General FAQs
- One of my cats has taken a liking to my New Zealand Tea tree. How can I discourage them from attacking my plants?
- There is a wire running through the drainage holes on the bottom of the pot. It is cutting into the tree and roots are growing around it.
- I have a ficus bonsai tree that is showing what looks like mineral deposits around the lower part of the trunk and on its above ground roots.
- I just transplanted my bonsai. Can I put it back where it was?
- Can you give me some advise on how to care for my new pomegranate bonsai?
- How will I know when a recently transplanted Chinese Elm bonsai is ready to move to its permanent location after having been in a cool shady spot?
- Do you sell bonsai seeds? Where can I find an order form on your site?
- I just purchased a Trident maple. I read that they should not be kept indoors at room temp. for more than 96 hrs. Can I move it back and forth, indoors and out?
- I haven't watered my newly re-potted tree in a few days because the soil under the rock seems moist to the touch. Should I just water it anyway?
General FAQs
Q. One of my cats has taken a liking to my New Zealand Tea tree. How can I discourage them from attacking my plants?
Keeping cats from trees. Try growing oat seedlings for your cat to chew on. Most farm supply stores such as Agway, Paris Farmers Union, etc. have oat seed. Plant some in a pot of soil and wait 7-10 days until the seedlings are 1 1/2-3 inches high, then put the pot somewhere the cat will find it. Keep seeding more oats in additonal pots about 5 days apart to keep fresh greens coming along for the cat. I have four cats and in my expereince they prefer fresh seedlings to older leaves.
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Q. There is a wire running through the drainage holes on the bottom of the pot. It is cutting into the tree and roots are growing around it.
Wire around roots. The wire you speak about is used to wire a newly transplanted bonsai into its pot. This is helpful in getting the tree more quickly established after transplanting.
If your tree has been in its pot a minimum of 3-4 months, the wire can be cut at the top if it is digging into the roots. Leave the wire under the tree and through the pot's drain holes until it is time to re-pot the tree.
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Q. I have a ficus bonsai tree that is showing what looks like mineral deposits around the lower part of the trunk and on its above ground roots.
Bonsai pots and hard water. It is most likely mineral deposits, as you have surmised. It could be from either hard water or fertilizer salts from a liquid fertilizer.
If the tree needs to be repotted, just clean it up when you repot by taking a soft toothbrush and rubbing the base of the trunk well before repotting.
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Q. I just transplanted my bonsai. Can I put it back where it was?
Placement of New Transplants. It is best to keep newly transplanted bonsai out of direct sun and hot places for 3-4 weeks after repotting. This is a less stressful environment which allows the tree to regenerate roots.
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Q. Can you give me some advise on how to care for my new pomegranate bonsai?
Caring for Pomegranate. The pomegranate is native to the mild temperate regions of the Mediterranean. Treat it like a rosemary. Keep it outdoors until temperatures drop into the mid 20'sF. Then let it go deciduous and drop its leaves. Give it 6-8 weeks of relatively cool temperatures, between 30-50F, before warming it up.
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Q. How will I know when a recently transplanted Chinese Elm bonsai is ready to move to its permanent location after having been in a cool shady spot?
Recently Transplanted Chinese Elm. The chinese elm will let you know when it has settled into the pot by beginning to push out a new flush of growth. Then you can put it in a sunnier location and begin feeding the tree. Until then, just water it as needed.
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Q. Do you sell bonsai seeds? Where can I find an order form on your site?
We don't sell seeds. We don't sell seeds of any kind. Currently we only sell bonsai trees at our nursery, and at garden centers and fairs throughout the state. Visit our event section for locations and more information.
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Q. I just purchased a Trident maple. I read that they should not be kept indoors at room temp. for more than 96 hrs. Can I move it back and forth, indoors and out?
Maples prefer living outdoors. These trees are never happy in the steady warmth of a house. They should be left outdoors, preferable in dapple shade or in a location which gets shade for a fair part of the day. The shade will help keep the tree from drying out too quickly.
There is something about the warm days and cool, moist nights which just makes them grow happily and which is difficult -at best- to duplicate indoors. I wouldn't leave it indoors for more than 72 hours at a time. See our deciduous tree care article in this link for more complete information.
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Q. I haven't watered my newly re-potted tree in a few days because the soil under the rock seems moist to the touch. Should I just water it anyway?
Watering New Transplants. With new transplants there is a fair amount of new soil in the pot with no roots growing through it yet. Let it get just this side of bone dry (slightly moist) before watering, keep it above 55-60F and it will be fine.
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