Sakura tree

[Amy1022]

Hello all,
I have just received a sakura ( Yoshino cherry blossom) tree, about 6 or 7 inches tall, in the mail. It arrived with leaves and appears healthy. I mean to let it grow until it is about 1 foot and half to 2 feet in height, before I transport it to the ground. What do I need to do to care for it in the meantime, (when can I transfer to a bigger pot?) and is my plan ok? Fertilizer? Can I make this into a bonsai as well?

 

[Meadowlark]

Welcome @Amy1022

I would suggest not waiting to transplant rather put it in the ground now as soon as possible.

Summer is fast approaching and that plant needs every day in the ground to establish roots that can carry it through summer.

Transplanting to a bigger pot followed by transplanting to the ground is doubling the shock trauma of the plant not to mention significantly inhibiting root growth that is critical prior to summer heat...in my opinion. A risky approach.

Also, suggest no fertilizer until fall/winter timeframe.

p.s. I deleted your duplicate thread

 

[Sluggy]

I would not go down the bonsai route. They need a lot of care and attention and a neighbour to look after it if you go on a long holiday although there are bonsai nurseries you can leave them with would you believe. I would go along with Meadowlark’s suggestion.

 

[Amy1022]

I have a bonsai,a Brazilian rosewood that I grew from seed. It is about 5.5 inches tall, minus the fern-like leaves. Keeping it in a small ceramic pot, and so far it's doing okay, but I need to fertilize it soon. I don't think I will make the Sakura a bonsai, but I am almost tempted to. I will be planting this sakura outdoors soon. I just don;t know what kind of soil it needs.

 

[Amy1022]

Welcome @Amy1022

I would suggest not waiting to transplant rather put it in the ground now as soon as possible.

Summer is fast approaching and that plant needs every day in the ground to establish roots that can carry it through summer.

Transplanting to a bigger pot followed by transplanting to the ground is doubling the shock trauma of the plant not to mention significantly inhibiting root growth that is critical prior to summer heat...in my opinion. A risky approach.

Also, suggest no fertilizer until fall/winter timeframe.

p.s. I deleted your duplicate thread

Thanks. I will do that as soon as I can, looking for the right spot in my back yard. The soil in the backyard is clayish, and I am not sure what to add to it for planting.

 

[Meadowlark]

... The soil in the backyard is clayish, and I am not sure what to add to it for planting.

That tree prefers a loamy well-draining soil with ph about 6.

The clay you mention could inhibit its growth depending on how "heavy". Amending the immediate area including the hole with compost would really help. If you just amend the hole, it can have a bathtub effect on drainage and that is not desirable for that tree that needs well-draining soil.

 

[Amy1022]

Thanks, and sorry for the delay in replying. I have decided to keep the tree as a bonsai and in a ceramic pot. The only thing is, it grew a bout 5 more inches since I posted this question. Now it is about 10 or 11 inches tall, and the ceramic pot it's in is 3 inches in diameter. I have a larger pot, about 4 inches across that I am going to be moving it into. My question now is, for this bonsai, do I take out to remove and leave behind that soil it was in? The only thing I have to plant now is potting soil. I also have bonsai rock soil. I will check the roots as I transfer it. And--is transferring it now in the summer not a good choice despite the size of the pot? Thanks!

 

[Martin Mikulcik]

Thanks, and sorry for the delay in replying. I have decided to keep the tree as a bonsai and in a ceramic pot. The only thing is, it grew a bout 5 more inches since I posted this question. Now it is about 10 or 11 inches tall, and the ceramic pot it's in is 3 inches in diameter. I have a larger pot, about 4 inches across that I am going to be moving it into. My question now is, for this bonsai, do I take out to remove and leave behind that soil it was in? The only thing I have to plant now is potting soil. I also have bonsai rock soil. I will check the roots as I transfer it. And--is transferring it now in the summer not a good choice despite the size of the pot? Thanks!

You don't want to hurt the roots in the summer. Bumping up is good, attempting to bareroot is not.

You might take the time to do annual pruning, i imagine it's getting tall and straight and could use some branching

I prefer mineral soil to potting mix with bonsai as you plan on leaving it in the soil long term and potting mix is not designed for that, dirt out of the yard is fine so long as it's well draining enough to be easily watered, sand/rocks can help with that

The thing about bonsai is your not going for high yields and vigorous growth, your going for slow and steady and sustainable

 

[Amy1022]

You don't want to hurt the roots in the summer. Bumping up is good, attempting to bareroot is not.

