Okay, I will post bonchi projects here as the season progresses, here are couple of examples:

Here's one that is actually flowering and producing fruits now so this pic is few weeks old, updates coming soon:
(http://fatalii.net/beb_bonchi.jpg)

Here's also one which has grown a lot since taking this pic approx 3 weeks ago... more pics to follow...
(http://fatalii.net/tepin_bonchi.jpg)

Here's a project which is just starting.
(http://fatalii.net/syt_bonchi_start.jpg)

Here's a principle how to turn your large, non-practical plants into a pretty bonchis which are easy to overwinter and to keep pest-free!
(http://fatalii.net/bonchin_tekeminen.jpg)

Remember, the address for bonchi is: http://fatalii.net/bonchi (http://fatalii.net/bonchi)

A few latest bonchi pics here:

(http://fatalii.net/bonchi_fruits.jpg)

(http://fatalii.net/tepin_bonchi.jpg)


Here's one that was roughly just a stick few weeks ago.
(http://fatalii.net/tepin2_bonchi.jpg)
For now, I will keep pinching of the largest leaves and I will be bending the growing stems to make more beautiful foliage.
More pictures to come!

My Bonchi shelf with some of my bonchis:
(http://fatalii.net/hylly.jpg)

More bonchi pics at fatalii.net updates section, recently added!

I tested different kinds of fluorescent tubes to see which will work best when "waking up" the bonchi stems.

The best one was clearly Warm White tube for this task.
I was expecting cool white to work better in this case but no.

Metal halide works also great but it's so damn powerful.

LED lamp will be tested soon for this purpose.
More about it at fatalii.net site.

Some pods ripened under the 90W LED lamp!

(http://fatalii.net/bonchi_pods2.jpg)

Here's a fresh post about one week test drive with LED lamp:
http://javu.kapsi.fi/inferno/index.php?topic=5442.msg57309#msg57309

Here's few latest ones again:

(http://fatalii.net/syt.jpg)


(http://fatalii.net/tepin2.jpg)

Posted this one under the LED test topic but should be here too:

It seems that Dutch-Habanero F1 is defnitely one of the best Bonchi plants there is!
(http://fatalii.net/led_dhf1.jpg)

Hey Fatalli, I like your Bonsai very lovely plants, do you have any more pics of your favourites?
You make me want to try doing some with my extra plants  at the end of season!
Grant

Nice to hear you like them!

Here on the other topic are few on the windowsill, I have plenty of bonchi pics all around, you can find some here:
http://fatalii.net/chile/?u=g&c=search&word=bonchi
(fatalii.net/chile and choose search from there to look for something spesific).

There are also some at http://fatalii.net/bonchi
I got to update it really soon!
Would be great to hear about wishes for developing this section too at developing section of the fatalii.net forum. Just tell me if there's some spesific info you need to know about.

I can  honestly say that bonchis changed very boring winters into a fun work with chiles!
How they look is only a one little thing, the most nicest thing is to work with them and see the progress very quickly, without having to wait for 20 years for them to grow! :D
And.. those same plants can be repotted to large plants to get great, great yields once again during the sunny season.

I also use my bonchis as motherplants before the sunny season. Which means I take cuttings from them to multiply the best producing plants.

They are FUN, BEAUTIFUL, and very USEFUL!

They also  use very little space which makes them perfect for people for limited space.
For example, when growing only indoors!
It makes them also great of overwintering, you can fit your favorites in a very small space, under one lamp or light windowsill.
And most important, when you have created your bonchi and it stays alive, just make sure it has plenty of light and the growing and shaping itself will be very easy and simple!!

Good luck with your projects and remember to post your bonchi pics here!

Lainaus käyttäjältä: JungleRain - maaliskuu 12, 2009, 12:30:23 ip
Hey Fatalli, I like your Bonsai very lovely plants, do you have any more pics of your favourites?
You make me want to try doing some with my extra plants  at the end of season!
Grant

Awesome job, Fatalii!  :o Dutch-Habanero F1 is my favorite, so many small pods. ::)

I get interested  very much about Bonchi growing. I was thinking is it possible to grow Bonsai chile from every type/variety chile seeds? So it doesn't has to be Bonsai chile seed and i can grow my very own Bonsai chile from like any chinense or baccatum seeds?  :-\

Watt: of course you can use any varieties you want!! You can find more information at the bonchi section of my site http://fatalii.net/bonchi

It's good to keep in mind that it might be hard to get yield from varieties with large fruits like rocotos (I managed to get one pod!) but varieties with small fruits are perfect for producing some beatiful pods.

