General Information: Ligustrum, or Privet are found in many species and ...
Saturday, April 5, 2008
ABS BCI 2011 Conference Planning
by John Callaway
In June 2011 the Greater Louisville Bonsai Society will be hosting a joint American Bonsai Society (ABS) and Bonsai Clubs International (BCI) Learning Seminar and Conference. Plans are currently underway. We’ve started off well, but there’s still plenty of work left to be done.
One of the things outstanding is to name the conference. The ABS Learning Seminar in 2007 was dubbed “Bonsai on the Beach” as it was held in Virginia Beach, literally on the beach. We have decided to hold a contest for the Greater Louisville Bonsai Society to suggest a name. Please have entries submitted to me in email or phone by Tuesday, April 8th. Voting will be held at the upcoming planning meeting.
There is a planning meeting scheduled for Wednesday, April 9th, at Earl Cormney’s house from 7pm – 8pm. Please RSVP by Tuesday, April 8th, for directions. I hope that everyone interested in leading a committee or joining a committee will attend. If you are not able to attend but would like to join or lead a committee or share ideas, please let me know.
The proposed agenda for the meeting is:
- Vote on a name for the conference
- Nominate and name committee chairpersons
- Develop a list of vendors to submit for approval
- Develop a list of instructors to submit for approval
- Develop a list of donors to submit for approval
Below you will find a proposed list of committees. If you have any experience with a specific field or any interest in helping with a particular group, please let us know. Proposed committees include:
- Publicity/Advertising
- Registration/Hospitality
- Auction/Raffle
- Exhibit
- Instructors/Vendors
Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/louisvillebonsai/~3/262310129/post.aspx
Friday, April 4, 2008
Greater Louisville Bonsai Society Website
by John Callaway
It was 4 years ago this month that I launched the Greater Louisville Bonsai Society website. Not much has changed since, except for the addition of content. As of February 2008, we had more than 260 articles and 13 photo galleries, which totaled more than 300 images. The site has had well over 200,000 hits, and, in the last few months has been averaging over 3000 page hits with 391 unique visitors. The website visitors are comprised of people from all over the world with the United States, Australia, and Canada representing the top visitors.
Over the last 4 years, I’ve spent a lot of time maintaining the website, but not a lot of time improving the site. A large assortment of tools are now available that were not yet conceived of when the site was first launched. After 4 years, I decided it was about time to overhaul the site. The layout hasn’t changed very much so that we keep a consistent feel that our visitors are comfortable with. The big change is the code and technologies used behind the scenes. An improved database and new internet programming language has been utilized to improve speed and loading of the individual pages.
Unique page names for each individual article are now being displayed, which improves search engine listings. This will also help our users when using the improved site searching which is now available with the latest changes.
A new syndication format has been implemented to increase reader subscriptions. Also, links have been provided for each article to be saved to del.icio.us, digg, StumbleUpon, and reddit. This will help increase internet awareness for the Greater Louisville Bonsai Society and the bonsai community as a whole. Comments can now be left in response to articles. Dialog can be opened and maintained with a more broad bonsai community.
How does this affect me, you ask? Well, I have donated my time to the club to improve the website so there is no additional cost. With increase visibility the GLBS reaches a broader audience. Once individuals see what the club contributes to the community in the way of meetings, events, articles, etc., then we can increase our membership numbers as those individuals get more involved. If you haven’t been to the website lately, logon, post a comment, and subscribe to the feed, save an article to del.icio.us. It’s all free and it helps promote the club.
Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/louisvillebonsai/~3/262308455/post.aspx
Spring Bonsai Show - Yew Dell Gardens
by Earl Ekman
Our spring show will be held at Yew Dell gardens in Crestwood on April 26th and 27th. The show hours will be 10 to 5 each day. Our show will be held in conjunction with their annual plant sale. They invite many nurseries and garden supply companies to attend and sell their products. In addition to plants and trees, they sell pottery, tools, books, and many related items. You will find many unusual and interesting items and at a good price. GLBS will be selling bonsai trees and plants. If you want to bring personal trees to sell, we encourage it. There will be a 15% commission charged by the club.
