Even when you water and fertilize properly and keep your bonsai in a location appropriate for their health, problems can arise. Insects, disease, poor drainage or short periods of neglect can stress bonsai and cause trees to weaken. Working on stressed trees, whether wiring or cutting back, can cause further stress. This may sound funny, […]
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How to fertilize bonsai
Before jumping into the topic of fertilizing bonsai, I’ll share a tip. Bonsai can roughly be lumped into two categories – trees in development and trees in refinement. A tree is in development when: The trunk has yet to reach the desired size Primary and secondary branches have yet to reach the desired size or […]
How to evaluate bonsai water needs
Once you’ve determined that a given species can thrive in your area and you’ve found a spot in the garden well-suited to its development, the next order of business is determining the tree’s water needs. At a basic level, determining water needs is simple. Dig down into the soil to where roots are growing and […]
How to identify an appropriate environment for your bonsai
As I’ve been visiting different bonsai clubs this year, I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of enthusiasts who are relatively new to bonsai. This has led me to think about the tips, techniques and areas of study that would be relevant for someone starting out in bonsai. What I’ve come up with is […]
Bonsai club programs: what works in your club?
A lot of the work of teaching bonsai falls to the clubs – the organizations that make the meetings, workshops and exhibits from which we learn possible. I’ve been a member of several clubs over the years, but most of my experience has been with a single organization – Bay Island Bonsai (aka BIB). I […]