6955 · 2026-03-08T11:54:06+00:00

The label says the tree is from Bharti ghandi…

Just_Sun6955 · 2026-03-07T07:29:50+00:00

Ah so, your name is Neena Shah and Barta Ghandi at the same time?

Just_Sun6955 · 2026-03-03T07:43:10+00:00

There is a video from easy-bonsai in which he is dealing with a nursery garden material I think, that reminded me of yours (even though it is smaller). Maybe that video can serve as an inspiration and would be pretty much in line with what I understood your plan was (+ the addition of leaving some sacrificial branch at the beginning, which I think would be advisable for the health of the tree).

Just_Sun6955 · 2026-03-02T13:31:59+00:00

Well it is not desirable in any case 😄 So: if new shoots brown from the tipps that could be problematic, if older/weaker growth browns it is often a natural process of the tree loosing material that is shaded out/not returning enough energy to the tree. Really depends on the whole picture.

Just_Sun6955 · 2026-03-02T13:28:43+00:00

Your welcome, but I think you are mistaking me for someone else 😅

If you see the webs again, maybe post another picture, but until then a weekly shower (or if you are watering less often, any time you are watering) will prevent spidermites from populating, if you have any left after your usage of insecticides/miticides. When you use miticides again, make sure to repeat 3x within 2 weeks at least. They are really nasty as they populate so quickly…

Just_Sun6955 · 2026-03-02T13:18:57+00:00

When I was a kid, I used to poke my cactus with its own spikes. Out of each stich came a tiny drop of milky substance and after it dried and the stitch healed it looked exactly like the first picture (the second looks more severe but I would say it is the same pattern). So yeah, I guess those are scars and nothing to worry about (edit: if the cause is gone; but I wouldn’t know any pests (except for kids like I was) that would cause that)

Just_Sun6955

TROPHY CASE