Thanks, I hadn't thought about planting it vertically, I had visions of it snapping off under it own weight if I planted it the normal way. The bonsai pot is 7 inches long and 5 inches wide. The plant is 4 inches from the top of the root-ball to the tip of the crown already. It's grown a bit since I got it.

Miss Tee - it is a standard trailer - so you need some depth for the roots to keep it ancored . Would it be a mini trailer - the depth of the pot can be an inch. So I do not know how deep is your bonsai pot - it shouldn't be too shallow. You can postion the rootball at an angle to accommodate the shallow pot - it will work for trailer. This thing is a fast grower - so you need to pot it now - otherwise it will be harder.

Oh it is 21/2 inches deep. Is that too shallow?.

Not at that point. If you think it is too deep - add a layer of perlite on the bottom for drainage. Keeps the soil breathable. Just give more light when established. The blossoms and variegation really pop up under higher

Irina, if she repotted it without stripping off lower leaves, but instead cutting the top off and of course rooting it, wouldn't that make it branch out just as well? Just wondering' ! Rosie

Irina,

I purchased Lituanika in october and it was in a 2 inch pot. Recently, I noticed root was growing outside of the pot. So I potted it up to 2.5 inch. The plant is about 6-7 inch wide. Meanwhile, it only has one crown. According to what you said above, a wide pot can encourage more branch. Am I need to use a bigger pot?

thanks

elsa

Elsa - seems that wide and shallow pot is conducive for trailers to trail and behave like a GROUND COVER. Which we want,. Removing leaves and exposing the side buds to the light is the second thing we can do.

Rosie - in my experience - and I grew some nice trailers - pinching the top is not as good as stripping the leaves. Dr. Bill Price - the man I always look up to - put a program on trailers you can purchase at the AVSA site - it is on DVD. That's his method. Works all the time.

Some trailers have a lot of rosette plant genes in them - and some minis and semis have a lot trailer genes - hat's why they sucker. In a very beginning of my AV hobby i suffered through trying to train Candy Fountain. It just didn't want to grow as a trailer. Every time I pinched the top - it died.... I would restart it from a leaf... and situation repeats. Would I know that striping the leaves is another approach - I would be much happier...

I have a couple trailers that could do better and I think I will try NOT pinching the tops but will start removing a couple leaves here and there from the bottom area.

Course, Irina, you do know I will start those leaves! lol Thanks! Rosie

Rosie, you are dangerous with this leaves!.

Yeaaaah,,,weeeell,,,,,but just think,,,,,,if they take root and grow I will have something to trade with in the spring !!!!!!! lol Rosie

Rosie - do a leaf removal in a very aggressive way. Not leaf here - leaf there Really strip them. You need to bare the stems where you want the new crowns to show - like you missing a crown - and it will be a place to grow one. You strip all old and discolored leaves and you remove leaves that shade other crowns. Mature plant comes back fast. Alll these 100 leaves it has - shade one another.

Just do not put 100 leaves down. Aaaaaaa...

Hugs

I.

Irina,

thanks for the information. So the trailer does not follow the the rule of pot size like other standard AV (pot size =1/3 of the plant). Need to find a wide pot now.

thanks

elsa

There should be a proportion between pot and trailer - but usually welll grown trailer covers the surface and hangs out some more. So the pot is probably 2/3 -3/4 of the leaf span. The trick is - keep it relatively shallow so it spreads instead of stretching. And it is much less chance for roots to get soggy if the pot is shallow - so you can start with a wider pot. I saw some magnificent trailers grown in a plastic terracota plant saucers. But show plants are grown on wicks and under the lights - so there is less chance for them to go dry or soggy and the light is always good - so windowsill growers are always at disadvantage - too hot, too cold, too briigt, too dark... depending on a season.

Irina, thank you.

elsa

Ohhh, Irina do you really think I would plant 100 leaves??? Huh???? Really??? hahahahahahahahahahaha YOU BETCHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol ! Rosie

Ok, so if I understand you correctly Irina....I will leave AND have the good growth at the tops of the stems, then bare stem to the soil level? And this will force the new growth to begin on the bare stems? But don't touch the leaves on the top of the stem? Rosie

PS. Thanks for the hugs!

Rosie - if you have a rosette plant - you need to bury the bare stem- suckers are your enemies. If you have a trailer - expose a bare stem to the light - suckers are your future crowns. so do not bury it all.

I know - it is hard - but KEEP YOURSELF UNDER CONTROL and do not plant more than 2-3 leaves of each variety. Otherwise your growing area will be a monoculture. 100 leaves will give you 500 plants... knowing your love of them you will pot all 500 up... Even My Sensation will become a nigntmare multiplied by 500.

hahahahaha yeah,,,about the 100 leaves,,,,,,,,not to worry Irina.

I was referring to a trailer. I know how to do a rosette. It is the trailer I am having a problem with. Nice full "tips", but sort of sparse stems. And there are 3 stems like you are supposed to have branching out. Do I understand that they will start producing new branches on the BARE stems since the light is now getting to the bare stem? And NO pinching of the full "tips" at the top?Rosie

Yes - you got it. You do not need 10 crowns, 3-5 is enough - otherwise they start crowding each other. So you select the ones you think will make a good full trailer - and take the rest of them off... you can even root them.

Root them??? Did I hear you say ROOT them??? I am on it! Thanks!!! Rosie