**DrBuds Bonsai Mum's- How To for You**

[SkunkyDemon]

What and how much do you feed her and what are you growing in? Im using 1/22 gal pots. Look at them in my photo album. They start droping yellow leaves.Thats the reason I re transplant them. Everytime I do the roots are root bound. So maybe Im feeding them to much or something. Thanks for the help!
Peace

 

[klazer]

I tried so hard to make this work. It seemed I was haveing to replant and trim the roots evey few weeks or so. I feed the very little nuts but they were under a lot of light. Im not sure what I was doing wrong, but I do want it to work because it would be nice to have a few different strains. Heres a few pics.

Sorry I dont have any pics when they where in the 4" pots, these are 1gl pots

Wow, Good work those are beautiful.

 

[100% Dundee]

What and how much do you feed her and what are you growing in? Im using 1/22 gal pots. Look at them in my photo album. They start droping yellow leaves.Thats the reason I re transplant them. Everytime I do the roots are root bound. So maybe Im feeding them to much or something. Thanks for the help!
Peace

I have my mother in Foxfarm Ocean Forest with about 20-30% perlite added by volume to give it some better drainage/dilute the soil a bit. The nutes I use are Foxfarm big bloom/grow big, I feed at the "full strength" level using the directions on the bottles. Occasionally I need to add a bit of cal/mag if I see any deficiencies popping up on older leaves. Feed once to twice a week, every 3-4 days depending on humidity/etc.

 

[zen_trikester]

What and how much do you feed her and what are you growing in? Im using 1/22 gal pots. Look at them in my photo album. They start droping yellow leaves.Thats the reason I re transplant them. Everytime I do the roots are root bound. So maybe Im feeding them to much or something. Thanks for the help!
Peace

They love root pruning and transplanting... it absolutely doesn't hurt them. Do it as often as you need/want to nbd. Looking at your pics from above though, I would transplant them deeper so that you don't have a bunch of stem under the usable parts of the plants. Actually with those I would just root some new cuttings, flower the moms, and start over!

Too keep them really small, it is about nurturing the lower growth so they don't look like little tree's from the Serengeti. If that is what you want then it works, but to keep them tiny like dr bud is showing here you need to maintain some green next to the soil and when you transplant, you just bury the stem to get it back where you want it.

I keep mine in a cut down (L shaped to fit my shelf) Hiko tray that has a cell volume of 310ml/1.3 cup and it is no problem keeping them in that. Last time I root pruned I moved 6 mothers from whole bean coffee bags that were about 3x4x4 to the Hiko tray. After trimming the rootballs I was about 1" square by 2-3" deep. You don't have to save a lot of roots when transplanting. There is a week or two when they don't produce many clones but soon they just explode and look better than new.

I also don't cut down the upper foliage as much as was stated in the old oldtimer thread. I cut back but not to just a couple leaves. I leave a couple of branches and as long as you have some green at the end they will thrive. Of course when I root prune/transplant I take a bunch of clones from my moms for backups just in case but the only time I have ever come close to loosing a mom was when a friend was watching them for me and he let them dry up.

If you are really worried about reducing root mass you can try watering more. Keeping them more wet will give the roots less reason to venture out and will help reduce root-boundness. I use blumats... the cheap ones that are just the carrot and a tube. They aren't perfect but they work well for this and provide a consistent worry free water source for my mommas. After a few months the roots all wrap around the carrot and the soil never gets wet, but I have found that if I still top water them from time to time it takes awhile for that to happen. I feed when I top water. When that does happen it is root pruning time.

New roots are also generated to maintain increased plant matter above the soil, so keeping them trimmed up top helps that as well. If you don't need any cuts for a few weeks trim it anyways to keep the need for larger root mass at bay!

There are some pics in my albums and I am going out of town soon so I will be doing some maintenance before I go and will probably root prune since I won't be taking cuts for a couple weeks and they are almost due anyways. I'll try to remember to post back here for anyone who may be interested in yet another wrinkle on bonsai momas.

 

[SkunkyDemon]

Wow thanks for all the info. Im glad to see that someone out there can really make this work. Do you have the prloblem that when they are getting root bound that they drop yellow leaves? I guess thats what gets me worring. So I transplant them agian. I did notice that your feeding with a bloom formula. The nutes I use has alot more nitrogen. Maybe I need to try a bloom nute. Thanks for the help!
Peace

 

[zen_trikester]

Wow thanks for all the info. Im glad to see that someone out there can really make this work. Do you have the prloblem that when they are getting root bound that they drop yellow leaves? I guess thats what gets me worring. So I transplant them agian. I did notice that your feeding with a bloom formula. The nutes I use has alot more nitrogen. Maybe I need to try a bloom nute. Thanks for the help!
Peace

