Heat, Watering & A Bonsai Story

A set up like this will come in handy if you live out west right now. Back here in the northeast, we’ve barely had to uncoil ours so far this summer. This image is from our Juniper book. I never miss Michael Hagedorn’s posts on Crataegus Bonsai. He’s always got something useful to say and he’s a natural story teller (check out Post-Dated – The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk if you’re from Missouri, or just a show-me kind of person). Michael’s last two posts are prompted by the heat wave out west. One is a very timely tip … Continue reading Heat, Watering & A Bonsai Story

Green Workshop: Yet Another Watering Problem

Tomohiro Masumi watering Shohin bonsai at Koju-en in Kyoto. From Shohin Bonsai by Morten Albek. Yet Another Watering Problem… The following is by Michael Hagedorn from his website Crataegus Bonsai. Probably the worst thing we might encounter when we have a hose in our hand is a tree that, when we think about it, has not dried out in three days of sunny summer weather. That ought to send off all kinds of alarm bells in your head. If none go off, install some.

A Timely Watering Tip from Michael Hagedorn

This illustration by Kyosuke Gun is from our Masters’ Series Juniper book. It is a perfect fit for this post that is borrowed from Michael Hagedorn’s Crataegus Bonsai. Before the real summer heat hits, consider how you are watering your trees. Have you ever seen your trees grow through spring just fine, only to get fried leaves at the first onset of early summer? Ever wonder why that happens? Those trees just don’t have enough roots. Those are the trees that got overwatered, or simply never dried out, in the cool spring months. Their roots were never encouraged to hunt … Continue reading A Timely Watering Tip from Michael Hagedorn

Green Workshop: The Art & Science of Watering

This drawing is from our Masters’ Series book; Junipers, Growing & Styling Juniper Bonsai. What is Green Workshop? Green Workshop is a series for beginners and others who are interested in some of the basics of bonsai care and training. Green Workshop originated in Bonsai Today magazine and will be continued with regular postings on this blog. The more you know about watering, the better. Without timely, intelligent watering, any plant in a container is at risk. The more you know about watering, the better.

Dealing with Stress: Fertilizing & Watering

Almost forgot to mention what Mr. Onishi said about fertilizing his stressed pine (see previous two posts). “After a year of rest in which I didn’t pinch or prune, but during which I gradually gave it higher doses of fertilizer…” That’s it. Not too much to go on, so I’ll try to flesh it out. Most bonsai books and teachers say to avoid fertilizing stressed trees until they show signs of recovery. This is pretty good advice, but still leaves a lot to the imagination. Mostly, I use mild, slow release organic pellets. With ordinary stress (like from rootpruning), I … Continue reading Dealing with Stress: Fertilizing & Watering