September 2008

Once again welcome to all the new readers of the newsletter. The growth of the popularity of bonsai never ceases to amaze me!

After months of no movement, no growth, everything is springing into new colour and growth. Some trees are a little late this year, a few of my liquid ambers have still not burst bud as of yet, whilst others are growing as you watch them.

SHAPING
All this new growth presents us with lots of opportunities. If allowed to grow feely your tree will probably lose its shape very quickly. The answer to this is obviously trimming and pruning.
Before I go any further, I will explain a method of creating thicker trunks on your trees during this increase in growth.

By allowing a branch which is either low to the ground, or even in the apex, to grow unhindered for a year or so without trimming, will create a much thicker trunk. This really is common sense, obviously the bigger a tree grows, the thicker the trunk required to support it. You can even take it out of its pot, put it in a nursery pot, or box, and whilst keeping aspects of the tree in shape, allow this new branch to extend.

The usual name for this branch is a “sacrifice branch”. The reason for this is that the branch is never intended to be a pert of the tree, but is grown to create thickness, and is later ”sacrificed”. Wherever the branch is left on, all below it will thicken. So if you just want to thicken the base choose a branch low down, if you want to thicken the whole trunk, choose a branch in the apex.
Now to shaping.
Different types of trees require different techniques when trimming.

Leafy varieties differ to junipers in the way we cut them. With trees like elms, figs privets etc, we can fairly freely snip away with our scissors, even cutting through the leaves in places with no ill effect. Many trees once they become thick, are cut just like a hedge. Once the clouds are created, just a trimming to keep the cloud shape is all that is needed.

Junipers on the other hand, are treated differently. If you were to just cut away with the scissors, within a week you will have a half brown, half green tree.
The reason for this is that most junipers grow in what is known as “whorls” This is where all the buds grow out at a single point, whereas most “leaf” trees grow either opposing or alternate buds.

So with the junipers, it is important to “pinch out the new growth to continue to encourage new growth which will produce your cloud like foliage pads.

Now if you look closely at a small part of your juniper that has been pinched out, you will see that the stem is made up of little scale like sheaves. This is where the dormant buds. Between 2-6 new buds will shoot from this point. After allowing them to grow say 20mm they are then pinched back and each of these will produce 2-6 more buds and so on.

If these are allowed to grow to long, die back will occur underneath where the sun or light is not getting to. If this has happened you will need to cut through these stems with scissors, or cutters. The whole pad should not be much thicker than 25mm or so.

The important thing to be doing at this time is pushing growth by fortnightly fertilizing. More growth, more trimming, more fertilizing, will develop your tree. I should mention that at this time your tree needs maximum sun, but don’t forget to keep up the moisture. Junipers don’t like to be wet all the time, so let them become nearly dry.

Now your leafy varieties need trimming in different ways. You need to trim your branches to produce more branches. By trimming a tree, the hormone that is in the growing tip is gone therefore the tree will produce new buds further back down the branch. This is what we are after. Always cut 5-10 mm in front of the last bud. The reason for this is so as the last bud is not damaged. You can always go back later and cut of any little stubs. If you cut to closely you may get die back and lose the bud you wanted for growth in that direction. Always cut to the direction that you want the branch to grow in. Allow the, new shoot to lignify (harden) before you cut it back.

Keeping clean!!
Cleanliness is vital for the well being and health of your trees. This means keeping your growing area free from weeds (in pots as well as under your benches) and also your tools.
We would never use a instrument used on somebody and then use it on ourselves because of the danger of cross infection.

This means cleaning your tools clean (as well as keeping them sharp, as blunt tools will tear leaving damaged ends which are more likely to become infected) and free from rust and sap.
There is a product called “Crean mate” (yes I know bit of a giggle, a slight oversight in the Japanese translation) this block is a rubberized abrasive piece used for cleaning the blades of all your tools. The one I use is probably 5 years old so they do last quite a long time.

We are selling more and more of these now as people are becoming more aware of the need for clean tools. Often this comes about after seemingly “unexplainable” die back on a tree.

Well hope some of this information helps you, but remember to let me know some suggestions on what you would like to read.

