July 2010

Well things are starting to move already and potting time is here. We will still get some cold snaps, but all your deciduous trees are asleep so they wont know a thing!

REPOTTING

You should be preparing to repot all your trees soon. (This is assuming you are in Qld.) We are in the process of repotting the entire nursery. Some can be left to later such as pines, figs, but your elms, maples junipers etc are ready to go. What happens with the old soil is that it becomes drained of all its nutrients, we can continue to fertilise but this is not the optimum. Much of the humus has broken down, and can become quite mushy. Also the bulk of the pot will have filled up with new roots so there is little room left for new roots to develop and water retention is very difficult. It is vital that the mix you use is “open”, and “sharp”. By this I mean it is free draining, and that much of the mix is sharp in content, such as sand and gravel. The purpose of this is to cause the roots to divide constantly. The roots travel along, hit something sharp and split. This is what we are after. The better the root system, the better the foliage. That makes sense doesn’t it! Unfortunately we pay little attention to the soil or the roots, out of sight, out of mind eh?

WIRING

Now is a good time to do some wiring. Many of your trees will have less foliage on them now. This allows wiring to be easy, as you can see more of your branch structure. Also take the time to remove any branchlets that are shooting out the wrong way. You can be fairly severe on elms, maple etc. cut them back hard, it will give you greater branch ramification in the future.

PRUNING

Now is a really good time to do some pruning and refining. Trees such as elms, and maples will respond really well to hard pruning now before leaf bud. By pruning back hard now you will create greater ramifications on your branches. There is nothing better than an elm or a maple that has hundreds of tiny twigs all exposed in winter, so now is the time to cut them back while you can see them. Keep cutting back to 2 leaves (or buds) on each branchlet and over spring and summer you will get fantastic growth. It is easy to just let them grow as they will look good, but winter will find you out with long stringy branchlets.

Take some time to assess your trees whilst they are defoliated, see what changes need to be made. Maybe its time to thin it out and remove some major branches! You may decide to reshape the whole tree, this is all part of the journey!

Its also worth noting that whilst you are trimming your trees to keep your tools sharp and clean. If your tools are blunt they may appear to be cutting but in actual fact be crushing the branchlets. This will cause die back, back up the branch. Also a cleaning block will keep rust and sap of your tools, as it is very easy to transmit virus or disease from tree to tree. These blocks are designed to eliminate this.

See you all soon,
Happy bonsai-ing,
Chris and Sam

June 2010

Well the cold snap had to come! Enjoy this time of the year, there is much to see and learn during this period

Colour can be spectacular in winter, I have added a couple of shots of some maples here at the nursery.

Sometimes this can be a good time to select stock as you can see its full winter colour as trees can differ from each other even in the same species. The reason is that they may come from different root stock.

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! As soon as flowers appear stop using the potash.

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:

1. Because the temperatures are lower, there is less transpiration in progress (Water leaving the plant through the leaves) and

2. 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 and maples 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 these trees.

Reading, be inspired!

Winter is a great time to get some reading done. Now you have a bit more time use it to advance your knowledge in both horticultural and artistry. The library has some great books you can borrow on bonsai, so it wont even cost you anything!

Just remember that most books are written in the northern hemisphere, so don’t be fooled by the seasons, and type of trees they may have.

Bonsai is universal though and many of the principles are the same regardless of where you live.

We still have a few books left but in limited stock, Master Class, Shohin Bonsai, and a great book on Penjing. We always have stock of Bonsai its Art Science and Philosophy which is Australian and a brilliant book.

I lent a book recently to a friend who read about the creation of smaller trees. It inspired him to look for something that he could work on that would give him a massive trunk in a small tree. After talking for a while I showed him some average size maples, but showed him branches low down on the trunk that will allow the tree to be cut right down, just leaving a short but heavy trunk. The tree will only be 150-180mm high but has a trunk 50mm thick. This looks stunning.

