Aralia

Aralia, Dizygotheca and Polyscias sp.

Aralia are ornamental shrubs, although the hardy varieties have compound leaves up to three feet in length, making them unsuitable for bonsai. The genus Araliaceae was once quite large, but many former Aralias have been reclassified as Dizygotheca and Polyscias species, so now there are few true Aralias left. All of the species mentioned can be successfully grown as indoor bonsai.

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Lighting:

 Prefers a bright location with indirect sun. Can do well with relatively low light levels.

Temperature:

 Never below 60F for the Aralia species listed. 50F is the minimum for Polyscias, although it prefers a winter temperature of between 59-80F. One of the few plants that actually grows better indoors as it does not appreciate direct sun and is very intolerant of wind.

Watering:

 Needs a lot of water, and constantly moist soil, but can develop root rot if water is allowed to stagnate around the roots. Misting is essential.

Feeding:

 Every two weeks during growth, every six weeks in winter. Success using Osmocote has also been reported.

Repotting:

 Every 2-3 years in spring. Use a compact soil mix. but insure good drainage. Roots tend to be fragile and few, so caution in repotting is necessary. A deep pot is generally safer than a shallow bonsai pot. When Polyscias are to be root pruned, it helps to induce a short dormancy by keeping them at a temperature of 50F for about three weeks prior to repotting, then returning them to a temperature of at least 59F immediately afterwards to stimulate root growth.

Styling:

 Usually shaped by pruning rather than wiring. Cut shoots back to one or two leaves when they have reached four or five. Removing inner branches results in a more tree-like appearance. Partial defoliation can be used effectively for leaf reduction.A slow grower, but will form more buds in very humid conditions such as a greenhouse or plastic bag. Remove suckers from single-trunk specimens to encourage fuller trunk growth.

Propagation:

 The best method is to use root cuttings or air- layering. The plant suckers profusely, so division is another option. Softwood cuttings can be taken in spring, but require bottom heat of 75F, use of rooting hormone, and a high humidity to root. Seeds may be planted in autumn, but germination is uncertain.

Pests etc.:

 eelworms, mites, scale, verticillium wilt, root rot, alternariose, bacterial canker.

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Some species suitable for bonsai:


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Related posts on Aralia:

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MKDOGG
kxixx@itis.com
December 16, 1997
fuck this shit


B
BBeep@mpinet.net
August 15, 1997
Ming Aralia is good for bonsai!! But more so, the 'parsley'.
Also, all Polyscias I find do great in the north window or 80% shade. There are 2 'blacks'-- spinach & blackie.


Michael Persiano
IASNOB@AOL.COM
November 22, 1996
Ming Aralia is considered to be a tropical plant, and it is commonly used for
indoor bonsai.  The ideal indoor winter temperature for this specimen is
70-degrees Fahrenheit by day and no lower than 60-degrees Fahrenheit by
night.  Be certain to place the specimen on a suiban (water tray) for added
humidity, but do not allow its drainage holes to be in contact with the
water.  Run a fan in the area for air circulation, and give it plenty of
light.

Cordially,

Michael Persiano


Geoline Havener
havener@NETTEN.NET
November 22, 1996
Melinda Sullivan of Austin, Texas  asks:
>My husband brought home a Ming Aralia this afternoon.  It's a pretty plant
>with unusual shaped varigated leaves but I can't find it in any of my books.
>Will it take to bonsai life?  Until I hear from ya'll it's on inside under
>lights with my tropicals.  Anyone have one?  Thanks for any help.

Aloha from Memphis, Melinda!

If you have managed to keep tropicals inside under lights, then you should
do fine with your Ming Aralia.  Iris Cohen earlier placed Ming Aralia's
scientific name as Polyscias fuiticosa.

I have found that the Ming Aralia needs lots of humidity and is a bit more
susceptible to drops in humidity than the Serissa (at least in my home).
So, I would not recommend introducing a fan for air circulation if it is in
the home where the people live.  The air in a home should be circulating
well enough for you to be able to breathe and not choke.  If the air was
real stale in the home, then you need a better people air conditioning/
heating unit system.  If it is in a greenhouse or in a terrarium, then I
would recommend venting (holes for gases to escape).

