Is It Myth or is it True?

by Dave Bogan 

How about a little retrospect? Most of us have heard the stories or read many different views in the books. Some have heard different points of view from visiting masters or maybe the gardener down the street. I've listed below several statements that seem to continually reoccur.

1. Do not leave wire on a tree in summer. It has been said that wire left on during summer heat and scorching sun may have an affect on limb growth or, in some way, harm the tree.
   
   Opinion: I'm not a horticulturist, but I have never seen a problem with leaving wire on. Any heat buildup in the wire would be very minimal. The only issue with leaving wire on during summer is to simply watch and make sure it doesn't become too tight and restrict growth or cause unwanted swelling.
   
   


2. Never water a tree mid-day in the scorching sun. Supposedly may burn the leaf.
   
   Opinion: I've written about this numerous times. No, the sunlight passing through water droplets will NOT hurt or burn the leaf. Try my test: place a droplet of water on your skin, hold it up to the sun. Feel any temperature difference? No. If anything, it may feel cooler due to the moisture and evaporation of moisture.
   
   


3. When root or branch pruning, make sure you cut them at an angle.
   
   Opinion: I have tried this on different species. Roots - Typically, the angled tip area will rot or not produce a root but, it will root on the bottom of the cut. The biggest thing is to simply make a clean cut and make the cut in a way that it will not be distracting if exposed in any way. Branches - Again, no real difference on the angle. Branch pruning typically is a flush cut or initially leaving a stub for later removal. Again, looks will tell you what to do. No real impact on health or re-growth
   
   


4. Never cross or overlap wires when wiring our tree.
   
   I'll venture to say that on every tree I have fully wired, I have crossed AT LEAST one wire. It can be done where none will cross but what can it hurt other than maybe not look as neat? True, we need to wire properly at proper intervals and attempt to not cross wires but if they do occasionally, it won't hurt the tree. Those who say it puts too much pressure on the cross point need to prove to me that this pressure point is any different than where the wire wraps around the limb.
   
   


5. Soil mixtures are very critical.
   
   Yes & no. Not a real simple statement. To start, I typically use the same soil mixture for 95% of my trees. I use a coarse haydite mixture. I only change mixtures when
   
   a. The tree is deciduous and may need to retain a little more moisture – I add a little humus or long fiber sphagnum.
   
   b. The tree is finished and no longer requires a coarse mixture for rapid growth. Here, I simply switch to a fine particle size.

I'm not here to debate soil mixes. The only mix I will debate is the use of akadama or Kanuma. If you're using the old style, you may want to switch. Old akadama is simply clay, and it will break down quickly. The new high-fired types are fine. In the case of Kanuma (acidic akadama), I say it has no benefit. The pH of your soil will quickly become the same as the water that you're using.

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/louisvillebonsai/~3/262297391/post.aspx