Obviously we’ll need lots of help both Saturday and Sunday. The bonsai show will be held in the Gheen’s Bank Barn and it is twice the size of the castle. The club will need approximately 65 trees, so plan on bringing twice as many trees as you brought last year. If you have stands and accent plants, please bring them. We will have name and description tags for all trees, so please call George (228-8545) with this information. Your trees can only be delivered between 10AM – 5 PM Thursday and Friday or between 8 – 10 AM Saturday morning. In the past, we were able to deliver trees Friday evening, but Yew Dell will not allow this. They will close at 5 PM.
This is a wonderful opportunity for our community to become aware of the Louisville Bonsai Club. We will be selling memberships and beginner workshops, and of course we will have a raffle tree. There will be a lot going on and we should have a lot of fun.
Best regards, Earl
Yew Dell Gardens – Crestwood, KY (502) 241-4788
Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/louisvillebonsai/~3/262306649/post.aspx
Botanical Perspectives
by Ross Clark
Ed. note: One of our newest members is Ross Clark of Richmond, KY. He is completing his 40th year as a botany instructor and 16th year at EKU. His main professional expertise relates to the classification and ecology of woody plants.
Back Into Bonsai!
It is good to be back in bonsai, and back with bonsai people. When the demands of my day job dictated taking an extended break from bonsai, it meant giving up an important psychological refuge. For years I’ve resisted the pull to return to bonsai. Obviously, efforts to resist finally have failed.
George Buehler has asked if I would contribute to the newsletter, so I will try to do that from time to time. I hope my combined background of academic botanist, educator, and bonsai enthusiast will be helpful for the Greater Louisville Bonsai Society. Future topics will include information on the classification, features, biology and culture of various species, and on various aspects of woody plant biology and physiology intended to help you understand the plants better and keep them healthy.
Mentors Remembered
As many of us know, learning bonsai by working in isolation and by trial and error can be an extremely slow and expensive way to learn. It is inevitable that our outlook and success in bonsai will show the influence of those who aided our development. That is why most of us can trace our interest and development directly back in time to people who first helped increase our confidence and understanding. Individual and collective success in bonsai depends on the person-to-person transmission of philosophy and technique. You just can’t get it all from books. Therefore, my first thoughts for you are focused on people rather than on trees. As I recall aspects of how I was influenced, I invite you to reflect on the special bonsai-related qualities which others have engendered in each of you. As we know, what our teachers have given us is priceless, because they have enriched our lives.
My principal mentor in bonsai was Ivan Watters, who is now Curator of Bonsai at the Chicago Botanic Garden. I first met Ivan in 1982 while searching for a bonsai artist to do a demo at the Morton Arboretum where I worked. So, without a connection to the bonsai world, how does someone find a bonsai instructor–search the Yellow Pages? My wife suggested we might find a connection or two at a bonsai show. We did that and, as a result, Ivan became a regular instructor at the Arboretum. His leadership was responsible for forming and developing a group which is now the Prairie State Bonsai Society, as well as providing the central guidance for high quality shows and many visits from nationally and internationally known bonsai artists. Since I was the arboretum’s liaison for all of the bonsai activity, I was in the fortunate position of participating and/or observing everything, usually without paying full price. Ivan was persistent in his efforts, generous with his knowledge, uncompromising in his insistence on quality, and tireless in his efforts to extend the understanding and benefits of bonsai to everyone. In my opinion, that is why today he is deeply respected as a teacher, and less widely known (but extremely accomplished nevertheless) as a practicing artist.
Toshio Saburomaru was one of Ivan’s main mentors. He sometimes came to Chicago to work with Ivan and give workshops in the region. Tosh was perhaps the most talented, unselfish and kind-hearted person I’ve ever known. He gave the same thoughtful attention and lack of condescension to novices (including me) as he did to practitioners at the highest level. He also was one of the least egotistical and self-promoting people, and on one occasion was even an accomplished fishing buddy. For me, he was the embodiment of the philosophy at the very heart of bonsai, a truly great role model for life as well as for bonsai. You can find out a little more about Tosh by going to http://www.lost-oasis.com/bonsai/whoiswho/itm00019.htm. That connects you to the Golden State site, and when you click on the appropriate link, you will see links to Tosh and Yoshimura.
