floridork

Hello Experienced Bonsai enthusiasts!

I have access to a bougainvillea that has been growing in an urn for about 80 years. Its root mass busted the urn! (4 feet tall and 4 feet wide). I am about to dismantle the urn and begin the process of training this old guy as a bonsai.

Does anybody have any sage advice on how to go about this? Do I cut back the root mass gradually? Or should I cut it to the depth that I want to pot it and try to retain whatever feeder roots exists at that depth? The entire crown has been cut back and currently has no leaves or secondary branches.

The "trunk" width at the soil line is about 8-10 inches! (actual a conglomerate of trunks, but still arborescent in appearance)

If anybody has some advice I'd truly appreciate it. I'd really rather not let this opportunity go to waste.

Here are some pics of the urns and bougainvillea:

http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/med...e-ringling.jpg
http://www.gourmetgirlmagazine.com/0...ksFest0312.jpg
Courtyard | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Ringling Museum Cortyard | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Thanks!

Aaron

Phil

Hi floridork and welcome to the site.
Wow, we certainly don't want to loose that fine old specimen! Unfortunately I'm not at all experienced with them, but hopefully someone will chime in to guide you in the right direction. The site recently went under some problems due to a hacker so its taking a wee bit of time for the members to slowly gather back here again. Hang in there!

~Phil~

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treebeard55

Welcome, Floridork. BTW, you sound like you know your way around a bit when it comes to bonsai.

From what I saw in the pic with wineglass, I have to agree with Phil: potential worth saving!

"Sage advice" about bougies I ain't got, but I did recently acquire my own first bougainvillea, and had to repot it so it will fit under my lights this winter. (I know, "winter" is a theoretical concept only, in Florida. )

I took off about half of the foliage mass and half the root mass; repotted into a free-draining mix, and have kept it enclosed in plastic, and in shade, for the several weeks since. It's dropped a few leaves, but looks very good overall. I'll try to post a fresh picture later today.

My suggestion would be to take it in stages, not least because this is an older, mature plant; maybe 2-3 repottings to get the root mass down to what you want. I suspect you know to keep as many fine feeder roots as possible.

Can you post a present picture of the tree?

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Treebeard 55
Steve Moore
http://hoosierbonsai.blogspot.com

The most important bonsai tool is your brain.

floridork

Thank you treebeard 55 for your reply!

The picture with the wine glass isn't the exact plant that I am taking, but it still illustrates what I am dealing with very well.

I'm not sure how I could take it down in stages with the right materials. I suppose I could use a garbage can that has holes drilled in it, but what should my free draining material be? I'll spend hundreds of dollars (that I don't have) putting together an akadama/lava rock type mix that would drain freely. What if I used a mix of peat moss and sand? Does that sound dangerous?

I've transplanted bougainvilleas in my yard dozens of times and they always survive, so I'm not too worried. But those were all plants that were growing in the ground in the first place and weren't nearly as old.

I'll try to get a picture of it today or tomorrow.

Cheers,

Aaron

treebeard55

Phil, Aaron's initial post is appearing in both this forum and "Bonsai E.R," but answers are only appearing here.

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Treebeard 55
Steve Moore
http://hoosierbonsai.blogspot.com

The most important bonsai tool is your brain.

treebeard55

Aaron, how about Turface and chopped sphagnum? That's what I used this past spring when I potted up two huge collected yews. It took about 75 lbs of Turface (with the fines sifted out,) but I estimate I spent less than $30, total, for 65-70 gallons of mix. (Good upper-body workout, too. )

I found out later that yews do best in a lightly alkaline soil, so I added some dolomitic limestone to buffer the acidity of the peat.

A local garden center sold me two super-size nursery pots, one 30-gal, the other 45-gal, for a total of $27. Below is a picture of the larger yew, once potted up. For a size reference, I'm about 6'1" tall.

And here's a picture of my bougie, taken yesterday. Not as big as yours, but I think it will make a decent bonsai. Its recovery continues nicely.

Attached Images

	B108 yew pot-up 002.jpg (93.6 KB, 17 views)
	Bougainvillea, 9-11-10.jpg (89.4 KB, 19 views)

__________________
Treebeard 55
Steve Moore
http://hoosierbonsai.blogspot.com

The most important bonsai tool is your brain.

floridork

Well, here is a pic of the actual plant. I grossly underestimated the size of the trunk! (that's a standard 6oz tuna can)



I'm going to put it in the intended pot with a soil mix that Wigert's Bonsai in Fort Meyers makes. It has Turface, pine bark and lava rock.

I called Eric Wigert for advice on how to approach this and I assume that I got some solid advice.

When it finally develops a crown I'll post it in a gallery.

Cheers,

Aaron

treebeard55

Wow! That is one impressive trunk. Do it justice and I think you have an eventual show-winner.

I've heard some very good things about Wigert's. Also bought a Fukien tea from him recently, and am quite happy with it. I would trust Erik Wigert's advice about tropicals.

Looking forward to seeing updates on this tree from time to time.

__________________
Treebeard 55
Steve Moore
http://hoosierbonsai.blogspot.com

The most important bonsai tool is your brain.

dankone

very nice trunk!!!

artyanimal

Sorry, I'm late to this thread.

For what its worth, Wigert has some really nice bougies so your likely in good hands.

Ditto on the soil mix. That is just about exactly what I use in So. Florida and it works very well. I would suggest however, that a couple of weeks after transplant that you use something called: Bougain. Most big box stores have it and its loaded with miro nuitrients and trace elements and really, really produces results. In the size pot you're going to need you can use about 1/2 to 3/4 of the scoop (included) once a month.

Keep us posted.

Cheers,

Arty