Northern California’s mild winters aren’t always enough to put trees to sleep for the season. My Japanese plum started sending out new growth in December before all of the old leaves had fallen, but I didn’t get around to repotting it until January. The tree has become quite a long-term project for me. I’ve refined […]
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.
Repotting Korean hornbeam
Repotting season has mostly wrapped up in Northern California. Once trees start to grow in spring, repotting can slow or even stop new growth. I repotted the hornbeam below ahead of Bay Island Bonsai’s 12th annual exhibit this past January. I wrote previously about cutting back the branches and displaying the tree at the exhibit […]
Juniper pests
I’ve known for some time that a pest preys upon my junipers, but I had yet to see the creatures until yesterday. I poked around a bit and found the following. Caterpillar! I’d seen caterpillars in junipers before – nasty creatures that look like scale foliage and can eat through a tree’s new growth in […]
Bonsai ray gun
I don’t always know what I’m going to see when I walk out of Boon’s workshops. During a recent visit, I stumbled upon what looked like a bonsai ray gun. Bonsai ray gun? Turns out the green pistol is a water pik like device that’s great for removing loose bark on junipers. Alternatives to this […]
Restoring a Japanese maple grove
Working on old or neglected bonsai is one of my favorite tasks. At a recent Bay Island Bonsai workshop, an old Japanese maple grove got the works. The owner is working to make something of these old trees whose roots have fused together long ago. Japanese maple grove The project is not inspired by wonderful […]