I would also like to hear your stories, but that’s enough nostalgia from me. From now on, I promise to try to avoid personal history and concentrate on the plants. Please let me know if what I write in the future is appropriate and useful.
Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/louisvillebonsai/~3/262305349/post.aspx
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Hibiscus Syriacus
General Information: Valued in the garden for its large flowers produced in summer. ...
Botanical Perspectives - Provenance and Bonsai
by Ross Clark
As we know, many of the plants we grow as bonsai are not native in our neighborhood. They are native to other regions, and even to different continents. Many are special asexually propagated horticultural selections (cultivars) or artificially produced hybrids. Others have escaped from cultivation in our region, and now grow wild.
"Provenance" is a term used most often by horticulturists and landscape designers. It refers to the geographic and genetic origin of a plant. The central idea behind the concept of provenance is that plants still carry within them the genes and ecological tolerances that their wild ancestors had. Good landscapers try to consider provenance when planning which plants to use in landscapes, because provenance helps predict whether landscape plants will succeed where you plant them.
For example, the ancestors of all 200+ named Acer palmatum (we call it Japanese maple; the Japanese call it mountain maple) cultivars were wild. The cultivar ancestors’ tolerances to drought, frost, light and other climate factors were shaped by nature, and those genes are still within the cultivars. However, in nature Acer palmatum is a rather wide-ranging species, so different cultivars of this species have been selected from plants native in widely separated places with different climates. That is why some Acer palmatum cultivars are tender and need winter protection, and others may be wintered outdoors without anxiety.
Let's bring the idea of provenance closer to home with a few concrete examples. The eastern edge of the geographic range of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) includes the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, with an outlier population in the Black Hills. In those areas on the extreme edge of its range, highly variable temperature extremes and drought over many generations of trees have selected especially hardy and drought-tolerant plants. As a result, ponderosa pines from those areas now are noted for their bonsai potential. Here is another example: Silver maple (Acer saccharinum) has coarse twigs and leaves that do not reduce much, so it is not a good bonsai subject. Over much of its range, our common red maple (Acer rubrum) shows the effects of some hybridization with silver maple, which diminishes its potential for good bonsai. However, on the eastern edge of the southern Appalachians there are more drought tolerant red maples with finer twigs and leaves that reduce more when the plant is in a pot. We have an unrealized opportunity to select red maples for bonsai from that region. A third native example of how provenance relates to bonsai is pitch pine (Pinus rigida), an eastern U.S. species that is being used more often for bonsai. Unlike many pines, pitch pine readily buds back on old wood (the technical term is epicormic branching), because it is adapted to sending out new growth after frequent forest fires in its native habitats. The ease of budding back is a characteristic valued in pine bonsai material, which is one reason pitch pine is catching on as a bonsai subject.
You cannot treat all species alike and succeed, because their ecological tolerances are different. To maximize your bonsai success, you cannot even treat all individuals of the same species alike, unless they have the same genetic and geographic origin. That is the significance of provenance.
A deciduous tree's responses to local environment provide a strong clue to whether the tree’s genetics are a close match for our climate. If under normal care, a tree's buds open and its leaves shed at about the same time as our native trees, then the climate where it originated probably is similar to ours. However, if a tree "wakes up" in spring weeks earlier than our native woody plants, or holds its leaves significantly longer in the fall, it almost certainly is from a milder climate. On the other hand, plants that “hold their fire” in spring until late often show us that they came from a harsher or more variable climate. The Zelkova tree in my front yard completely escaped last spring’s devastating frost, because it was still in tight bud, while many native species (even some oaks!) had completely leafed out and were severely impacted. Wherever that Zelkova originated, it was not fooled by the amazingly unseasonable weather of last spring—all because of its provenance, the conditions in its place of origin.
Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/louisvillebonsai/~3/262304303/post.aspx
Bonsai Growing Beds
by Brian Schanding
After reading a lot about bonsai and attending our meetings for a while, I’ve come to the conclusion that the best way to get a set of my own trees to work on—and perhaps one of the cheapest ways—is to have an open area in which I can allow younger trees to develop unrestricted for one to three years. As so many have informed me, decent trunk and root development on a tree is often the first stage of a bonsai’s development. In addition, growing unrestricted is said by some to be the best way for a sick or heavily pruned tree to regain its strength.
However, being a resident in a semi-urban environment doesn’t allow me much room for planting out small trees for trunk and root development. When I first moved into our home with my fiancé I used some of our flowerbeds. Of course, after one year of these gangly, awkward-looking trees taking up all her gardening space, she suggested (read “demanded”) that my plants find a new place to grow.
My solution, then, was to have a small growing space in an unused area at my community garden in the Limerick neighborhood. With the manager’s permission, I loaded up a large pile of masonry bricks that I’d collected over the years and started my project during the first week of March. I chose a spot on the asphalt that had a pothole. The hole was about 2’ in diameter and lead straight to soft earth, so I figured that might allow for drainage on an excessively wet day.
The Construction and Soil
My first task was to erect the bed walls. I stacked the bricks so that the walls were two bricks thick (approximately 10”), helping to keep it stronger. I didn’t want to mortar them in just because that would feel a little too permanent for me. Since this is a new attempt I would like to be able to undo it if it doesn’t work out. The small gaps between bricks also allow a little extra drainage during those heavy rains. I suppose other materials could easily be substituted; wooden boards or cinder blocks might work just as well.
I stacked the bricks and formed a space on the asphalt that is about 4’x 6’. I stacked them up until they reached about 10” high. For soil I used about ½ rich topsoil, ¼ small pine bark chips (which I found at Frank Otte) and about ¼ calcined clay conditioner (Soil Master Red, available at Bunton’s). This isn’t an exact measurement, but an approximation. I mixed it up and have what I think will be a good medium for the trees. I’ve heard many people suggest different soil elements, so I just settled on this. The topsoil by itself seemed like it might puddle up too easily. The fired clay and pine bark would provide better drainage but still allow for water retention. Most of my trees are maples or elms, but I also have a tiny hemlock and a small juniper in there too. I’m honestly not sure whether a different combination of soil elements would improve or hinder these trees’ growth. Any suggestions would be welcome.
I decided to make my bed only 10” deep, thinking that the roots on my trees will now be more likely to push out laterally as soon as they hit that heavy asphalt below. This will allow me to pot them up later without having to carve out too much of the root system from under the trees. For any trees I planted out over that deep pothole, I put a ceramic tile underneath them to have the same affect as the asphalt.
Potential Problems
There may be some drawbacks to this plan. First, since the garden isn’t right outside in my back yard, I’m less likely to be as consistent about watering and fertilizing. However, we at the community garden often look out for each other and hate to see others’ harvests going to waste. While I am committed to being vigilant in my watering schedule this growing season, there may be a day or two that I cannot visit the garden. In these cases, I’ll have to rely on a garden ‘buddy system’. Another potential problem is that even though there’s a lot of dirt in the bed, being surrounded by black asphalt in August may be somewhat intense for the trees. To remedy that, I plan to furnish a piece of netting that will shade them during the hottest hours. Finally, there is the possibility that since the bricks are not sealed together, I may lose some of the finer soil particles over time with watering and rains. I suppose I could have lined the inside of the bed first with some sort of plastic sheeting, such as that used in gardens to reduce weed growth—hindsight is 20/20, right? If I do see a lot of soil loss, I may plant some small ornamental grasses around the borders, allowing their roots to hold the dirt in and prevent runoff. Something like mondo grass may be a good choice.
Conclusion
I know that this method isn’t necessarily ideal, but I guess I’m just trying to do my best with what I have available. Improvising is perhaps an overlooked skill sometimes, especially when we get so bogged down with all the "rules" we see in books that we’re scared to do anything original with our trees. I expect that this raised bed will serve me well. It’s still too early to tell this year, but I’ll keep you informed.
