Balance is one of my favorite topics for bonsai discussions. The term can be used broadly – I recently mentioned a few of the possibilities in relation to trees exhibited this year by the Bay Area Bonsai Associates. One of the more primary considerations is whether a tree points left or right. Getting direction right […]
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Bonsai Tonight features how-to articles, tips on growing trees from scratch, and reports from exhibits in the U.S. and Japan. See the top How-to Guides, visit the Complete Post Archive for a list of all posts, or start browsing recent posts below.
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Recent Posts
Bonsai Stands
Bay Island Bonsai maintains a tradition of putting its newest members in the spotlight. Since the organization got its start back in 1998, new members have been subjected to the bonsai “stand exercise.” A group of stands are placed on a table and new members are given the instruction to “arrange them from least formal to […]
Spring bonsai display
Bay Island Bonsai’s annual exhibit is held in January each year. It’s a great time to show bonsai, but it’s not always the most colorful time of year. At a recent BIB monthly meeting, we worked on a display that included a Japanese black pine and a Japanese maple. In winter, the maple would be […]
Repotting a Japanese maple
Back in winter I took a few photographs of an air-layered Japanese maple getting repotted during a Bay Island Bonsai workshop. Combing out the roots – Japanse maple ‘sango kaku’ The new roots are well established. The next step is to get them to fuse while improving the ramification. Jeff, the tree’s owner, kicked off […]
Bonsai fertilizer
I had a strong desire to post the smell of my garden today. I’ve been using more liquid fertilizer than normal this year. The result is that it smells more than normal. Watering can with liquid fertilizer There are many options for fertilizing bonsai, and individual varieties – and sometimes specimens – have specific requirements. […]