DH F1 pods are usually larger but that variety is very able to fit the currect conditions perfectly.

I love rocoto bonchis even though they don't produce yield as they will easily have some very pretty forms.
And also keep in mind that you can change them into "normal" chile plants when ever you want (to large container) or back to bonchi when you so desire!

Here's one rocoto bonchi:
(http://fatalii.net/chile/kuvat/rocoto_bonchi345.jpg)

Sonoran Tepin Bonchi shown here:
(http://fatalii.net/another_tepin.jpg)

I'm very happy with the results I got from C. rhomboideum Bonchi so far!

(http://fatalii.net/rhomboideum_bonchi.jpg)
Pic shot 9th of April 2009.
This plant is just little over 1 year old... from a seed!!
"From Seed To a Tree" -project is what I call creating a tree in a 6-12 months.

A little story about this project:

Germinated around 15-30th day of february 2008.
Here are the seedlings little later, both in a same hydro pot.
They were grown hydroponically at first.
(http://fatalii.net/chile/kuvat/ciliatum_3434.jpg)

A little later, they looked like this:
(http://fatalii.net/chile/kuvat/_NIK1819.jpg)

And finally, I got plenty of flowers and pods:
(http://fatalii.net/chile/kuvat/rhombe_flowering3435.jpg)

(http://fatalii.net/chile/kuvat/rhombe1.jpg)

After the harvest... would I overwinter the plant as it is or cut down it a little... ? NO!!
It would be time to turn it into a Bonchi plant, the best way to overwinter a chileplant!

To put it very simple:
Cut the plant totally down and trim the roots after (not trimmed on this pic):
Actually, on this pic taken 30th September 2008 you can still see two stems fusing together!!
On the latest pic shown first on this post, one year later from germination, they are completely fused into one plant!!

(http://fatalii.net/chile/kuvat/rhombe_stem_fusing.jpg)

Here it is after repotted into bonsai pot.
It just have started growing after cutting it completely down and after trimming roots.
The thick stems have been wired down to make it look better later... Doesn't look too good at this point. :)

And the result... is the first pic on this post.. I will post more pics after I get the leaves smaller and the foliage to look even better!

If this isn't fun chile stuff, then what is!!

Bonchi on!!!

OMG!! That looks fantastic!. Unbelievable :) :).

No words. Just (http://www.thehotpepper.com/images/smilies/eusa_boohoo.gif)

Hey Jukka,

I love this bonchi stuff! Great work! Do you still have the very original Dutch-Habanero "motherplant"? Is it a bonchi at the moment? If so, could you post a picture (if you haven't already)?

Cheers

H.

Hi!

This Bonchi stuff definitely made the whole chile-madness even much more fun! So nice stuff to work with, with only a little effort you can get some amazing results, you just need to use a little imagination!

The DH F1 Bonchi is actually the motherplant, which means I will be taking plenty of cuttings from it all the time.

Here's the latest pic just before the harvest:
(http://fatalii.net/led_test.jpg)

There couldn't be any more compact way to preserve a mother plant over the winter!

Happy easter for everyone!!!!

(http://fatalii.net/happy_easter.jpg)

Those really are amazing `J` Will have to at last get around to actually doing a few later in the year,you make it look so damn easy which it certainly is not  :)

Hmm.. I'm quite sure it's much easier than what most people think... With normal bonsais it all takes a lot of time.
With Bonchis it all happens very quickly and you can see the results very soon, I think it encourages to try different stuff and stay with the projects.

You just need to have plenty of light and some excitement energy to work around your cutted plants.

I definitely suggest trying it!

Will definitely try and like the way the `U.F.O` led`s done for your plant.. such nice compact growth  :)

Yeah, it definitely has helped a lot.

