How to pot pine seedling-cuttings
When making cuttings of young pine seedlings – seedling cuttings – it’s important to use a potting medium that retains moisture. An easy way to achieve this is by using a potting medium like sand. Its small particles retain moisture and enough air for new roots to develop.
Although fine sand particles are good for developing new roots, they don’t provide the drainage the cuttings will need once new roots are established. For this reason it’s common to use several grades of soil when planting seedling cuttings.
In the past, I’ve used a solid cylinder to make a crater into which I pour sand that will keep cuttings moist. At a recent Bay Island Bonsai meeting, I learned a crafty technique that makes the process easier. I begin by filling a small plastic pot about half way full of bonsai soil. I then set an open cylinder, a section of 3/4″ irrigation pipe in this case, on top of the soil.
Plastic pot, bonsai soil, PVC cylinder
I then add more bonsai soil around the cylinder.
Pot filled with bonsai soil
Next, I fill the cylinder with sand and then remove it.
Cylinder filled with sand
After removing the cylinder
I’d prefer to use a larger grade of sand, but fine is all I have right now. As an experiment, I replaced the sand with very fine akadama particles, the result of sifting through akadama “dust” with a very fine sieve.
Fine akadama particles
3″ pot with fine akadama
After filling the pots with soil, I watered them and poked a very small hole for the cuttings. I made the cuttings, applied root hormone, dropped them into place, and then watered them again (see “How to create seedling cuttings” for details).
Cutting in fine akadama
To preserve additional moisture, I added a little sand on top of the akadama.
Sand sprinkled on fine akadama
I used individual pots for my red pine seedling cuttings because only a few were mature enough to make the cuttings. Far more of my black pine seedlings were ready. Instead of planting these into individual containers as I usually do, I planted them in rows in a larger pot. Two of the rows are planted in sand and two in fine akadama covered with a little sand.
Seedling cuttings in terra cotta pot
Once the cuttings root, I’ll repot them into individual containers and start fertilizing. Until then, I’ll keep them under shade cloth with my other cuttings.
Cuttings in the shade
The first time I made seedling cuttings I created a mini-hot house to maintain humidity while the cuttings rooted. It was essentially a plastic box I set over the pots with the cuttings. Now that I have a watering system, I leave the cuttings in the open so the system can keep them moist. In the future, I may create a box with a mister inside to keep the humidity even higher.
Japanese plum cutback
My Japanese plum has really enjoyed the warm weather this spring. The many long shoots emerging from the first branch have given the tree a rangy appearance. It was time for some cutback.
Japanese plum – May 2011
I reduced the longest of the shoots and wired what was left of the new growth. This will give shape to the naturally straight plum growth and encourage some of the weaker shoots to grow stronger.
After cutback and wiring
I didn’t remember seeing such long shoots last year so I checked my photos to see what the tree looked like last spring. While healthy, the tree lacked long shoots, likely because I repotted the tree last year but not this year (see “Repotting a Japanese plum” for details).
I worked on the tree at a recent BIB workshop. Behind me, a tiny observer watched Jeff wire new shoots on a large bougainvillea. Cute little guy.
Frog hiding in Bougainvillea
Removing flower buds from azalea
I’ve seen satsuki bloom in most months of the year, but they’re most likely to bloom around May. This is natural as the name satsuki (and old phrase for “fifth month”) refers to the month in which they bloom. Why, then, did my azalea’s single flower catch my attention today? Because I’d previously removed most of the other flower buds – this was one I’d missed.
Satsuki azalea
White blossom
I’ve been removing the flower buds in winter to divert more of the tree’s energy into producing foliage. I can either enjoy the flowers or get great spring growth – I can’t have both. As I’d like to speed along this tree’s development, I’ve been removing most of the buds.
Looking closer at the tree, I found a few others I’d missed. I removed them by gently bending the buds until they came loose.
Securing the stem below the bud
Bending the bud until it breaks away
Azalea flower buds and Spring shoots emerge from the same place. I work carefully when removing the buds this time of year to avoid breaking the tender new shoots.
Bud with new shoots
Bud removed
It’s ok to remove buds that have started to open, but at this point I usually leave them alone so I can enjoy the color.
Deep pink flower with light and dark green foliage
Once the majority of the flowers have bloomed, I remove them with fingers or scissors. I usually do this before the petals fall away as they have in the photo below.
After the petals fade away – stigma, style, and ovary revealed
Air layering a Japanese maple
Almost a year ago to the day I wrote about a Japanese maple I’d taken on that was ripe for several long-term projects (see Restoring an old Japanese maple). I started on the first, an air-layer, this past weekend at a BIB workshop.
Japanese maple
I would have layered the tree last year, but I had just repotted it and I wanted the tree to be strong before starting a layer. Now quite healthy, the tree is ready for layering.
Section to be air-layered
The first step is selecting a location for the new roots and removing a ring of bark just below that spot.
Bark removed
Why did I choose the narrow section of the trunk between two bulges that would have left me with a larger nebari? Short answer – this is actually the first of two layers. Once I remove the top of the tree, I plan to turn it on its side and layer it a second time to make a clump-style bonsai. For now, I simply need enough roots to allow me to separate the tree from the lower trunk. That’s the plan for now anyway.
After removing the bark, I applied a small amount of rooting hormone to the upper ring of exposed bark, wrapped the peeled area in moist white sphagnum moss, and covered the whole with plastic.
All wrapped up – layer complete
After preparing layer and minor cutback
I next turned my attention to a significant scar at the base of the trunk.
Large scar
Somehow the wound is actually closing from all sides as the roots below the scar are still alive. This gives me hope that the scar might someday close. To speed up the process, I opened up the edges of the scar and covered the entire area with cutpaste.
Re-opening the wound
Covering the open wound with cutpaste
Covering the rest of the scar with cutpaste
You likely noticed that the “cutpaste” looks more like chocolate pudding than the typical bonsai cutpaste. I used “joint caulk,” a Japanese product whose intended use I don’t fully understand. Junichiro Tanaka has been using the compound for some time on bonsai and has seen great results so I bought a tube and have been using it on all of my trees.
Joint Caulk-A (aka ジョイント コーク•A)
A few seats away from me, Carol was uncovering some scars that were treated one and two years ago. In the photo below, the upper scar was gouged out last year. The lower scar was treated two years ago and is now almost entirely healed over.
Scars on trident maple
After removing the cutpaste on the lower scar
I don’t expect the huge scar on my Japanese maple to heal so quickly. Even if I planted the tree in the ground, I’d still expect at least 3 years to pass before it closed up completely. As the tree still needs plenty of work, I’m in no hurry.
Jeff’s satsuki azalea
I couldn’t resist posting a photo of the azalea above. Jeff left it in the workshop so we could enjoy the flowers – I hope you enjoy them too. And thanks again for reading. Somehow this is my 300th post. Were it not for your readership and helpful comments, I’d have stopped long ago. Here’s to the next 300!
Best regards,
Jonas
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