The Bonsai Dilettante

There's No Reason To Be Shy

“When you're bold, some people will think you're crazy but it's more insane to be timid.” ― Constance Chuks Friday

I can't wait to show this live oak in a bonsai pot.

Okay, so this is way too young a tree to show as a bonsai. It's probably 15 years away from being ready to show, but you can already see its potential, can't you? I mean, how often do you see that kind of natural movement and character in a tree that still has its seed attached at the base? I mean, sure, I need to thicken up that trunk by a couple of inches, and it needs a ton more ramification, but it'll be show ready someday, right?

One of the phrases I hear a lot in bonsai is that a tree "will be ready to show in XX years." Usually, this expression is uttered not while looking at a seedling, but while someone is working on or critiquing a tree that would amaze the average person. For this reason, the concept of a bonsai tree being "show ready" sometimes rankles me. I understand that we want to develop and show really outstanding trees, but I have to admit that it seems, at times, absurd to me that clubs will discourage new members, either expressly or implictly,  from participating in their club shows.  These clubs focus on the excellence at the expense of inclusion.

If you are a new member, just starting out in bonsai, you go to some of these shows and the first thing you think is "I am never going to have trees this nice. I'll die of old age before I have a tree like this." It probably leads a lot of people to give up or never try their hand at bonsai in the first place. What we should be doing is putting some beginner trees into a beginners section of almost every show. That way, new members and potential members can look at the exhibits and think "I can do this."

Fortunately, not every club limits its show trees to the members with elite trees in their collections. The East Bay Bonsai Society's 53nd Annual Fall Show is this weekend, October 11-12, 2014 at the Garden Center at Lake Merritt Park, 666 Bellevue Ave., Oakland, California, from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and 11 am to 4pm on Sunday. Matt Reel (link goes to his blog) will be conducting a demonstration on Sunday. It looks like a good show, and I know a few of the members, and many of them have amazing trees.

I won't be attending. I have family celebrations all weekend, and it's about 400 miles away. I'd love to see this one, though, because of the way the EBBS encourages its beginners to show their trees. The EBBS October newletter says:

"Bring at least one tree to the show. EBBS would like to have each member show a tree. There is space for trees in all stages of development. Even if your best tree is a humble beginner tree, it will be welcomed. Every one of us has a tree worth sharing with the world. You would be surprised how good your tree will look when it is all dolled up for the show. Don’t be shy."

Yes! Don't be shy. Put your baby shohin in the show. Take that 2014 nursery stock that you put into a bonsai pot in April and styled in July and show it. Just because your best tree isn't a masterpiece doesn't mean you shouldn't be a part of the action. Just make sure that next year's tree is better than this year's tree. It's not just about the destination. It's not even mostly about the destination. It's not about the result. It's about the journey. It's about the process. Enjoy it and be a part of it.

October Bonsai Tasks 2014

“Summer ends, and Autumn comes, and he who would have it otherwise would have high tide always and a full moon every night.” ― Hal Borland

This is my first [almost] repeat blog post. I've been blogging about bonsai for more than a year now, and October was my first post on monthly bonsai tasks. This post will look a lot like that post from last year. We are now settling into fall, enjoying the last weeks of our trees' most active growth periods. Growth begins to slow down this month in most of my trees. Here in Zone 10, where I live, we're not seeing much fall color yet, but soon the maple, ginkgo, liquidambar and others will lose their green and then drop their colorful leaves. The junipers and pines will slow their growth and trees will start pushing their energy into the roots for the winter. Here's some of the things I can or will do this month as we get into the heart of autumn:

• Maintenance - Leaves from my bonsai trees and other plants in and near my yard land in the pots, becoming home to slugs, sowbugs and other unwanted critters. I need to clean those up at least once a week, if not more. I'm applying insecticide and fungicide as needed. I just bought some Bayer systemic and I'll be treating quite a few trees with it shortly.
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• Placement - Some trees need to be moved now into full sun if they were being sheltered from full sun during the peak heat of late summer. Others, particularly deciduous trees once they start losing their leaves, need shade to protect against a re-sprouting if we get a heat wave. I make sure to spin the trees around a bit, to avoid leaving one side barren with the other side growing. If I forget, some trees, especially the ficus benjaminas, will punish me with one-sided growth.
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• Watering - With October’s shorter days and cooler temperatures, I will generally provide less water, but the frequency of watering is now becoming very weather-driven. We can get very hot, dry, windy days here when the Santa Ana winds blow. On those days, I might try to water some of my trees twice a day. However, the first winter storms and cold days are also upon us this month. After a good rain, I won't water for a couple of days, and my automatic daily sprinkler system has to be cut back to every second or third day. I'm moving the trees around to make sure that the ones that need less water are on the benches that get watered less frequently. I'm also trying harder to avoid watering at night, getting up earlier to try to water in the mornings, to lower risk of fungal growths on leaves.
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• Feeding - I'm still fertilizing every week (or trying to, at least), and I'll continue to do so until we move the clocks back. I'm using a low (3) or no nitrogen fertilizer mix on most of the trees now until we start getting close to the start of spring. Starting next month, I'll discontinue feeding on many of the trees until our first February heat wave, or until I see buds swelling, whichever comes first. My conifers, tropicals and other evergreens will continue to get light feedings about every two or three weeks until the end of the year.
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• Wiring - I'm checking every wire to make sure summer growth hasn't been cutting into the bark. Some trees will have added girth over the summer, and if it looks tight, I'll remove it and look to re-wire in a few weeks. Because I'm in Zone 10, some of my trees that would be completely dormant in other zones, e.g., Chinese elm, will still grow, and the cambium can still swell, so wire scars remain an issue for me all year round. Lignification is starting to occur on a lot of this summer's new growth For some species, that means it is prime time to wire, and for others, it means we are starting to miss the best opportunity for bending with wire.
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• Pruning - I keep pruning trees that are still growing, especially where I find long, lanky shoots, e.g., on my elms and zelkovas.  Strong growth at the top of pines and junipers can be cut back. I'm removing fruits and seeds. Once my deciduous trees go bare, I'll prune back some of the current year's growth down to 2 or 3 nodes. Major pruning on truly deciduous trees must wait, however, as it could trigger unproductive new shoots emerging in December.
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• Transplanting - It's a bad time of year to be transplanting some trees, but there are a few species that are suitable for transplanting in October in Southern California: boxwood, conifers, hornbeam, cotoneaster, tamarix, willow, firethorn, podocarpus, wisteria and various deciduous species.
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• Collecting - I am planning my winter yamadori hunts. I have some California juniper groves that I can take from, and although none of them are spectacular, I'm pruning them back for a springtime collection. Late October isn't a bad time to collect wild junipers in California, as long as temperatures aren't too high. If the weather gets between the 40s and 60s for a while and is forecast to stay there for a few more days, I might go out and take a couple of smaller California junipers. Once again, this fall I have a handful of trees I've been growing in the ground with an eye toward potting them up this spring. I will be shoveling a circle around them at the end of the month to encourage more roots near the trunk between now and February or March when I dig them up.
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• Cuttings - I can still do tropical cuttings and hardwood cuttings, and I plan to do several juniper heel cuttings, including a few Itoigawa shimpakus this month. This is also a good time to take root cuttings. I'm going to try that with some elms.
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• Seeds - I'm gathering live oak acorns, maple seeds, Chinese elm seeds and sweetgum seed pods. I might order some Scots pine, since those seem nearly impossible to find locally and my favorite sources for seedlings won't ship Scotch pine to California.

That's actually a lot to do when I'm getting home from work only about an hour before sunset. Starting next month, there will be a less to do, but a lot less daylight in which to do it.

Kofu Kai 2014 Bowers Museum Show

“When we want mood experiences, we go to concerts or museums.” ― Robert McKee, Screenwriter

There was a serene mood at the Bowers Museum this week as Kofu Bonsai Kai put on its annual display of bonsai trees in the John M. Lee Court. Kofu Kai was the first club I joined when I got back into bonsai two years go. Like last year, I do not have a tree in this exhibit. Like last year, I'm hoping that by this time next year, I'll have something worth displaying. For now, all I can do is share photos of the work of others. Here's my Flikr album of the 28 tree show.

Here are a few of my more unorthodox shots.

This striking California juniper looks a bit distorted from this angle.

I loved this hollowed out old bougainvillea. It's hard to pick favorites at a good show like Kofu Kai's Bowers Museum Show, but this one really captured my imagination.

This is, I assume, a grafted shimpaku. It's not meant to be viewed from this angle, but from here you can really see the skill and time that went into designing this tree.

L.A Bonsai Swapmeet II

“And one thing Hollywood does well is sequels. ― Spike Lee

Okay, so it's Reseda and not Hollywood. Close enough. Here comes the Second LA Bonsai Community Swapmeet.

The first one was billed as the "first annual" L.A. bonsai swap meet, but people liked it so much, they couldn't wait a whole year before doing another. Once again, I'm not going to make it to the swap meet (I have tailgating and my 62nd consecutive USC home game to attend), but I know a lot of people are going and the event seems to be gathering a lot of momentum. Here's what the organizers have to say about it.

The First event was so popular we are doing it again. Come out and enjoy a day of buying, selling or swapping bonsai trees, tools, pots and paraphernalia with the Los Angeles bonsai community. EVERYBODY is welcome and there is no charge to attend or to participate. We welcome newcomers. We will be assembling at Jesse Owens Park (south of Sherman Way) on Saturday, October 4 from 10:00 to 3:00. Please feel free to forward this invite to your friends.

Food trucks, instructions for locations for sellers to set up their tables and parking information will be posted closer to the date of the swapmeet.

JESSE OWENS PARK 7100 WHITE OAK AVE., RESEDA, CA 91335

Disclaimer: This event is produced by/for the LA bonsai community and is Not affiliated with or sponsored by any Bonsai club. Individuals are responsible for any applicable taxes and methods of payment. The organizers of this event are not responsible for the outcomes of any transaction and no guarantees are implied. For more information please contact the hosts.

