Wisterias like water

Last summer, I wrote about an approach to “Keeping bonsai from drying out in summer” by filling trays with gravel and setting trees on top. Knowing how much wisteria appreciate the extra water, I set a dwarf wisteria in a tray and was happy to find that the tree grew well all season long. When I finally got around to removing the tree’s leaves and removing it from tray, I was surprised to find a few extra roots.

Dwarf wisteria (millettia) in water tray

Roots that had grown into the lava

These bonus roots demonstrate that not only do wisterias like water, but this wisteria in particular could use a bigger pot to speed up the development process.

A bigger pot is in order

I’ll remove the extra roots before repotting and select a more appropriate pot for next year. Were I happy with the trunk the way it is, I’d keep the tree in a small pot, but since I’d like the tree to grow larger, I’ll give it more room to spread out.

Bay Island Bonsai Exhibit this weekend!

If you are anywhere near Northern California and have the desire to learn about the culture and display of bonsai, I invite you to attend Bay Island Bonsai’s 14th annual exhibit at the Lake Merritt Garden Center at 666 Bellevue Ave in Oakland California (show open 10:00 – 4:00 Saturday and Sunday). Around 75 trees will be on display at the Garden Center and the nearby Golden State Bonsai Federation’s Collection North will be open to the public. Admission is free for both events. Saturday at 1:00 features a bonsai auction and plant sales will run throughout the weekend. Hope to see you there!