August Bonsai Newsletter

THESE hot evenings are a good time to sit back and read some of those old bonsai books you have, you know, all those old magazines and books you have been filling the bookshelves with. It is interesting to look at some from the 70's on up to present to see how much bonsai has evolved and improved in the past 30-40 years here in America. As I read the older articles I notice some have become totally outdated, but some you will find, as your knowledge of bonsai has grown, you will appreciate and learn even more from. It is like looking back at some of the first trees you styled, ones you actually were able to keep alive, and being able to see so much more potential in them now, or saying, what in the hay was I thinking.

WATERING... We are definitely in the dog days of summer with at least six more weeks to go, okay I am being a little optimistic, so watering is very crucial. Some trees do not like as much water as they receive in our heavy rains. If your tree is getting more yellowed leaves than normal it may be due to too much water. I put a stick under one side of my shallow pots to aid drainage. If the soil in any pot is still damp on the surface at the end of the day, something is undoubtedly wrong with the drainage. Check your drainage holes for roots plugging them. Good drainage is essential to allow oxygen to the roots. When we receive a lot of rain it breaks down the organic material in your soil quicker and turns it a little mucky, this can cause the soil not to drain as well. Also if your tree has been potted for the first time a lot of the original soil may not have been removed, thus keeping the root base overly wet. Except for Pines and some other Conifers you should wash more of that soil off with each re-potting to where you have nothing but bonsai soil. Any of your Ilex vomitoria varieties should have all of the old soil removed by its second potting to prevent a soil borne pathogen infecting its wood. This can cause whole branches or even the whole tree to die. I found that Akadama, Turface and other calcinated clays, which have a tendency to hold more water, break down quickly here, so be watchful if your soil is comprised with a lot of this material.

PRUNING... Be cautious pruning some of your flowering and fruiting trees as not to remove next years buds. When determining the best time to trim them, two things should be kept in mind. First, the season of flowering, second, whether the flowers develop on old or new wood. We are still in an active growing season but some trees start slowing down towards the end of the month to prepare for winter dormancy. Pruning on them should slow down also. Keep inside of your branches open to allow air circulation and light in to prevent fungus and mildew. If your trees are getting a black covering on the trunk you can clean it off with a toothbrush or soft wire brush and a little soap and water. If your soil has a slimy goo oozing out of it, run like crazy before it gets you, or you can kill it with 4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in a gallon of water, give some to your tree’s soil, and then run.

INSECTS... Watch out for the Eastern Lubber, a grasshopper about the size of a small dog. They can defoliate a tree in a moment and will also eat on the branches. Caterpillars are bad now, they eat from the edges of the leaves inward while a grasshopper will eat holes in the leaves. Not much you can do for the grasshopper except kill them as you find them, I found a 12 gauge shotgun works well. If they become a big problem, cover your trees with a fine netting/screen, or use BT. With caterpillars (although I generally do not have a big problem with them on bonsai, more so on nursery stock) identify them before you kill them for they may be going to turn into a butterfly, if so relocate him, preferably on your neighbors plant. Daily observance will keep these insects under control. We do have some stinging caterpillars you should be aware of. They are the Puss Caterpillar, IO Moth Caterpillar, the Saddle Back Caterpillar and the Hag Caterpillar. Generally if they are fuzzy stay away. If stung, do not rub, use the sticky side of Scotch tape to lift the spines from your skin. Apply Adolph's Meat Tenderizer or Tecnu skin cleanser. The sting is pretty intense for a few minutes, then the area will be red for a couple of days and then will itch like crazy for a couple more days, ask Linda she can tell you.