I'm still hoping someone can put one together in Orange County at some point.

September Bonsai Tasks

"By all these lovely tokens September days are here, With summer's best of weather And autumn's best of cheer. " ― Helen Hunt Jackson

Summer is coming to an end, at least chronologically. Here in Zone 10, it feels like summer is just hitting its stride. But the days are getting shorter and nearing that magical 50-50 mark. The trees still need a lot of water, attention and nutrients (though less nitrogen). Sun and shadow patterns are changing, not only because of day length, but because of the position of the sun. Here's a list of some of the things I can or will do this month:

• Maintenance - Leaves from my bonsais and other plants in and near my yard are starting to cover the soil in some of the pots. This allows slugs, sowbugs and other pests to hide. Volk oil and diluted soap sprays will get rid of most pests. I'm having trouble with inchworms on my bougainvillea and spittlebugs on my rosemary. You have to watch out for spider mites, scale and mealybugs, too.
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• Placement - As the month winds down, I'm moving some of the more sun sensitive plants back into full sun. Any trees that might have strong fall color can benefit from shade, to avoid putting out fresh green growth.
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• Watering - I'm cutting down on the watering a bit, except on very hot days. Two-a-days are largely over. We can still get very hot, dry, windy days here when the Santa Ana winds blow. On those days, I might try to water some of my trees twice a day. Trees that need less water are on their own benches, that get watered less frequently. Cooler nights bring less evaporation and leaves and twigs that have hardened off retain more water, so I find myself skipping some pots as I walk around with the hose or can.
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• Feeding - I'm still giving full weekly feedings to immature plants. Lower feedings on older plants. Now nitrogen on plants with fall colors. I'm only using chemical fertilizers now, since it can take weeks or months for organics to start working, and by then, many of the trees won't bother taking the nutrients.
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• Wiring - Some of the trees have gotten too bushy to wire at the moment, but I'm wiring after pruning. Most of the new growth is starting to harden off and become more suitable for wiring.
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• Pruning - Long shoots on immature trees get trimmed to the 2nd or 3rd set of leaves, now that the growth is getting more solid. Shoots in places where I don't want future branches are being clipped away. I'm not defoliating anything, and on deciduous trees, I'm not doing any really radical pruning, so as not to trigger a new rush of growth that will just get weak during the winter. I'm plucking yellow needles from pines and clipping browning leaves off my grapes. This is also the month when I reduce the new candles on black pines (that I de-candled at the beginning of summer) to just two pairs.
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• Transplanting - By mid-September, it starts becoming safer to transplant established conifers and deciduous trees, Like in July and August, it's all about turning the pots every couple of weeks and moving deciduous trees into semi-shade and back to full sun every few weeks. Sensitive trees - recently prune or repotted specimens - all go on the north side of my house, where they get only morning sun.
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• Collecting - Native species can be collected this month. I'm still collecting tropicals like bougainvillea and ficus.
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• Cuttings - It is not prime cutting time, but hardwood cuttings can be started. M0st of my cuttings from this spring and summer have died or have rooted; the ones that rooted are going into larger containers this month, with as little disruption to the roots as possible. I actually cut away the entire container and slip the entire ball of soil into a hole in a larger pot. Since I'm using bottle bottoms to hold my cuttings, I just toss the used containers into the recycling bin when I'm done.
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• Seeds - I'm gathering live oak acorns and fallen chinese elm seeds. I'm not going to collect maple seed pairs or sweetgum seed balls until next month.
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• Planning - I'm checking to see which trees need "emergency" repotting, and there are going to be a couple that I repot in November, because I'm worried that the roots will rot if I want until Spring. I'm going to cull a couple of my immature chinese elms that are just not strong trees. There will be new seedlings to replace them next spring and there's no need to waste space and water on trees that are not vigorous even when they are young. Finally, I'm assessing what trees I want to donate to the club raffles this fall and winter.

Summer was great, but now it's time to move back into longer nights and slower growth.

A Century of John Naka and His Legacy

"The bonsai is not you working on the tree;  you have to have the tree work on you." ― John Naka

The first bonsai master I ever knew, John Yoshio Naka, would have been 100 years old today. Naka is considered the father of American bonsai. I never had the pleasure of working with him, but I have been taught (at seminars and demonstrations) by several of his students, including Harry Hirao, and I have taken lessons from students of his students. I've also read his books, Bonsai Techniques and Bonsai Techniques II, several times.

This is his masterpiece, a Foemina forest called "Goshin":

It can be seen at the U.S. National Aboretum, open on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays.

The 2014 Satsuki Bonsai Society Show

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” ― Shakespeare

Last year, I went to the Satsuki Bonsai Society show in Santa Ana, California, looking for a great show of satsuki azalea bonsai. I found, instead, that the name of the club was not indicative of the trees they grew or the trees they would show. In fact, the show was very heavy on California junipers. So it wasn't what I expected, but it wasn't a disappointment, either.

This year's show was held on Saturday, August 9 and Sunday August 10 at the Bao Quang Temple, 713 N. Newhope St., Santa Ana, CA, 92703. I went on Sunday, and saw Ben Oki work on a juniper.

The highlight of the show, however, was the display of 29 trees of the club members.

 

 I loved this particular display, even though there was only one accent plant between the two of them. The thing I really liked about this one was the inadvertent placement of the shadow from the tree on the other side of the backdrop. Interesting, yes?

I also loved the antler-like deadwood on this California juniper shown by June Nguy.

 I also found this dragon's head deadwood interesting.

I've posted an album of all 29 trees on Flikr.

August Bonsai Tasks

“Hot August night and the leaves hanging down, and the grass on the ground smellin' sweet.” ― Neil Diamond, Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show

We're in the last full month of summer and everything is green. There isn't a ton of stuff to do in August other than water, fertilize and keep on top of the foliage. It's too hot to repot, and for the most part, there can be no collecting.

• Maintenance - Same as July. I have to check for pests, especially spider mites, aphids and scale. Frequent weeding is needed in many of my pots. Moss that is starting to creep up the trunk must be removed.
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• Placement - Same as July. Rotating pots and switching locations from sun to semi-shade continues this month. Fragile trees can get a surface layer of sphagnum moss to keep from drying out. Dark pots in full sun need to be watched carefully, as they can get so hot that they cook the roots.
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• Watering - Regular watering is most important this time of year. August is always hot, all month long.  Morning watering is best, late afternoon or early evening is next-best. On super-hot dry days, twice a day watering may be needed. On overcast monsoon days, no water may be needed. Anything that is still wet at the end of the day has a drainage problem.
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• Feeding - Same as July. Steady and varied feeding continues weekly. I am reducing nitrogen on trees that are not evergreen. In my yard, that means a balanced fertilizer for the boxwoods, privets and a handful of other trees, but low level nitrogen mixes for most of the other trees. Reduced nitrogen benefits fall colors.
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• Wiring - It's a good time to start finer wiring of smaller branches. Watch for wires biting into the bark.
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• Pruning - Pruning should be less drastic at this point in the season, as the tree will only have a month or two of strong growth to recover. No more defoliation. Remove weak and dead foliage and keep trimming shoots back to 2 or 3 pairs on young trees on which I'm developing the ramification.
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• Grafting - Bud grafting, bark grafting on flowering/fruiting species is good from now to September. Grafts on most conifers likely won't take, with the exception of species (including some California natives) that fall into a peak summer dormancy.
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• Transplanting - Except for ficus, pomegranate, bougainvillea and other tropical species, as well as a small number of summer dormant California and desert native species, no transplanting this month unless truly necessary.
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• Collecting - Same as July. Other than bougainvillea, ficus and other tropicals, I'll only collect material that would otherwise be destroyed - like hedges or other landscaping being removed, where the only two choices are my pots or the green waste bin.
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• Cuttings - Cuttings can still be done, but the success rate will be lower, and some might not be able to be potted until next spring.
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• Seeds - It's time to starting looking for trees that are full of elm, maples and sweetgum seeds.
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• Planning - It's a good time of year to take photos of all of your trees in their full growth. When you look at them every day, it can be hard to notice the changes, but if you have photos from year to year, the change becomes very apparent, and it is rewarding.

Summer is half over. Enjoy it while you can.

More on Grafting

“We marry
A gentler scion to the wildest stock,
And make conceive a bark of baser kind
By bud of nobler race.
This is an art
Which does mend nature--change it rather; but
The art itself is nature." ― Shakespeare

Fred Miyahara did an interesting demo at Kofu Bonsai Kai this month. Although he said he does not expect them to take. He offered advice on how to graft, and how to provide the aftercare for grafting. He started by explaining details about his grafting knives (expensive!) and his sharpening stones (also expensive!), and then he performed a series of cuts for all of us to watch. He said he always makes three slices, one right behind the other, thin, like you're trying to make garlic slices that will melt in the pan (my analogy, not his). It looks like this will take some practice.

 The scion goes into the third, inside cut, with the long end of the scion cut placed against the trunk, and the thinner outside cut against the slice.

 This is how it looks with the full scion in place.

Then (different scion shown) you wrap it in gardening tape and cover it with pitch.

He reiterated that he expects few, if any, of these to take. The best time to graft junipers in Southern California is from late December to March, with February 5-20 being the prime time. He added that some pine and juniper can be grafted in August and September if they are trees that fall into a summer dormancy.

After covering the graft, you wrap it with plastic and place a small bit of wet sphagnum moss into the bag to keep it all moist. You'll know in a few weeks if the graft has taken because it will begin to respirate through the foliage. Eight weeks later, he suggests punching a few holes in the bag. Two weeks after that, he expands the holes with chopsticks to allow more air in. After another two weeks, open the holes up with fingers. Finally, two more weeks later, open the entire bag and remove it.

