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This section includes
several topics concerning caring for your bonsai
tree. It was on Christmas Day in the Chinese calendar 1,200 years ago that the first bonsai was presented to the glorious Emperor of the Middle Kingdom, complete with a tiny star affixed the top of the perfectly tapered black pine from the mountains of Manchuria . . .
I love to buy high quality Japanese Maples and turn them into bonsai. The problem is they come in large pots – typically 3 gallon. That’s a lot of roots! Way too many roots for a bonsai pot. After much trial and error, I realized that I could slowly (I mean slowly) reduce the roots each month in a series of raking's and soakings. I like this method because I don’t have to wait for the plant to go dormant to do root pruning and then hope I didn’t do too much root pruning. Because If I do too much root pruning while the tree is dormant, It will die, but slowly as it comes back to life.
October 4 , 2011 Mike demonstrates how to take a Juniper purchased at Dallas Bonsai Garden and pot it into a training pot. The entire process is demonstrated, including creating drainage screen clips to hold the drainage mesh in place and wiring the bonsai into the pot. Mike experiments with some moss found near his house which has about a 20% chance of living. Unfortunately, the moss didn't make it. But, it is still attractive and helps keep the soil from washing out of the pot when watering.
A couple months back, we talked about making a perfect potting mix for bonsai. Mike Miller demonstrates this by making a custom potting mix for bonsai that he is going to use with a juniper he is re-potting. In this extended version, 2-part video, Mike explains most everything you need to understand about making bonsai mixes and how to sieve / sort them by size in order to make 3 different "layers" of soil for your bonsai pot. This technique increases the growth rate of bonsai and seems to keep the plants healthier. One of the main things we have to guard against from time to time is root rot and diseases caused by soggy conditions. This soil mix virtually eliminates this issue.
I love to buy high quality Japanese Maples and turn them into bonsai. The problem is they come in large pots – typically 3 gallon. That’s a lot of roots! Way too many roots for a bonsai pot. After much trial and error, I realized that I could slowly (I mean slowly) reduce the roots each month in a series of raking's and soakings. I like this method because I don’t have to wait for the plant to go dormant to do root pruning and then hope I didn’t do too much root pruning. Because If I do too much root pruning while the tree is dormant, It will die, but slowly as it comes back to life.
Since its July, most of the time you now spend with your bonsai is spent watering. Now there is nothing wrong with playing in the water. It’s relaxing and feels good when the cool water splashes on your feet in the early evening. There is, however, another way to enjoy the bonsai hobby during the hot, hot days of summer: by building things for your plants – like stands and benches!
February 8, 2011  Stay Connected To Your Bonsai February is one of those in between months. You follow along with January’s advice of pruning and shaping, but you also can start to look forward to spring. Since the last freeze across the U.S. is generally 12 or more weeks away, it’s not quite time to put anything into action, but it is a great time to stock up on all of the items you will need this year. This keeps your mind working and connects you with your bonsai, and your hobby. There are essentially two types of items you will need to stock up on: consumables, and reusable’s.
January 6, 2011 How Do You Bonsai In January Every month gives us an opportunity to spend time on and in our great bonsai hobby. January is no different. Even though half of the United States is wrapped in a blanket of either snow or ice, or cold, there are things you can do now to grow your knowledge and spend time with your trees.  December 14, 2010 Tropical Bonsai And Two Feet Of Snow Even with 2 feet of snow on the ground, you can be growing Bonsai! It's true! Tropical bonsai absolutely need to be indoors during the Winter, but that's actually a good thing. November 11, 2010 Three Must Have Bonsai Tools The bonsai hobby has many specialized tools which make the task of pruning, wiring, planting, watering and other general maintenance of your bonsai trees much easier. That said, there are 3 tools which I believe are must haves and you should definitely purchase these first. These three tools could be your entire collection of tools, or you could expand your tool set over the years. So what are they? They are the Shear, typically a butterfly shear, a concave cutter, and a chopstick. October 7, 2010 The Two Rules of Winterizing - Location and Fertilizer Well, it’s that time again – Winter! Old Jack Frost will be blowing all over the US soon. Ok, except for those ideal climates on the West Coast that are in a special climate zone. Not only did we all learn that San Francisco is in an eternal spring this year, I also spoke with someone from Vancouver, Canada who said their average yearly temperature is 70 degrees. So, except from you guys and gals on the West Coast who are thumbing your noses at the rest of us, we all need to prepare for Winter. When you first start your awesome adventure into the world of bonsai, you quickly realize that the two most necessary pieces you need are a tree and a pot. Of course you will need tools and fertilizer and soil, but not at the start. Initially, the most important, most relevant items you will need are the tree and the pot. I mention this because most people tend to look at the tree and the pot as foundational, as the basics and subsequently do not pay much attention to them as they progress through the hobby. I think you should take another look at pots. That’s what this article covers. And not just the style of bonsai pots, but also the function and the quality. July 6, 2010 How To Maintain A Bonsai In The Summer Ahhh, the great outdoors in the summer. What can you say about it other than “PHEW! It’s hot!” June 8, 2010 The Rules Of Bonsai I have thought long and hard about the rules of bonsai. There are rules for almost every aspect of the bonsai. These rules specify what a Bonsai tree is supposed to look like and what can and cannot be done. May 5, 2010 A Tree By Any Other Name Bonsai is one of those hobbies that mixes reality with fantasy. On the one hand, we are creating a miniature, stylized version of a full grown tree and utilizing an actual living tree to create, and sculpt with. And on the other hand, we are immersing ourselves in a stylized, fantasy world - imagining lying on our backs at the roots of the tree, looking up into it's branches. It's really a shared experience. Tree and hobbiest. April 18, 2010 Bonsai Soil - What You May Not Know Bonsai soil is a different type of stuff altogether than your typical potting medium or native soil. It’s like night and day. Potting Medium is really nothing more than peat moss, sand, and perlite. Sometimes makers will add vermiculite and a starter fertilizer. Native soils range from acidic to alkaline, rocky to clay, and everything in between. While some native soils may be ideal for bonsai trees, they all too often harbor diseases that can kill a plant. March 23, 2010 Bonsai Scattered, Smothered and Covered 10 years or so ago, I would allow myself to eat at greasy spoons like Waffle House. They have terms for the ways to order their hash browns. Scattered, smothered, and covered. February 7, 2010 Dallas Bonsai Garden Now Sells Bonsai Trees Again! It's been a long time coming and it took ages for us to get everything just right. We even spoke too soon last month when we announced that we had a secret. Details, details! However, it's now official! January 13, 2010 We Are Preparing for a Huge Bonsai Something Secret! December was full of ideas for us. We have devised plans to shake things up a little. We have labeled it operation: greenthumb.
Cleaning Up a Shimpaku Repotting the Japanese Black Pine Fall Work on Japanese Black Pine Would You Consider A Buttonwood? How About a Little Penjing Bonsai Europe Review 2 Winter
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