h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi and welcome to h2g2.

I'm Captain Kebab and I'm an ACE, or Assistant Community Editor, which means I've volunteered to help greet new researchers and try to make them feel at home here on h2g2.

I'm delighted that you have learnt more about keeping eggs fresh - I'm always discovering unexpected things here!

There's loads to do here, so I've put together a page with some h2g2 links that you might find useful - you can get there by clicking this link: A794991. If you'd like to know any more or just want to talk you can click on the 'reply' button you'll see at the bottom of the page and I'll get back to you, or click on my name at the top and you'll find yourself at my personal space. You can leave a message for me there by clicking on 'discuss this entry'.

I hope to see you around soon...

Thanks for the welcome captain kebab,im enjoying the site and am just starting to find my way around.I am as my name may sugest a blacksmith i make gates,railings in the traditional way and when im lucky do the odd sculpture (some say very odd!).Im 31,male and live in north London with my long time partner Jan.
Im glad to hear from another bonsai owner as i have just been given a Chinese Ligustrum.It seems to need watering every day,is this normal? Ive thought about making a tray for it so it can suck the water up,any advise would be greatly appreaciated.
Kind Regards Blacksmith.

Righty-ho - generally speaking you should water your tree when it's almost, but not quite, dried out. Give it a good drink at that stage to make the soil good and moist but not soaking - the tree will use what it needs. Remember you haven't got much soil, and you haven't got a lot of root, so you can't put much water in and the tree can use it quite fast, so it's not unusual to have to water every day, especially in summer.

You don't say where you are keeping it. Chinese ligustrum are quite hardy and will tolerate wintering outdoors in England, but if it's been indoors all winter you shouldn't put it out right now - it needs to spend the autumn outdoors to acclimatise. They will survive indoors, but if you've got it in a centrally heated room you need to try to keep the humidity high.

Your idea of a tray would be ideal for this. You should make or obtain one a little larger than the pot - at least as wide as the spread of the branches, and maybe an inch (2 1/2 centimetres if you're modern ) deep. Put a layer of gravel (any sort - decorative) in this and stand the tree on the gravel. Pour in water, but not so deep as to suck up into the pot - you don't want to allow the roots to be permanently sodden or they will rot - if you have the water over the bottom of the pot you can't control it.

The water in the tray will evaporate providing a nice humid microclimate for your tree. You can top up the tray when you water the tree, and I suggest you mist it as well, at the same time.

In the early spring repot it, and during the growing season you can prune new growth to shape. If you haven't seen it I've written a sort entry in the Guide on bonsai for beginners - you can find it here - A676541 (shameless plug).

Good luck!

I must say, by the way, that I think being a blacksmith is particularly cool! I love to hear of people who still practise traditional crafts and skills. It's a shame that you're down in London and I'm up in Manchester - I could do with the leaf-springs on my Hillman Minx retempering! There's not many around who can do that these days. I'll probably end up exchanging them for new ones - not nearly so satisfying!