August 2008

Welcome to all the newcomers of the newsletter. I hope yopu find it instructional and inspirational!! I am amazed at the constant increase of new proponents to the art!

THE SPIRIT OF BONSAI
I don’t know if its our culture, or our technological age we live in but too often I hear people talking about bonsai as if it is an exact science!

To start with, there are some things in nature we will never understand. Even the best horticulturists will tell you they still don’t fully understand the working of soil and tree together.

Often when a tree “passes” we try and find the reason, but sometimes there is just no good reason we can find! Don’t get caught up with making it an absolute science like maths! You will be disappointed, and have missed the essence of bonsai.

Bonsai is both horticulture and art combined. It is working with material that never presents exactly the same as the last one you did.

For some reason we are so persistent in creating something because we think this is the direction it should go (according to something we have read.)

Be bold enough and game enough to begin to follow your creative instincts, sure use good horticultural guidelines, but beyond this just as they say “have a go”

Read as much as possible, glean as much information as possible, do all you can to fill your mind with images of your beloved hobby, but then as you shape, let the mixtures of the images begin to dictate to you the shape. Things such as balance, and space will become obvious.

Bonsai is not about rules! We are not building a mechanical object! Rules are there for guidelines, they had a purpose in the beginning, and its understanding is vital for the success in bonsai.
Too many people bend down to have a close look at a bonsai and stand up with a look of intelligence on their face to proclaim “Its wrong, the first branch is a back branch”. I swear if I hear someone make a statement like this again, I will scream!

The next book you are reading on bonsai you will find somewhere in the book, how the tree should have a left, right and a back branch radiating up the tree. Now go through the pictures of the book and find how many follow this pattern!

This layout is a guideline, not a rule. I have seen trees that people have forced branches to fit the criteria, and they look ridiculous.

Trees have branches at different heights and different levels because that is how a tree grows naturally. Branches will grow into the most optimal position to gain light. (this is a brief explanation)

If we are to develop both our personal and corporate world of bonsai then we need to both encourage and attempt to develop new styles, and techniques.

We must welcome the newcomer, and not baffle him/her with science and rules, but impart some enthusiasm that will inspire.

We need to “unveil” the mysteries that are so readily propagated by the few, to help people understand that bonsai is not some mysterious thing, some freak of nature, but are at the end of the day, just trees in pots! Lets not be so precious about the whole thing.

People have told me after I have complimented them on an aspect of their tree, asking how it was achieved, only to be told it was a secret!

Bonsai has a long history, and its journey has crossed many lands and cultures. It is reputed to have started in China (maybe even earlier in India) and eventually to Japan.

Pensai from China has a distinctly different look from the bonsai from Japan. Pensai has its early roots (sorry for the pun) in China and was more to do with landscapes in pots.
Whether you like Japanese or Chinese style of bonsai, doesn’t really matter, its about enjoying the art form. They are both legitimate.

There is a respect for its origins and respect for its originators.
If we allow, and indeed encourage those coming into the hobby, especially the young, we will be part of the evolution of bonsai. Bonsai styles are not fixed in time, there are guidelines to be followed, but it will continue to change and develop.

The greatest problem we face as we get older is the ability to change. We fear change around us because we don’t like the rules being changed.

The spirit of bonsai is not precious, it has humility at its heart because it doesn’t know everything. It s encouraging, it imparts all the knowledge it has, its not envious, but appreciative of others achievements.

Probably as Australians, indeed Queenslanders, we have a unique opportunity to develop the art of Bonsai. Our climate is so different, our species are different, even our climate is different.
What will happen with Australian natives? I know we are using them to some degree, but how far are we willing to go? Do we try and shape them into traditional shapes, or do we try and follow the shape of trees around us?

If we allow this sort of development in bonsai then we will all be the richer for it. Maybe everything wont work, but we wont know until we try.

We cant be rigid in all we do, otherwise we will become stuck in time.
Maybe if you feel like you are getting stale with your bonsai, its time to try something different. Go somewhere you haven’t gone before, stretch yourself!!