I’d love to hear how others in the group go about raising “pre-bonsai”. If you see me at a meeting, tell me about your method! If you’d like to find more on bonsai trunk development or raised beds, check these links:
• Raised Beds: http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/bonsai_retired/22806
• Growing Trees in the Ground http://www.bonsai4me.com/AdvTech/ATfieldgrowing.htm
Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/louisvillebonsai/~3/262302577/post.aspx
Ulmus Rubra
by Randy Davis
Botanical Name – Ulmus rubra
Common Name – Slippery or red Elm
Description
Native to – Eastern United States from Quebec to northern Florida and west to the Dakotas and Texas
Botanical Information – Tree to 60 feet with spreading branches forming a broad flat-topped head. The leaves are oblong and very unequal at the base where the leaf connects to the petiole. Leaves are doubly serrate, of firm texture and very rough above and pubescent beneath 4-7” long. Flowers are red, form dense clusters close to the branch and appear in early spring along with the ripening seed. A reddish brown pubescence of the bud-scale is very conspicuous in the spring as the buds are unfolding from which it gets its common name of "Red Elm".
General – First described by the French horticulturist Andre Michaux in the latter half of the 18th century during a 10 year stay in North America. This tree has had many names and was formerly know as U. fulva, U. elliptica, u. Heyderi and U. sibirica. Its bark has been used as a medicinal for gastric ulcers, colitis, digestive problems, sore throat, coughs and other ailments. Due to its medicinal properties, it is restricted in some countries. Ulmus rubra is found in many environments and always found as a precursor tree in damaged soils along with U. alata. It favors bright sunny locations and is very tolerant of many soil types from moist clay soils to hard rocky limestone outcroppings. The bark of the tree is very fissured and with age forms a distinct white cork which adds to its beauty. Little used for bonsai this tree should be used far more than it is. In its native habitat it is easily collected in the early spring before bud break when large caliper trunks up to 5 inches may be taken. Branches are easily ramified and will become very tight and slender the more you work them making for fine winter specimens. Leaves will reduce without difficulty and back budding is excellent, so typical of the elm family. If you plan on collecting trees from the wild, large caliper trunk trees should be done over a number of years so as to develop taper and encourage wound healing while the tree is still in the ground. As with most collected trees once they are out of the ground and in a container, wound healing slows down dramatically
Cultivars – None known
Sun
In bonsai culture, Ulmus rubra should be given strong full sun during the spring and early summer months to encourage tighter growth and smaller leaves. During the hot months of summer some light afternoon shade would be appreciated to moderate the soil temperature of the roots.
Temperature
Ulmus rubra in its native habitat are capable of withstanding extreme cold temperatures to as low as -37 degrees F during the winter and as high as 110 F during the summer months provided sufficient water is supplied. Only in the far northern regions is it necessary to provide winter shelter for the root system of container plants. Containers covered in a blanket of snow or pine needles to the base of the trunk, is more than adequate. Protection of the root system from continual freezing and thawing is the most important element of winter protection
Watering
As with all elms, Ulmus rubra will appreciate a continually moist soil. The frequency of watering will depend on your soil mix and sun exposure during the growing season. Under dry conditions, the leaves will roll upward and inward and is an indication of the need of water. Under wet conditions, the leaves will become flaccid and weak and drop from the tree which is an indication of root damage and should be resolved immediately. Watering should be done in the morning when you can sprinkle the leaves of the tree and be assured that the leaves will be dry by nightfall. Keeping the leaves of this tree dry at night will help eliminate the encouragement of blackspot and other molds during the humid springtime weather of the Eastern United States
Fertilizing
Any balanced general purpose fertilizer is more than adequate for Ulmus rubra. Fertilizing should commence in the early spring and continue through mid fall. Application of the fertilizer can be at full strength at the recommended interval or a highly diluted form applied at each watering. Fertilizer burn is indicated by a browning of the leaf along the primary mid-rib of the leaf.
Pruning
Major pruning should be done in the late winter and early spring, prior to bud break. Minor pruning and ramification can be done anytime during the growing season. To encourage good ramification, let a branch grow 5 internodes in length and then cut back to the first internode. Continual pruning of this type will produce tight ramified growth.
Wiring
Ulmus rubra is a strong growing tree during the spring and early summer and, is when most of the branches put on their girth. It is for this reason that wiring should be done in the late fall, as soon as the leaves drop, and then removed in the very early spring. The absolute best time to wire is right after leaf drop and before the first killing frost, as it is during this period that the branches are firm but pliable and respond to wiring well. Once the tree is exposed to one or two killing frosts, the branches will have hardened and care should be taken in wiring, as they will be more subject to breakage during the wiring process. Guy wiring may be done at anytime of the year but you should be watchful of girdling.
Repotting
A finished bonsai of Ulmus rubra will require repotting about every 2-3 years, with 3 years being the more common timeframe. As with most trees with vigorous root systems, Ulmus rubra will develop a mat of roots at the bottom of the container and begin to lift out of the pot, which is the signal for repotting the following year. You can remove 1/3-1/2 of the feeder roots and trim back to the larger structural roots in the repotting process without damaging the tree. For newly collected trees from the wild, it is important to take a larger root ball to ensure that you get enough structural root mass. Over time, begin to cut the structural roots back to encourage feeder roots to develop to an appropriate size for the finished bonsai. Soil composition for a newly collected tree should be on the light side with more humus, so a 40% structural material, 50% humus and 10% clay composition would be more than adequate. For a finished tree, reduce the humus and add more structural and clay components to the mix to about 50% structural, 25% humus and 25% clay.
Propagation
Propagation of Ulmus rubra is usually from seed collected in late spring and planted immediately. Cuttings may also be taken in mid summer when the wood is “half hard” in 100% perlite, using a mild rooting hormone. It is important to make sure the leaves of the cuttings are dry by nightfall to eliminate premature leaf drop during the rooting process.
Pests and Diseases
Ulmus rubra is for the most part pest and disease free but may be subject to blackspot mold during the wet humid springtime weather in the Southeastern US. Any good fungicide that will control blackspot will be more than adequate to reduce the infestation. Your watering regimen will greatly influence the development of molds in your trees. By watering early enough in the day to ensure the leaves are dry by nightfall will greatly reduce any problems that might occur. A winter spraying with a dormant spray (horticultural oil and lime sulpher) will control most pests and molds. 1 tablespoon horticultural oil and 1 tablespoon lime sulpher to a gallon water as a spray should be applied after leaf drop when you’re putting the tree away for the winter, one spraying in mid winter and then the final and most important spraying at bud break in the early spring. As a side note, Ulmus rubra is very resistant to Dutch elm disease.
Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/louisvillebonsai/~3/262300183/post.aspx
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Zelkova Serrata
To train a tree in the broom style, allow it to grow (keeping the trunk straight) in a large ...
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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
April Monthly Tips
Check your benches and stands. Make sure they are still solid, with no rotting or loose connections. If the nails or screws have come loose, replace them. This is also a good time to apply water repellent; but, if you do, don’t put your trees on them until the repellent has thoroughly dried.
April is the time to start bringing out your trees for the summer, if you haven’t already done so. The controlling factor is when the trees start budding and the temperature is increasing. You have to watch for cool nights and the normal spring frosts. Some trees can take a mild frost and others can’t; so before you leave your trees out, make sure they can tolerate the frost – if one is predicted. You might have to move your trees in and out during this time.
If a tree was transplanted this spring, allow about 3 weeks before the tree is placed outside on its stand. Also allow the same time before fertilizer is started.
Start your fertilization program for the summer. Remember fertilizers can have a huge effect early in the season on most plants. If you fertilize maples or elms, they seem to have huge growth spurts. Junipers and pines will have a less noticeable effect. High nitrogen content will effect upper growth, while higher phosphorous affects the roots and general vitality of the plant. Potassium helps with fruiting and flowering. Depending on the type of growth you need, you will have to adjust the type of fertilizer you use. If you do use high nitrogen fertilizers, be prepared to pinch or trim your trees weekly.
Inspect your trees daily as you water for insect problems.
Go through your collection and trim, prune or pinch as needed. They probably will need a lot of leaf pinching during this month which will help ramification.
Watch for spring storms that can easily blow bonsai off their stands, especially the shohin.
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