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Dwarf
Schefflera is the most durable and most
popular low-light houseplant.
If you can grow any houseplants Dwarf Schefflera will likely grow well for you
once you understand the special cultural
requirements. It's the most
successful gift bonsai!
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Dwarf
Schefflera has ideal bonsai traits with
outstanding trunks, branching, and roots so
it is the ideal
indoor houseplant bonsai. Dwarf Schefflera bonsai
are superior to ficus bonsai as it develops
more character, needs a lot less light,
grows more vigorously, and
is easier care. They are very suitable
for beginners, but can also be very
challenging for advanced bonsai
hobbyists!
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Dwarf Schefflera are
long-lived plants that are faster growing
than other trees grown as bonsai! Generally, trees
that develop quickly have a short natural
lifespan and also die quickly. Dwarf Schefflera
seems to be an exception and our
oldest bonsai show no signs of "old age"
die-back or other symptoms.
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Dwarf Schefflera will
grow year around indoors but also outdoors
when night temperatures are above 55°F.
They will grow and develop faster with
strong supplemental lights indoors but grow
and develop still faster outdoors in the tropics
or in warmer seasons. Watering and
fertilizing must be adjusted by those using
outdoor accelerated growth techniques.
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Dwarf Schefflera can be
trained into more styles than any other tree
grown as bonsai! They are natural epiphytes
(plants that grow on other trees) so they
are drought-resistant and have exceptional
root systems that are the key to
successfully creating banyan bonsai and rock
planted bonsai. The unique root
systems are featured in Fuku-Bonsai True
Indoor Bonsai.
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Dwarf Schefflera can be
used to create mini to large masterpiece
quality bonsai! With all these unique
characteristics, it became our
specialty and we grow more highest quality
Dwarf Schefflera bonsai than anyone else.
We also are willing and able to teach more
than anyone else. Dwarf Schefflera
will one day be the most popular bonsai in
the United States because most of those who
have not been successful in growing other
trees as bonsai can and will be successful
with Dwarf Schefflera. We believe it
is the only bonsai that should ethically be
used as gift bonsai to those without bonsai
skills. We will continue efforts to
make our trees "customer-proof" and are
committed to education. Here are some
of our Dwarf Schefflera bonsai.
The above photos show
just a portion of our Dwarf Schefflera
collection to give you a sampling of what is
possible with this tree! The key to
obtaining exceptional results is to start
with trees that already have a lot of lower
trunk character and a complex shallow root
system within one inch of the soil line.
This is the most difficult challenge in
bonsai and training must begin very early
and our youngest plants offered are already
a minimum of three to five years in
training. ALL Fuku-Bonsai prepared
bonsai stock meet this criteria and so our
customers and members of our study groups
start with high-potential plants. We
are not the cheapest, but we are committed
to be the best! Dwarf Schefflera is
the ideal True Indoor Bonsai!
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DWARF SCHEFFLERA GIFT BONSAI
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GENERAL CULTURAL
INFORMATION
We first offered it in 1980 in HM-8
medium and HL-8 large size lava plantings and later as #8LS-8 potted Living Sculpture. In
1997 we introduced dwarf schefflera in small and desk sizes. When new dwarf
schefflera products are first introduced,
the photos show plants in the early
stages. Products currently being shipped greatly exceed the quality and
development of the plants in the sales
photos.
The following
cultural information is specifically for
those receiving gift bonsai who will be
growing Dwarf Schefflera bonsai indoors in
homes and offices throughout the year.
Extensive detailed recommendations for
growing Dwarf Schefflera bonsai outdoors
whenever night temperatures are over 55°F
are in the training sections of this
website.
WATER & MOISTURE.
Upon
receiving your bonsai and once per week,
saturate the entire rock planting under
water for at least 30 minutes. This method
of saturation is the optimum proven method
as simply pouring water over the rock or
into the pot will not thoroughly saturate
every portion. As the air bubbles out, water
is rushing in. When removing from the water,
tilt and allow the water to stream out.
When it starts dripping, place it on DRY
gravel.
IT'S THIS
WEEKLY 100% WATER AND AIR EXCHANGE THAT
KEEPS THE PLANT HEALTHY. When
grown properly, you will see white root tips
which means all is well. Tuck any long
roots under the rock and allow it to build
to a pad of roots under the rock. Once
that is built, you can see new white
root tips easily and can trim the root pad
safely. Black or rotting roots usually
mean the plant is being over-watered. Once roots rot and die, the trunk becomes soft and you can
peel off the bark on the trunk even though some leaves may still be
green! DO NOT OVERWATER! But if you see the trunk developing
tiny vertical creases, you may be
underwatering!