Works also under fluorescent quite okay.

And with sun too, but just be prepared pinch the leaves and stems quite often! :)

Those are all amazing looking. never tried making a "Bonchi", although I've cut many plants down and it's always a delight seeing those first signs of life. well done.

All your Bonchi have very treelike trunk but my chilies have significantly smaller trunk. Will they still work as Bonchi or is the treeness mandatory?

I don't think so, it's just part of the look.
All chiles get that look eventually, it just takes time.

Some vars grow a thick stems very easy when grown outdoors or in the greenhouse.
Some can grow huge stems even when grown indoors.

This year I got some very nice trunks in the large greenhouse in a matter of WEEKS!

The idea is to grow huge plant at first, then cut it down for nice, thick stem.
This is actually good as you can get a good yield, a nice looking plant for the winter to take care of, AND a good plants to start with the next spring!

All of my overwintered bonchis I moved to large pots look very good now!

http://fatalii.net/bonchi

Well all I know is that good growth=thick stem  :)

Don't mind me being happy. Just rented a piece of land next door!. Guess what I'm going to do with that  :) :)

Congrats.  :-*

Here's Habanero Brown Large after 4 months in a huge greenhouse:
(http://fatalii.net/hab4kk.jpg)

4 months to go!

Can't wait to cut it down and transfor it into a Bonchi!
Chinenses have been quite easy for the task as their natural growing habit is very bushy.

Wow :) I wonder if it's possible to make a smokin' pipe of chili's wood :D

Heheh! :D

At least it's very possible to drill it easily, don't know how good it's for you tho....
Depends on what you smoke with it? :D

I quit 2 years ago (and I never smoke MJ, don't mention my nickname) but I've got a friend that loves chiles and pipe tobacco :)

Hard to tell if chile stems produces a smoke that is bad for you, I mean worse than tobacco, perhaps somebody else knows. :)

The harm of the smoke doesn't the matter :) It does if the wood won't burn too quickly and won't make too stinky smoke :)

Lainaus käyttäjältä: Fatalii - elokuu 05, 2009, 00:02:38 ap
Heheh! :D

At least it's very possible to drill it easily, don't know how good it's for you tho....
Depends on what you smoke with it? :D

I've been wondering, how hard those chile stems are?

Is it possible to make a knife handle out of chile stem?  ;D

LOL that's another splendid idea my friend would be glad to hear :) He is a knife fan too :)

When the stem dries, it will be suprisingly hard... I still wonder if it's hard enough as a handle of a knife :D
Nice idea!

Cumari Pollux bonchi project is progressing nicely:
(http://fatalii.net/pollux2.jpg)

Here's a pic where it started:
(http://fatalii.net/chile/kuvat/cumari_pollux3234.jpg)

After cutting it down it didn't look too good but I already knew where I was aiming for:
(http://fatalii.net/pollux.jpg)

And here's latest pic of Bird's Eye Baby bonchi:
(http://fatalii.net/beb.jpg)

Perfect plants for overwintering! :)

Yes they are.
Btw, I have some seeds of something like that Bird's Eye Baby but the plant and the fruits are purple. It's very tiny too :)
Do you know what is it and do you want some seeds?
(http://spice-blog.ru/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=880&g2_serialNumber=2)
http://spice-blog.ru/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=355

Jah, it looks pretty, might be nice to add to ornamental collection next year or season after that. :)

Anyways, here's a latest photo of Dutch-Habanero f1
http://fatalii.net/compact.jpg

How do you Water the Bonchis. Soil seems to dry fast. I use akadama and soil (kukkamulta). Do you have a method of inserting the water from the hole underneath the pot?

I'm a proud father of my first newborn bonchi :)

Well, I water them with ordinary watering jug, little by little.

Some types of mosses actually help with the watering by sucking the water in.

There's no big risk of overwatering with bonchis as you can water them very often and they still will drink all the water.
I water them in 2 or 3 day cycles so they are mostly quite dry all the time.

You can also use spraying can etc if you find it easier.
Then you can spray the foliage too.
Bonchis really love it.