Rooting Off the Top of a Podocarpus

“A genuine man goes to the roots." ― Jose Marti

Podocarpus is a genus of conifers, the most common of the podocarp family. They can grow to 25 meters or more, and they are commonly used in Southern California landscapes. I've seen some cool examples of podocarpus bonsai, so I decided to try my hand at airlayering one in a landscape near my house. So I used the same pot method of air-layering I described in last week's post about the elm air layer. I found a spot where the trunk went from fat and untapered to thinner, with many options for a new apex and primary branches.

After about 7 or 8 weeks, the pot was coming apart at the seam because roots were pushing out. So I removed the pot. Unlike the elm, this one had the soil fall away (in fact, I did this one before the elm, and this falling away of the soil is why I potted the elm without exposing the roots).

 So I potted it up and it looked about like this. It's been about a month and a half, and it's doing fairly well.

Rooting Elms Through Air Layering

“Nobody roots for Goliath." ― Wilt Chamberlain

Maybe Goliath should have tried elms. Elms will root for almost anybody. There may be no easier species to air layer. They root from cuttings easily, too. I've stuck elms into the dirt and forgotten about them, only to find strong young trees a couple of months later.

About a year ago, I found an unwanted elm growing in a patch of other trees. I had permission to take it, but it was totally unacceptable as bonsai the way it sat. It was a couple of inches thick, but 25 feet tall, with no foliage whatsoever on the lower ten feet. So I chopped it about four feet above the soil and waited. Within a couple of months, it had a flourish of new growth near the new top, and I collected it. I let it grow out for about six months, and in May, I decided to air layer the top.

The first step is to find the spot on the tree where I want to pull the roots, and start removing the bark and get into the sapwood, or secondary xylem, which is the layer that causes the water from the roots to make their way up the tree. We want water to go up, but we want to scrape the phloem, which is outside the sapwood and carries nutrients down the trunk to the bark and roots. This causes the tree to want to produce new roots at the cut. I cut about an inch all the way around and then scrape away the soft white phloem.  If you leave the phloem, the tree will just callous over the cut. If you remove the sapwood, the top will simply dry up and die.

 The next step is to pack the cut with wet sphagnum moss. There are two popular ways to do this. One is to tie plastic around the bottom of the cut, stuff the plastic with wet moss and tie it all up in a ball. However, if I have branches above the cut and can hang a pot from them, I prefer to use a pot and to grow the roots into bonsai soil. I cut a hole around the bottom of the pot, the same size as the diameter of the tree, and I slit the side of the pot to fit it around the trunk, with the bottom just an inch or so below the cut. I then tape the slit up with duct tape and secure the pot with wire.

 Once it is secure, I pack the bottom of the pot with wet sphagnum moss, and put good bonsai soil above it, covering the layer of exposed sapwood. I then top the soil with wet moss, to retain moisture.

 When done, it looks like this. I water it daily, like any other tree. After two months, I pulled the tape away to see if roots had developed. There were many roots sticking out (I didn't get a good photo of the roots because I was being careful not to disturb them or expose them to air), so I sawed the top off just below the bottom of the pot and put the whole thing into a larger pot.

Inside the larger pot (in this case, a 6 inch orchid pot), I put a layer of bonsai soil and set the air layer on top of it. Then I cut away the air layer pot and removed it, packing the rest of the open space with bonsai soil. In two months, I went from a four foot tall, taperless elm, to this, a future broom-style elm bonsai.

July Bonsai Tasks

“Childhood is June, and old age is August, but here it is, July, and my life, this year, is July inside of July." ― Rick Bass

My life is going to be busy this July. I have been posting on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays since I started this blog a few months ago, but I'm not going to be able to keep that up this month. I have a lot to do this month. I have guests coming, for weeks, I have work to catch up on, and I have the county fair coming up. This will be a month as much devoted to my fruits and vegetables and greens as it is to my bonsai trees. But this is a hot and busy growing month for the bonsai trees, too, so there is a bit to do.

Summer is upon us. Here's a list of some of the things I can or will do this month:

• Maintenance - I have to check for pests, especially spider mites, aphids and scale. Frequent weeding is needed in many of my pots. Moss that is starting to creep up the trunk must be removed.
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• Placement - Rotating pots and switching locations from sun to semi-shade continues this month. Fragile trees can get a surface layer of sphagnum moss to keep from drying out. Dark pots in full sun need to be watched carefully, as they can get so hot that they cook the roots.
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• Watering - Watering is critical this month. At this time of year, it is best not to water in mid-day sun. Morning is best, late afternoon or early evening is next-best. On super-hot dry days, twice a day watering may be needed. On overcast monsoon days, no water may be needed.
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• Feeding - Steady and varied feeding continues weekly. I am reducing nitrogen on trees that are not evergreen. In my yard, that means a balanced fertilizer for the boxwoods, privets and a handful of other trees, but low level nitrogen mixes for most of the other trees. Reduced nitrogen benefits fall colors.
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• Wiring - It's difficult to wire some species that are in full leaf, and it's difficult to wiring tender new shoots, so I'm mosting wiring only after pruning. It is important to watch for wires biting into the bark.
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• Pruning - Defoliation continues. Old flower blossoms will be pruned. If I had any fruiting trees that were show-ready, I'd be careful to keep enough blossoms to have up to five fruits in time to show. Maybe next year. Unwanted growth can be pinched or clipped. I'm particularly diligent with root suckers, although there are a couple I'm leaving on to see if they fatten the trunk.
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• Grafting - Bud grafting, bark grafting on flowering/fruiting species is good from now to September. Grafts on conifers likely won't take. I have a lot of junipers ready for grafting, with a great itoigawa mother tree and sharp new grafting knife, and there is a grafting / grafting aftercare demo this month at Kofu Kai, but it'll have to wait another five or six months...
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• Transplanting - Repotting ficus, pomegranates or other warm weather tropicals is good. For other species, it's generally a bad time to transplant if you are going to be pruning the roots. If you are just planting, or transferring into a similar or larger pot without disturbing the roots, you should be fine.
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• Collecting - It's a bad time in my area for collecting. Other than bougainvillea, ficus and other tropicals, I'll only collect material that would otherwise be destroyed - like hedges or other landscaping being removed, where the only two choices are my pots or the green waste bin.
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• Cuttings - Cuttings continue to have viability, though peak softwood cutting season is behind us.
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• Seeds - It's getting late to plant most seeds. It's almost time to start collecting seeds. I'm looking at trying more elm, maples and sweetgum.
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• Air-Layering - In Southern California, this is still a good time of year to air layer or ground layer.
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• Planning - July is a month with less planning. If I was planning to put a tree in the fall shows at San Diego Bonsai or Kofu Kai Bonsai, I would be starting the process of preparing those trees for show. I'm planning the process of gaining permits for fall digging on some public lands, and I'm looking at some potential opportunities to collect unwanted specimens on private land, but that's about it.

Summer growth is one of my favorite times, and it will be hard to avoid the desire to fiddle with trees as their fresh growth develops, but with my schedule, it will be easier this year to let them grow out and evaluate what to do with the new growth at the end of the season.

Big Cheap Grow Pots

“I just want to say one word to you. Just one word. ... Are you listening? ... Plastics.” ― Mr. McGuire, The Graduate

One of the problems when you go collecting yamadori, especially at this time of year, is finding a pot large enough to let it recover in before you can start training your new tree. Sometimes, you need to let them recover for a couple of years, and when you start out, they have huge root balls that you want to leave intact until the tree has had time to recover.

My favorite choices: shipping crates (when I can get them for free) and these things - plastic party tubs.

For eight bucks, plus the trouble of drilling a few drainage holes, you can fit almost any root ball you might dig out. If you don't drill them out, they are also great for mixing soils, soaking trees overnight after collection, carrying lots of little pots with seedlings, and all sorts of other tasks. I have about 10 of them, and I use them all the time.

California Bonsai Society Swap Meet

“When I go to a country, I go to flea markets...” ― Ursula Andress

Apparently, there is another bonsai "swap meet" coming up in the Los Angeles area. The California Bonsai Society sale and swap meet is happening this Tuesday evening, July 1st at the Gardena Community Center, 162nd Street, Gardena (where Dai Ichi Bonsai Kai meets). Only California Bonsai Society members can set up for sale or swap due, but non-members are welcome to come to and buy trees, pots and whatever else is offered. The swap meet begins at 6 pm in the small parking lot across from the center on 162nd street. Only sellers will be allowed to park in that small lot. Cold water and soft drinks will be offered.

The First Annual L.A Bonsai Swapmeet

“I love going to flea markets.” ― Anna Sui

I'm not going to make it to Encino this weekend, but this is happening there on Sunday:

This is a photo they are using to promote the swap meet. The photo, I'm told, is from a similar event in Fresno.

First Annual L.A Bonsai Swapmeet

Come out and enjoy a day of buying, selling or swapping bonsai trees, tools, pots and paraphernalia with the Los Angeles bonsai community. EVERYBODY is welcome and there is no charge to attend or to participate. We welcome newcomers. We will be assembling at Jesse Owens Park (south of Sherman Way) on Sunday June 29 from 10:00 to 3:00. Come out and see what may be available for you to experience in this first ever event. Please feel free to forward this invite to your friends.

JESSE OWENS PARK 7100 WHITE OAK AVE., RESEDA, CA 91335

Disclaimer: This event is produced by/for the LA bonsai community and is Not affiliated with or sponsored by any Bonsai club. Individuals are responsible for any applicable taxes and methods of payment. The organizers of this event are not responsible for the outcomes of any transaction and no guarantees are implied. For more information please contact the hosts.

I can't wait to hear how it turned out. If it's a winner, maybe they can hold one in Orange County at some point.

Bonsai Nursery Visit - Chikugo-En

“Quality is not an act, it is a habit.” ― Aristotle

One of my favorite bonsai nurseries is Chikugo-En in Gardena, established by the late Mas Ishii and run by his son Gary Ishii. It is located at 18110 S. Western Ave., Gardena, CA 90248, (310) 323-4011. It was featured in issue #75 of Bonsai Today.

