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June Work Schedule

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Adapted from Golden Statements articles by Mitsuo Umehara
(Translated by Hideko Metaxas)

 

Early Month

1.Scion grafting

Now is an ideal time to graft Satsuki, maple and Needle Juniper. The scion is grafted on trunk or branches where additional branches are needed. Use the side grafting method. Be sure to select new, mature buds. Cover scions with plastic sandwich bags to protect them after grafting.

2. Wire new growth of deciduous trees

This type of wiring is done only for the sake of appearance. One month is all that is needed to train such young branches, so don't forget to remove the wire.

3. Eliminate yellowed needles from Shimpaku, cut back, work on jin and wire.

4. Watering is the most important task in the summertime. Train yourself not only to see but to feel the degree of dryness on each tree. Water appropriately. Tag the trees needing special attention as a reminder.

5. Training of tamarisk, parbiflora and other willows, and sotetsu (cycad) can be done with gentle persuasion of the fingers at this time. Gently pulling down upward growing branches about three times will train them to weep without wiring.

Mid-Month

    6. Early summer is the second season to transplant

    a. Five-Needle Pines may be transplanted when the needles on the new candles start to open and for a month after that. As a precaution when transplanting in summer add some mycorrhiza from the old soil to the new.

    b. Follow spring instructions for other plants missed in spring planting.

    7. Insects prevalent in summer: twig girdler on junipers, caterpillars and aphids on deciduous trees, scale insects, and red spider mites will attack your trees. Pine bark aphids, chermis (adelges) can be found on pines. Moths primarily hit Satsuki as do thrips. Keep watchful eyes out for all of these and spray as they appear, before they do any harm.

Late-Month

8. Grass Bonsai: cut back overgrown grasses, Zebra grass, Blood grass, etc. They will look nice in the fall, perfect for appreciating the colors. For Sasa bamboo, pull the core (center) out of each stalk to control the height.

9. All transplanting of Satsuki should be done by the end of this month. Some Satsuki varieties bloom late. Do not transplant these until next March. However, give these Satsuki the same after care that you would have if you had transplanted them now.

Several of JT's Tree Tips from Midori Bonsai Club's June 2003 Newsletter. (JT is John Thompson.)

    Fertilize you trees regularly. If you keep your trees healthy throughout the year, they can stand up to the extraordinary work we want to do with them. I have described the use of organic fertilizer each year. This year at the beginning of May, I mixed up a concoction of ground rapeseed meal, Whitney Farms All Organic Fertilizer 5-5-5, super phosphate, and Ironite with enough water to form a pasty meal. I used a spoon to create a mini ditch into which I put a teaspoon full of the fertilizer paste and covered it up with the surface soil. About 1 teaspoon every 3 inches around the pot. This addition just under the soil surface accomplishes at least a couple of things. It keeps the fertilizer damp and in a state where it will break down steadily, and it adds organic matter to my soil, which is almost entirely aggregate. Alternately, or in conjunction with the above, you can also use chemical fertilizer as either the primary or secondary system. I sometimes use water-soluble chemical fertilizer through my injection system. Use full strength or one-fourth to one-eighth strength on a continuous basis as I do. That way there is always enough for the tree to draw on as with the cottonseed meal balls method. In addition, a product like Dyna-Grow® or Miracle Grow® has all the trace elements that the plant needs.

    Spray appropriately when you see critters or fungus problems. Try doing it in the early evening so it doesn't immediately burn the foliage in the hot sun. Take care of pest problems now, before they become more serious.

    To increase ramification and get smaller leaves for better showing and color later this year, partially defoliate deciduous trees except beeches this month through the middle of July. The upper and stronger regions of the tree can be fully defoliated to allow sun to get below. Partially defoliate about two-thirds of the exterior areas of your trees where you need more vigor and ramification. Leave those areas towards the inside in leaf.

    Go through your collection. Pick out the 25 trees you would like to take first if you had a fire in your yard. These can include more mature bonsai and also great collected or other worthy material. Put a tag in each one. Then look at the rest. Isn't it time you lightened your burden? Put them into the club sales or raffle if they are good, or plant them in the landscape, or throw them out if they are really losers. Sound harsh? Not at all. You can't really enjoy and improve your trees if you have to wade through these going-nowhere plants. You will feel much better if you do something about it.

Last Updated June 9, 2003.
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