I’ve been working with the stump of a small olive this year. After removing most of the trunk in winter, I now have plenty of shoots from which to select new branches. While there’s not too much to this work, it’s important in that it sets the structure for the tree’s future. Olive – front […]
Search Results for: pine
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 […]
Questions about conifers at REBS 29th annual show
Bonsai exhibits are a great opportunity to see different styles and varieties at their best. As such, my visits to exhibits tend to trigger a lot of questions. Finding answers isn’t always easy. Some questions are simple matters of horticulture that I have yet to learn. Others are matters of opinion – food for thought. […]
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 […]
Where should the apex go?
Some years back I dramatically shortened the trunk on the black pine below to create a small sized bonsai. Shohin black pine I regrew the apex from a branch that pointed forward. As a result, the apex wasn’t centered close to the base of the trunk. I figured this was fine as I’ve seen a […]