Newsletter June 2007

Well the cold snap had to come, now all we want is some good rain, they are getting heaps down south, hopefully it will arrive here shortly.

In life all things have seasons, let your trees have a good rest, don’t try and push new growth to early.

Remember to apply liquid potash to all your flowering and fruiting trees every 2 to 3 weeks for a great spring look!

Watering.
I know I speak on watering frequently but it is a vital area to healthy growth.
As the days and nights become cooler, your trees will need less water because of 2 reasons:
Because the temperatures are lower, there is less transpiration in progress (Water leaving the plant through the leaves) and Less to no root growth, which is the conduit for moisture.
If we are to ignore these factors, are trees will become constantly wet, and therefore be exposed to root rot etc. Remember trees in pots are different to those growing in the ground. Tees in the ground have areas of excess water run-off, and are therefore not so much under threat.
Allow your tree to nearly dry out before rewatering. It is having its well earned rest!

Winter.
Now is a good time to clean out all the areas where your Bonsai are displayed. You will have a lot less to do, so now is a good time for some tidying up.

Reconsider where you have your trees, have they been getting enough light, are they in an awkward position, are they displayed to their best advantage?

Maybe now is the time to build or extend your racks, design bit of a Japanese garden around them, and create a bit of “ambience”

Another thing that you can do in winter is take advantage of the sparseness of growth on your deciduous trees, and reshape and rewire them. Because most of the leaves will have fallen by now, you have a much clearer view of the tree. You may even see a new shape from branches that have been growing disguised behind the foliage.

This is also a great time for rewiring, not as many leaves to get in the way! Always make sure your trees are on the dry side before wiring.

If they have just been watered, they are more likely to be brittle and snap easily. This may sound strange, but picture a stick of celery, when is it easier to snap, when it is full of moisture, or a week old? Don’t learn the hard way!

It is also a good time to cut back you elms. When I say cut back, I mean cut back. Be ruthless! (I obviously don’t mean to cut of branches, but be quite severe on all your branchlets. Elms respond well to heavy pruning this time of the year. You will be rewarded with abundant new growth in spring. This will lead to greater branch ramification, which can be a winter highlight on elms.

Take a trip to the library, you will be amazed at the books available! Take the time, become more educated, be inspired to go further and higher in Bonsai. Be challenged, be stretched, enjoy yourself, remember, this life is not a rehearsal, it’s the real thing!

Sale
For the next week and a half (up to and including the 30th of June) we are running an end of financial year sale at the nursery.

This is only available to those in receipt of the newsletter. So you must mention it when you are purchasing something.

For the sale there will be 10% of all tree stock, and 20% of all pots! This makes for great savings and gives you a chance to get in before spring. The other thing is that at the beginning of spring, most if not all trees are repotted, and consequently rise in price. So by buying them now, you will get the same tree you would have bought in spring, but at a reduced rate.
This is a good time to get the tree or pot you wanted at a discounted price.

I am predicting a fairly large increase in prices in the coming months and years. The reason for this is many. We are seeing increases in water charges, and infrastructures that are being imposed on nurseries, higher petrol prices which impact on freight, insurance increases which again impact on freight and overheads. (for larger trees freight is now around $100 a tree!)
When you couple with this the greater demand for Bonsai, and the administration created by our top heavy bureaucracy, which has increased the hours of paper work dramatically, they all add up to increases.

I have seen some stock double in the last year!
I think we have had it good for a long time, but there is a radical shake up going through the nursery industry. I think we have been spoilt for some time!

Tuition
For those of you who would like one to one tuition, this is now available through the nursery. You may have a tree that you just don’t know what to do with, or you may have wanted to purchase something but didn’t know where to start, well nows your chance!

Larger carving jobs can be done and explained. It works on an hourly rate, and for work on larger collections, we can come to you.
You will need to book,

Happy Bonsai-ing.

Chris