SEASONAL SUGGESTIONS

No 91-January/February-2005

A NEW YEAR! A CHALLENGE TO IMPROVE

PREPARE FOR SPRING (IT’S NOT HERE YET!) 

By Marty Mann

January's weather is relatively cool. Many parts of the yard may now be in shade for much of the day. Deciduous trees are showing their best silhouettes. The leaves of summer are gone but dormancy is misleading

Tree surfaces are evaporating moisture through the bark and twigs--just as they do on a summer day. The winter sky provides a low angle sun that is not hot and drying however routine bonsai watering habits cause over-watering of the trees -- cut back. Avoid winter root rot conditions. Maintain even moisture content in all bonsai material. Move deciduous trees out into brighter bench areas. Evergreens and conifers will also do better with full sun to encourage new bud development. Face the weaker sides of each tree to the best light exposure.

The soil in potted trees has been inactive due to the cool weather of the past few months. Soil bacterium, in its dormant state, has not been providing any nitrogen to growing plants while they rested. Now is the time to plan ahead for your supplies of fertilizers and other supplies. You will be resuming your feeding schedules in late February. January is a good time to do clean up chores. Remove winter trash around the work area, the potted trees and growing stock cans. It's the best way to prevent infestation of insects and fungus decease. Don't throw any of this late winter trash into your compost heap since it may be infectious. It's safer to throw it away.

It's the best time to study plant designs. Spend some serious time with each tree by carefully reviewing the branch structures, the trunk lines, their placement and relationships. In the case of deciduous trees, you can see them clearly, in a winter silhouette, without the disguise of a blanket of leaves that hide their faults and problem areas. Remember the basic bonsai design principals of crossing branches, bars, angles, elevations, and relationships to the trunk movement. These important design points distinguish your tree's quality from just any other bonsai.

Your study may disclose the need to re-wire and reposition various branches. Do so with great care since the dormant season is a time of brittle branches on most varieties of trees. Look for signs of wire damage. Scars look unnatural and are difficult to hide. Consider doing some heavy pruning later this month or in February before any signs of new growth appear. This activity gives the tree a head start prior to repotting--when the roots are drastically disturbed. Plan your repotting schedule in advance.

We have had our share of windy, drying low humidity days lately. Be sure you do not overlook the plants need for water--and a daily misting of the drying trees will keep them happy. 

It is still too early to concern yourself about the feeding program each tree will soon require however now is the best time to improve the soil condition.. The addition of lime can normalize the acidity of the soil. The additions of gypsum will loosen hard clay soil and improve acidity. Decomposed granite or coarse sand adds to the porosity and improves the potassium qualities in poor soil. Adding organic matter to a potting mix stimulates the soil microorganisms. Putting trace elements and minerals into the soil, along with major nutrients such as cottonseed meal or bone meal, provide a proper base of a food source for continued plant health. Build repotting soil mixtures based upon the type of plant material you work with and the type of trees you will be repotting. Plan ahead.

If deciduous trees start to sprout, bring them gradually into sunlight. If they are kept in a shaded area, new growth tends to be long, leggy and weak. Be careful to protect this new growth from any surprise cold or frost that causes dieback. When warm weather comes, so does the ever-present insect population. Be prepared to spray early with a good commercial insecticide or miticide. Follow manufacturer's directions.

This is a good time to prepare fertilizer supplies. Chemical and organic liquid fertilizers require no advance planning. They can be freshly mixed when ready to apply. If you are a user of the recommended dry mixes such as cottonseed meal (75%) bone meal 25%), now is the time to prepare for next month. Keep the finished product in a dry place. If it gets wet it begins to ferment and will drive you out of your yard! Remember, acid fertilizers are best for azaleas and camellias as well as conifers and junipers.

When trees are dormant, slowed down and resting, they allow us to see them as twiggy silhouettes-deciduous or conifers. Whether potted or still in training, now is the time to critique your own trees. Often, when we attend conventions or club meetings we hear well-informed sensei or senior bonsaiist look at a tree and make educated and constructive observations that may improve or change. We fail however to take the spirit of these programs and apply them to our own material.

Take the time to do a critique. Observe your bonsai. Think of their future. Plan changes for    improvement or change. Every piece of material you own deserves this new year review. Your hobby should always seek an improvement challenge.

Survey the finished trees you have in bonsai pots. Are they still a proper match in size or color to the tree? Has the maturity and styling of the tree changed? Is it enough to consider repotting into a new pot? Is it taller, wider, fatter? Does the tree deserve a pot of better quality? Now is the time to redesign each completed tree. Review your nursery stock to determine the readiness of some of the partially trained material for transfer to a training or a display pot. Check your inventory of pots. If you don’t have one that fits your needs, now is the time to shop at a nearby bonsai nursery or attend the many local conventions. Bazaar vendors offer so many varieties and sizes. Maybe you will find the perfect ‘domestic’ made pot to fit the bill.

If deciduous trees start to sprout, bring them gradually into sunlight. If they are kept in a shaded area, new growth tends to be long, leggy and weak. Be careful to protect this new growth from any surprise cold or frost that will cause dieback. When warm weather comes, so does the ever-present insect population. Be prepared to spray early with a good commercial insecticide or miticide. Follow manufacturer's directions.

This is a good time to prepare fertilizer supplies. Chemical and organic liquid fertilizers require no advance planning. They can be freshly mixed when ready to apply. If you are a user of the recommended dry mixes such as cottonseed meal (75%) with bone meal25%) now is the time to prepare for next month. Keep the finished product in a dry place. If it gets wet it will begin to ferment and will drive you out of your yard! Remember, acid fertilizers are best for azaleas and camellias as well as conifers and junipers.

The idea, when feeding in early spring is slow release. Don't rush your trees into a spurt of new growth too soon.

The time to spray your deciduous trees with a dormant spray (lime sulfur) is before any sign of new growth appears. January is a good month for this application. Keep this chemical away from the soil--roots can be damaged.

Closing thoughts--

Like a tree, we all need a place
To grow and branch out.
If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?

Marty Mann