A few months ago I started a number of shimpaku cuttings. Several different soils were scattered around the workshop so I tried some of each to see if it made much of a difference. I did a similar experiment several years back and found a huge difference between soils (see “Shimpaku cuttings” for details). This […]
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All about akadama
What is Akadama? Akadama is a fundamental component of bonsai soil. It is used throughout Japan as a potting medium for both bonsai and general gardening purposes. More and more, it is used around the world in the cultivation of bonsai. The term akadama is Japanese for the words “red” – the color of the […]
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 […]
Bonsai soil
I’ve been spending my free moments sifting bonsai soil for the past few weeks – a bag here, a bag there. I know that I have a lot of trees to repot this winter and I don’t like to start the soil-making process from scratch when I’m ready to repot, so I’m getting started while […]
Developing black pine
I really like working with Japanese Black Pine. Although they keep needles year round, their appearance changes with the seasons. The pine below is flush with last year’s growth – a mix of spring and summer foliage. Spring growth above – Summer growth below As you might imagine, the future silhouette of this tree will […]