Kusamura Bonsai Club
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From A Year of Bonsai Tips by Jim Ransohoff |
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This is supposed to be a quiet month, but in bonsai is there ever a truly quiet time? At least this month we can take our time and do things at a leisurely pace and prepare for the rush of activities that are not far off. This is the time to take a good hard look at your bonsai. Plan ahead! What about the pot it's in? Remember the pot is the "frame" for your bonsai. Is it the wrong color, too big, too small, the wrong shape? Have you cleaned up the existing pot and your reserve pot supply so that they are ready to be used when the hectic repotting season is upon us? However, do not repot now! This is the month to give your deciduous plants their second dormant spray&emdash;you gave them the first in December, didn't you? You can also give your pines and junipers a dormant spray, but be certain to knock off all excess spray. Also, cover your soil prior to dormant spraying with lime/sulfur. For evergreens, you might wish to use Terry Ward's dormant spray, which consists of one Tbsp of Malathion, 7-8 Tbsps of lime/sulfur, and 1-2 Tbsps of Volk Oil per gallon of water. This mixture will work on deciduous bonsai, but use 5-6 Tbsps of Volk Oil per gallon of water for them. You can use the same mixture on azaleas, but with no Volk Oil! It is also a good idea to give your plants a mild winter spray of a good insecticide/fungicide to help control mealy bugs, worms, spider mites, mildew, and other fungi. When observing your plants and planning what you need to do to improve their appearance, watch for crossing branches and excess branches. Be ready to cut back the tertiary branches, especially on junipers to encourage twigginess. However, it is best not to prune during this month. Observe the wires on your plants to be certain that they are not cutting in and thus starting to leave ugly scars that are almost impossible to remove. Remember, even though growth tends to slow in dormancy, woody portions tend to swell. If the wires are cutting in, remove them; but do not rewire now, as the branches are brittle at this time and are apt to break. Soil mixes should have been prepared by now, but if they haven't, get your basic mix ready. Remember, all mixes MUST permit free drainage. Use sandy loam, decomposed granite, coarse sand, and humus such as fir bark or redwood compost, adjusting the formula to suit each species. Use your own experience as to the percentage of each component. If your mixture has been successful for you, don't change just because someone else has his or her own pet formula. You can use this time to prepare a dry mix fertilizer, but don't feed at this time! A good standard mixture is 75% cottonseed meal and 25% bone meal. I personally use a mix of cottonseed, bone, and blood meal at a 9-3-1 ratio. This is higher in nitrogen than most people prefer, but my bonsai, particularly conifers, are a very bright green. However, don't follow this recipe if your present feed mix is working well for your bonsai. If you have some old liquid fertilizers, you may wish to purchase some new ones, as they tend to lose their potency with age. Weather is always unpredictable at this time. If it is cold and doesn't rain, water, as cold wind dries out the soil. If it rains heavily, watch your pots to see that they don't have standing water in them, because this will cause their roots to rot. Tilting the pot by placing a piece of wood under one end will help prevent this situation. It can also get very cold at this time of year, as it did in 1990. Bonsai in their shallow pots cannot survive a prolonged freeze, so have a plan of action in case of a freeze. (Remove your cars and use the garage.) You have lavished too much time and effort on your plants to lose them in a three or four day freeze. |
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January Work
Schedule