I bought one of those six inch, over loaded pots of Ming Aralia in spring
and ended-up with a semi-cascade (a frog catching fly planting) and a
cascade (a fish into dragon planting) and a handful of miniature forest
plantings.

Ernie (my almost seven year old son) and I are considering transfering some
of the Ming Aralias from a forest planting into his Space Penjing project
for his NPTA cultural arts "It Could Happen" photo essay.  We were going to
do Tillandsia, but could not find a decent plant in Memphis.  Some
tillandsia species make good, low maintenance air plants as they get most
of their moisture from humidity. We thought about just digging-up red cedar
seedlings which are growing on the front lawn under the Christmas tree
pine, but Ernie kind of wants to view his Space Penjing indoors.  Ernie's
Ming the Mercilous Space Penjing photo essay should be online the web by
Nov. 25.  He's been listening to Kitaro's synth-orientale Full Moon Story
as a focus.  (For those of you who do not believe that ancient oriental
arts do not mix in modern media, have a listen to Kitaro arrangements found
under the Geffen label.)

TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!
  With Geoline (Mommanator) and Ernie (Ernietron),
     Memphis Musubi Hard Rock Bonsai Flying Pizza Cafe




=================================================================

Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 10:43:00 CDT
From: "Quang D. Tran" 

Gary Sutton wrote:

> Does anyone have information on propagation of Polyscias fruticosa (ming)?
> Also is this a type of plant that one could bonsai? It was listed in Sunset
> book but not much info.

I have never propagated mings before.  Therefore, I can not help you in
that aspect.  However, I feel that mings would look great in a forest
style.  Needless to mention, I have a forest of mings that is residing
in a huge training pot.  I use  peat moss, potting soil, pine bark & clay
as the media as well as an application of Osmocote on top of the soilmix.

What I found about mings are that 1) they love moisture; 2) they do not
need a lot of sunlight; 3) they don't look well when placed outdoor; 4)
it would be very difficult to plant them in a flat bonsai pot since their
roots are fragile and few (I am going to try anyway!); 5) they do not
appreciate wind at all; and 6) they prefer compact soil (potting soil,
peat moss, etc.) than free drainaged soilmix.

My forest of mings is sitting on top of a coffee table, about three feet
away from the window.  There are no flourescent lights hanging from above.
The forest is doing extremely well.

My father-in-law's forest of mings is residing outdoor in his backyard
with about few hours of morning and noon sun.  It is not doing well at
all.  I guess the sun and the wind have really hurt the plants.  Of course,
I have already told him to bring his forest indoor.  Nevertheless, last
week when I came to visit him, the forest was still outdoor and looked
even worse.

Best of luck to you, Gary.  Please don't worry about the caring aspect
for mings.  They are very easy to care for.  As long as you place them
indoor and maintain the moisture in the soilmix, they will reward you
with healthy and strong growth.  Don't forget Osmocote on top of the soil.

Take care,

Quang D. Tran
Chicago, IL
qtran@luccpua.it.luc.edu

PS. Mings hold a very special place in my heart.  They remind of Hue,
    Vietnam, the city where my parents were born.

=================================================================

From: IrisCohen@aol.com
Date: Tue, 10 Sep 1996 21:57:56 -0400

I have never heard of an Aralia 'Blacky.' It is probably something else,
since the genus has been chopped up. There are very few true Aralia left.
Dizygotheca castor is undoubtedly  correct.
Dizygotheca elegantissima is correct.
Ming aralia is not a botanical name. It is the common name. The botanical
name is usually given as Polyscias fruticosa 'Elegans'. Although one book
disagrees, you can stick with that.
I am not especially familiar with the Araliaceae, but this type of change,
chopping up a formerly large genus, occurs when newer taxonomic methods, such
as chromosome studies, breeding trials, microscopic examination, etc., reveal
that the various plants are not as closely related as was previously thought.
The Araliaceae in particular, may be hard to study because the flowers are
small and as far as I know, members of this family rarely blossom in
captivity.
Iris
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Information Sources:

Information on Aralia is taken from Ainsworth's "The Art of Indoor Bonsai" the Samson's "Creative Art of Bonsai," with posts by Quang D. Tran and Iris Cohen, and species information from Thomas (ed.) "The Hearst Garden Guide to Trees and Shrubs."


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