They are best known for their outstanding shimpaku grafts, but they have some really outstanding (not all for sale) finished bonsai, plenty of pre-bonsai stock and (also not for sale) the best itoigawa mother tree I've ever seen. Their selection of pots, tools and supplies is excellent, and the prices are reasonable. Gary is always ready with advice and outstanding customer service. Everything in this nursery is top quality. But don't just take the word of the dilettante, Walter Pall will tell you the same thing. The only thing I don't like about this nursery - they don't take credit cards. If you want the goods, park on the street and bring cash.

Here's proprietor Gary Ishii with some grafted shimpakus he was working on.

 Gary's faithful watchdog.

Excellent pines (probably grafted).

 Possibly the healthiest California juniper I've ever seen. Look at the shoots at the top of this thing.

 An example of the grafted pre-bonsai stock.

 One of the thickest trunks I've ever seen on a boxwood.

Itoigawa mother tree.

The 2014 Descanso Bonsai Society Show

“A garden to walk in and immensity to dream in--what more could he ask? A few flowers at his feet and above him the stars.”― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

I like this quote because it reminds me of the beauty of a spectacular garden such as the Descanso Gardens, which I joined as a member last weekend, and also because it is from Les Mis, which I saw on stage for the first time last night.

The Descanso Bonsai Society annual bonsai show was held at Descanso Gardens last weekend, and I checked it out right after I saw Sansui-Kai's show. This was probably the largest show I've seen so far this year. There were more than 60 trees on display, not including accents, demos and plants for sale. It was a very strong show. I've put up a gallery that you can peruse by clicking the image below.

 

The 2014 Sansui Kai Show

“Encino is, like, so bitchen.” ― Andrea, from Frank Zappa's Valley Girl

 The Sansui-Kai bonsai show was held last weekend in conjunction with the Los Angeles Cactus and Succulent Society show at the Sepulveda Recreation Center in Encino. I'm in that club, but I didn't show a tree. I've put up a gallery that you can peruse by clicking the image below.

The Saddest Little Mallsai Ever

“Trader Joe’s has proven how cultural awareness can cultivate business growth.” ― Glenn Llopis, Forbes Magazine

But not in bonsai culture. This might be the sorriest set of ugly mallsai I've ever set my eyes upon.

Nine bucks? For a tiny little nana juniper cutting in a wooden pot with an ugly rock and some unkempt moss? Even roadside mallsai peddlers do better than that.

Seriously, I have cuttings from THIS YEAR that look better than this. And the worst part about it, I saw two people buy this stuff. SMH.

Seaweed Fertilizer Update

“No man ought to look a given horse in the mouth.” ― John Heywood

At the end of March, I started the process of rotting some seaweed to make free fertilizer. I blogged about it here. I was expecting to see a completely decomposed soup of brown fertilizer within six weeks. Now, it's been somewhere closer to 10 weeks and it still looks like this:

That looks like it's a few weeks away still. When I decide to use it, I'm going to screen it into another bucket and put the stuff that strains out into the garden. The rest I will pour into one gallon contained and start applying them in a 16-1 dilution - after I have the finished product's salt conduct tested. I want to make sure my process took out the salt properly, lest I kill my plants.

On the assumption that it'll work, I've already started a second batch.

Bonsai Nursery Visits - Yamaguchi and Hashimoto

“Behind every small business, there’s a story worth knowing.” ― Paul Ryan

There is a good story behind Yamaguchi Bonsai Nursery, on Sawtelle Avenue in Los Angeles. It was opened in 1949 by founder George Yamaguchi, who passed away in 2005, leaving the nursery in the hands of his daughter, Marianne. The nursery carries more than just bonsai. In stock are many interesting and often unusual landscaping specimens, with everything necessary to perfectly accompany them. But I was there to check out the bonsai at the nursery awarded a "Best of L.A." designation by L.A. Weekly.

I was not disappointed. It had pre-bonsai stock, bonsai stock, and some very beautiful mature bonsai from George's collection.

Yamaguchi also has an extensive collection of pots, only some of which are bonsai pots. Tools, supplies and books are also for sale, although the selection is somewhat more limited than at some other bonsai nurseries in Southern California.

Any visit to Yamaguchi's is also worth a diversion over to the bonsai section at Hashimoto Nursery, which is practically next door, although not nearly as close in bonsai stock. Yamaguchi is at 1905 Sawtelle Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, while Hashimoto sits at 1935 Sawtelle Blvd.

General Guidelines for Display of Bonsai

“Success lies in the display...” ― Israelmore Ayivor

While displaying your trees is an artistic and individual exercise, there are some guidelines and expectations worth reviewing as your prepare to show your bonsai tree in a formal display.

The Tree

First and foremost, you want to present a tree that appears healthy and strong. Foliage should be groomed to remove unbalanced shoots, downward-facing needles, discolored leaves and other unsightly distractions. Branches should be wired into proper places, and wire should be orderly and unobtrusive. The tree must be established in the pot, as also, preferably, should be any moss on your soil. Weeds, debris, spiders, scale and other pests should not be present. Exposed soil surface should not show hard water stains or algae. Any deadwood should appear natural and not recently-stained with lime sulfur.

The Pot

Your pot should be cleaned to remove dirt, fertilizer or calcium deposits on the outside or edges. Mineral oil may help if water and a clean rag cannot get the job done alone. The size, shape and finish should be an appropriate match for your tree. The pot should not dominate the display. An outstanding or unusual pot should be paired with an outstanding or unusual tree.

The Stand

Your tree should not simply sit on the table, but can be displayed on a dai, a slab of wood or stone, a bamboo mat or other suitable stand. It should be larger than the pot, ideally by about one-third in both depth and width. The stand should be cleaned and, if appropriate, waxed or oiled before the show. If the stand has a border, the pot should be contained completely within that border.

Accents

Even when not displaying in a formal alcove with a scroll, the use of an accent of some sort is expected. The item should complement the tree without stealing the show. Some suitable examples may include a suiseki, a small sculpture of a person or animal, or a plant. If your tree does not immediately convey a season, then the season or mood of the display can be conveyed with the accent.  The accent item should not be redundant. For example, if your tree is in bloom, a flowering accent plant is not recommended. If you use a flowering accent plant, remove all but a few blooms so that the accent doesn’t draw attention away from your tree.

Arrangement

The tree and accent should not be the same size or height. Balance is important, but ideally, the entire display should roughly show or suggest a scalene triangle (or non-symetrical “A”).  If the trunk has movement in one direction or the other, the tree should lean toward the accent, which itself should draw attention back toward the tree to convey harmony.

Boxwood Trunk Chop

“The first cut is the deepest.” ― Cat Stevens

I have more than a hundred old boxwoods that have trunks between one and four inches thick. Having more than one tree gives a dilettante a chance to experiment, learn and try some things that other people advise even if it sounds like something you don't want to do. Like with this boxwood.

I thought I had a before photo, but apparently I don't. I can tell you about it though. It was two feet tall, with reverse taper about 18" above the soil line where the main branching off occurred. Below that, there was little taper. The trunk had little movement, and the little movement it had formed a pigeon-breast shape. It was ugly.

But it had nice nebari, especially on the near side, and it had this little sprout a couple of inches above the soil. So I let the sprout grow for a few weeks and then I chopped the trunk off right above it.

Now I can develop the fresh growth into a new trunk that will have good taper, some movement and an interesting hollow on the side, to be carved later.

If this was the only decent-sized boxwood I had, I would not have done this, no matter how many people told me it was a good idea. What fun would this be if it was my only bonsai? Or one of only a few?

Now it's on its way to becoming a potentially interesting bonsai tree.

 

Three Great Bonsai Books For Any Level of Experience

“As useful as websites and journals are, there's real value in books, too.” ― Jamais Cascio

Here's another one of my HubPages articles:

Three Great Books for Your Level of Experience.

 

 

 

June Bonsai Tasks

“Spring being a tough act to follow, God created June.” ― Al Bernsteine

 

Summer is upon us. Officially, it doesn't start until later this month, but it feels like it's been with us for a while. People in other parts of the U.S. may have had snowstorms in May, but in California, we had mostly hot days, and many were windy, too. Here's a list of some of the things I can or will do this month:

• Maintenance - The pests are becoming more active. I have to watch for spider mites, scale, aphids and ants. I've even had to start worrying about cats, squirrels and raccoons, so I bought a cat repellent mat from Daiso Japan and I'm putting it on my points of entry. Use of oil-based products should be avoided on hot days.
  .
• Placement - Turning the pots at mid-month continues. Deciduous trees get moved from full to partial sun every few weeks. I need to place species that are sensitive to full sun and heat (e.g.,maple) into partial shade or under cloths. My pines and junipers are now in the hottest, sunniest spot in my yard.
  .
• Watering - We are entering peak watering season. I water every morning automatically, then again when I get home. Every weekend, I'll do a very thorough heavy watering - once until it runs through the drainage hole, then again with a diluted fertilizer solution. I try to keep it as uniform as possible, so if a tree needs a little more water or a little less water, I might try to compensate instead by giving it more sun or less sun first. When we get our Southern California June Gloom, I water a little less.
  .
• Feeding - This is prime time for fertilizing and adding growth to developing trees. I'm using weekly feedings as part of my weekend watering routine. I'm using nitrogen on almost everything. I mix up the type of plant food each week. I've got Dyna-gro, Miracle-Gro, worm castings, bone and cottonseed meal, fish emulsion and, recently, rotten kelp stew. Pines need a lot of feeding in advance of de-candling later this month.
  .
• Wiring - Long vertical shoots can now be safely tied down if a horizontal branch is needed, though new shoots are hard to wire without damaging them. Recently defoliated trees can be wired more easily without all the leaves. Fully leafed-out trees are going to be harder to wire. I really have to watch for wire cutting into the bark, especially on younger, vigorous trees.
  .
• Pruning - Deciduous trees get their first defoliation this month. Diligently clip or pinch back new growth as needed, especially root suckers, unless you are keeping a sacrifice branch to thicken the trunk. Remove flowers that have wilted; cut back beyond the ovules to avoid going to seed. Black pines get de-candled this month, in two to three stages, starting with the lower, older and weaker branches.
  .
• Grafting - This is a good month for budding.
  .
• Transplanting - It is a good time for transplanting bougainvillea, azalea, schefflera, ficus and most other tropicals.
  .
• Collecting - Collecting native trees and most landscape species can continue this month, but it is starting to become more difficult. As we get toward and into summer, collecting successfully requires keeping large root balls intact.
  .
• Cuttings - It's not the best time to be taking cuttings, but they can still be successfully taken. It's a very good time for air layering most species.
  .
• Seeds - It's getting late in the season to plant seeds for deciduous trees, as they will not have enough time to sprout and grow before fall arrives. For evergreen species and species that take a long time to germinate, the seasonal timing is less important.
  .
• Planning - This is actually the month where I do the least amount of planning. I've been planning for months, but in June and July, I try to stand back and see where that planning takes me. Everything is growing out. I let it take its course. After I see where the new buds emerge, what stays strong and what becomes stronger, then I will reevaluate my trees and decide what to do with them next.

