Hello,
I bought my first bonsai last week, unfortunately I got it from a shopping mall (even though the shop seemed to be decent) and it did not have any details about the type.
From what I found online it could be a Ligustrum (Privet) but i could use some help in confirming that it is in fact a Privet.
I read a lot of articles and watched a lot of videos about caring (watering, repotting, etc) for a bonsai I still could use some help.
Since i brought it home some of the leaves have started to wrinkle and some have even turned yellowish or just have fallen all of a sudden (without turning yellow or even curling).
I know that changing the environment is bound to have some unpleasant effects and maybe this is normal, but i do not know if there is any way to tell if the bonsai is going to be ok or not.
Also i know the soil is not the best one and i was thinking of repotting (you can see some roots sticking out of the soil in some of the photos) but given that i just brought it home last week i do not know if this would be the best time to repot it. I know that usually it is recommended to repot during march-april but i was thinking i need to let it adjust to the new home first for at least a month.
For the soil i have a mix of: red volcanic rock, pomegranate, zeolite and i could also add some pine bark. Should i buy some Akadama and add it to the mix? or what would you recommend?
Also, the bonsai seems to have been cut from ~ 5 cm bottom and new branches started to develop from there. Any idea if this is good or bad?
Any idea when should i start wiring or shaping the bonsai? as it looks pretty uneven and i would like to be able to make it look good and also, not stress it a lot all of a sudden.
For fertilization I have one with NPK (3.6-3.6-3.1) - small balls that dissolve in time when watered and a liquid one NPK (3-6-6), which one should i use?
Some more details:
- i am located in Bucharest (Romania), the climate is temperate continental.
- current temperature is between 15-20 degrees (C) during the day, ~10 degrees (C) during the night.
- i live in an apartment (2nd floor), the building is facing SW (215 degrees).
- i have direct sun light from ~13:00 to ~16:30 in the room that i am keeping the bonsai in.
- i am currently keeping the bonsai on my desk, it does not get a lot of direct sun light in that spot but it does get light.
- i have a small balcony next to the room, but it gets pretty cold at night (at this point in time) and also there is a lot of dust and it could be exposed to some insects (flies, spiders, etc).
- i am trying to use the chopstick method (using bamboo toothpicks) to determine when the bonsai needs watering.
I know there are a lot of questions and information and i appreciate the patience to read all of it and any piece of advice.
Thanks,
Dan
I attached several pictures below: