Kusamura Bonsai Club
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From A Year of Bonsai Tips by Jim Ransohoff |
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Temperatures will continue to rise during the two months ahead. Growth is rapid at this time, and you will have to keep a sharp eye on those plants that you wired to be certain that they are not getting wire cuts. If you keep a list of the plants you have wired and the date of wiring, you can see at a glance which plants should have their wires removed. Watering. This is your most essential chore during the summer. Never let your plants dry out, but don't drown them either. More plants are killed by over watering than by any other cause. It is better to water a bit less but more frequently. Excess water drives the air from the soil and also helps the growth of fungus, which loves warm, moist conditions. When watering, observe your plants. In this way you will think of ways to improve the shape or the way they are potted.. For the most part, do no potting at this time. Proper summer watering is essential to your bonsai, especially fruiting varieties. If you let them dry out, the fruit will drop, and flower buds will be damaged. Deciduous trees will be more susceptible to sunburn. It is best to water both overhead and under the foliage, and to do this early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Never water midday or in the evening. The midday watering will burn the leaves, and the evening watering will promote fungus. I suggest that you water your benches to increase the humidity or even put your pots on the ground to keep them cool. If you have shohin bonsai, it would be wise to place them on wet sand to prevent them drying out. If you go on vacation, be certain a friend who knows plants will watch over the watering of your bonsai. Yes, even if you have an automatic watering system; electrical failure can mess up your program and besides, who knows when a real heat wave will hit? It's best to have someone who knows bonsai do this, for they understand, or should, that either too much or too little water is bad. Have them come by once or twice before you depart to be certain that they understand what you wish and where the equipment is. Fertilizing. Generally, heavy fertilizing is not done at this time, but evergreens are growing, so it is best to feed them with the 70-30 mix of cottonseed meal and bone meal. After July, reduce the cottonseed percentage and increase the bone meal. For deciduous trees, give them a second feeding in mid-August to early September. This should be your last feeding of azaleas with any nitrogen. Use the above 70-30 mix with some iron tone or Miracid at one-half the recommended strength. Pinching. While growth has slowed down, keep pinching, thinning out, and removing all growth that is going in the wrong direction or is in the wrong place. This will let in more light and keep our bonsai looking good. Junipers should be pinched back regularly to prevent legginess. Five-Needle Pine. About mid-August, remove third-year growth at the sheath, as it is probably turning yellow or brown. This lets more light and air reach the plant to stimulate growth. However, I'm certain that you know not to pull the needles off as you do with black pine: cut the needles at the sheath! Azaleas. Your satsuki have just finished a period of lush bloom (you hope) and new growth. After the blooms have faded, cut off all seed pods and cut the new growths short. Also, trim to two branches, two twigs, and two leaves, except for the apex, which is the weakest growing area. By all means, cut off all new growth that is growing straight up or down. Drip Irrigation. This may be the time that you will want to install such a system. Stores such as Orchard Supply or Home Depot have all the equipment you will need, and there are kits and information on the installation readily available. This is an excellent way to water, although you will still have to water overhead at least once a week to keep the foliage clean. I, personally, have both systems and have excellent luck this way. Leaf Pruning. This can be done in early July at the latest as the plants must have time to recover. As noted in June tips, only do this on healthy plants and never more than every other year. Keep newly defoliated plants in light shade until they recover and most of the leaves have resprouted. If you haven't tried this, do so as the results are well worth it! Wiring. Can be done now, but more importantly, keep an eye on the wires that you put on in early Spring to be certain that they are not cutting in and causing scars. Unwire by cutting off; don't try to unwind the wires, as many branches and twigs are brittle and will break. Insects and Fungus. Insects are active in the warm months and can ruin your bonsai by destroying leaves or chewing into the bark. Fungi attack leaves, buds, and roots. Spray with Sevin or Malathion for bugs and use Benomyl or Kaptan for fungus. If you have severe root fungus, use Subdue. Sunset's Western Garden Guide advises the use of a copper spray in July and again in August to prevent twig blight on junipers, chamaecyparis, and cryptomeria. On all of these, do not exceed manufacturer's recommended strengths. Better to use about 2/3 strength. Also, keep an eye out for earwigs and sowbugs&emdash;a good bait will control these. Repotting. Generally a bad time for this, though pomegranate, willows, and tamarisk can be done. Enjoy your summer! Generally, there is not much to do, so keep an eye on your trees so that they do not lose their shape. Just check your wires, water, watch for and eliminate bugs, and ROTATE!
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July Work
Schedule