By the end of the month, the amount of sunlight will begin to decrease each day, but for now, it is time to make hay while the sun shines.

Five Species That Make Great Indoor Bonsai

“There are loads of websites devoted to me.” ― Ben Barnes

I decided to start putting some stuff on HubPages, starting with this article:

Five Species That Make Great Indoor Bonsai.

I call myself Bonsai Mister on HubPages. Check it out. But if you see an ad on there for BP, don't click. BP are a bunch of environment-raping bastards.

Bonsai Teachers in Southern California

“A true teacher is one who, keeping the past alive, is also able to understand the present.” ― Confucius (Analects 2.11)

(David Nguy teaching the annual care cycle for Japanese Black Pines to members of Kofu Bonsai Kai)

If you are looking to hire a bonsai instructor in Southern California, here is a list of instructors who are recommended by at least one local bonsai club. I'll add and subtract to the list in the post as I get more information. If you know of someone I'm missing, add a comment. Here they are, in alphabetical order:

Jim Barrett
Altadena, CA
(626) 789-0485

Gary Ishii (Chikugo-en Bonsai Nursery)
18110 S. Western Ave., Gardena, CA
(310) 323-4011

Michael Jonas
Reseda, CA
(818) 776-0813
[email protected]

Leila Kusumi
Gardena, CA
(310) 327-0216

Ted Matson
Pasadena, CA
(626) 398-8412

Roy Nagatoshi
Fuji Bonsai Nursery
13170 Glenoaks Bl.
Sylmar, CA
(818) 367-5372

David Nguy
Chino, CA
(714) 914-7001
[email protected]

Ben Oki
Culver City, CA
(310) 391-3966

Bob Pressler (Kimura Bonsai Nursery)
17230 Roscoe Blvd., Northridge, CA
(818) 343-4090

Lindsay Shiba (Mt. Fuji Gardens)
1555 W. Foothill Blvd., Upland, CA
(909) 985-2219

Two For The Price of One Junipers

“It's like a 'buy one, get one free'.” ― Michael Sykes

You just about never see pre-bonsai go on sale at a nursery. But necessity being the mother of invention, you can sometimes make your own sales. Michael Sykes taught me how last year at a demonstration for the annual show of Dai Ichi Bonsai Kai. I'm sure I'm not the only one who went home and tried it. Essentially, he recommended purchasing taller foemina junipers and, rather than cutting them back to make your upright-style tree, air layering them to get more than one.

I made my air layer at the end of last summer, and waited until the middle of spring to check on it. It worked. I found roots.

These were enough roots to warrant opening it up to see if there were more. I concluded that there were enough to cut the air layer off and pot my new juniper.

The host tree now has a flat top, but I can wire one of those branches up to form a new apex, or I can jin the top and make a dead apex. I don't have to decide that anytime soon.

Here are the roots of the new tree. That's enough to get it going. It's a little light on the right side, so I scratched it and put a little rooting hormone on there before potting it.

I put my new tree in an 8" round plastic pot and put it into a semi-shady spot that only gets morning sun. That's were it has stayed since the middle of April. Next month, I'll move it to a sunnier, hotter spot in the garden.

Buying Rock Slabs

“What are men to rocks and mountains?” ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

I wanted to buy some rock slabs for a couple of projects I was working on, so I decided to check out SWB, Southwest Boulder & Stone, located at 20772 Indian Ocean Dr., Lake Forest, California.  They also have locations in San Diego, Fallbrook, Cathedral City and Indio.

I thought it might be expensive, but they sell this stuff by the pound, which makes a thin slab or two very cheap. Much cheaper than a comparably-sized bonsai pot or dai. I pick up a few and I am sure I'll be back for more before too long.

They also sell decomposed granite cheap. 500 pounds for $10.

General Guidelines for Display of Bonsai

“Show class, have pride, and display character.” ― Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant

(Note: my photo, but not my tree. I believe it is Carol Upston's)

 

When done right, a bonsai display looks almost effortless, like someone just dropped a miniature tree into a pot, set it on something and stuck it next to some other piece of decor that somehow, magically, all seems to work. When someone outside the hobby looks at a formal bonsai display, they might not notice that the displayed trees all follow certain guidelines and expectations. Even though displaying trees is an artistic and individual exercise, there are some rules that one should generally follows.

 

The Tree.  First and foremost, you want to present a tree that appears healthy and strong. Foliage should be groomed to remove unbalanced shoots, downward-facing needles, discolored leaves and other unsightly distractions. Branches should be wired into proper places, and wire, if visible, should be orderly and unobtrusive. The tree must be established in the pot, as also, preferably, should be any moss on your soil. Weeds, debris, spiders, scale and other pests should not be present. Exposed soil surface should not show hard water stains or algae. Any deadwood should appear natural and not recently-stained with lime sulfur.

 

The Pot.  Your pot should be cleaned to remove dirt, fertilizer or calcium deposits on the outside or edges. Mineral oil may help if water and a clean rag cannot get the job done alone. The size, shape and finish should be an appropriate match for your tree (for example, on this juniper, an unglazed pot is most appropriate). The pot should not dominate the display. An outstanding or unusual pot should be paired with an outstanding or unusual tree.

 

The Stand.   Your tree should not simply sit on the table, but can be displayed on a dai, a slab of wood or stone, a bamboo mat or other suitable stand. It should be larger than the pot, ideally by about one-third in both depth and width. The stand should be cleaned and, if appropriate, waxed or oiled before the show. If the stand has a border, the pot should be contained completely within that border.

 

The Accent Piece.  Even when not displaying in a formal alcove with a scroll, the use of an accent of some sort is expected. The item should complement the tree without stealing the show. Some suitable examples may include a suiseki, a small sculpture of a person or animal, or a plant. If your tree does not immediately convey a season, then the season or mood of the display can be conveyed with the accent.  The accent item should not be redundant. For example, if your tree is in bloom, a flowering accent plant is not recommended. If you use a flowering accent plant, remove all but a few blooms so that the accent doesn’t draw attention away from your tree.

 

The Arrangement.  The tree and accent should not be the same size or height. Balance is important, but ideally, the entire display should roughly show or suggest a scalene triangle. If the trunk has movement in one direction or the other, the tree should lean toward the accent, which itself should draw attention back toward the tree to convey harmony.

 

Done right, they are a pleasure to behold.

Santa Anita Bonsai Society Show

“My dream since I was a kid was to show in a gallery.” ― David LaChapelle

(A prior best-of-show winner)

The Santa Anita Bonsai Society will present its bonsai exhibition this weekend, May 24-26, 2014, at the Los Angeles Arboretum. This is the same location that hosted the Baikoen Winter Silhouettes Show - Ayres Hall, L.A. County Arboretum, 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia, California.

Because of the holiday weekend, this is a three-day show. Hours are Saturday-Monday, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Daily demos will be held at 1 p.m. There is no reception planned this year.

The club also announced that Judy Davis will be holding an estate sale for the bonsai possesions of Kay and Khan Komai.  The sale starts Friday 5/23/2014 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon at 5033 Baldwin Ave., Temple City, California 91780.  The bonsai portion will be a private sale to the bonsai community.  The general public will be invited on 5/24/2014.  There will be hundreds of items for sale.

Why I Love Bonsai Club Raffles

“Winner! Winner! Chicken dinner!” ―Las Vegas card dealers

This is my new pot. There are many others like it, but this one is mine. Because I won it last night at the raffle drawing at Kofu Bonsai Kai. It's about 20" x 16" x 4", which makes it one of the biggest pots in my collection.

This would be considered a masculine pot, because it is deep, with strong angular features and a strong lip. Rectangular pots are most suitable for coniferous trees or big deciduous trees with strong taper, a wide base and strong nebari. But unglazed pots are best for junipers and pines. This might be a good pot for a really strong bougainvillea, maple, olive, azalea or elm. It's big enough for my California juniper, but I'm not sure I want that one in a blue pot. This pot will probably sit empty in my garage until next spring when I finally put some of my larger trees into bonsai pots. For now, I'm just glad I have it.

Putting Down Juniper Roots

“The roots are still there, it just takes time. Don't say I never gave you anything.” ― Nathan Scott

I like Cheryl Manning's Trash to Treasure features on her Better Bonsai site, but if you want to literally turn trash into treasure in bonsai, you do it with cuttings. Often, the clippings from a tree styling go straight into the trash if no one wants them, but you can usually grab a few just for the asking, and if you put them into water or damp paper or cloth until you get home, they can be rooted and turned into new trees.

