It would be nice if we could create beautiful bonsai by starting trees from seed or cutting and simply waiting for them to mature. If you’ve tried this approach, you might have found that things don’t always go smoothly. Some care along the way, it turns out, is required to ensure young trees take the […]
Search Results for: nebari
Initial branch refinement on Japanese black pine
The pine below, grown from seed by Eric Schrader, is in the early stages of branch development. The major sacrifice branch came off a couple of years ago, and the tree has been decandled at least one or two times before. Japanese black pine – 13 years from seed Lower trunk (tachiagari) and surface root […]
What to look for in surface roots
Last week I wrote that it’s important to look for the surface roots when evaluating bonsai (see “Check the surface roots“). What is it that we’re looking for? We want to see the connection between trunk and roots. Surface roots on corkbark elm When we see surface roots – nebari, in Japanese – we can […]
Michael Hagedorn AMA
Last week, Portland bonsai professional Michael Hagedorn participated in an AMA (Ask Me Anything) at Ask Bonsai Tonight. His responses shed light on topics ranging from fertilizer to pots to cuttings to his favorite food (not natto). Some questions touched on Michael’s involvement with the Portland Bonsai Village. Two years ago, Michael formed the Village […]
Daisaku Nomoto AMA
Last Saturday, Daisaku Nomoto responded to questions posed via Ask Me Anything (AMA) at Ask Bonsai Tonight. Jeremiah Lee and I talked through the questions with Nomoto along the way and recorded his responses. While many of the posted answers are pithy, a number of the questions generated a bit of discussion. In an effort to […]