When I don't feed them they give me yellow leaves, but I'm a shitty feeder so I loose some leaves. My flower cab is all amended organic soil and they can get by on water only. I have been making that my goal though, feeding by hand that is. I have gone back and fourth many ways with the moms... organic soil depletes too quick, I have tried osmocote pellets. Since getting the blumats I have tried shultz in the res and osmocote pellets in the res. Right now it is just fish emulsion in my top water after the organic soil runs low, and that is working well both keeping the roots off the probes and keeping the plants green. A little too much fish e makes them grumpy but doesn't put a hurting on them like salt ferts do. It does also take a week or two to do anything, but helps bring out the organics in the soil... well, it seems that way .

Once leaves go yellow they never come back of course, and I'm just recently finding the balance of how much and when so that I can stay on top of it. Otherwise I was re-potting sometimes just because my soil was depleted and I could get my feedings right!

Whatever man, if there is a stick with a little green on it and some roots at the bottom, you are good to go! If things start to look ugly or get unruly I just let one of the little lower nodes grow out 2or 3 nodes and then I cut the rest of the plant away... just snip of the big trunk and let the new one take over as the main. No problem. I start them with two main branches in a v shape and that allows me to keep things low for quite awhile. Then when it looks like things might get unruly I save a lower branch until it gets too a couple of nodes, and whack off everything else. Then when I replant the next time, I bury the stump.

You know it is funny... I'm writing all of this out and thinking "This isn't how everyone else does it?" Hmmm... I'm sure anyone with a tiny space and a taste for variety must!

 

[SkunkyDemon]

Thanks for all your help, and I do mean that. I want to make Bonsai moms jus for that reason, I like a verity. I have several different things that I use MMJ for so different strains work better and some dont. I guess you could say Im in search for the "Holy Grail" of pot. Making Bonsai moms is the only way I can. I live in an appartment so that means I use 5 cabs plus my closet. I see some people keeping them in small cups. I guess it just takes some work to get it right. Ya I say more people should try it. Thanks agian!
Peace

 

[ItGrows]

Wow thanks for all the info. Im glad to see that someone out there can really make this work. Do you have the prloblem that when they are getting root bound that they drop yellow leaves? I guess thats what gets me worring. So I transplant them agian. I did notice that your feeding with a bloom formula. The nutes I use has alot more nitrogen. Maybe I need to try a bloom nute. Thanks for the help!
Peace

I REALLY doubt your getting root bound that fast... What is that yellow thing in your box maybe it is full of toxic poison. I have 3 mums in 6oz containers. and they have been there for months. When the roots grow wild out of the bottom I cut them or pick them off with my fingers.

 

[ItGrows]

SkunkyD It looks like you have your plants in some standing water. I wouldnt do that either.

 

[iriebowl]

yay just started a chrystal mum and took my first 3 cuts 11 days ago and roots are good to go already. my mum is in a 9 oz party cup under 2 26watt cfls and doing great so far. thanks dr for all the info

 

[hippydan]

I didn't think I had space to keep mothers, now I know I do. Thanks Dr.

 

[DU420]

Got any new momma's doc?

 

[StoopheadFred]

Even if DrBud wasn't the one that came up with the bonsai mom idea, he did a great job explaining it and showing others the way and for that I say RESPECT AND THANKS!

My question with the 2oz mums is... how often do you have to water them? I've got my moms in party cups right now but I want to make the switch to these 2oz containers so I can cram a bunch more in my space, but I'm currently able to leave my moms for 3-4 days without watering.

 

[bigwilly82]

AWESOME INFO!!!! very helpful!!

 

[HighTrip]

Red Eyed Jedi...can I be your Padawan? I spent 2 nights only reading your Bonsai and SOG with CFL's posts...I dont mind move to a Mountain Top...Next week i start the "Red Eyed Jedi Lessons"...built a micro setup and make bonsai mum's.
Thx for share almost 30 years knowledge...it's priceless!

and sorry for this awful english...Love From South America!

 

[ydnap]

For many years this thread and the information on these pages have always amazed me on how simple, easy, and fun it is propagate.
Although this thread is many many years old I wanted to thank everyone for such wonderful information.

 

[DingusKhan]

My favorite thread, so far

My favorite thread, so far

I've definitely learned a ton from bunches is you guys.

I'm new here, and this is my first post. I was planning on introducing myself with pictures of my first project and entry into the newest yogi challenge, but I got hooked here.

Other than the buds themselves, I also need a interesting hobby to keep myself sane when not thinking about work. Bonsai mums is perfect, better than a train set.

Thanks to the good doctor, and many others.

 

[SMS65]

This is a great thread. Thank you!!

 

[pANicModE]