My Bonsai Mistakes Sharpen Me

Everyone makes mistakes, especially when making a bonsai... I am much better at making bonsai now, find out for yourself below.

Sharpen Yourself To Bonsai Perfection, Samples Below:

Soil:

I have killed several bonsai with the wrong soil mix. Choosing the right soil mixture is crucial for the health of your trees, I have learned that one of the best bonsai soil mixes is “Hoffman Bonsai Soil Mix” mixed with either “All Purpose Potting Soil” or “Potting Soil”.

When I am planting bonsai trees I use the Hoffmans Bonsai Soil mix along with a mixture of a particular black soil mix. There are two types of black soil mix, one is "All Purpose Potting Soil" (good for no acid) loving bonsai trees (about 70% black soil to 30% Hoffmans). The other one is "Potting Soil" 75% for bonsai trees (acid loving, like pine trees) with about 25% Hoffman Bonsai Soil Mix. Both types are great for a mixture with Hoffman Bonsai Soil... It works out way better than you may think.

Vitamin Solution & Fertilizers:

I have killed a lot of bonsai before I figured out to use SUPERthrive 10 – 12 drops per gallon of water when I am making or repotting a bonsai...

Now when I cut the roots off of my bonsai (up t 30%) I have no problems at all. Plus my bonsai can live nicely in the container until I liquid fertilize it in about 1 ½ months later on. SUPERthive is not a fertilizer, it is a vitamin solution and will reduce transplant shock, it works real, real well (I love it).

I have used many different types of fertilizer before but I like the new liquid type fertilizer the best. Mainly because I can water and feed my bonsai at the same time. I like to use Miracle-Gro® LiquaFeed, with All Purpose, Flowering Trees & Shrubs Plant Food, LiquaFeed Bloom Booster, Indoor Plant Food for all indoor plants, including edibles plus I like there "Water Soluble" Azalea, Camellia, Rhododendron Plant Food.

I have also use dirt enhancers like Espoma Soil Acidifier which lowers pH levels for acid-loving plants, when I am making a acid loving bonsai (I simply incorporate it into the soil mix). I use about ½ dosage for fertilizer within a bonsai because it has such a little soil amount.

Also your bonsai should be wet when ever fertilizing it.

Containers:

It may take several times to size up and reposition the bonsai while choosing the right container for it. I am getting better by remembering that if I hold the container up to the side of the bonsai I can see what I am doing.

I have put the bonsai in a container the wrong way before... It was not shifted or angled the right way. I simply hold, move the plant several ways in the container until it looks the way I want it to. Or I had too much or not enough soil and/or I didn't have any nice looking landscaping (like, rocks, river run, figurine, etc.). So I figured out the look I want to have with the bonsai tree, I continue on until it looks like I want it to.

Triming:

I have cut off a branch or two, I shouldn't have... I cried like a baby, but now I am better.

I have not cut off the wrong branch for quite awhile... I can see the branch missing and visualize what it would look like without that branch... Sometimes I will leave the branch on the bonsai and decide after I am done if it needs to be cut off or not (a day or so to decide for sure)... I am much better at it now! Best time for pruning is in the spring season. Select the branches you want to keep very carefully before removing the ones you want to discard (like I mentioned above). When your plant is properly pruned, you can start sculpting the bonsai into the shape you want. Look at the condition of the plant and consider the shape you want for the bonsai to grow in when you’re pruning. If the plant has a rapid growth rate, you should prune it at least once a month. For plants that grow slowly, they should be pruned two or three times a year.

Note: Timing deciduous bonsai in Fall and Winter are a common time to prune and shape deciduous trees and shrubs...

Exceptions to this are maples because they will bleed or ooze sap. So maples should be pruned in between July and August (I learned this the hard way). Most bonsai trees should be trimmed or pruned throughout the summer growing season.

Watering:

I have over and under watered my bonsai before and hated it - killing too many bonsai... I have learned to get a Soil Moisture Meter which has helped me out so much... It cost very little and is a huge help to save my bonsai's... It is easy to use with red line indicators that show moisture levels it the bonsai.

I have watered my bonsai the wrong way for too long... Saw to many of my bonsai die. One of the best way to water is to let the bonsai soak up the water from its holes in the bottom of its container.

It doesn't ruin the landscape like watering from the top does... I have watered my pine tree from the top with a mister but only to water the needles (pine trees can get water from their needles)... Misting the bonsai trees has helped the trees by washing the dust off of them and the moss looks much better... I have learned how the old bonsai masters have learned.

Pesticides & Fungicides:

I have used pesticides and fungicides and have saved a lot of bonsai trees but have lost a few while learning which product works the best. Most types of insects are easily killed with organic Safer® Brand Insect Killing Soap (a pesticide).

Safer Brand controls many insects like Aphids, earwigs, grasshoppers, harlequin bugs, leafhoppers, mealybugs, mites, plant bugs, psyllids, sawfly larvae, soft scales, spider mites, squash bugs, blossom thrips, and whiteflies. For Fungi treat by removing infected parts from the tree and by applying a fungicide spray.

I use organic Garden Safe Ready-to-Use Fungicide3. It prevents and controls black spot, powdery mildew and other fungal diseases. Kills eggs, larvae and adult insects. Kills mites, including spider mites. Active ingredient, neem oil, safely controls common garden pests. It is pet and livestock friendly.

Repoting:

Repotting bonsai normally needs to be done during the early spring; when the tree is still in dormancy. Make sure you have the right tools to repot your tree; a rootrake, scissors, wire cutter, chopstick, and drainage mesh. Often bonsai are attached to the pot with wire; in that case cut the wire. Remove the tree carefully from its pot, using a rootrake. In this case the bonsai has the roots circling around the inside of the pot, so it is ready to repot.

Choosing a pot that fits your bonsai, both in size as in style, is important for your tastes and design, however, you can use the same exact pot or container the bonsai was taken out of. Using the chopstick or small peace of wood we start removing the old soil, starting on the sides and bottom of the tree. Try to avoid damaging roots in the process. Remember when repotting pines, leave at least half the rootmass untouched to assure the mycorrhizal fungus which is essential for the tree’s survival keeps the tree alive. Using scissors, cut away any roots that have grown too long. Do not prune more than 25% of all roots. We must prepare the bonsai container by covering the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot with mesh. The mesh is held in place with a piece of wire that also holds the tree in place. It said to always add rock or heavy grain soil to the bottom of the pot however, I don't do that... I simply add my soil mix into the bottom and pack the soil down within the container. Remember to use wires to hold the tree in position through the mesh as it is now ready for the tree to be planted. So now we can add Bonsai soil around the tree, and pack it in around the roots with the chopstick. Don't damage the roots when packing down the soil. We can now water the tree in from the bottom holes of the bonsai container using 10 - 12 drops of SUPERthrive per gallon of water. Finally, after the bonsai has been watered we can add the landscape to complete the bonsai repotting.

"Bonsai - Harmony between man, the soul, and nature"

#Repotting #Prune