Although I’ve been growing shohin pines for years, last year I decided to try making mini-size trees around 4″-5″ tall. As most of these pines were over 12″ at decandling time, I did a lot of cutback when I decandled. Here’s an example. Black pine – about seven years old The tree above has a […]
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Applying a moss top dressing to satsuki azalea bonsai
The satsuki azalea community decided long ago what their preferred top dressing would be – mountain moss. Also known as yamagoke (“mountain moss” in Japanese), this moss is typically harvested in China and packaged in Japan. It can be used interchangeably with white sphagnum moss, but there are three benefits that make it popular for […]
Watering deciduous bonsai – part 2
One of the easiest ways to slow down the rate at which deciduous bonsai dry out is to apply a top dressing to the surface of the soil. A top dressing is a thin layer of soil or related material that is applied with the aim of retaining moisture and/or improving the look of the […]
Watering deciduous bonsai – part 1
The easiest way to tell if a deciduous tree needs watering is to look at the soil. For most deciduous species, I want the soil to start drying out before watering. Here’s what this looks like. Moss covering the surface of the soil Wet soil – no need to water Later the same day Soil […]
Watering conifers
I’ve seen signs, recently, that some of trees in my garden are staying too wet. What does this look like? On pines I might see yellow at the base of the needles. On junipers, new shoots may extend too far or mature growth may turn juvenile. In a few cases, I’ve spotted signs of damage […]