robingfx

Hello,

I am a beginner with one bonsai casualty experience already. I have read two books about bonsaiing and I currently have two live bonsais in my possession (and a few experiments going on). I have a few questions even after reading the books that I hope someone can answer. Thank you so much in advance for your help.


1. Is there a tool or instrument that can tell me how damp or dry the soil is? Like a “humidimeter”?

2. Living in southern California, how concerned about seasonal changes should I be? The weather is much cooler now than in the summer, but it never gets really cool. Can I prune, wire, repot, fertilize etc all year round?

3. I have a ficus that came with small rocks on top of the soil. It looks very nice, but should I remove them? They are not glued.

4. Most books and internet recourses recommend watering a few times per week (or even more in the summer). The bonsais I have always seem too damp. I water maybe once per week, and I don’t even soak the soil. My instinct says they don’t need water. Why is the soil always damp?

5. At what point should a tree in training be placed in a bonsai pot? Can I train a tree from start in a bonsai pot?

6. How old/big can a cutting be? Can I take a 1 inch thick ficus branch and make that grow roots?

Robin

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