About three months ago, I started a bunch of juniper cuttings - shimpaku, itoigawa, kishu, foemina, even Hollywood - 72 in total. I got almost all of them from other people's trees. I filled the tray over the course of about 2 weekends. I put them on top of a 20° heating pad, in a mix that was almost 50-50 with coarse builder's sand and perlite (next time, I'll mix in some peat moss, too, and I'll use smaller cuttings) and I kept them warm and wet until some of them because new trees. I followed these steps:

1.    Prepare the soil mix

2.    Clip the cuttings to 2" to 3" high with sharp scissors

3.     Dip the cuttings in water and apply root-tone or some other rooting powder or gel

5.     Poke holes in every square that is getting a cutting. 

6.    Gently place the cutting in the hole and tamp down

7.    Soak thoroughly with a mister and cover with a plastic dome.

8.     Mist thoroughly at least 3 times daily.

I lost all of the California juniper cuttings. No surprise there, and really no loss. They take 100 years to look really good. I also lost most of the trees that were right in the center. They shriveled and turned brown. I think they got too hot once or twice and that killed any potential roots.

But after a couple of months, a lot of the outside itoigawas and kishus were putting on new growth, so I decided to pluck them all after three months. Some of those had grown little root balls.

I moved the ones with roots into larger 3" round pots with bonsai soil. And now they are sitting there, tiny side branches no more, suddenly in the position of rooting and developing a new apex way from the others of their kind.

There they are, my next 15 rooted cuttings. This is how I plan to add 50-100 new shimpakus to my collection each year. Next spring, I will plant these in the ground, on my hill, and let them fatten up. Few things in bonsai are better than free trees.

Soon-Dead Junipers for Sale

“La plus belle des ruses du diable est de vous persuader qu'il n'existe pas."("The devil's finest trick is to persuade you that he does not exist.”― Charles Baudelaire, Paris Spleen

Is his worst trick to persuade you that he does exist? Because that's the indoor juniper's worst trick.

Indoor junipers do not exist. The ad below is a lie. If you buy a juniperus prostrata, or any other juniper, and you make it an indoor tree, you will kill it. That "indoor" juniper is a waste of five bucks, and it will never, ever, look anything like the photo.

You may find articles in reputable publications talking about how to take care of your indoor juniper, but they are wrong, too. Ask any reputable bonsai teacher or bonsai seller and they will tell you, unless you are overwintering your tree, or bringing it inside temporarily to display it, you need to keep your junipers outside, or they will die.

Oh sure, I've heard of people who set up indoor light and ventilation systems that can be used to grow anything indoors, but you don't have those, do you? And if you said yes, you didn't buy them to grow junipers, did you?

2014 Dai Ichi Show Trees

“Perfection: a collection of a variety of pieces that, when viewed and felt individually, are difficult and confusing; but when brought together as one, create a perfect picture. Symphony, harmony, serenity.”― C. JoyBell

Here's the gallery. Click the photo before to view all 30+ trees.

As long as I'm posting photos, I thought I'd share one of this accent display. A dandelion with a drawf pomegranate.

I'd have never thought of this combination. I'd love to hear more about this arrangement.

San Diego Bonsai Club 2014 Spring Show

"Thanks be to God, I have arrived at this port of San Diego. It is beautiful to behold and does not belie its reputation.” ― Father Junipero Serra

Happy World Bonsai Day!

San Diego Bonsai Club had its 2014 Spring Show the last weekend of April. Even though I am in that club, I did not attend because I had events both days in Orange County. I did see a bunch of photos of the trees and some displays and vendor tables, though. I got my photos (with permission) from an Imgur album by redditor PolarNimbus. Here are some of my favorites:

Here's a link to a gallery with more photos on the club's website.

Tomorrow is National Bonsai Day

“No holiday is ever anything but a disappointment.” ― Aldous Huxley, Crome Yellow

Here's one that won't be. World Bonsai Day, the second Saturday of May, which is May 10 this year (and is the day before Mother's Day in 6 out of 7 years). World Bonsai Day celebrates Saburo Kato’s belief that bonsai has the power to unite people by acting as a bridge to international friendship and peace. There's not much you need to do to enjoy it. Just relax and appreciate your trees.

If you want to get out and share the day with others, here in Southern Cal;ifornia, there is the San Pu Kai Annual Bonsai Show & Sale at the Carlsbad Flower Fields, 5704 Paseo Del Norte, Carlsbad, CA, 9:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m., with demos at 1 p.m.

In D.C., the U.S. National Arboretum has an event starting at 10 a.m. with demos at noon and 2 p.m.

Orange Empire Bonsai Society's Spring Garden Trees

“Everything blossoms from the live shows.”― Xavier Rudd

 Here's my album of photos from the Orange Empire display at South Coast Plaza. It's only 16 photos, although there were more like 20 displays. The few trees that aren't in the album are the ones that were too blurry or dark in the photos. If your tree isn't in the album, but was in the show, I apologize.  If you can hook me up with a better photo of your tree, I'll add it.

To view the album, click on the photo below:

Serenity Through Bonsai - The 2014 Dai Ichi Show in Gardena

“Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity.”― Lao Tzu

This weekend is the Dai Ichi Bonsai Kai annual show, Serenity Through Bonsai. There were round robin demonstrations today, featuring a variety of trees styled by club members. 

There are trees, pots and related items for sale by club members, tools and supplies sold by local vendors and Asian artwork for sale by local artists.

And, of course, there were trees on formal display. As usual, I'll get a gallery up later. For now, here is a shot of the feature tree - Ted Oka's kishu shimpaku Chinese juniper.

The show is at the Ken Nakaoka Community Center, 1670 W. 162nd St. Hours are 10 AM – 4 PM, both days. Novice to master bonsai exhibits. Beginner’s hands-on workshop at 10:30 AM Saturday followed by a 1 PM round-robin demonstration, and Sunday at 1 PM a Saikei demonstration by Mr. Frank Goya will be held. The demonstration items will be in the benefit drawing, which follows each demonstration.

May Bonsai Tasks

“April is a promise that May is bound to keep.” ― Hal Borland

April promised an early and hot summer, and I suspect we will have that this year in Southern California. Here's a list of some of the things I can or will do this month as my bougainvilleas bloom and the last of my dormant trees shart pushing out foliage like there's no tomorrow:

• Maintenance - I'll spray for insects as needed, and use sulphur dust if mildew becomes a problem.
• Placement - My pines and junipers are all in full sun now. Maples and sweetgums are on the north end, getting mostly morning sun and afternoon shade. I'm still trying to rotate to protect against lopsided growth.
• Watering - Watering gets heavy this month. Most of my trees will need water every day, enough to keep them damp but not wet. Except the bald cypress and cottonwood, which I keep pretty wet. During hot or windy weather, I might water more than once a day. I had a couple of days like that this week. It's gotten to the point where it takes me almost an hour to water everything by hand, so I'm going to put most of the benches under sprinkler or mister setups to automate much of the process. Even if it takes all day to set up, the break-even point is about a week and a half.
• Feeding - I'm continuing with weekly feedings using a balanced NPK mix. I use half-strength when doing chemical mixes like Dyna-gro or Miracle-gro, regular strength for worm castings, cottonseed meal and similar natural fertilizers. I am on the verge of throwing my bone and blood meal in the trash. The dogs and raccoons like it too much. I'm having trouble with the fish emulsion, too. When I use that, the critters seem assume that I left them a delicious bass to eat, and all they have to do is dig until they find it. that. Trees with fruits or berries get a low or no nitrogen mix. I don't use rapeseed cakes. Because they are called rapeseed cakes and that doesn't sound like something I want to use.
• Wiring - I'm carefully watching existing wire. If it looks too tight, I'll remove it before it digs into the bark. I can wire deciduous tree branches that have hardened off. during growing season. Anything getting tight needs to be removed and re-wired as needed.
• Pruning - My benches are filling with foliage. On several trees, I can't see the trunks. Maples, elms and zelkovas can be defoliated this month. I won't do it to weak or freshly repotted trees, but each week, I'm going to strip a quarter of the strong ones. I can do it again later in the summer. Even among trees that don't get refoliated, I'm pruning a lot this month, especially on and around the apex. For deciduous trees, new shoots get pruned back to 2 or 3 sets of leaves once they get to be more than about 5 or 6 inches long. On older deciduous trees, this pruning should wait until the shoot has hardened off much later in the year, perhaps as late as winter. May is generally a little too early to start to pinch back new candles on younger pines, starting at the bottom, but this year, I might do it a little sooner than in a typical year.
• Grafting - This is the best month to graft late-sprouting deciduous trees, but I don't have any deciduous trees I want to graft this year.
• Transplanting - May is usually still prime time for transplanting, soil replacement and root pruning. This year, however, I'm about done repotting most of my trees. John Naka's books says to stop repotting early sprouting deciduous trees like apple and plum, but move forward with late sprouting trees like pomegranate, cotoneaster and pyracantha. I'm looking at the trees and seeing trees that are acting like it's June already, so I might start in with the tropicals now, but the rest, I'm done. If I change my mind and repot something, I'm going to prune very few roots during the process.
• Collecting - It's a good time to start collecting native material at higher elevations. I am working on a plan to get some collecting permits and do a road trip soon. Collecting local garden material is still an option, but if we get a massive hot windy spell like we did this week, the newly collected material will be stressed.
• Cuttings - This is the best time to be taking cuttings. It's still a good time for junipers, and in Southern California, we can already start softwood cuttings. It's an especially good time to make pomegranate cuttings, and I plan to do quite a few of those this spring.
• Seeds - Now is still a good time to plant seeds.
• Planning - I'm thinking about some group plantings soon. Maybe even a Goshen-like slab. To do that, I might want to buy a couple of tall foeminas and get them air-layering as soon as possible. I'm also starting to look carefully at my trees for potential show-worthiness. I'm still probably not going to put anything in a show this year, but this month, I'll decide whether anything has even a chance of being worth putting into a fall show.

Summer comes next month!