(I have included a picture of a crab apple I am doing for myself after having done what I have explained above)

To often we try and use every part of the tree. Whilst we wont have an instant Bonsai, we will have an awesome specimen in a couple of years, whilst the other way we will only have a less than satisfying tree. People find it hard to spend $50 or$100 and cut the whole thing down to a stump. But remember, it has been left to grow so as it develops a good strong trunk, the top of the tree is superfluous! The bonsai is in the bottom of the tree. You need to look for it!

Repotting

It is ok to start repotting any of your deciduous trees now. Your trees are in what is called a dormant period, it is like they are asleep, so doing them now is fine (this is for Queenslanders only, if you are in a colder place maybe leave it for another 4 weeks)

Take the time to refine the tree before repotting. Most deciduous trees really appreciate a good hard prune this time of the year. It will produce far better

ramification of the tree as it ages. Cutting back hard will cause the internodes to be closer which will then develop finer branching.

Again take the time to wire or rewire wherever necessary, it is so much easier to work on a defoliated tree. Just remember that the branches will need to be checked regularly in spring to watch for wire cutting in.

We have changed our supplier of potting mix after the company began to cut corners with the ingredients and quality dropped dramatically. The guy who used to do the mixing also left, and being a horticulturist, new our needs and had done a great job for the last 5 years. So our new mix is really impressive, we have been having good success with it. Currently it only comes in 12ltr bags and is well priced.

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!

Happy Bonsai-ing.

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.

July 2008

The most exciting time for Bonsai lies just around the corner, so its time to get ready for all the spring jobs. I know we may have some cool nights ahead still but nature is starting to show clear signs of spring. Things I have noticed are new buds bursting on the elms. New buds coming out on the black pines, and most noticeable is the winds, they are from the N.E. which are our predominant spring summer winds. I am still cautious though, I have been caught before. If we are not aware, we can be caught out or running to catch up. So here are a few things you need to think of:
If you are unsure leave it for a few more weeks.

REPOTTING
You should be preparing to repot all your trees soon. Some can be left to later such as pines, figs, but your elms, maples junipers etc are ready to go. What happens with the old soil is that it becomes drained of all its nutrients, we can continue to fertilise but this is not the optimum. Much of the humus has broken down, and can become quite mushy. It is vital that the mix you use is “open”, and “sharp”. By this I mean it is free draining, and that much of the mix is sharp in content, such as sand and gravel. The purpose of this is to cause the roots to divide constantly. The roots travel along, hit something sharp and split. This is what we are after. The better the root system, the better the foliage. That makes sense doesn’t it! Unfortunately we pay little attention to the soil or the roots, out of sight, out of mind eh?.

I have had my own mix commercially made for me according to my own specifications for some time now and I have used a product in it called “Zeolite” This is a nonorganic substance that has been formed through the volcanic process. It is usually a brown type of rock but is very porous. It has some amazing qualities. It is reputed to be able to hold up to 70% of its own weight in moisture! But wait that’s not all, it has a negative charge, or negative ions. All organic material has positive ions, so it attracts these minerals, and all the other goodies and holds them. When the soil becomes moist, the ph changes, and the minerals are released, when it dries out they are regathered! This mineral is so amazing, they are now manufacturing it artificially!.
This is the mix I use in all my bonsai’s at the nursery.

WIRING
Now is a good time to do some wiring. Many of your trees will have less foliage on them now. This allows wiring to be easy, as you can see more of your branch structure. Also take the time to remove any branchlets that are shooting out the wrong way. You can be fairly severe on elms, maple etc. cut them back hard, it will give you greater branch ramification in the future.

PRUNING
Now is a really good time to do some pruning and refining. Trees such as elms, and maples will respond really well to hard pruning now before leaf bud. By pruning back hard now you will create greater ramifications on your branches. There is nothing better than an elm or a maple that has hundreds of tiny twigs all exposed in winter, so now is the time to cut them back while you can see them. Keep cutting back to 2 leaves (or buds) on each branchlet and over spring and summer you will get fantastic growth. It is easy to just let them grow as they will look good, but winter will find you out with long stringy branchlets.

