So, My name is Karla, and I reside in Southeast Florida. I have always admired Bonsai from afar, but never had one.
Last year, I moved to a small loft over a warehouse, and started container gardening. About 6 months ago, I purchased a Bonsai for my Karate Instuctor for his birthday. I got one for myself as well.
In the meantime, I would see them on Craigslist, and would look at them admiringly....but never thought to get one.
Recently, a woman offered some trees for adoption(I am into dogs for a living, hence the word "adoption") within a mile of me...so I called and asked if I could visit. Wasn't sure that I would bring anything home, but just wanted to stop and chitchat.
Came home with a nice 10yr old Chinese Elm and a 5 yr old Juniper.
Now, let me backtrack a bit....at first I couldn't find anything that caught my eyes, so I thought I would shop for a juniper tree at Home Depot/Etc....start my own, from scratch....Figured "If I murder it, I didn't spend much....and it isn't someone else's hard work....Grin.
I finally found a tree at a nursery in east Delray Beach, on Dixie Highway(for anyone in this area who might be interested). Fellow there was very very nice.
So, now I have my Ficus tree(Sean), my chinese Elm(Tracy), Juniper(Raye) and my "disposable" juniper(Hugo).

Yep, I name my trees.....sorry....But, it's that silly woman thing that we women sometimes do!!!

So, Tracy(Chinese Elm) was shedding. At first I thought I had killed her....I hadn't watered her in about 9 days....But, then it dawned on me....Trees shed in the fall....Smack me in the head for being dense....

Keep in mind, gardening wasn't my thing as a kid.....not sure what happned.....But I am having a blast...

I finally trimmed Hugo....I haven't touched the roots yet...but his branches are trimmed...I know what I want to do with him, if he will tolerate it....

Can you weight a limb down to train it without wiring it? Just asking...I have lots of old lead fishing weights from when I dive(find them, bring them home)

I haven't touched the Juniper(Raye) yet..She really doesn't need anything other than repotted....

Thoughts on where to get decently priced used pots?

Ok, so that's enough for now...Will post again later when I have pictures!

Hey Karla,
Welcome to the forum.
You can weigh branches down without wire, just be sure they aren't too heavy. You wouldn't want to snap off a branch.
Hugo can be re-potted now, but if I were you I'd wait until spring to do that so you can do root work at the same time.Winter is a good time to trim branches on juniper to reduce sap loss.
As for bonsai pots, you can do what a few of us here do. We stalk salvation army and goodwill looking for interesting containers and drill holes in them with masonry bits. I have found some great "pots" there
9 days without watering your elm....has it been rainy?
What you should do about watering is get chopsticks. poke one in the soil for a few minutes. pull it out. if it's dry the tree needs water. If its damp,don't water. simple:)
Again, welcome to the forum.
now post a few pictures.
Lance.

Thanks Lance!

I actually had the children indoors, until I really started reading on the forum. As of this afternoon, they are all outside.

I live in a loft, and my "yard" is a rooftop patio, and I feared that it would get too hot out there for them. Temps during the day, top out at 90 degrees or more, and on a roof, they can be even hotter. There is no shade, per se, so......

But, as time progresses, I will make a shaded area for them. With the temps starting to gradually drop, they should be fine for the winter.

Thanks for the chopstick idea. That is a new one for me! I will use it well!

I am going to try to get some pics this weekend!

On a funny side, I have a 6 yr old Rottie, who is my assistance dog(I have MS and Epilepsy). She came in shortly after bringing the elm and juniper in the loft, walked to the elm, sniffed, and promptly started chewing on the leaves....Smile....She has catnip out on the deck....she loves to eat greens![img]http://[/img]

Hi Karla,

Welcome to the forum...so glad you could join us! LOL...I think we have all been bitten by the bug here, so you've come to the right place. We're Bonsai Bonkers!
Thank you so much for your wonderful intro. I'm sure you must have a very close friend in your Rotti...hey, and she trims your trees for you! Your loft and rooftop garden sounds wonderful. You will probably have to have some kind of protection for your plants in the heat of the summer sun. Many plants don't like it much hotter than 90-95 F. Good quality nurseries often erect wooden tables for the plants to sit on which have 4"x 4" posts at each corner of the table acting as both the legs and as a canopy support above. The canopy is made of a mesh material. I wonder if this can be puchased thru the nurseries?

Lance is so right about looking for pots at goodwill shops. Yard sales are another good place to find them. I'm really looking forward to seeing your photos and sharing with you here on the site. If you have any questions just ask away, ok?