Hi all,
I've bought for 8€ this Quercus Suber sapling (mediterranean oak variety).

I know it's at least 20 years from becoming anything closer to a bonsai… but I really fell in love with the movement of the thin trunk…

I do not have a garden so I cannot plant it in the ground, I could only plant it in a bigger cultivation pot.

What do you think of it? Any specific advice?
Thanks!

Well, yes, a seedling that needs to grow a lot.
I would pot on into the next size up without disturbing the roots, then once it has filled the pot go to the next size up. The reason for doing it this way is so that the soil does not stay wet and cold in the pot. I would just let it grow for a year or two, fertilising. You could put some movement into the trunk early and remove wire once it is set.

m5eaygeoff wrote:

Well, yes, a seedling that needs to grow a lot.
I would pot on into the next size up without disturbing the roots, then once it has filled the pot go to the next size up.

No colander?

Thanks Geoff,
I'll do as you suggest, putting it into bigger pots.
For the time being I would not attempt at wiring it as I like the current movement of the trunk.
Hope to share a first update in 3-4 years from now…

Browsing thru old posts and was wondering how is going for you. Do you still have the little bonsai?

replying to an almost 2 years old dead topic is useless really

Ricky still active tho...

Hello.. in fact I have lost this little tree... it just went dry all of a sudden after a few days of extreme heat and lack of proper watering.

Here in Milan, Italy, we are experiencing temps above 30°Celsius since end March - early April (so more than two months in advance vs normal weather) and this has stressed our little trees so much.
Not to mention rice pads, cornfields, wheat fields, vegetables in the surrounding countryside, all suffering from heat and lack of water in the rivers (no snow last winter as well)...

Many trees of mine have been weakened, as this prolonged heat actually stopped buds to fully extend (and killed many), and they are more prone to fungal diseases.

My little Japanese White Pine lost lots of needles without new buds growing enough to replace them.

I'm watering a lot but still I have to be careful to avoid overwatering... a difficult balance!

Ricky73 wrote:

...we are experiencing temps above 30°Celsius since end March - early April
My little Japanese White Pine lost lots of needles without new buds growing enough to replace them.

Japanese White Pines will suffer and eventually die in this heat. They are impossible to grow here in Brazil exactly because of the high temperatures we have.

Ricky73 wrote:

I'm watering a lot but still I have to be careful to avoid overwatering... a difficult balance!

Do *not* worry about overwatering in the summer. With modern draining substrates it is almost impossible to overwater a bonsai.
I water three times a day from mid-spring to the end of summer here, and I never lost a tree because of overwatering.

"When in doubt, water it!"

Thanks a lot Clicio!

In fact my little JWP has been thriving for 3 years and was able to stand one month of such high temperatures (normally mid June to mid-July)...

This year, as I said, is quite exceptional and yes, I'm afraid to lose this little one... a couple of branches are already gone.

As to overwatering... my trees are all in akadama or akadama+pumice.
I have never experienced akadama crushing down to mud as some other enthusiasts from colder countries report. However, as I do not have a garden but just a balcony with benches, I am compelled to use trays under the pots not to flood the floor...

So I need to be very careful, preventing water that has drained off the pot holes from lingering in the tray for too long...