Take some time to assess your trees whilst they are defoliated, see what changes need to be made. Maybe its time to thin it out and remove some major branches! You may decide to reshape the whole tree, this is all part of the journey!

NEW POTS
Some beautiful pots have come in (15 tonnes!!) The majority of them are handmade and some are very unique. Although I do wholesale into Australia with pots, there are some that I keep exclusive to the nursery. So you know you can buy something here you wont see anywhere else.

See you all soon!
Happy bonsai-ing!!
Chris

Newsletter October 2007

Repotting
Don’t worry to much if you haven’t completed all your repotting yet. Many trees, such as azaleas, elms and junipers all can still be done as long as you are careful with their aftercare. Other trees such as figs prefer to be done a little later in the season, so these can be safely done in the coming weeks. Trees such as black pines are now best left until Autumn, and done with care, or leave until next spring.

The most important aspect of repotting is the after care. Make sure you place your tree somewhere it will be shaded, but not in a dark or drafty place. 7 days should do it and then move it back to its original place.

When repotting make sure you don’t leave any air pockets around the roots as this can lead to root rot. This is best achieved by using a chopstick and gently working the soil so it is compacted around the rootball. Be gentle with this so as not to damage the tiny roots. Also the word compacting can be a little misleading. You don’t want the soil packed in so tight that the water has trouble penetrating the soil. The worst thing you can do is water your tree in and then push it down hard with your hands, this will pack the soil to tightly and cause problems.
Always use good soil! Don’t scrimp on soil and try and use some old stuff from a previous tree. You will transfer disease, and use soil that is denuded of needed nutrients for you growing tree. Remember your tree is in “grow mode” so it will be needing the best it can get! As mentioned before I am now having my own mix made commercially and am selling it at the nursery. It is specifically designed to promote good root growth, which will obviously promote good leaf growth! Remember, don’t try and save a dollar on a tree that is worth $100!!

Some trees will need to be repotted twice a year such as privets. It is therefore best to do these early in spring, and then again in say march. Often these trees will fill their pots with new roots very quickly.

Pests
Yep their back! Unfortunately, as we experience all this new growth, so are all the little bugs. There are various methods of keeping them under control, but the best is prevention.
Although I have hundreds of trees, I still water by hand. Sprinkler systems are fine but you will learn a lot more about your trees by hand watering. In one day you will notice a whilting, or chewing insects or yellowing etc. By being so prompt in dealing with the problem, you may avert a massive infestation. Keep your eyes open, as soon as you notice something different, find the cause.

Something to watch for is when you tree seems to be very loose in the pot, and is looking sickly. Often the cause of this is the “curl grub” These are little white grubs the size of half your little finger. These guys love to eat roots, and will be merrily munching away with you wondering what is going on. When in doubt with the health of your tree, always check the roots.
You can use insecticides for these but if you have the tree out of its pot, you can just as easily pick the little blighters out. Make sure you check right up under the trunk, often this is where you will find them hiding! This is not drastic as if you hadn’t done this you would have lost the tree anyway.

Many people fail to keep an eye on what is going on under the soil, “out of sight, out of mind”.
If you suspect a problem, check the roots, smell the soil, does it smell like its rotting? Maybe your drain holes are blocked, and water is slowly rotting the roots. Roots need oxygen to operate!

Your mix should be free draining allowing fresh air to be drawn down into the soil as you water.
Keep the area that you have your trees in nice and clean. Keep any surrounding trees free from pests also.

Tree selection.
Its important to understand when you are selecting a tree to shape as a bonsai, that often you are not looking at the entire tree. More often than not the tree has been grown to its current size just to increase the trunk thickness. Don’t try and work out how you could shape the whole tree as it is. Start at the base of the trunk and imagine a tree with good taper using maybe only one third of the tree! You may throw the rest away. Try and resist the instant bonsai pressure and begin to plan for the future, you will be surprised how fast time goes. I have recently cut of the whole top of a juniper and kept only the bottom branch, and turned it into a lovely cascade. By doing this you have a nice strong looking tree, with heaps of wow factor. If you are keen to do something like this, let me know next time you are at the nursery, and I will show you some trees that I keep my eyes on! This is a great way to expand your artistic ability and talents!