You might take the time to do annual pruning, i imagine it's getting tall and straight and could use some branching

I prefer mineral soil to potting mix with bonsai as you plan on leaving it in the soil long term and potting mix is not designed for that, dirt out of the yard is fine so long as it's well draining enough to be easily watered, sand/rocks can help with that

The thing about bonsai is your not going for high yields and vigorous growth, your going for slow and steady and sustainable

Thank you for your advice! I actually transferred it to a slightly larger pot, about 6 inches in diameter. I saw the same exact tree on a bonsai website, it's the Jacaranda, known in Brazil as the Brazilian Rosewood. Instead of pruning, I need to begin wiring to have it form those curved shapes on the trunk while it is still pliable. I saw that on a site, whose link I will show here. My ground soil is very clayish-- so not ideal for bonsai. I do had some bonsai soil which I can't find now, so I ordered a better quality small pebble like Japanese soil (called Akadama) used specially for bonsai. I may add some regular soil in with it, I'm not sure. I have actually used AI to nurse some plants back to health, included two sakura cherry blossoms that here losing their leaves because of the current heat and humidity in my area. I also bought some LED lights with a dimmer which I can program to get to 30, 50, 80 and 100% power, and am using these at 50%, the one Okame tree has developed new leaf buds and they're growing. Thanks again.
https://www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/jacaranda

 

[Martin Mikulcik]

Thank you for your advice! I actually transferred it to a slightly larger pot, about 6 inches in diameter. I saw the same exact tree on a bonsai website, it's the Jacaranda, known in Brazil as the Brazilian Rosewood. Instead of pruning, I need to begin wiring to have it form those curved shapes on the trunk while it is still pliable. I saw that on a site, whose link I will show here. My ground soil is very clayish-- so not ideal for bonsai. I do had some bonsai soil which I can't find now, so I ordered a better quality small pebble like Japanese soil (called Akadama) used specially for bonsai. I may add some regular soil in with it, I'm not sure. I have actually used AI to nurse some plants back to health, included two sakura cherry blossoms that here losing their leaves because of the current heat and humidity in my area. I also bought some LED lights with a dimmer which I can program to get to 30, 50, 80 and 100% power, and am using these at 50%, the one Okame tree has developed new leaf buds and they're growing. Thanks again.
https://www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/jacaranda

My dad would use annealed copper wire in a heavy gauge, maybe 10awg, he bought it specifically for bonsai but if you got any electrician friends, romex scraps would do quite well. Copper isn't as cheap as it once was

Cool to see people with bonsai. I'd love to see pictures in the future

 

[Amy1022]

Thank you for the advice. I was wondering how big the gauge should be. Sure thing, I will send you photos as it develops. Here it is now. It's about a year old, and is about 10 or 11 inches in height. The trunk is thin, because it was in a pot too small for its size. The roots were thin when I transported it to the bigger pot.

 

[Martin Mikulcik]

Reminds me of Chinese wisteria. I've never grown a jacaranda.

I would at least pinch the growing bud, it'll slow the vertical growth and give time for the trunk to thicken. Give it time. You can't rush a bonsai but in ten years they all look fantastic.

 

[Amy1022]

Look at the trunk, which is thin, and the age of the tree, you don't think it is too soon? It is over a year old. I grew it from seed last March or April.

 

[Martin Mikulcik]

You can let it grow more if you want, but it won't hurt pruning a little now. Otherwise you'll have to prune harder later

I would only remove the soft fast growing tip

 

[Amy1022]

I just wired it a few days ago. I had thought about all the other things it has gone through recently; into a new a pot bigger than what it was in, new soil that was less dense. The roots are very thin from what I saw when I transferred it from the bonsai pot, and I had to detach some plastic mesh that was imbedded in its roots from the pot bottom (over the hole). Note, I was not sure how tight to wire it, so it is loosely wired to be careful with the stem. After wiring, I wanted to see how it reacts in these few days before I do anything else. So far it is doing ok, but I worry about the wiring. Here are some photos. It was not so bent into an S shape, and I just bent it a bit more. I brought it in to take pictures but it is staying outside. This afternoon we are expecting some very strong winds and possibly some tornadoes above us.

I'm also including my Okame which is recovering inside from some heat waves we had recently and a month ago. Ot lost all of its leaves, and began growing some new leaf buds. Some are slowly unfurling under some LED lights I have. They have a dimmer soI could use different strengths.