I generally don’t do a lot of work on new trees until I have a good idea what shape the roots are in. I’ll water, fertilize and maybe do some cutback but hold off on wiring until I know the tree is strong enough to recover from the work. When trees are healthy and have […]
Bonsai Care
The bonsai care category includes topics like Watering, Fertilizing, Repotting and Bonsai Soil. You can also find information about the Pests commonly found on bonsai, and read Interviews with bonsai professionals.
An alternative approach to repotting trees in development
For young trees growing in colanders, a repot isn’t always necessary when the roots run out of space. Here’s an overview of an alternative approach in two photos. Red pine in 6″ colander After nesting the colander within a larger colander The theory behind this approach is that large roots are less likely to develop […]
Protecting bonsai from hail damage
Here’s a topic I never planned to address – protecting bonsai from hail damage. As most readers know far better than I do, hail can quickly damage bonsai – especially deciduous varieties with foliage that has yet to harden off. Upon realizing that it was hailing yesterday morning, I ran outside and grabbed my smaller […]
Catching up on black pine work in spring
Spring is typically a season for letting bonsai grow freely. For black pines, some of the main tasks include fertilizing and removing young pine cones. Tea bag with cottonseed meal fertilizer Removing young pine cones Spring is also a good time for catching up on needle plucking and cutback. I generally don’t recommend working on […]
Spring watering tips
Spring is my favorite time of year in the garden. It’s also a rather challenging season when it comes to watering. Without checking the soil, it can be hard to tell how much water a tree needs at a glance. Take, for example, the two young junipers below. Cutting-grown kishu shimpaku For the past week, I’ve been […]