A new article about creating your own bonsai chiles!
Adds PLENTY of value for your old plants you're about to throw away.
Very good method for overwintering too, small plants take only a little space!
Hope you'll find it useful:
http://www.fatalii.net/growing/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=95&Itemid=105
(http://www.fatalii.net/pics/cgn19198_zoomable%20base.jpg)
Wow! Excellent article! Beautiful stuff there! I might even try making bonsais myself too :D
Nice! Growing bonsais might be a very self-discipline process as it takes year and years to master.
Any suggestions about the best varieties to start from? Should have thick stem and small leaves i guess.
I agree with Luca, really beautiful. Must try:) Thanks for the article.
//Patrik
Thanks guys!
I didn't realize other people find chile bonsais as interesting as I do!
There will be definitely more about this issue, and the current article will be expanded a lot later.
About the varieties.... as varieties like Gumdrop... I wouldn't recommended that one EVER, but still it's a great looking bonsai now, so just pick a plant which has the finest looking stem!
I think it's good to have quite tough plants for this.
Commercial grown annuums tend to have near-death-experiences quite often... so I wouln't recommend those, ornamental annuums are perfect tho!
So good idea would be growing a HUGE ornamental annuum and then cut it down and let it grow into a bonsai shapes.
But I think wild species are best for this purpose as they're often very tough!
+ I think they have much more value.
I think large leaves aren't a problem, + they tend to make smaller leaves when cut down after a full season.
I actually added quite a few varieties to my germinating list just because I'm planning to make some great looking bonsais after the next season.
Just experiment, finally something nice chile-stuff to do for the winter! :)
This article was currently updated, some info and pictures about the soil, tools and pots.... more updates to come.
http://www.fatalii.net/growing/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=95&Itemid=105
A basic infobook about modern bonsai growing and freestyle.
Try Google:
Lisa Tajima: "Fun with arranging small trees and plants" for more info about how to start a new indoor hobby. :idea:
- chilifellow - :mrgreen:
I'm also considering to give a try to grow a bonsai. However, I haven't really seen any nice-looking (or in fact ANY) bonsai pots sold in Oulu. Does anyone have a clue, where to get those?
Buying a bonsai pot online doesn't sound good to me as I want to see the shape and size of the pot with my own eyes. As Japanese say: "Pot is half of the beauty in bonsai-tree."
Try a finish netshop www.ruukkupuu.fi for traditional japanese pottery
or use anykind of dish or pot: like a can of beer, small barrel, plastic dish for "pop bonsai"-style.
Economical shopping places: local MOKO-store, Pentik, IKEA
Use imagination! Humorous touch with chiles. :mrgreen:
Don`t forget a good sharp scissors.
Basic tools finds on huuto.net:
http://www.huuto.net/fi/showitem.php3?itemid=67803472
Fiskars scissors are nice, but not so good sharpcutting tools.
(Lisää vinkkejä saa privan kautta - esim. työkaluista, ja jos on tarvis, niin
hankitaan yhdessä alen kera kunnon välineet. Kommetteja! t. Kuisma)
Lainaus käyttäjältä: "chilifellow"Try a finish netshop www.ruukkupuu.fi for traditional japanese pottery
or use anykind of dish or pot: like a can of beer, small barrel, plastic dish for "pop bonsai"-style.
Like I mentioned before, I want to "feel" the pot by myself and therefore for this purpose online shopping is not "my thing".
I have noticed some nice dishes in the shops. Has anyone tried to drill a hole to a normal dish? Will it crack? Without a hole in the bottom the plant will die for sure.
With Arabia dishes I can't afford too many unsuccessful holes... :?
There are diamond drills that can be used to drill glass, so those probably are good for ceramics too.
For example: http://fi.byggtillbehor.com/produkter/visa_produkt.php?p=1697&s=granito
One "Bonchi" project I'm working on....
(http://fatalii.net/lanceolatum_bonchi.jpg)
More pics to come on the next updates!!
announcements about the new updates on the main page http://www.fatalii.net
Lainaus käyttäjältä: "NaokiSoma"Has anyone tried to drill a hole to a normal dish? Will it crack? Without a hole in the bottom the plant will die for sure.
Attach a piece of masking tape, it will prevent cracking. Use normal HSS drill and low RMP's to drill through the tape. And low pressure.
Finally updated the bonchi-instructions.
http://www.fatalii.net/bonsai
alternative link
http://www.fatalii.net/growing/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=95&Itemid=105
Looking forward to hear comments and suggestions.
just 2 words...
Absolutely fantastic... Can't say more... And unbelieveble pics too
Hi Fatalii,
I agree... just awesome! I have 3 large Starfish plants in hydro buckets that i've been growing for months now. They are petty much finished giving up the goods.
I picked a couple of large ziplock freezer bags full of pods from them, and there's only a few pods left on top now(soon to be picked).
I'd really like to bonsai them! I just need to find some nice pots, then I will cut them back. I'll probably leave them in the hydro system until they start putting out new growth leaves(after the cut back).. maybe a month or more. Then trim back the roots last, and put into bonsai pots.
Do you think the stems will grow thicker, after they are cut back and put into bonsai pots?
They are not bad now, but the thicker the stem, the better they look...especially for bonsai!
Thanks for introducing this great extension to an already great hobby!
:D Jib
Jibby, Sounds very promising!
Starfish makes an excellent base as most baccas do!
