Jun 12 2011

Satsuki Deflowered

As it was nearing the end of flowering I decided to remove the flowers on this Satsuki now. It’s easy to see the seed heads while they are still attached to the flowers!

This is it in flower.

You can see how to remove flower heads HERE.

This was the tree this afternoon sans flowers.

I got this tree last year on the cheap as it was nearly without branches and very pot bound. It was repotted this Spring and today I shortens some of the extension growth produced at the end of last year. All I’m after is large platforms to display flowers, typical of satsuki everywhere. However, I do want to build up the ramification in the proper manner, not just fill it out with leggy growth. Here is a photo of it after some shortening of the shoots. I even managed to get a few cuttings 🙂

I am now expecting some serious growth.

Jun 11 2011

Sick Field Maple

One of the club members brought this Acer Campestre to the meeting last night. It’s an old tree with signs of maturity in the bark. To me it looks as if its been weak for a few years. This year it has barely managed to open a few buds.

Weak buds.

A few branches looked dead and after a quick scrape, this was confirmed and I removed them.

This branch is actually a bud that has opened year on year but never extended. You can actually see the the tiny rings from each year. I have seen this on yamadori Hawthorn, but never a field maple.

It has obviously been kept as a bonsai for many years. This is the original chop wound that is now completely healed over.

I have popped it into the magic Poly Tunnel to attempt a revival. I put another weak one in there a week ago and I can already see signs of vigour returning. However, this one will be a harder task. I think the cause of this trees problems are root related due to a water logging last year. Bad advice given to the owner. Now that he’s joined the club, we have him on the straight and narrow 🙂

Jun 11 2011

Trident Defoliated

I took this Trident Maple to the club meeting last night and a few of the guys were good enough to defoliate it for me.

This afternoon I took a few minutes to go over the tree and remove extended growth and unwanted branches.

Jun 10 2011

Club Night

Just back from another busy club night. Must have worked on 15 trees! It was great to see so many members so enthused by the Spring Display and the Bonsai School in recent weeks. I’ve made some great friends through bonsai and this circle has really grown in the last few months. I even appear to have adopted son!!!

What an infectious addiction bonsai is!! 🙂

Jun 10 2011

Caught in the Act!

The moss around my trees seems to magically disappear. Last night I spotted the culprit out of my window and got photographic evidence.

I was spotted and she opted to feed on the ground instead.

Jun 10 2011

Two Scots Cascades

Here is my Scot’s Pine Cascade. Some will remember it from the repot photos back at the beginning of this blog. It was slow to extend but now appears happy.

And this is my mate Phil’s one. It was spending a bit of time in my tunnel to recover from a repotting. It’s now further on than my own.

Jun 9 2011

Shohin Elm -Yes or No?

After Peter’s Visit last weekend I have kept a few of his sale trees in case any members who missed the school want to buy them. Most are Maples and one nice raw material Larch. I also kept this this Cork Bark Elm as well. I loved it and tried to get someone, anyone to buy it during the weekend. It is a Japanese one which is obvious by looking at the quality of the interior branch work. I love the trunk line and I can see a wider nebari in there too. The question is, do I move it from the sales bench to my bench 🙂 The photo doesn’t do it justice, which is good as you lot would all want it as well 😛

Jun 9 2011

Cotoneaster Air Layer Update

My root over rock Air Layer was checked today for roots. No sign as yet but it’s early days. As you can see, it’s growing vigorously below and above the layer. I took a few minutes to trim the extension growth below the layer. I left the growth on the layer itself to aid in the production of roots.

After trimming.

Jun 9 2011

Japanese Maple Branch Structure

This is a Japanese Maple that I have had for a few years. It has gone through a few years were the growth has been weak and I have lost a branch or two. I have placed it into a training box to gain vigour and it has worked.

As part of the bonsai school with Peter on Saturday we defoliated the tree to examine the branch structure. I had shortened the overall branch length to encourage back budding. It was severely lacking in secondary ramification and I was hoping to find new growth on the interior.

Peter talking through the structure after defolation.

This is the tree now.

Here you can see strong new growth in the interior of the tree. These have been left long to encourage the branch to thicken. A branch like this on the lower limb should be one of the thicker branches and at least as thick as the one on the other side. Ideally we should have left the leaves on it to aid it’s strong growth. We got carried away with the defoliation 🙂

Jun 8 2011

Scottie De-wire

I decided to remove the wire from my new Scots Pine this afternoon. My bad shoulder now regrets it!

It was a great way to see just what condition the tree was in. It appears that my spraying for woolly aphid was mostly successful. A few of the blighters were hiding under the wire. There was a few dead branches here and there but nothing major. The de-wire was just in time as some places were tight but not cutting in.

I placed a towel around the soil surface to stop the wire making a mess on the pot.

I found this poor fella on a branch. It’s one of natures friends. It’s the Larva of a Ladybird who was on the pine to eat the woolly Aphid. Unfortunately he got sprayed as well. I moved him outside as he was still alive. Fingers crossed for him 😦