I bought this bonsai from the Columbus botanical garden in May. I took a class and have been researching what to do, but I need help. Do I wait for it to grow more before styling it? Should I repot it? What would you do if you had just purchased this plant! It’s a bougainvillea cultivar.
The pot is slightly big for it, but you can just let it grow into it. Be careful not to overwater, because the edges of the soil won't dry as fast as the center. If you want the trunk to bulk up, you could actually plant it in the ground or a large nursery pot to let it gain size. If you're happy with the trunk's overall size, then you can go ahead and prune for shape. Allowing new growth to stay helps thicken the trunk near and below it (you can use it to develop the trunk taper and trim it off later.) Cutting long or out-of-shape branches encourages the remaining ones to make growth in new directions.
1 LikeYours is still young, so it has lots of potential in terms of what style you do. With its current position, it lends itself to a formal upright or broom style, but if you repot it at a slant, that long branch could work well for a slanting or windswept look. Be gentle with pruning for the first few years, but start to play around with your future style direction
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You can also wire it…hit YouTube…Notion Bonsai has really good vids that helped me a lot!
0 LikesWow, that was so helpful! Thanks so much!
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