September Bonsai Newsletter
2011
AW, September, that means cooler temperatures are just around the corner, okay maybe that is stretching it a bit, but they are coming. When the nights start getting longer, that means the morning temperatures will be cooling, so if you have any tropicals you haven’t repotted yet you best get on the ball.
If your trees are outside, where they should be, and received a lot of rain, any supplemental nutrients you have given them may be washed out. You will need to top dress with new soil if some has washed away and feed them. When we receive that much rain over consecutive days, it will break down the organic matter in your soil quicker than normal. Keep that in mind on your repotting schedule, you might need to do it sooner. Some trees don't really like having their roots that wet for so many days and can react by their leaves yellowing and/or dropping off. Treat them as you would after a normal defoliation by not applying too much water until new growth emerges. Keep a close eye out for mildew and other fungal problems. Refer back to July newsletter for use of fungicide.
It is still hot and will remain so for at least another month. Even so, your deciduous trees are preparing for dormancy, don't overfeed them now, that will promote too much new growth. If some of your tender leafed deciduous trees, especially maples, have suffered leaf burn, set them in full shade. It will better prepare them for dormancy and reduce stress. Your tropicals are still in their active growing season, be careful on feeding them too much towards the end of the month as not to promote too much new growth. Mature leaves can handle the shortened days and cooler nights coming in a couple months better. End of September into October is pre-hardening time and then end of October into November trees need to be hardened off in preparation for winter.
JIN AND SHARI... If you have any jin or shari you haven't treated yet, you are running out of time to do so. It is best when applied on a hot and sunny day. Lime sulphur should be applied twice a year about a month apart during the hot summer months. Do that for two years, after that use as needed, maybe once a year or so. You can mellow the effect of lime sulphur by mixing a minute amount of ash, soot or Indian ink in it. Be cautious using lime sulphur. Use a plastic sheet to cover the soil so it won't harm any roots and do not get it on any living tissue. Even treated jins and shari can be susceptible to fungi, always keep them clean, I use Lysol spray. Be especially careful with sharis that go to the soil. Their constant contact with moist soil can cause decay, so be careful on your watering as not to keep your topsoil too wet.
BONSAI BEGINNERS... Sometimes when you are new to the hobby it is a good idea to purchase less expensive bonsai already potted and learn how to take care of them. Half of doing bonsai is keeping them alive. While you are doing that you will also be needing to learn how to prune for leaf size reduction, taper and ramification. You can learn that by reading books, joining a bonsai club and doing workshops to further your skills. For beginners a couple of books that I like are, The Living Art of Bonsai by Amy Liang, my favorite, Basic Bonsai Designs by David DeGroot and the must have if you are serious is Bonsai Techniques One by John Naka. You cannot look at enough good bonsai. It is said that in order to do good bonsai you have to see good bonsai. Don't be fooled by the MALLSAI you can purchase online. It is best to look and purchase your pre-bonsai and bonsai from a reputable bonsai grower. You and your trees will be grateful.
How serious are you? Believe it or not this is a "serious" question. The answer will determine whether you will enjoy this art or get discouraged and quit. At some point, everyone was a beginner. Don't compare yourself with someone who has been growing bonsai for 20+ years. How far you go with the art and how fast you learn is up to you. Many bonsai artists enjoy their trees at certain stages and have no desire to go further with them, whether the tree would ever win "awards" or not. Don't be intimidated by others who tell you your tree is no good. If you like it that is all that matters. Enjoy your tree and the journey you take in creating it.
TOOL OF THE MONTH
So far we have mentioned pruning shears, concave cutters, sharpeners, tool roll, root pick, rake, tweezers, wire cutters, wire, root cutters, tool care and various types of pruning shears, these are all of the basic tools needed to create a bonsai. There are more specific tools that you won’t use very often, but when you need one, there really isn’t a good substitute. One is the knob cutter, they come in three sizes, 6", 8" & 11". Knob cutters don’t cut on the side like concave cutters or like scissors. Instead the cutters kind of ‘scoop out’ the branch which leads to a rounded out scar in the tree. This is a very desirable appearance for certain types of trees. They can also be used to make smoother cuts than the other side cutters. The small knob cutter is used for removing buds on branches that you do not want to come back or secondary branches. The larger knob cutter is used for removing branches from the trunk. I also use them to remove wood from a large area where the trunk may have been chopped. They can take pretty good size bites and remove a lot of wood.