If we keep this type of mindset, we will be more tolerant of others, we wont be envious, and will ensure the future of one of the worlds greatest hobbies!!

SWAMP CYPRESS
I have really taken to swamp cypress as a bonsai, both as an individual tree, and as group plantings.

The Taxodium genus consists of only two species, Taxodium distichum/ The Swamp Cypress and Taxodium ascendens/ The Pond Cypress. Both a suitable for bonsai cultivation though it is the Swamp Cypress that is more commonly seen.

The Swamp Cypress is an upright, conical, monoecious, deciduous or semi-evergreen coniferous tree found in swampy forest or by river margins from SE USA to Guatemala. In its native habitat it can reach heights of 20-40 metres. Though often found growing in wet, swampy soils, the Swamp Cypress also grows well in relatively dry soils. In wet soil conditions, Swamp Cypress develop aerial roots known as 'knees' or pneumatophores at water level.

BONSAI CULTIVATION NOTES

POSITION Full sun. Fully hardy to -10°C.
WATERING Swamp Cypress should be kept moist at all times as they are thirsty trees. Although Swamp Cypress are able to adapt to wet, swampy soils it is not necessary or beneficial to stand them permanently in water.

FEEDING Swamp Cypress are very vigorous growers and require regular feeding every one or two weeks with a balanced feed.

REPOTTING Repotting should be carried out annually in Spring as new buds extend. Use a soil that is able to retain water but is still fast draining.

PRUNING Pinch out new shoots throughout the growing season to keep in shape. Hard pruning can be carried out in late Winter; this commonly results in prolific budding from the trunk.

WIRING Care should be taken when wiring, as these trees are fast growing and wires will damage the bark if not removed quickly enough. If possible use guy wires to pull down the branches.

PROPAGATION Cuttings at most times of the year and air layering in late Spring.

PESTS AND DISEASES Trouble free

STYLING Formal and informal upright forms, slanting and literati, twin-trunk and group forms in all sizes.

Newsletter August 2007

Well here it is, spring!! This has to be one of the best parts of the year for Bonsai, all the new growth, new inspiration, the challenge to learn more, and create better trees.
Sorry for missing last months newsletter, I was extremely busy with unloading our latest container of pots.

We landed 15 tonnes of pots, a lot of them are unique to Red Dragon Bonsai, we are the only ones in Australia to have them, and we don’t wholesale this range. This gives our customers something different from anybody else. The colours and style are exquisite!

GROWING BETTER BONSAI’S
I have been at a few different peoples places lately looking at their collections. What I have noticed is that they have many small would be Bonsai’s which unfortunately never become the trees they hope them to be. Some have 20, 30 and 40 trees all not quite “there” People have shown me little trees that they bought of the special rack at Bunnings. Rarely will you ever come across cheap trees that will make good Bonsai specimens.

Now I don’t want to seem to harsh but as I have mentioned before, instead of spending $10 on 8 – 10 trees each, buy one tree for $80 - $100. Small stuff is fine if you are doing mame, (miniatures) or groups, but if you are serious about Bonsai, start with something decent!
Here are some tips on doing this:
When you are looking for trees, consider the base and the first 1,2, or 3 branches and what would happen if you cut the whole thing back down and grew a new apex? To often people look at a tree that is say 60cm tall and try and work out what to do with it. Now it might make a good tree, but first explore the possibilities of cutting it back severely.

What if you found a great trunk, and cutting the whole thing back to just the first branch to create a really nice cascade?

Try and develop the artistic side of Bonsai. Treat it like art, and whilst keeping the guidelines in place try being abstract.

What about creating a “literati” This is a tree that has a long slow tapering trunk, with only 3 or maybe 5 branches at the top. Or with the same tree, wire it so as to create a sideways “C” shape with the apex or head coming up in between the pot and the trunk. Sometimes the tree you will use will be of quality stock, but the results will be worth it. I am just creating a literati with a $180 black pine, and cutting all the branches of except for a couple on the top. This will grow quickly as these trees have dominant apex’s and the size of the pot will feed it well.