Happy Bonsai-ing
Chris!!

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 October 2006

Hows everybody enjoying all the new spring growth, don’t forget to increase your water and fertilizer! Make use of the growing conditions while you can.

Repotting
Don’t worry to much if you haven’t completed all your repotting yet. Many trees, such as azaleas, elms and junipers all can still be done as long as you are careful with their aftercare. Other trees such as figs prefer to be done a little later in the season, so these can be safely done in the coming weeks. Trees such as black pines are now best left until Autumn, and done with care, or leave until next spring.

The most important aspect of repotting is the after care. Make sure you place your tree somewhere it will be shaded, but not in a dark or drafty place. & days should do it and then move it back to it original place.

When repotting make sure you don’t leave any air pockets around the roots as this can lead to root rot. This is best achieved by using a chopstick and gently working the soil so it is compacted around the rootball. Be gentle with this so as not to damage the tiny roots. Also the word compacting can be a little misleading. You don’t want the soil packed in so tight that the water has trouble penetrating the soil. The worst thing you can do is water your tree in and then push it down hard with your hands, this will pack the soil to tightly and cause problems.

Always use good soil! Don’t scrimp on soil and try and use some old stuff from a previous tree. You will transfer disease, and use soil that is denuded of needed nutrients for you growing tree. Remember your tree is in “grow mode” so it will be needing the best it can get! As mentioned before I am now having my own mix made commercially and am selling it at the nursery. It is specifically designed to promote good root growth, which will obviously promote good leaf growth! Remember, don’t try and save a dollar on a tree that is worth $100!!

Some trees will need to be repotted twice a year such as privets. It is therefore best to do these early in spring, and then again in say march. Often these trees will fill their pots with new roots very quickly.

Pests
Yep their back! Unfortunately, as we experience all this new growth, so are all the little bugs. There are various methods of keeping them under control, but the best is prevention.
Although I have hundreds of trees, I still water by hand. Sprinkler systems are fine but you will learn a lot more about your trees by hand watering. In one day you will notice a whilting, or chewing insects or yellowing etc. By being so prompt in dealing with the problem, you may avert a massive infestation. Keep your eyes open, as soon as you notice something different, find the cause.

Something to watch for is when you tree seems to be very loose in the pot, and is looking sickly. Often the cause of this is the “curl grub” These are little white grubs the size of half your little finger. These guys love to eat roots, and will be merrily munching away with you wondering what is going on. When in doubt with the health of your tree, always check the roots.
Many people fail to keep an eye on what is going on under the soil, “out of sight, out of mind”.
If you suspect a problem, check the roots, smell the soil, does it smell like its rotting? Maybe your drain holes are blocked, and water is slowly rotting the roots. Roots need oxygen to operate!

Your mix should be free draining allowing fresh air to be drawn down into the soil as you water.
Keep the area that you have your trees in nice and clean. Keep any surrounding trees free from pests also.

Tree selection.
Its important to understand when you are selecting a tree to shape as a bonsai, that often you are not looking at the entire tree. More often than not the tree has been grown to its current size just to increase the trunk thickness. Don’t try and work out how you could shape the whole tree as it is. Start at the base of the trunk and imagine a tree with good taper using maybe only one third of the tree! You may throw the rest away. Try and resist the instant bonsai pressure and begin to plan for the future, you will be surprised how fast time goes. I have recently cut of the whole top of a juniper and kept only the bottom branch, and turned it into a lovely cascade. By doing this you have a nice strong looking tree, with heaps of wow factor. If you are keen to do something like this, let me know next time you are at the nursery, and I will show you some trees that I keep my eyes on! This is a great way to expand your artistic ability and talents!

I recently purchased some small junipers, but they were larger than I needed so I am selling these for 4 for $28. (they are usually $12 each!) Let Corey know if you want these as they are only being offered to the recipients of the newsletter.

Hope this finds you and your trees all well,
Chris