Field Growing 4: Native Soil

This Satsuki azalea (Rhododendron indicum) was originally field grown (it’s from Bonsai Today issue 40). Field growing is common for azaleas; some start as landscape plants and are later dug up for bonsai, while others are grown as bonsai stock from the beginning. In our last field growing post we mention planting directly into native soil without digging in amendments when you plant. A friend of my points out that she has no native soil; her house and yard were built on fill. In our usage of native soil, we mean whatever soil is already there; in other words, my … Continue reading Field Growing 4: Native Soil

Have You Thought About Field Growing?

Have you tried field growing? You don’t need a lot of space to experiment with a small number of plants and the results will easily exceed expectations that have been conditioned by container growing. One of the reasons the Japanese have so many well developed bonsai is field growing. In the west, we tend to grow bonsai stock in containers. In Japan, most stock is field grown; you’ve no doubt noticed the strikingly powerful Japanese Black Pines in the two photos above (from Morten Albek’s Shohin Bonsai). Though I don’t know how old those massive trunks are, my best guess … Continue reading Have You Thought About Field Growing?