Sixteen years ago I planted a group of red pine seeds. I made seedling cuttings, watered, and fertilized the trees, but never created a plan for their future. As a result, fate determined their present form. The trees were healthy but ungainly – perfect candidates for a forest planting. Red pines are a very vigorous […]
Search Results for: seedling cutting
Fall cutback on Japanese plum
When the leaves of my Japanese plums (Prunus salicina) change color and fall off, it’s time for fall pruning. The goal is to remove branches that have reached the desired thickness and wire branches that are soft enough to bend. Here’s an example. Tree #1 before pruning Tree #1 after pruning and wiring These plums […]
What kind of soil should I use for my bonsai?
I hear the question a lot, and it’s a good one. In my garden, I use mixes based on the species I’m growing and my development goals for the tree. I make adjustments for the health of the tree, my budget, and the availability of the ingredients I’d like to use. If I’m working with […]
Aligning containers with development goals
I use a variety of containers in my garden, but over the years I’ve narrowed the types of containers I use at different stages of development. Here are some common options for our trees and some of the reasons why we might want to use them at a given stage of their development. Plastic containers […]
Bonsai Guides
For Beginners Identifying Suitable Material for Bonsai – 5 posts showing what you can and can’t learn from trees at different stages of development. Part 1: Nursery stock Part 2: Pre-bonsai Part 3: Old or collected material Part 4: Neglected bonsai Part 5: Mature bonsai Beginner Series – 10 posts aimed at helping beginners get […]