[GLBS] Odds and Ends

Bonsai News

by Dave Bogan


This article first appeared in the Jan 2007 Evansville Newsletter. It is used with permission - ED.


In-House Trees:
Remember, keep a real close eye on any trees over-wintering in your house. Keep the pot & soil areas clean and free of dead leaves or debris. Remove old moss which is dead & or covered with minerals from your water. Moss is a good place for diseases and insects to hide in during winter. If the trees are close to a window, make sure there isn't any draft or cold air. Occasionally turn them so they receive better light on all sides. Occasionally add a fungicide &/or systemic to the soil to help prevent soil-borne problems. If you can, they will occasionally love a shower. Cover the pot with plastic and take them to the shower. You'll be amazed at how much old debris will wash out of the canopy areas. If you can't shower them, at least run your fingers through all the foliage, especially at branch intersections. As leaves fall, they will become lodged and start building up. This is an especially good area for insects & diseases to start or hide.



Tools:
Get all your tools together. Give them a through cleaning and sharpen them. Sharp tools are a must. If your tools are dull, they will crush the wood fibers instead of cutting cleanly. Most tools will only need a quick honing with a stone or diamond file. Always try to maintain the original bevel. Using a marker, paint the bevel with ink. The ink will be rubbed off as you sharpen the tool, showing you if your angle is correct. Always sharpen against the edge or up the bevel. Sharpen a cutting tool until you can feel a slight edge forming on the bottom. This is a slight curling of the metal, showing you have created a very fine edge. Once you feel this curl, lightly run this edge across a very fine hone, which will remove it. This only takes one or two swipes. Don't overdo it. Never allow a pair of shears or scissors-type cutters to close until you have removed this burr from the bottom side. If any of you are interested in learning how to sharpen Bonsai tools, drop by some weekend. I have a very nice sharpening system, which utilizes Japanese water stones. I guarantee it will give you an edge you can shave with. I'll be happy to let you try it. Once clean and sharp, wipe your tools down with some lightweight oil. Always protect the cutting edges - so don't just throw them into a box or tool bag.


Winter Branch Bending:


Be careful if you're attempting any wiring on dormant trees. With the sap down, some branches can be brittle and break easier. Always test bending a branch prior to wiring if you're unsure of its hardness. Of course, wiring in winter allows you more access to all areas (due to foliage drop) and it is a good time. Just be careful.


Temporary Pots:
I'll never forget, when I first started Bonsai one of our club members made temporary pots from wood. To be honest, after they have been water-soaked, stained, and sun-bleached; they will have a nice character. Sure, they are temporary but you will have very little invested. So, if your budget just won't allow for new pots or if you need one temporarily for a starter tree, consider making a couple over the winter. Once made, set them out to weather for a while. Don't worry about finishes or sealers, they are temporary.


Rocks for Bonsai:
In the case of my root over rock, I didn't use muck but I still like the look of some moss growing on the stone to make it look older and have character. If you have moss growing on a rock, you must keep it moist especially in the early growing stages. To get moss to grow, I first "plug" small pieces into crevasses and holes in the rock. Next, I mix some dried moss spores with some very fine sifted bark. Once mixed and moistened, it is brushed or rubbed again in crevasses or holes in areas I want moss. If possible, keep the setting out of direct sun for a couple weeks and mist the stone daily (more if possible), and you will eventually have beautiful moss growing. During the hot summer, the moss may brown and seem dead, but it will come back later and become stronger every year.


Winter Pruning:
Some practitioners do a lot of their pruning in fall once the leaves are off. Of course, this is a great time when you can see the entire structure of the tree. I only have two suggestions. First, be careful wiring since the branches will be more brittle this time of year due to the withdrawal of sap. Secondly, remember that the plant has slowed or stopped its upper growth. With this in mind, after a branch has been pruned this time of year, the tree will be very slow to compartmentalize or seal the wound. Callus growth will be slow at a maximum. This is probably one of the few times I suggest using a wound sealer, especially if the tree will over-winter outside. Winter winds could cause the wound to dry quicker and possibly deeper than normal. You may have a little more dieback in a branch. So, go ahead and apply a THIN layer of sealer.


Once applied, wipe it off and add a little bit of wood ash to help prevent disease. If you don't have any wound sealer, simply use white glue. Another helpful addition would be a little mouth wash or peroxide on the bare wound. Mouthwash has good bacteria-fighting ingredients. I use Listerine.


Winter Insect Protection:


Hopefully you did this already; but, if not, consider treating your trees with a systemic insecticide. I use Dyhiston in a granule form. I prefer the granular type now, so it penetrates slowly over time as I water. Remember that the root system continues to work, grow, and be active as long as the temperatures are above freezing in fall. Insects may have laid their eggs in the soil. Depending on the weather, some of these could hatch into their larvae stages. Larvae and young grub type insects love to eat roots and burrow into the trees' softer areas. They will stay there until spring, feeding and creating holes and tunnels through the plant. Systemics are the only way of killing these off once they enter the plant. When temperatures start to warm again in spring, make sure you apply another application. Always be extra careful with cork bark or heavily barked trees. In the case of heavy bark, it doesn't hurt to spray the trunk with a liquid systemic.


Temporary Lighting:
To grow bonsai properly, most people utilize some type of supplemental lighting through the winter. I'm not going to go into the types of lights; lights are like soil, and everyone has an opinion on the type you should use. The issue here is timing and duration. You are adding the lights for one or two reasons: one, to maintain the plants in a better atmosphere, and two, to help the plant grow. Stop and think when plants grow their strongest. Generally, it's late spring to early summer, the time of year that we experience the longest periods of daylight. In order for your plants to mimic this, they will need lights to stay on longer. In my greenhouse, I run my lights for a 16 hour period, then allow 8 hours of darkness. Keep in mind, plants do need a rest period just like we do. In order to give them darkness, the lights need to be off at night. I run my lights from 4:00 a.m. till 8:00 p.m. I use HID motorized track lighting, which puts off a lot of heat. I bring them on at 4:00 a.m. so that I can also utilize the additional heat during the coldest part of the night. So, when you set your lighting timers, remember to give your plants some rest at night.




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