Collecting More Yard Material

“There’s no experience quite like cutting your own live Christmas tree out of your neighbor’s yard.”― Dan Florence, Zombies Love Pizza

Well, there is another experience like it. Cutting your own boxwood or privet bonsai out of your neighbor's yard. With permission, of course. Earlier this month, I got a chance to collect these from a fellow club member who was completely redoing a 30 or 40 year old landscape.

The toughest job of the morning was digging out this decades-old privet. It was a good 8+ feet high when we started. I pruned a lot of large branches off first, then started digging for about 45 minutes or so. Before long, it was out, wrapped in a sack and ready to be put into my car.

Yes. It fits.

The roots go in the front passenger seat and the apex goes in the driver's side back seat. I've gotten 10 foot tall junipers home that way. Who needs a truck?

I also got three interesting old boxwoods.

They are planted in pure pumice for now. Regular bonsai soil next year.

For this collecting trip, I needed less stuff than usual. A friend brought a pry bar, and our host provided pumice and old nursery pots, and had a hose hooked up, so sprayers and burlap sacks weren't needed. All I needed was my cordless saw, a shovel, a mattock, an ax and some loppers and I got some fun bonsai material absolutely free. There's no other experience quite like it.

The Art of Bonsai at the Spring Garden Show

“It's spring fever.  That is what the name of it is.  And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!” ― Mark Twain

The Spring Garden Show at South Coast Plaza is underway, ending tomorrow. Tonight, Peter Macasieb did a demo on a Caifornia juniper that was raffled off and won by the gentleman on the left in the photo below.

The House of Bonsai is selling plants and supplies, and the Orange Empire Bonsia Society has several tables with members' trees on display. I'll try to get a gallery up later. For now, if you want to see the trees, head down to South Coast Plaza and you'll find them on the second floor, near the Macy's Home Furniture Store.

Upcoming Events - April, May & June in Southern California

“I check my calendar seven times a day.” ― Anna Paquin

 If you like going to bonsai exhibits, like these folks, and you live in or plan to visit Southern California in the next two months or so, mark your calendars. It's springtime, and there are a bunch of events coming soon.

April 24-27, 2014, South Coast Plaza Garden Show – Orange Empire Bonsai
Annual Exhibit for Orange Empire Bonsai Society at the South Coast Plaza Garden Show
South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, CA.  92626
Demonstrations and raffles to be included.
http://www.springgardenshow.com
 
April 26-27, 2014, Spring Bonsai Show and Sale – San Diego Bonsai Club
Balboa Park, Casa Del Prado #101, San Diego, CA
Saturday-Sunday, 10:00 a.m. –5:00 p.m., Demos daily from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
http://www.sandiegobonsaiclub.com/show.html
 
May 3-4, 2014, 28th Annual Bonsai Exhibit, Serenity Through Bonsai – Dai Ichi Bonsai Kai
Ken Nakaoka Community Center, 1670 W. 162nd St., Gardena, CA
Beginner’s workshops, bonsai demonstration, vendors and member sales
Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., Sunday 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m., Reception 6:00 p.m. Saturday
http://daiichibonsaikai.wordpress.com

May 10-11, 2014, Annual Bonsai Show & Sale – San Pu Kai
Carlsbad Flower Fields, 5704 Paseo Del Norte, Carlsbad, CA
Saturday-Sunday, 9:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m., demos at 1 p.m. each day
http://www.sanpukai.org

May 17-18, 2014, Annual Bonsai Show – Bonsai Club of Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, 1212 Mission Canyon Rd, Santa Barbara, CA 93105
Saturday 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., Sunday, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., demos at 1 p.m. each day
http://www.santabarbarabonsai.org/
 
May 24-26, 2014, Annual Show – Santa Anita Bonsai Society
Ayres Hall, L.A. County Arboretum, 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia, CA
Saturday-Monday, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., demos at 1 p.m.
http://sabonsai.org

June 14-15, 2014, Annual Show at Descanso Gardens – Descanso Bonsai Society
1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge, CA
Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., demos at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Sales area is open to the public, admission to the exhibit is free with admission to Descanso /gardens. Reception Saturday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
http://descanso-bonsai.com/
 
June 14-15, 2014, Annual Show – Sansui Kai of Southern California
Sepulveda Garden Center, 16633 Magnolia Blvd., Encino, CA
Saturday 9 a.m.to 5 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
http://www.sansui-kai.org/

Cheap Bonsai Supplies at Daiso Japan Market

“I've reached a point in my life where going to the supermarket is a day out.” ― Ashley Jensen

The dollar stores can be a decent place to get cheap tools and supplies for your garden if you are on a budget or you want to do a large quantity of something that requires label sticks, little pots or similar supplies. For an extra 50 cents, you can also get stuff at Daiso Japan, which sells cheap Japanese products, mostly for $1.50. Some stuff I found recently at an Orange County Daiso Japan store included:

Sifters. They came in three different sizes useful for sifting your bonsai soil mix. The disadvantage - the sifters are only about 6 or 8 inches in diameter, so they much smaller than the ones you'll find at bonsai supply houses. But at $4.50 for three sizes, it's a good start if you can't afford $90 or more on a fancier set of sieves.

How much did you pay for your drainage hole screens? I'll bet you paid more than 50 cents each for 20cm x 30cm screens. This three-pack is $1.50 and it'll cover a whole lot of pots' drainage hole covers.

Do you like to use colanders as training pots? A lot of bonsaiists do, and this is the best place I've seen to get a variety of good cheap plastic colanders.

That's not all, of course. I saw hand saws, good for reducing roots during repotting, plastic soil scoops, clips and ties, posts and arches, shovels, burlap sacks, whisk brooms, shade cloth, pots, and all sorts of things useful in the garden. The larger pots and a few other items are priced above $1.50 (well-marked), but almost everything is $1.50 or less.

I ended up dropping about $35 there last week, and the first three items I purchased were on my shopping list for my next visit to the bonsai nursery, where I would have spent $40, at least. That makes the rest of the purchase practically free.

You can find Daiso Japan stores in California in Irvine, Torrance, Koreatown, the West Side, Monterey Park, Gardena, San Gabriel, Temple City, Northridge, Artesia, Buena Park, Hacienda Heights, Anaheim, Stanton, Chino Hills and Mira Mesa.

In Northern California Alameda, Cupertino, Daly City, Mountain View, San Francisco and San Jose also have Daiso Japan stores.

25th Annual Spring Garden Show, South Coast Plaza

“My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece.” ― Claude Monet

I would imagine that Monet must have had a pretty good garden if that was his most beautiful masterpiece. If you want your own masterpiece, a good place to start is by going to a garden show. As a bonsai enthusiast, I think bonsai trees are a great addition to almost any garden.

From April 24–27, 2014, Orange Empire Bonsai Society will be displaying their bonsai trees at the 25th Annual Spring Garden Show at South Coast Plaza, located at 3333 Bear St., Costa Mesa, California. Their presentation will include a display of trees in the traditional Japanese style,  bonsai and accent plant demonstrations by club masters.

For more information, contact club president David Nadzam at (714) 345-6966 or [email protected].

The Windsong Museum

“The museums already have enough statues.” ― Mandy Hale, The Single Woman: Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass

There is an exhibit this weekend in Escondido at the Windsong Museum of Trees, located at The Centre in Escondido, 1205 Auto Park Way, Escondido, CA 92029. As far as I can tell, this location is primarily a car dealership, so I'm guessing that this is just a temporary bonsai exhibit. Admission is $15.

Update:

Yes, this photo from their Facebook page shows how it's set up. This is on the second floor of a dealership.

They appear to have a decent collection on display.

Coban Instead of Raffia?

"When you encounter difficulties and contradictions, do not try to break them, but bend them with gentleness and time." ― Saint Francis de Sales

Instead of raffia, have you ever considered using coban wraps when you are protecting the bark through a very heavy bend?

 

Ready to bend!

Coban wraps are one of those elastic medical bandages that are self-adhesive without using any glue or sticky residue. There are several similar products, often sold as store brands at places like Walgreens, CVS or RiteAid. It's not as cheap as raffia, but it's not exactly expensive, either, and it is a lot easier to use than raffia, which you need to pre-soak and then carefully wrap around your tree bits at a time. You can get five yard rolls for about two bucks each. At Walgreens you can get 5 yards of it for a buck or two via the Internet.

It's also good for wrapping roots into place around a rock if you are doing one of those exposed root plantings over a rock. I didn't get a photo of that when I did in a few weeks ago, but I can assure you, it worked, and I don't need to worry about it cutting into the roots or creating scars.

Hanging Scrolls

“The poets' scrolls will outlive the monuments of stone.” ― Edmund Spenser

Honestly, if I had to bet on it, I would bet on the suiseki and the pots outlasting the scroll. However, I like the scrolls better than the stone monuments, even though I don't own any scrolls, referred to in Japanese as kakemono (掛物, "hanging"), or more often, kakejiku (掛軸?, "hung scroll").

As I continue to plan for participating in my first formal bonsai exhibit, which probably won't be until next year, I've managed to sit in on a couple of discussions regarding the use of scrolls, and I've read several good articles on the topic, and here's what I've learned:

The classic way of displaying your bonsai is in an alcove with three harmonious elements that form a scalene triangle (so, for example, a tree leaning to the right should be placed on the left side of the display, and your scroll will usually be the tallest point in the display, and will be centered). This form of display is called a tokonoma, and it is common both at bonsai exhibits and in private homes in Japan. It traditionally has a tree on one side or the other, a hanging scroll, called a kakejiku (usually in the center and the highest part of the display) and a stone (suiseki), accent plant (such as a kusamono) or some other ornamental object (like an okimono) on the other side. Typically, and especially in the case of a home tokonoma, the scroll and/or the the accent piece will convey the season if it is not readily apparent from looking at the tree. This "rule" is less applicable in a bonsai show, where reflecting the season is not necessarily as important. In a bonsai exhibit, the scroll should never overpower the visual impact of the tree, but in one's home, the tokonoma might very well have a scroll as its primary focus.

