[Mikeman]

I love them, in the twin cites, they have a big garden and one house is just bonzai trees, its awsome, I have one but is isn't doing to well,

[Biomanjcs72]

I killed one a few years ago.
how much light does it get, most of them need full sun.
That was how I killed mine, not giving it enough sun.

[icemark]

Yes I have a little one that my daughter gave me for Fathers day a few years back.

Its a Sauvignon grape vine, that has been shaped into a tiny grape tree.

Its really cool that each year it grows about two or three bunches of very very small grapes.

[hcp28]

I like bonzai's too, I really enjoy making bonzias really. The whole taking care of them part is a little boring in my opinion, but taking a young sapling and shaping and manipulating it into a bonzai tree is amazing. It takes a lot of effort and a good deal of patience but I think it's worth it. My dad used to make them when he was a landscaper and sell them as ornaments on the inside of the buildings he landscaped, some of them are still at the buildings he worked on 20 years ago He's a realtor now but he showed me how to make my own bonzai and it's pretty cool. So far I've made a maple, pine, tulip tree, japanes maple, and a juniper. All of which I sold or gave away, I do have the pine still though. Just thought I'd share

Henry

[FishKid]

no one in my family has been able to keep 'em for longer than a week!

mark

[Tee]

I like them too. I'm working on a juniper now. I've found they do much better when you leave them outside most of the time They sure give you a lesson in patience too.

[hcp28]

I thik the main problem with raising bonzais is not the sunlight, I keep mine inside year round relatively close to the window but making sure it doens't get hit by the afternoon sun, it just gets a full shot of the morning sun and then ambient light the rest of the day. I think the main problem is the lack of a good drainage system on the bonzai pots. Bonzai roots can rot fairly quickly causing the plant to die quickly and easily. The best thing to do in this situation is to get a raised pot so the water drains out the bottom into a collection cup or something. This also tends to make it more important to keep daily watering schedules, but my dad invented a pot that waters itself and this is what I have been keeping my bonzais in because he wanted to "experiment" so far so good.

Henry

[Mikeman]

have a pic of this self watering pot?

[hcp28]

The webpage for my dad's company is www.hpfamilycraft.com Please my baby picture is on the site no poking fun

Henry

[Reinhold]

I have 2 bonzai trees, an 8" juniper and a 20" ficus. The ficus is 18 years old. Bonzai is a little like reef keeping in that both require patience, and both develop slowly over a long period of time.

I'm interested in the bonzai influence in the Japanese-style reefs (shaping rules, realism on a small scale, etc.) If anyone has encountered any good Japanese reef web sites, please post them.

[ranaman]

PLEASE let us get the spelling right it is B-O-N-S-A-I. I rented a house that was on the property of a bonsai nursery. Light is an important factor since you are dealing with outdoor plants. Watering is also important since you have a very limited amount of soil. Soils should be well drained but yet capable of holding water. Plants that are winter hardy are best over wintered in a cold frame or cold greenhouse(40 degree) If the plants are in a cold frame you best remove them from the pots before winter so freezing water dosen't break them. Of course if you have tropical or sub tropical trees you don't need to chill them. I've seen some real pretty ficus bonsai that look like minature banyans complete with prop roots.
Read some where that reef tanks are bonsai for the Cousteau generation.

[drlowz]

Mr. Meogi.

[Aquaman]

I have a few myself, although I don't work to hard at keeping them they seem to do well. I keep mine on a wood bench under a large oak tree. Their is a monastery near Macon GA that raises and sells them, I'm planning on going next month and pick up a few new trees.