When making cuttings of young pine seedlings – seedling cuttings – it’s important to use a potting medium that retains moisture. An easy way to achieve this is by using a potting medium like sand. Its small particles retain moisture and enough air for new roots to develop. Although fine sand particles are good for […]
Repotting
Mountain Hemlock
I recently added a new tree to my collection – a mountain hemlock. I haven’t worked with the variety before so I have a lot of learning ahead of me. Mountain hemlock – Tsuga mertensiana My first goal for the tree is to develop a healthy root base. To do this, I will bare root half of […]
How to wire a bonsai pot
In preparation for repotting season, Boon brought several pots to January’s Bay Island Bonsai meeting that exemplified the proper way to prepare pots for repotting. The technique differ slightly for pots with one, two, three or four drainage holes. First cover drainage holes with screen to keep soil in and insects out. The examples below […]
Best repotting of the year
The technique comes from a crafty gentleman named Ebihara. It involves nails, chopsticks, plywood and a drill. Below are photos of the first steps in a slow process that can yield a truly impressive rootbase. Hats off to Jeff for giving it a try! Zelkova roots Nice, thin, root system – so far, so good […]
Restoring a Japanese beech
You never know what you’re going to find when you repot a tree for the first time, or when you finally get around to addressing a tree’s major flaws. The Japanese beech below was due for a reboot. The tree’s owner began by working on the roots. Japanese beech Poor nebari In addition to removing […]