Course 02 · Quiz 2 of 2 · Setting up a good start · Final synthesis

Quiz 2: Setting up a good start (synthesis)

Microclimates, starting material, containers, and a new tree's first weeks, combined with the whole course in case-based decisions and a final case: choosing a tree, settling it in, and planning its summer.

Covers:

As the final quiz, it also draws on ideas from the whole course.

Before you start

12 questions, each worth one point. Some ask for one answer; others ask you to select a stated number of answers.
For questions with several answers, each correct choice earns an equal share of the point.
Pass with 80%: at least 10 of 12 points.
Untimed and open book. Revisit any lesson while you work.
After you submit, you will see every correct answer with an explanation. Retake it as often as you like.

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Question 1 of 12 ScenarioThe west balcony in June: it rained steadily all day yesterday, and this morning is warm and sunny. The nursery juniper stands in the open middle of the balcony, and the trident maple stands against the back wall, under the balcony above. The owner plans to skip today's watering because of all the rain.What should the owner do this morning?
Skip watering both trees today, since a whole day of steady rain will have soaked both potsWater both trees thoroughly now, then check both pots again this evening as it coolsWater only the juniper, since the open middle is where the wind dries a pot out fastestCheck each pot below the surface first, starting with the trident's pot by the back wall
Question 2 of 12 ScenarioThe west balcony in April: its owner is setting up a summer spot for the nursery juniper, which wants full sun, in its light plastic nursery pot. The building allows shelves and stands if they are fixed in place, and water that drips off the balcony lands on the neighbors' balcony below.Which two belong in the setup? Select two.0 of 2 selected
A shelf fixed to the wall in the north corner, by the condenser and out of the windA deep saucer under the pot, so that no runoff drips onto the neighbors' balcony belowA planter box fixed over the outside of the railing, where the sun reaches it longestThe bare concrete floor in the open middle, with the pot standing flat and steady on itA fixed slatted shelf in the open middle, just inside the railing, with the pot tied onA shallow tray under the shelf to catch the runoff, emptied after every watering
Question 3 of 12 ScenarioThe west balcony: the nursery juniper spent its first winter there at the open, windy south end, its pot wrapped against hard freezes. In January it was an even purplish bronze all over. Now, in mid-March, the foliage on its outer south and west sides is dull straw-brown and dry to the touch, while the inner foliage and the side toward the apartment wall are still green.What is the best next step?
Treat it as normal winter color, and watch for the brown sides to green again this springSpray it for spider mites now, since mites are a common cause of browning on junipersCheck the root zone, since browning has more than one cause, then watch the spring growthCut the brown branches back into bare wood now, so its strength goes to the green parts
Question 4 of 12 ScenarioThe bright window: its owner, who has no outdoor space and a living room kept at 20 to 22 °C (68 to 72 °F) all year, wants a first tree for the south-facing sill. In March, a supermarket shelf offers three, each tagged “Indoor bonsai”: a juniper with dense, green needles; a Chinese elm in fresh leaf; and a ficus with fine pale speckles on many leaves, webbing in most of its shoot tips, and leaves dropping onto the shelf.What should the owner do?
Buy the juniper, an evergreen, and keep it on the sill all year with a grow light above itBuy the ficus, keep it apart from other plants, and treat its pests before they can spreadBuy the Chinese elm, since its tag and its fresh new leaves show that it suits life indoorsBuy none of them today, and look elsewhere for a healthy tropical tree with a full name
Question 5 of 12 ScenarioAt a specialist nursery in late spring, a trident maple in a plastic nursery pot looks promising: full leaves of normal color, strong new shoots, a label reading Acer buergerianum, and a seller who says it grew outdoors at the nursery. When the buyer gently rocks the base of the trunk, the trunk moves in the mix while the pot stays still.What is the best next step?
Buy it, since full leaves and strong shoots in late spring show that its roots are workingAsk if it was potted up recently, and look at its root tips, since a wobble has two causesWalk away, since a trunk that moves in its mix shows that most of its roots have diedBuy it, tie the trunk to a cane, and look at its roots at home once it has settled in
Question 6 of 12 ScenarioA healthy Chinese elm, bought in late May from a local nursery that grew it outdoors, comes home in a plastic nursery pot with several drainage holes. Water poured on soaks in and runs out below, and a few white root tips show at the holes. Its new owner has read that nursery mix holds too much water and plans to repot it this weekend into bonsai substrate and a shallow bonsai pot.What should the owner do about the container?
Leave it in its nursery pot for now, since water already runs freely out of its holesRepot it this weekend as planned, since nursery mix will keep its roots too wet all summerSlip it into a much larger pot of bonsai substrate, so that the old mix dries out fasterEase out the root ball this weekend, add a layer of gravel under it, and set it back in
Question 7 of 12 ScenarioA trident maple ordered by mail from a specialist nursery, which grows its trees outdoors in a climate much like this course's example climate, arrives in early June after three days in a closed box. Its leaves are green but a little limp, the pot feels light, and a chopstick pushed into the root zone comes out dry. Today is forecast sunny, with an afternoon high of 29 °C (84 °F). The garden has a sunny patio and a spot in bright shade.What should its new owner do today?
Unpack it and mist the limp leaves through the day, since leaves take in water from the airUnpack it and set it straight on the sunny patio, since it grew in full sun at the nurseryUnpack it now, water it thoroughly, and give it a few days in bright shade before full sunLeave it boxed in a cool, dark room until evening, then check the root zone and water it
