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What to do with dropped leaves on bonsai?

Automaton539Automaton539 Posts: 61
edited September 2021 in Plants
Ok, quick question. As my Paulownias are decidious and will drop their leaves I was curious what to do with them after. Should I drop them into the pot and let them decay naturally to return to the soil or should I remove and dispose of them?
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  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    If they're indoors they won’t decay as they would naturally because they won’t be exposed to the fungal spores, bacteria and invertebrates that the process of turning leaves into leafmold requires. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    paulownias as a bonsia?
    Amazing.
    We have 3 outdoors and they grow in 3 months upto 20 feet with fabulous soft leaves.
    Bonsia? Incredible.
  • cmarkrcmarkr Posts: 142
    Keep your bonsai pot free of detritus. Bonsai pots are a very artificial environment, you shouldn't expect the same processes as you would in the ground.

    Leaves don't have much nutritional value to return to the soil but they are unlikely to rot meaningfully in a bonsai pot, especially when you should be repotting bonsai regularly (every 2-3 years for example).

    Regardless of the science and techniques, bonsai are meant to be aesthetically pleasing and that includes the presentation of the pot and it's substrate.

    I'd be interested in seeing a photo, Paulownia are not an obvious candidate for bonsai.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I have suggested that it’s not really a suitable tree for bonsai as the more you cut it back the bigger the leaves get. However the OP is convinced he will be successful. 😶

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Automaton539Automaton539 Posts: 61
    edited September 2021
    Dovefromabove said:
    I have suggested that it’s not really a suitable tree for bonsai as the more you cut it back the bigger the leaves get. However the OP is convinced he will be successful. 😶

    Hey, I've seen Paulownia bonsai, the only question is if my thumbs are green enough to make it work. :D Defoliation is how you get it to grow smaller leaves, it takes years with Paulownias, but it does happen... eventually.



    bertrand-mabel said:
    paulownias as a bonsia?
    Amazing.
    We have 3 outdoors and they grow in 3 months upto 20 feet with fabulous soft leaves.
    Bonsia? Incredible.
    Keeping the pot small and trimming back the roots occasionally is a tried and tested technique for keeping them small. And yes, the leaves are SO SOFT! they're lovely.
    cmarkr said:
    I'd be interested in seeing a photo, Paulownia are not an obvious candidate for bonsai.
    Still young plants yet, but here you go;


    The big one at the back is 11 inches tall with leaves nearly 8x7 inches.

    Dovefromabove said:
    If they're indoors they won’t decay as they would naturally because they won’t be exposed to the fungal spores, bacteria and invertebrates that the process of turning leaves into leafmold requires. 

    Ah, yes, I hadn't thought of that, there's always more to it that just letting it do it's thing. :)

  • cmarkrcmarkr Posts: 142
    I guess you've got nothing to lose if you enjoy the process but that photo is predominantly flowers so I suspect it's like wisteria bonsai, grown to be seen in flower but not in leaf. I don't know if you're growing them indoors but I doubt they'll survive/thrive if you are, better get them outside somewhere protected for their first winter and keep them outside..
  • Automaton539Automaton539 Posts: 61
    While true, that's because that's when it's at it's prettiest, so that's what you show off, but also note the size of the leaves, tiny in comparison to the first bloom on my own. And as I've posted several times in other posts, I don't have an outside to keep them in. It's inside or nowhere, so yea, either it works, or it doesn't.

    And while we're at it, thanks to the few repeatedly telling me they're not suited for inside, I won't manage to keep them alive, it was a bad choice, etc - you know who you are.

    I come here for advice, not criticism on my choices. Sure, maybe it won't work, guess I'll find out in due time, say your piece, be done with it, move on, don't beat a dead horse.

    Support is the best way to see people carry on a craft I assume you care about, seeing as you're members of the forum. Criticism and sidelong remarks is exactly how to make a person not seek advice when they need it, fail, then give up entirely instead of thriving into a budding new gardener. - Pun intended. Yes, it was meant to be bad. :D

    And I do apologise for getting annoyed enough to make the above remark, but I have been dealing with really s****y people for the last few days, and it's left me with very little patience.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Sorry if we’ve appeared snarky … problem is we like to see folk succeed and it’s hard not to say something if we feel someone is setting themselves up to fail. 

    So, moving on more positively 🤞 do you have/are you growing other types of Bonsai?  😊 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • cmarkrcmarkr Posts: 142
    We all have bad days. I find this forum to be about as friendly and supportive as any, saying it won't survive indoors is advice but I appreciate there's a fine line between feeling you're getting advice and a lecture. Bonsai is a great hobby but lots of people are put off by their attempts being failures and that's why bonsai enthusiasts always advise against keeping outdoor trees indoors, most will have tried and failed at some point.

    For more constructive advice on bonsai - consider getting a Ficus retusa (Tiger bark fig) - they are very suitable for indoor growing with some care and very forgiving of mistakes. Chinese elm are the best starter bonsai in my opinion and also ok indoors but happier outdoors - Ficus would be better starting point for indoors. No harm in having a few projects on the go incase one of them doesn't prosper.
  • Automaton539Automaton539 Posts: 61
    edited September 2021
    Thanks for that, and yes, fair enough if you see something, say something, it's the repetitive nature of it that got to me however.

    Anyway, presently no others growing, I tried some time ago, as you mentioned once in regard to some of my older posts, but bad seed batches mixed with my own ineptitude, and misunderstanding of what my plants wanted at the time caused that to end in failure. I have 3 other varieties that I'm capable of making a start on, would have to double check which ones I bought to know for sure what now, though if memory serves I have japanese cedar, judas and a red leaf maple?, and yes, at least 1 or 2 of them are recommended as beginner species.
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