I finished decandling my black and red pines about a week ago. And since I’d neglected to pull needles or thin branches last fall, I did that work too. (If you’re new to decandling, see “Decandling: an in-depth guide” for details.) Here’s what this work looked like on an 18 year-old pine. Before decandling After […]
Search Results for: fertilizer
Why is my pine yellow? A black pine troubleshooting guide
The following is a guide to help you identify the cause of yellowing in black pine bonsai. First, select a pattern that matches the yellowing you see on your tree. Next, check the candidate causes to see if any sound like a match. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, feel free to send […]
Tips for late summer
When everything goes well, there isn’t a lot of bonsai work this time of year. Deciduous trees are recovering from their last pruning of the season, decandled pines are filling in, and tropical bonsai are getting their final cutback of the season. That said, the next month is pivotal for improving and maintaining tree health. […]
Decandling season wrap-up
Towards the end of decandling season (mid-July where I live), I make a point of checking every pine in the garden to see if it’s a candidate for decandling. Most of my pines are young and don’t require this work, but there are a number of trees between five and ten years old that can […]
Bonsai Development Series #25: Pruning exposed root pines
Some of my exposed root pines are close to seven years old. They have long sacrifice branches to help thicken the roots. Although the fastest way to thicken the roots will be to let the tree grow freely all summer, I often prune this time of year to improve the branch structure. As an added […]