It doesn’t have to be expensive! You may find a $50 tree that might make a fair informal upright, but by looking around the bottom it may have a couple of great bottom branches and you could gin the rest, turning an average looking 40cm tree into a superb 10cm tree. Small pots are cheaper and often more elaborate. Something like this on the dining room table for an evening can look stunning.

If you are wondering about this, ask me next time you are at the nursery and I will show you a couple of elms I am doing this with.

FERTILISING
You should have started fetilising by now. Again it is better to use a weak solution more frequently than a strong solution every so often. A good way of doing this is to find a tub big enough to soak your whole tree in pot and all. The water should cover the base of the trunk by 3 -5 cm’s or so. This will ensure all the old air is forced out, (you will notice the bubbles, now you know what it is) and the tree will be saturated, ensuring no dry spots in your soil which can easily happen. As you lift out the pot after say 20 minutes or so, you will notice all the water draining out the bottom. This means that new oxygen is being sucked down into the soil. This allows the continual breaking down of the nutrients, and allows them to mix with the moisture which in turn is mixed with the oxygen. This forms a gas and it is this that passes through the cell walls of the root hairs thus feeding the tree! Amazing isn’t it. This is just a brief summary but helps to understand what is going on.

Many people tend to ignore what is going on in the soil, and only observe the top growth, but guess what? Healthy roots, healthy tree!! Take some time to understand roots, soil, and watering. You will be well rewarded.

REPOTTING
Repot, repot, repot!! Spring has come very suddenly this year. Many trees are starting to wake up, and its best to be able to repot and root prune now before they have budded. If you are busy, leave your evergreens and concentrate on your deciduous. Most deciduous varieties can be heavily root pruned. Make sure thought that you cut of the heavier roots, and leave as many of the small fibrous roots as you can. These are the roots that are feeding the tree. Make sure you put your tree somewhere warm for a week, not back in the full sun.

When root pruning make sure you get up under the rootball below the trunk. Often this part of the tree is neglected, and over the years this can become very compacted. After you have done some clearing out of old soil, hold your tree in beween your fingers upside down, allowing the roots to fall away to the sides. This should give you good access to this part of the tree. Gently comb out the old soil and loosen any compacted dirt. Sometimes the soil the tree was originally planted in will still be there, this needs to be gotten rid of!

Now also is a good time to top prune your tree, this will create less stress on the tree as you repot. As with most deciduous trees, they are best cut back heavily this time of the year.
You may decide its time for a new pot. If possible always take the tree that needs to be repotted to pick a pot. Its amazing how much smaller/bigger your tree was when you get back home. If you need help with selecting the right pot, just ask myself or Corey, we will steer you in the right direction.

TREE STOCK
We have recently acquired some nice field grown stock. These are privet, Chinese elms, corky bark elms, flowering plum, crab apples, and some beautiful seiju elms (very small leaf)
As these are field grown the have nice root structure which will produce ideal nebari. (root flare around the trunk)

See you soon,
Chris

Newsletter February 2007

Well another month already! We are still having unseasonable weather, and its yet to be seen if winter will be early or late.

As mentioned previously, there is a small window for repotting in late March early April, as these times have similar temperatures to that of spring.

While I think of it, I only have a few copies of Bonsai Europe left. The next issue will be here will be here late March.

Heat.
Usually February is the hottest month of the year. For this reason your trees may slow down in their growth. The reason for this is that they are protecting new growth from being burnt. Trees that need to be watched for leaf burn are your deciduous trees. Trees such as liquid amber, maples elms etc. The first thing you can do to protect them is to make sure they are mulched well. If they are in a nursery pot just use any type of mulch. (Just be careful of red cypress as it tends to become water repellant) If your trees are in bonsai pots, make sure they have plenty of pebbles on the surface. These do tend to wash of by mid season so attend to these. The idea is to keep the roots cool. If the roots are kept cool they will have enough moisture to transfer to the leaves in hot weather. This avoids the dreaded “burnt leaves” look when you hit autumn. Instead of enjoying beautiful colour, you just have brown curled up leaves!

This is one of the reasons we defoliate trees at Christmas. By doing this the tree will produce nice new fresh leaves. These are therefore more inclined to be unmarked as you come into autumn. (yes it is to late!)