Herb's display at the Dai Ichi's Serenity Through Bonsai show.

Hanging scrolls can be Shin (formal), Gyou (semi-formal) or Sou (informal). The most formal tokonoma are highlighted by more formal hanging scrolls. Elements that make a hanging scroll more formal include fuutai (strips at the top), and gold backing called ichimonji. Gyou do not contain the fuutai. Sou will have neither fuutai nor ichimonji.

When displaying bonsai, the hanging scroll's purpose is to fill out the triangular display and emphasize the season or mood of the arrangement without simply aping another element of the display. The elements should compliment one another without redundancy. For example, if the primary element of the display is a flowering bonsai that is in bloom, a scroll with flowers would not be ideal. If the tree is planted over a rock, or there is a dramatic stone in the display, one would not want a stone to be prominently featured in the scroll, although a rocky mountainside might be outstanding. Images are generally more popular than symbols or calligraphy. Images of trees are less popular than other images, such as fish, animals, insects, flowers, grass, mountains, a sun, moon, snowflakes, raindrops, rivers, architecture. Generally, people are not preferred subjects.

There are several ways a season can be conveyed in the scroll. For example, Mt. Fuji is a popular subject for scrolls. Seasons can be inferred from the presence of snow, rain, green trees or barren trees. and so on with each depiction capturing a specific time of year and even the time of day.

• Spring can be suggested with flowers, cherry blossoms or a crocus shoot, litters of young animals, such as ducklings, or kits;
• Summer can be suggested with warm colors, a hot sun, a green forest or landscape, cattails, cicadas, dragonflies, frogs or turtles;
• Fall might be conveyed with a falling leaf or a branch of yellow, orange or red leaves.  A rising or setting some;
• Winter can be seen with snow on a mountain, hill or a tree branch, ice or icicle, a water bird or setting moon, barren trees or branches, or wafting smoke.

It is not important to convey season if it is very obvious from the bonsai tree in the display (or even from the accent plant or stone). If you are showing a liquidambar that is red and orange, your scroll need not suggest autumn, because your tree already makes that clear. If you are showing a winter silhouette, there's no need to put a snow-capped mountain on a scroll in your display. It is clear that we are in winter. You could use almost anything in a scroll with such a tree - a poem in script, a bird, a rock, or anything else that doesn't clash with or overpower the tree itself. One of my favorites was a cascade over rock display that was accompanied by a scroll showing a seabird, calling to mind the imagery of a free growing out of an oceanfront cliff.

In Japan, antique silk scrolls can sell for more than a million dollars if the artist is famous and sought after, but you can start with something very inexpensive from your local import, home decor or Asian specialty store.

Southern California Bonsai Sellers and Nurseries

“Oh, the Places You'll Go!” ― Dr. Seuss

I don't always see people in online bonsai forums complaining that they have no clubs or bonsai nurseries within 200 miles of them, but when I do, I'm glad that I live in Southern California, where there are many clubs and many sellers within a short drive.

None of the first three bonsai nurseries I ever visited are still around. Gone are Murata Bonsai Nursery (Westminster), Ikeda Bonsai Nursery (Buena Park) and that one that used to be on a corner of East 1st Street in L.A., just east of Little Tokyo. I can'r remember its name, but I loved stopping in on my way to Los Angeles whenever I had business in the city.

Despite the loss of these three favorites, however, there are still many choices and sources for Southern California bonsaiists.

Here are the retail and wholesale bonsai sellers and nurseries I know about in Southern California [alphabetically, by city]:

Chino - EASTERN LEAF
4789 Cheyenne Way, Chino, CA 91710
(909) 517-2990
Jason Chan, proprietor
[email protected]
Retail store and mail order

 

El Cajon - KUMA BONSAI NURSERY
1131 Pepper Dr. El Cajon, CA 92021
(619) 258-0469
Cindy, Reed
Retail (full service) bonsai nursery

 

Gardena - CHIKUGO-EN BONSAI NURSERY
18110 S. Western Ave., Gardena, CA 90248 
(310) 323-4011
Gary Ishii, proprietor/teacher
Retail (full service) bonsai nursery

 

Huntington Beach - AKITA BONSAI NURSERY
8641 Warner Ave., Huntington Beach, CA 92706
(714) 848-7709
[email protected]
Retail bonsai and general landscaping nursery

 

Lakewood - HOUSE OF BONSAI
5214 Palo Verde Ave., Lakewood, CA 90713
(562) 804-6888
Vicky Lee, owner.
Wholesale and retail (full service) bonsai nursery

 

Los Angeles - WEST AMERICA IMPORT & EXPORT
1653 N. Main St., Los Angeles, California 90012
(323) 223-9102
David Nguy, proprietor/teacher.
Bonsai tools, pots & accessories

 

Los Angeles - YAMAGUCHI BONSAI NURSERY
1905 Sawtelle Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 473-5444
Yamaguchi family owned and operated
Retail bonsai nursery

 

Orange - UPLAND NURSERY
1518 N Tustin St, Orange, CA 92867
(714) 538-4500
Retail garden center and bonsai nursery

 

Northridge - KIMURA BONSAI AND LANDSCAPE NURSERY
17230 Roscoe Blvd., Northridge, CA 91325
(818) 343-4090 Fax Phone: (818) 343-6101
Bob Pressler, proprietor/teacher
[email protected]
Retail (full service) bonsai nursery

 

Phelan - KIM'S BONSAI NURSERY
8575-A Phelan Rd., Phelan, CA 92371
(760) 947-0409
Benny Kim, proprietor
[email protected]
Retail (full service) bonsai nursery

 

Rosemead - BEN K BONSAI
2301 Kelburn Ave., Rosemead, CA 91770
(626)573-5642
[email protected]
Wholesale and retail bonsai nursery

 

Sylmar -  FUJI BONSAI NURSERY
13170 Glenoaks,  Sylmar, CA 91342
(818) 367-5372
Roy Nagatoshi, proprietor/teacher
[email protected]
Retail (full service) bonsai nursery

 

Thousand Oaks - CALIFORNIA BONSAI STUDIO
1225 La Peresa Dr., Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
(805) 870-4187
Travis Goldstein
[email protected]
Retail (full service) bonsai nursery

 

Upland - MT. FUJI GARDEN CENTER
1555 W Foothill Blvd, Upland, CA 91786
(909) 985-2219
Lindsay Shiba, proprietor
Retail garden center and bonsai nursery

 

 

April Bonsai Tasks

“April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.” ― William Shakespeare in Sonnet XCVIII

Spring is popping out all over my yard and in the hills above us. The only plants I own that aren't pushing out new growth are a percentage of my recent bare root purchases from nurseries in the eastern time zone. I've repotted most of the trees that needed new soil, and next I'm moving on to transferring some of my developing stock into larger pots. Because spring came very early to Southern California, I'm also well into pruning season, particularly with the 100+ Chinese elm volunteers I collected last year. Here's a list of some of the things I can or will do this month:

• Maintenance - I'll spray for insects as needed. The ones I find most often are aphids and, on my bougainvilleas, loopers.
• Placement - If we get a major heat wave, which we will this coming week, anything with a lot of new tender shoots will get moved into shade. All of the plants get rotated at mid-month to guard against one-sided growth. I'm also going to spread the trees out a bit since I got my new benches done.
• Watering - Watering will be steady this month. Most of my trees will need water every day. During heat spells, maybe more than once a day. If I want to slow the growth of some plants, I'll withhold water a bit. This is particularly true for pines that are fully mature, where you want to reduce needle size. As it sits for me, however, I've pruned my pines this season and do not want to discourage growth in them.
• Feeding - I'm starting regular feedings, with nitrogen. I'll mix the feedings up, using worm castings one week, Dyna-gro the next, cottonseed meal after that. Trees with fruits or berries get a lower nitrogen mix.
• Wiring - I'm not wiring my ficus trees yet, but almost everything else is ready for any wire that is needed for the tree's next shaping. I might defoliate some extremely full trees before their next wiring.
• Pruning - New growth will be pinched back as needed, and root suckers get clipped almost immediately. On deciduous trees, new shoots get pruned back to 2 or 3 sets of leaves once they get to be more than about 5 or 6 inches long. On older deciduous trees, this pruning should wait until the shoot has hardened off much later in the year, perhaps as late as winter. April is also the time to pinch back new candles on old pines. Mine are all younger pines, so I will wait until May. This is a good time to defoliate ficus or deciduous trees that have fully entered the growing season and are building thick foliage with large leaves.
• Grafting - Grafting junipers and pines in my region will have to wait until next winter. This is the right time for grafting late-sprouting deciduous trees, but I'm probably not going to do any projects like that this spring.
• Transplanting - The next three months are prime time for transplanting, soil replacement and root pruning. Most of my deciduous trees got repotted this spring. All of my conifers that are still in nursery containers from purchases last year will be repotted, if they weren't already. Other conifers need to be repotted only every 3 to 5 years, so none of mine that are already in good soil are on track for repotting.
• Collecting - I have a dig scheduled for this month, and I'm in the process of procuring permits for a dig on some BLM land a few hours from my home.
• Cuttings - From now until May is the best time to be taking cuttings. It's an especially good time to make pomegranate cuttings, and I plan to do quite a few of those this spring, including some very thick ones.
• Seeds - I have all of my seeds out of cold storage and several have started putting out many little seedlings. The fresh Japanese maple and sweetgum seeds have germinated easily. Others haven't put much out in the first week or two. This is also a great time of year to plant fresh seeds that do not require stratification.
• Planning - This month, I will be assessing some of my borderline material. If it's not going to be suitable as bonsai within the next 5 years, I'm going to consider moving it, planting it out front, or even giving it away. With the elm seedlings, I'm going to cull the ones that are still not thriving. Even after the cull, more than 75% of the seedlings I collected last September will have survived, and all will be strong. The culled trees will open up space on the benches, which is a good thing.

Summer comes in two months.