Question 8 of 12 ScenarioThe bright window in late November: its owner is given a ficus, which a nursery confirms is Ficus microcarpa, in a glazed pot with no drainage hole and a crust of glued pebbles over the surface. Its leaves are green and firm. The pot is heavy, a chopstick pushed in at the rim comes out wet along its whole length, and the mix smells earthy.What should the owner do about the pot this week?
Slip the root ball whole into a slightly larger pot that drains, then soak off the crustLift it out, put a layer of gravel in the bottom of the same pot, and set it back inWater it only in small sips from now on, and repot it at the usual time next springRepot it into bonsai substrate now, washing off the old mix, since a ficus grows all year
Question 9 of 12 ScenarioThe final case: the household with the small backyard wants one more tree, one they can learn on and style for the first time next year. Their site record: a paved patio along the house's south-facing wall, with full sun in every season and heat off the paving and wall on summer afternoons; a western third of lawn with morning sun and, in summer, afternoon shade from the neighbor's maple; a low southeast corner whose ground the fences leave in sun only from late morning to mid-afternoon in midsummer, and in shade all day from autumn to spring, where cold air collects on still, clear nights; a hose tap on the house wall; and an unheated garage with a window. They are away two weeks every July, and a neighbor can water while they are gone. They have settled on a Japanese garden juniper (Juniperus procumbens 'Nana'), which wants full sun outdoors all year. In mid-May, a large garden center offers three healthy ones, all grown outdoors: a developed bonsai, decades in training, with fine, dense branching, in a bonsai pot 5 cm (2 in) deep, at a high price; nursery stock in a 4 L (1 gallon) nursery pot, with several low branches and a trunk that narrows toward the top, at a low price; and a rooted cutting in a 9 cm (3.5 in) pot, with a pencil-thin stem, at the lowest price.Which tree fits their goal and their site record best?
The developed bonsai, since its finished design shows them what a first styling aims forThe rooted cutting, since it costs the least to replace if the July trip goes badly for itNone of them yet: sow juniper seed this spring, and learn every stage from the very startThe nursery stock, since its low branches give choices and its deeper pot holds more water
Question 10 of 12 ScenarioThe final case: the household with the small backyard wants one more tree, one they can learn on and style for the first time next year. Their site record: a paved patio along the house's south-facing wall, with full sun in every season and heat off the paving and wall on summer afternoons; a western third of lawn with morning sun and, in summer, afternoon shade from the neighbor's maple; a low southeast corner whose ground the fences leave in sun only from late morning to mid-afternoon in midsummer, and in shade all day from autumn to spring, where cold air collects on still, clear nights; a hose tap on the house wall; and an unheated garage with a window. They are away two weeks every July, and a neighbor can water while they are gone. Their new juniper comes home in mid-May. The household's other trees stand close together in the yard, and the owners plan to set the juniper in among them right away, since the garden center looked it over, and to give it liquid fertilizer every week to help it settle.What is the best plan for its first few weeks?
Keep it a few steps from the other trees, check it every few days, and hold off on feedingKeep it apart, and feed it at half strength, since a weak dose is gentle on a new treeSet it among the others, and check them all every few days, since the shop looked it overSpray it once with insecticide as a precaution, then set it among the others as planned
Question 11 of 12 ScenarioThe final case: the household with the small backyard wants one more tree, one they can learn on and style for the first time next year. Their site record: a paved patio along the house's south-facing wall, with full sun in every season and heat off the paving and wall on summer afternoons; a western third of lawn with morning sun and, in summer, afternoon shade from the neighbor's maple; a low southeast corner whose ground the fences leave in sun only from late morning to mid-afternoon in midsummer, and in shade all day from autumn to spring, where cold air collects on still, clear nights; a hose tap on the house wall; and an unheated garage with a window. They are away two weeks every July, and a neighbor can water while they are gone. By early June, their new Japanese garden juniper, which wants full sun all year, is settled in and used to full sun, still in the pot it came in. The owners are choosing where it will stand from now until the first autumn frosts.Where should it stand?
In the low southeast corner, on the lawn between the two fences and away from the pavingOn the patio paving against the wall, where the stored warmth will speed its growthOn a slatted bench at the patio's lawn edge, in full sun, with its pot's sunny side shadedIn the western third, where the maple's afternoon shade keeps it cool in the summer heat
Question 12 of 12 ScenarioThe final case: the household with the small backyard wants one more tree, one they can learn on and style for the first time next year. Their site record: a paved patio along the house's south-facing wall, with full sun in every season and heat off the paving and wall on summer afternoons; a western third of lawn with morning sun and, in summer, afternoon shade from the neighbor's maple; a low southeast corner whose ground the fences leave in sun only from late morning to mid-afternoon in midsummer, and in shade all day from autumn to spring, where cold air collects on still, clear nights; a hose tap on the house wall; and an unheated garage with a window. They are away two weeks every July, and a neighbor can water while they are gone. In early July, a week before they leave, their new juniper is settled and growing well. On hot days its pot is noticeably lighter by late afternoon.What should they arrange for the two weeks away?
Ask the neighbor to check the pot every third day, and to water it if it feels light thenMove it into the garage for the two weeks, where the pot will dry out much more slowlyShow the neighbor the chopstick check and the pot's weight, and ask them to check it dailyStand the pot in a deep tray of water for the two weeks, so that the roots have a reserve

0 of 12 questions answered