You may need to also move your deciduous trees to a shaded position, make sure you are still getting good light though. Under a tree is not the best position as trees shed what is called “lye” which will damage your trees and may also infect them with pests and disease.

I have included a picture of a liquid amber to show you what beautiful bonsai’s they make. For many of you who live close to the coast, these are ideal as a replacement for maples. Sometimes if you are to close to the beach, maples will struggle. Liquid ambers are much hardier. I have had one in my collection for 15 years or so now and it produces awesome colour. I have some stock of these, ground grown specimens, here at the moment. Some of the trunks are 5 to 7.5 cm’s + thick. They have great branching and will make lovely trees. They grow very quickly and are a very rewarding tree.

Flowers.
Now is the time to start fertilising your trees with liquid potash. This is obtainable from Bunnings etc and is used in a diluted form watered on. Like anything, don’t be tempted to overdo it.

You will need to do this every 3 or 4 weeks until September. This will encourage flowering and therefore fruiting on your trees.

Just remember, that if you have an abundance of fruit on trees in bonsai pots, you may need to thin the fruit out. If allowed to remain it can threaten the health of your tree, or even kill it. It is just that the demand on the tree to feed the fruit is too great.
Don’t prune your flowering trees any longer as you will be cutting of shoots that will produce the flowers.

In saying that, if your tree is still young and being shaped, never sacrifice shape for flowers. In other words, if your tree needs to be directed in a certain way for its future shape to be correct, but you don’t want to because of flowers, you will never produce a tree of quality. Better a good tree with flowers, rather than an ordinary trees with flowers!

Fertilising.
As the weather does start to cool, (readers of this newsletter are all over Australia, so you will have to gauge your temperatures), make sure you have a good regimen of fertilizing happening again. Your tree will start to store nutrients for new growth next spring. I always recommend a balanced fertilizer, so as to produce even growth. The elements of potassium and phosphorous will be used to build strong wood both in trunks, branches and roots. This will help eliminate dieback during the winter months. Continue to fertilise until the temperature drops below 12 degrees at night. This will ensure good strong growth for next spring.

Inspiration.
I know I have spoken about it before but you need to keep yourself inspired. Ask yourself the question, how am I going with my bonsai? Where am I going with my bonsai. You will be amazed how quickly the years go by and you are still thinking, “one day I will do that landscape” etc. Clean out your collection, get rid of stuff that will never really please you. Sell it, give it away, whatever. Refine what you are doing. Sometimes you can sell of a few trees that your not real keen on and buy something you would really like. One mans trash is another mans treasure. Or even radically alter a tree that is just not looking right. Maybe a cascade that you have had for a while but really isn’t happening, have a look at the top, maybe you could take the whole tail of and have a great informal upright. Let your imagination go. Read books, get ideas, that’s why I recommended Bonsai Europe because it is so inspirational. Its to easy to become stale!

Black pines (pinus thunbergii)
Black pines are probably regarded as the “King of Bonsai”. I think once you gain confidence with general care of bonsai, you should contemplate adding one to your collection. They are slow growing so either be prepared to wait, or buy something advanced. These trees really offer a great challenge to learning and getting closer to the art of bonsai.

There is nothing really like a well shaped pine. Practically anything can be done with them.
Don’t get these pines confused with the pines you see growing locally. These are “Radiata pines” or slash pines. They are really not suitable unless done as quite large trees. The reason for this is that they have very large needles. With black pine, the needles are able to be reduced to very small lengths down to 1-2 cm’s.

I have some small very nice prewired trees right through to larger specimens available at the nursery. Pines don’t have to be huge to be stunning, a tree 20 cm high can be absolutely awesome!

Because of enquiries I am contemplating doing a night class on black pines. These trees are really a lot different to most other trees. There are many distinctive aspects to them from trimming to repotting. I found a lot of information on them a little (lot) hard to understand. It would probably run on a Thursday night, 7.00 to 9.00 If you are interested, please let me know so I can gauge interest.


That’s all from me, Happy Bonsai-ing
Chris