Bonsai Tree Care

Rock Garden Bonsai

8x10 Gicle...

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Brussel's Green Mound Juniper Outdoor Bonsai Tree

In this article, we will discuss some basic bonsai tree care tips for Blue Junipers. Blue Junipers are, along with pine, one of the bonsai species sought by many first time bonsai enthusiasts. And for good reason: it is a beautiful species that stands up well to a wide variety of conditions.

Blue Junipers make an especially good species for the kengai (cascade) style where the trunk and branches grow out over the pot and beneath the horizontal surface.

Blue Junipers tend do best in full sun and can tolerate somewhat dry soil conditions. Soil should not be allowed to completely dry out though. Copious amounts of water are fine, provided there is adequate drainage.

Blue Junipers should be fed about every three to four weeks from early spring to late autumn. Opinions vary, with some favoring organic fertilizers but this appears to be as much an ideology as a view based on good botanical science.

Man-made chemical fertilizers can be harsh, though, and should be used with care to guarantee the suitable proportions. Half-strength of 20-20-20 NPK (Nitrogen - N, Phosphorus - P, Potassium - K) is the norm. Try to avoid applying chemical fertilizers during the hotter summer months or within a couple of weeks after repotting.

Repotting is a great time to clip roots, however gradual trimming is more beneficial. Trim no more than 1/3. Younger trees that are less than 10 years old should be repotted approximately every two years, older ones should be repotted about every three to four years.

The recommended soil mixture is 60% soil, 10% peat and 30% coarse sand, however there are alot of variations on the relative quantities and types of material. Loam, leaf mold and sand in equal proportions is a feasible option.

Repotting is also an ideal time for pruning unwanted branches. Wiring is best done in late fall, but only after the major growing season has ended. Doing it during the active growing season will produce faster results, however careful observation is required to prevent scarring.

Alot of bonsai artists employ pinching to get rid of the fresh shoots that occur during the active growing season. All you have to do is take the new growth between the thumb and forefinger and give a sharp twist to remove. Be careful not to move or bend the tree or any branches. The procedure should be performed several times during the growing season to control the growth of new foliage.

A common pest of this species is the red spider mite. The first step in determining if you have any mites, is to look out for yellowing foliage. You should then check beneath the branches for little spots. An easy way to check this is to hold a white piece of paper or a tissue underneath the branch. Tap the branch sharply without using excess force. If mites are present, this should dislodge a few of them. If they move, you know you have something you don't want on your bonsai tree.

To get rid of the mites, you can prepare a home recipe nicotine solution by soaking tobacco in water for several hours or overnight, but a commercial insecticidal solution would probably be a lot more effective.

The day after using the insecticide, spray the foliage with water every day during the growing season and make sure you allow the tree to dry in full sun. Full sun should be avoided for a couple of weeks right after repotting.

Bonsai II

20x20 Pre-made F...

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Horsford Dwarf Japanese White Pine True Bonsai
Pinus

In this article, we will discuss some basic bonsai tree care tips for White Pine. Although no bonsai is easy to groom or care for, pine is one of the the easier species. It is more tolerant to drying, adapts well to a pot, and typically requires only regular trimming and twice yearly repotting.

Pine normally grows more than 50 feet in the wild and their trunks are usually around a foot in diameter or larger. Nevertheless they make first-class bonsai trees and look stunning in miniature form. Since they have naturally straight trunks and symmetrical branch design they're very well suited to the formal upright (chokkan) style.

With the chokkan style, the tree's trunk is straight and stands up vertically from the base. The cascade (kengai) style, in contrast, is both curved and grows horizontally across the surface. Therefore, the chokkan would be a great beginning species for budding bonsai artists.

Bonsai trees are not a dwarf species, but instead are a full-sized variety that has been carefully trained to mimic conditions in the wild on an extremely small scale. White pine bonsai, therefore, generally have the same features as the fully grown variety.

White pine have bluish green needles that appear in clusters of five, resulting from a little bud. Branches develop in a rounded sequence, looking down at the tree from above, with many levels around the tree at intervals up the trunk.

Healthy white pines will appear healthy, particularly in the spring when new growth sprouts. Needles will be a more brilliant green and begin to lengthen. Full-sized pines can add two feet or more to their height during this time of year. It would be a good idea to get rid of or reduce some of the fresh shoots around this time every year or two.

Repotting can be carried out during spring but can wait as late as early autumn, after the summer heat has cooled.

While repotting, you should make sure that there is ample drainage when you are finished. Pines fare better in drier soil so take care to avoid over-watering. The recommended soil mixture is 50% soil, 10% peat and 40% coarse sand. This mixture works well for some people, but there are alot of variations on the relative quantities and types of material.

Repotting is a great opportunity for trimming the roots, but you should be very conservative. A deep pot is necessary in order for pines to grow a deep root system for stability. A good rule of thumb would be to cutt off No more than 1/3 of the root during the procedure.

It's best to prune the branches during late autumn.

It's very common for some of the needles to become brownish and drop-off in the summertime. This shouldn't be a cause for concern, though, unless the tree is diseased.

Check for disease by looking for large clusters of very dark growth on the branches that may suggest the presence of a tumor. If there are no tumors present, and only a minuscule percentage of the needles are brownish, the condition may well be normal.

Common white pine pests are aphids and mealy bugs. These pests can be easily controlled by a commercial or home-grown pesticide mixture. Sometimes simply spraying the bonsai with some diluted dishwashing detergent will take care of the problem but only temporarily. The needles should then be misted with plain water the following day.

White Pines can be watered every day as long as there's very good drainage, however watering every other day would be fine as well. Pines should be fed every two to four weeks starting early to late spring and then again at the end of summer to early fall, as this coincides with the pine's active growing seasons.

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