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 […]
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.
Summer watering
Over the years I’ve heard a lot of admonitions about watering carefully in summer. And for good reason – trees can dry out quickly when its warm out. At a glance, it looked like most of my trees were over watered as moss was beginning to develop. Green soil – a sign that the soil […]
Finding the right soil mix
Finding the right soil mixes for my trees has proved surprisingly tricky – and not for lack of trying. I’ve experimented broadly over the years, and have benefitted from the advice of both American and Japanese bonsai professionals. Still, I find room for improvement. In the past few years, I’ve moved to mixes that retain […]
Drying bonsai soil
To date, my summer has been filled with some traditional, and some not-so-traditional, activities. I went canoeing last weekend on the Russian River. When I got home, I set about drying some dirt. Watching summer days shorten has become a cue for me to begin preparing bonsai soil. I wash the dirtiest soils and dry and sift […]
Young summer buds on black and red pine bonsai
Summer buds start forming on black and red pines within days of decandling. I try to wire trees that need it before summer buds appear to avoid damaging them. What do I do when small buds appear but I still want to wire a tree? When I’m feeling ambitious, I go ahead and wire with […]