The stem of a Bonchi will get a little thicker in a bonsai pot after a while but it's definitely a better idea to get huge stem in a short time by growing the plant as huge as possible at first.
It seems I forgot to add many details from the instructions, but I will still update it as people seem to be very interested about this stuff! :)
One idea could be cutting it down and making it a Bonchi plant, then early in the spring repot it into a big pot and let the plant grow huge again. then the stem will grow fast again. :)
Please, let me know whan kind of information or picture is needed to include on the Bonchi-instructions and I will do it. :)
wow...great idea! :idea: ...why didn't I think of that? :roll:
...instead of bonchi-ing them now, I can speed up the whole process by cutting them back, and just re-growing them from the stumps.
btw...I already cut them back.. similar to some of your pix...around 10 inches tall each now, and I can see tiny green leaves coming out of the nodes where branches were (good sign).
I may have to lift them out of their 5 gallon buckets though, and trim the roots now, because the roots are filling the buckets completely. No need for all those roots now that the plants are small again and just starting round two!
Yes, the stems should thicken up quickly once the foliage starts up again! Plants get big, fast in this system.
If I can grow these girls huge again, I should have some nice thick Bonchi tree trunks to start off with!! :wink:
oh ya, one more thing Fatalii... any more tips on planting or growing moss is appreciated. I brought some home from the lake a few weeks ago and planted around my yard. I soaked these spots for a week or so, and they seem to be liking their new home. I also collected some of that white, petrified looking(dead) moss, that you have a peice of, in one of your bonchi pix... specifically for that,, to decorate my first bonchi with... it looks great!
Thanks again for all you tips and advise!! :)
Jib
Hmmm yeah.. I could explain moss planting a little better on the bonchi article..
Some moss grow best when some soil is taken with it.
It's good to soak the soil of the bonchi before planting the moss.
In dry conditions the moss needs plenty of watering (spraying is good!).
But it seems to grow nicely outdoors or in the greenhouse by itself.
Sometimes the moss just dries up, gets yellowish... the good part is that it still looks good like that, a little like autumn look. :)
Usually new moss growth emerges later even the it dries out at some point.
Lichen is great for decorating too!
I collect some moss and lichen etc. for winter so I can use it when they're unavailable outdoors.
np Jib, I'm glad if my Bonchi article is useful fun stuff for you.
I found working with Bonchis very relaxing, its also very useful as they're very easy to overwinter like that, like I mentioned before.
Keep Bonchin' !
I have a few questions about Bonchi:
How many years can a mother chile plant produce viable and vigorous cuttings?
How many years can a Bonchi live altogether?
How much light is required for adequate growth?
How large must the Bonchi pot be?
Thank you!
Very good questions there!
I think I got an email from you too, sorry that I was too busy to reply just yet...
I have collected cuttings from my Dutch Habanero F1 plant since 2002 and the plants grown from it still produce very prolific and vigorous plants. I'm sure it will still to so for years!
Here's a cutting taken from a Dutch-Habanero motherplant last year:
http://fatalii.net/chile/?u=g&c=search&word=dutch&id=6235
If you won't kill the plant by drying it, it's possible to grow the chile in a pot as long as it lives.
You must feed it with nutrients at some point, and repotting is an good idea after a year-two in a same pot.
I transplant my bonchi plants into large plants and move them to the greenhouse for the summers!
I know a guy who as over 30 years old tepin on his yard in US (now nearly 40 years old plant!).
So, who knows...
Even fluorescent tubes are enough to grow the bonchis during the winter.
They might even produces some pods with fluorescent tubes (or fluorescent bulbs).
My mom is growing bonchis on a windowsill without any artificial light through the year!
They produce yield only during the summertime but still.
I have used very small pots with bonchi growing, you just need to water and feed the plants more often.
Also, varieties with bigger pods doesn't like too small pots.
My mothers rocoto was a little exception as it produced a few pods in a very small pot with only a little soil:
http://fatalii.net/chile/?u=g&c=search&word=rocoto&id=6529
Hope it helps!
Hi, first of all great work with your Bonchi :) What do you mean with small pots? Do you think, that 13x10x4,5 cm will be enough?
Lainaus käyttäjältä: Fatalii - heinäkuu 05, 2009, 23:55:08 ip
I have used very small pots with bonchi growing, you just need to water and feed the plants more often.
Also, varieties with bigger pods doesn't like too small pots.
Well it's all up to you and your plants... that sounds quite small, especially for bonchis with a thick stem.
well, my thickest stem has serrano. I think 3-4cm, the others has smaller stems. And I wrote the wrong size of the pot. It is actually 16x12x4,5. I will try it and see.
btw: do you have some experiences with repotting bonchi into big pot in spring and in fall make the bonchi again. Thinking about it because of possibility makubg really huge stem.
Yeah, actually I've doing that again with many plants, I guess it is mentioned on the bonchi article too...
Works great! A perfect way to overwinter chiles!!
The typical cultivated C. annuums might be very difficult to turn into bonchi plants. They die very easily after shock / producing pods etc.
Thats why they were thought to be annual plants for a long time (annuum).
well, I have 3 annuums and hope I will turn them into bonchis sucesfully :)
Just one question more. Is it possible to cut the plant down a let her in ebb&flood system till she makes some foliage and after it give her into bonchis pot? maybe it would be less stressing to do that separatelly. And even maybe faster to make foliage.
Of course!
I've done that several times and it surely helps completing the process!
hi,
any tip to grow bonchis directly from seeds?
thank you.
Skatchina