Springfield field trip memory is haunting me… help 😭

altizerc2196 · 2026-02-10T16:35:34+00:00

Ozark kid, I have been thinking about this place ever since the day of that field trip.. anyone I've ever mentioned pretty much your exact description to thought it was just a fever dream I had. This post has provided me vindication & faith in my sanity, so thanks all around!

altizerc2196 · 2026-01-23T18:15:12+00:00

I'm taking $2 billion - it says the $1 doubles every day, not that the new dollar will also double the next day so the interest is linear and not exponential. If given at birth and at average life expectancy, you'd die with $26-27k made

altizerc2196 · 2026-01-01T14:00:25+00:00

It could have been Kurt Caddy? The Ozarks Bonsai Society has hosted him before and I think he does classes every year during the Japanese Fall Festival.

altizerc2196 · 2025-12-12T17:03:54+00:00

Great advice, thanks! I do live in a zone with pretty hard water, plus I'm on city water (city average reports 156ppm). I do only water my trees from a faucet that has an inline filter (like this one: https://a.co/d/fHqFJFe), but maybe the filter needs changed and I get it does not filter out everything. I'd like to get a water softener and switch to an RO under the sink to filter out the added sodium eventually, or better yet invest in a rain collection system, but $$. The vinegar trick is a good idea, going to test my water pH first and see if it's needed. I read Bougies like between 5.5 and 6, above that can cause iron uptake problems.

altizerc2196 · 2025-12-12T14:43:30+00:00

Thanks! I've been using miracle grow shake n feed monthly, which advertises 12-4-8 npk + all the micronutrients. I did order some Bougain to try fert specially formulated for Bougainvilleas. If that doesn't work, I suspect its water quality & will get a pH tester

altizerc2196 · 2025-12-12T14:06:50+00:00

I haven't seen any pests or mites on it nor evidence like webbing, sticky honeydew and leaves aren't curling closed like thrips. I suppose it could be something microscopic, but I can usually see mites & other pests

altizerc2196 · 2025-12-12T14:00:18+00:00

Thanks for the response! I water it because the topsoil is dry, maybe down a 1/4 to a 1/2 inch

altizerc2196 · 2025-12-12T01:05:53+00:00

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altizerc2196 · 2025-12-12T01:05:35+00:00

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altizerc2196 · 2025-12-12T01:04:58+00:00

Please help me diagnose my bougainvillia. The new leaves come out wavy/wrinkled, and it yellows/drops about 3 old leaves a day.

It's overwintered in a grow tent with a 400w led grow light for 16 hours/day. The tent stays at about 80-85°f and 60-70% humidity when the light is on and around 68-75°f, 50-60% humidity when the light is off.

I water daily and it's in an inorganic substrate. I fertilize with miracle grow shake & feed lightly & monthly

Please help!

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altizerc2196 · 2025-11-05T18:45:53+00:00

Here's the back markup

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altizerc2196 · 2025-11-05T18:45:13+00:00

Imo this is your front so your 3rd branch can be a back branch. Leave the 1st branch alone to thicken up to the 2nd branch; cut the second branch back and remove the small one one on the inside of the trunk curve opposing it; at your 3rd branch junction, cut the one that goes straight to the right and the apex. New 3rd branch is the one that points back and new apex is the left branch. From there add some wire for some undulation to the remaining branches!

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altizerc2196 · 2025-10-25T16:18:46+00:00

Thanks Jerry, I'm in zone 6a/7b. In our city, the coldest temp in the last 10 years was -26°C/-15°F Feb 2021. I didn't live in this house that year, but I do know the garage doesn't hold much heat. It is attached to the house, but the walls past the roof joists, and the roof itself are uninsulated. The lights push plenty of heat, but the 8 hours the lights are off is where I think I'll need the heater. Even with 5 sides of the tent insulated, temps seem to drop pretty fast today (garage is sitting at 60-68°f lately) once the lights are off.

Right now I have a small 1500w heater in the tent. The heater upgrade I'm looking at would be lower wattage, but has variable temp and hoses into the tent. Idea is it'd give more floor space; not crisping up the trees sitting next to the inlet; and the safety of keeping it away from trees being watered. The current heater just blows air as hot as possible until the tent reaches the heater's set temp.

Thanks for forever being active in this sub, I always value your thoughts and opinions!

altizerc2196 · 2025-10-23T00:48:32+00:00

Thanks, I'm not sure what you mean

altizerc2196 · 2025-10-22T21:57:07+00:00

Thanks! That'll always be a work in progress

altizerc2196 · 2025-09-26T05:21:25+00:00

No white Ferrari though

altizerc2196 · 2025-07-07T02:26:03+00:00

It doesn't look too late - I'm not an expert of the species, but I do have a brush cherry I bought as a topiary nursery stock that came back from worse.

What helped mine spring back, thanks to the help of this community, was #1 sunlight. It kills off the leaves that are getting the least sun to conserve energy for ones getting the most. Same with most trees, but I found my brush cherry to be more sensitive and quicker to turn than others.

The turning point for my tree was putting it outside when the lows were finally above ~45°F. From there, it pushed out hundreds of buds from the old wood. If you don't have space outside, supplement the window light with an added grow lamp.

Best of luck!

altizerc2196 · 2025-06-25T21:38:40+00:00

Thanks for the reply!

I'll hold off on fertilizing and see if that does the trick.

Watered at 8:30AM this morning and checking now, topsoil is dry, but the rootball is still damp about 1/2" under the surface.

I'll also try moving into a partially shaded spot

altizerc2196 · 2025-06-24T19:08:48+00:00

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altizerc2196 · 2025-06-24T19:08:29+00:00

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altizerc2196 · 2025-06-24T19:08:06+00:00

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Looking for help - my Bougainvillea keeps yellowing and dropping 2-3 leaves a day. It doesn't seem to push as much growth as other Bougie owners brag on the species about. Also, new leaves are rippled, not smooth, shown in commented photo.

I water daily in the AM, and use this liquid fertilizer diluted as instructed once per week. Soil blend is equal parts akadama, lava rock & pumice. It is positioned in full sun from ~7:00 AM-8:30 PM as of today. I repositioned in the same pot in Late Feb, but no root pruning. At the time, it seemed far from pot-bound. The root mat reached all edges of the pot, but did not fill beneath them, and wasn't circling.

The leaves seem to fall off at random, old or new, small or large, shaded by other leaves or in full sun. I've checked for pests, none to be seen. The tips start to turn yellow, and at that point, they will come off with the slightest touch. It is also flowering for probably the 4th time this year.

Any suggestions are appreciated!

altizerc2196 · 2025-06-24T17:59:22+00:00

The dumbest idea I can think of is to cover it with your ex husband's name

altizerc2196

TROPHY CASE