Or you can water them, like you said, from underneath if your pots (hopefully) have holes on the bottom.
Just let them sit in a kitchen washbasin with a little water on the bottom for a while.

The easiest way must be the sprayer can.

Is there any benefit to spraying the foliage? I've been giving mine a spray every now and again, not sure if its good or bad to do.

Yeah, it's very good actually, especially when bonchis have been just cutted and their roots are re-generating.

Also, spraying foliage keeps mites off as they like dry and hot envinroment.

Here's my latest Tepin, Guatemala Bonchi.
I really hope it will survive...

Doesn't look too good just yet but if you have tried bonchis, you can imagine how it might look a little later... :)

(http://fatalii.net/potjakka.jpg)

Finally here's the update for the previously posted Tepin, Guatemala:

(http://fatalii.net/guatemala.jpg)

Starts to look a little better doesn't it? :)

Still takes time to make it look like I wanted it to.

Guatemalan tepin is definitely my favorite for the bonchi stuff at the moment.

I guess you need to water those on regular basis like once a day due to the small pot size. Not suitable for people who travel a lot :(

Hmm actually when you use both moss (to prevent water from evaporating) and akadama / cat clay you can be away a few days... for more it's actually easier with bonchis than with larger pots as you can place bonchis on a wide container with water in it. :)

Here's the progress of the Tepin, Guatemala Bonchi:
(http://fatalii.net/kehitys.jpg)

Link if you can see it completely:
http://fatalii.net/kehitys.jpg

I guess it was growing under UFO last month? :)
On the first photo (01.05.2009) it's AeroFLO?
Correct me if I'm wrong.

Actually, it was growing under 20watt fluorescent tube. I tried to keep it under UFO too but the light was too intense for it at the first, I try to harden the plant for it little by little. :)

The system on the first pic is a rockwool sack for dripfeed.

Some new bonchi projects shown here:
Few pics taken yesterday:

(http://fatalii.net/rhombe_bonchi2.jpg)

(http://fatalii.net/bosse_bonchi.jpg)

And then a few bit older which need to be photographed again in a few days:
(http://fatalii.net/chile/kuvat/gt.jpg)

(http://fatalii.net/chile/kuvat/bonchi_kivella.jpg)

Updated photo of Bolivian Rainbow Bonchi:
(http://fatalii.net/bosse_bonchi2.jpg)

Thats beautiful Bolivian Rainbow! How did you manage to keep it alive? All of mine and the ones my friends have had died after one summer. I thought it was impossible to grow them for more that one season!

Hmm, I think Bolivian Rainbow is very tough plant.
After cutting it down like shown on http://fatalii.net/bonchi, I provided plenty of light for it.
After it was showing some signs of life, the rest was very easy. :)

Latest pic of the Bolivian Rainbow bonchi.

More and more flowers forming:
(http://fatalii.net/chile/kuvat/bonchi_bosse3.jpg)

Latest pic of the Bolivian Rainbow bonchi here:
(http://fatalii.net/bossebonchi.jpg)

Latest pic of C. rhomboideum bonchi:
(http://fatalii.net/rhombebonchi.jpg)

And a little progress again:

(http://fatalii.net/bossebonchi1.jpg)

(http://fatalii.net/rhombebonchi1.jpg)

On kyllä todella nätti bonchi.

Latest pic of Bolivian Rainbow -bonchi, "Bobo" :D
I thought it was worth naming.

(http://fatalii.net/bobo.jpg)

Here's my bonchi glass cabinet with led lights:

(http://fatalii.net/bonchivitriini.jpg)

Awesome!

What are the specs on the LEDs there? Are they providing the main growing energy?

Most of the bonchis have been inside now for a while without any extra light so even those low-powered leds are enough to keep them alive for awhile.

My intention is to find good replacement for those LEDS, preferably more powerful.

How about just few more strips of leds or does it need to be something more spot like?

I have thought of getting these for chiles:
http://www.lamppukauppa.fi/tuotteet/Uppovalaisimet-Led/hella-universal-design-spot-valkoinen

There's also more powerful version:
http://www.hella.com/MicroSite/conceptiline/universal_design_spot_s102.html

I think they would be (and look) great in that kind of cabinet installation.