Potted plants should sit in water as deep as the rim of the pot and the
water allowed to enter through the drain holes. Leave it in the water for
about 30 minutes or so to assure that all media in the pot is totally
saturated. Notice how heavy it is right after it's been watered. Towards the
end of the week, place the center of your open palm firmly against the media
surface. If it feels wet, wait a day or two before watering. Water when it
feels slightly cool but before it feels warm-dry. Notice how light the plant
is when it needs water. In a short time, you'll know when to water just by
picking up the plant! For those in hard water areas,
distilled (or reverse osmosis) water is recommended to avoid the rock
or pot turning white from alkaline deposits. Excess water can be
reused at the next watering.
LIGHT REQUIREMENTS. This is a proven durable houseplant. It can survive
for a long while in lower light conditions, but will become weaker and weaker and will
eventually die if it's too dark. The more light the better! If your light
levels are poor, consider setting up an optimum high-light area on a window
sill and have several plants. Rotate plants into the low light area. Light is the determining factor for
success in training Dwarf Schefflera bonsai. Some are satisfied and
happy if the tree just survives. At this level of expectation, almost
any area in homes or offices that you can comfortably read will likely be
okay. But best long-term results will be on a window sill.
Growth will improve with supplemental light.
For optimum bonsai training and development,
the more light the better. Our most
advanced study group members are moving
toward strong metal halide lights for
wintering over trees during cold seasons.
Once night temperatures exceed 55°F,
plants are moved outdoors into semi-shade
and as weather warms, dwarf schefflera
develops at the fastest rate. Fuku-Bonsai's
Hawaii location is considered ideal and
plants are grown outdoors under shade cloth
with most day temperatures between 70°F -
90°F. Our coldest night temperature is
55°F for a few nights per year. But on
those days, temperature rise to the 70's by
afternoon. With skill and special
heating and lighting, advanced bonsai
hobbyists are able to equal or surpass our
growth rate even though they live in the
northern states. They have an advantage in
having relatively few plants that they can
give a lot of attention while we grow
millions of trees!
TEMPERATURE, HUMIDITY & OPTIMUM GROWTH. Think of Fuku-Bonsai True Indoor
Bonsai as transplanted tropical Hawaiians used to warm weather (70°F to 85°F), bright
sunny days, and a lot of moisture in the air. The closer that you can come to duplicating
these conditions, the better your growth. In cold climates or cool weather, be sure
the plants are not in an area getting icy blasts or that the buildings are heated at night
and over the weekends. In very dry areas, to increase humidity, consider using a
baking pan filled with clean gravel or pebbles. Keep water in the pan below the top of the
gravel and place the plant on the gravel. Dwarf Schefflera loves humidity and the more
humidity you can provide, the more aerial roots!
FERTILIZING. Do not fertilized for the first few months! Plants need time to
adjust to their new homes and indoor plants grow at only a fraction of the rate as
outdoors because of lower light levels. If you use outdoor plant fertilizer, you'll burn
the roots and kill the indoor bonsai! We now recommend NUTRIENT GRANULES,
a high phosphorus,
low nitrogen
extremely slow release on-demand
fertilizer. It is unique and we include a small packet with every
plant we ship.
There really are no bonsai secrets. The plant must be suitable for the
environment you can provide. Styling is suggested by the plant's character. Progress
depends upon the quality of growing conditions. For greatest bonsai success, create optimum growing
conditions.
FUKU-BONSAI STRIVES FOR THE
HIGHEST CUSTOMER OR GIFT RECIPIENT SUCCESS.
Please read the information sent with each
plant and email or phone (808) 982-9880 if
you have questions.
If you suspect problems, take good
clear photos to show overall, and a
close up of the trunk, branches, and roots.
If a rock planting, especially show the
roots that are outside and under the rock.
Email to me at
david.f@www.fukubonsai.com
and I'll try to help.
~~~David W. Fukumoto, president and
founder, Fuku-Bonsai
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HOW TO BUY
BONSAI! (A linked series of
articles)
Fuku-Bonsai is the result of David's early
students needing the right starter bonsai
that can thrive for them. He saw the need
for "prepared bonsai stock with character"
and now Fuku-Bonsai produces the most
successful gift bonsai and workshops for
anyone who can grow houseplants. For most,
growing bonsai successfully really starts
with starting right and this series of
articles provides details.
THE FUKU-BONSAI
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