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x_losMy fiancée Katy bought a lot of houseplants over the course of the last year and a half, and has had indifferent luck keeping them alive. At Christmas I got her a bonsai, thinking a more established, five year old plant would be hardier. And as finicky as bonsai are reputed to be, at least there's a wealth of care instructions on account of that. With 'some fern, idk?', you're a bit on your own. This is especially an issue as I am black-thumbed and know nothing about plants.
The time came to re-pot this little fucker, according to the meticulous instructions provided to me by All Things Bonsai, who sold Theodore the Bonsai to me. I watched their videos, and then some of Peter Chen's. I was charmed by his kind of old-fashioned diction, and found him so useful that I went and read his book, "Bonsai, The Art of Growing and Keeping Miniature Trees".
This was the first gardening book I've ever read. I found it reasonably easy to follow, even if Chen sometimes assumed I knew way more than I did. I needed him to tell me a little less about the declining popularity of literati style bonsai shapes and more about how you like—prune a tree? Because I don’t know. I think he thinks I know that, but I do not. ‘You cut the leaves small—’ sir, do you want me to slice the leaves of this tree into tiny leaf shapes every year? I don’t think you do, actually. I suspect his videos will eventually reveal more information to me, but in general, he thinks the reader knows a lot about plants: in my case, no.
Theodore (age 5.5), repotted (into too big a vessel, I now understand, but I'll fix it next time rather than disturb him now), and part of the job lot of old pots I bought off Ebay and am now tempted to fill:
So that's why this 84 year-old writer looks so young and wins so many flower shows! It’s Wizard Shit—
Bonsai Xian also titled a chapter 'Cultivation Secrets'. I would like to see them, sir.
Here's what I learned about the care and keeping of our deciduous Chinese Elm:
- We’re supposed to be watering this bonsai every day in the growing season, getting some on the leaves, doing it until it starts to come out the bottom and then doing same thing again 10 min later. And at morning or evening, not at high noon (because the sun can catch the water droplets and magnifying glass style burn the leaves).
- Twice a month from spring to fall, we need to give it fertiliser—powder, granular or liquid. You do it after watering. Low nitrogen, high PK. En Mag is a good brand.
- Spray with Benomyl at the start of the growing season, then monthly throughout, to prevent disease.
- You make pruning cuts from the side, not the top or bottom, and at a 45 degree angle from the main branch, not parallel.
- Our tree can be pruned in late winter and early spring
- Pruning cuts need sealed with a tree sealant. Just ordinary Vaseline or petroleum jelly will do.
- Use aluminium wire for shaping—I think we have some—and use one piece of wire to shape two branches, coiling the ends around the limbs. Different gages of wire are appropriate for different jobs.
- You shape in early spring, or, failing that, midwinter. Wiring and pruning are often done in February
- You leave wire on for a full growing season, and take it off in autumn. September is a good time to remove wires from branches that have set properly.
- If we grow a willow, in summer it sits in a basin of water. Willow roots well from twigs or stumps left in ponds.
- You can often use ordinary garden centre material to make a bonsai.
- Now that our Chinese-born tree is getting in sync with other trees in this country, March is a good time for repotting.
- Bonsai are originally Chinese, not Japanese (or so a Chinese guy claims).
- Our tree will need repotted every other year, until it’s 20 (it’s about five now). Less afterwards.
- We shouldn’t apply fertiliser to the newly repotted tree for 2 months.
- If we get a flowering tree, we shouldn’t fertilise it until two months after the flower has fallen
- In mid-October, you get to stop watering.
- Small plantings of grass, fern or bamboo in bonsai pots are traditionally displayed with bonsai.
The time came to re-pot this little fucker, according to the meticulous instructions provided to me by All Things Bonsai, who sold Theodore the Bonsai to me. I watched their videos, and then some of Peter Chen's. I was charmed by his kind of old-fashioned diction, and found him so useful that I went and read his book, "Bonsai, The Art of Growing and Keeping Miniature Trees".
This was the first gardening book I've ever read. I found it reasonably easy to follow, even if Chen sometimes assumed I knew way more than I did. I needed him to tell me a little less about the declining popularity of literati style bonsai shapes and more about how you like—prune a tree? Because I don’t know. I think he thinks I know that, but I do not. ‘You cut the leaves small—’ sir, do you want me to slice the leaves of this tree into tiny leaf shapes every year? I don’t think you do, actually. I suspect his videos will eventually reveal more information to me, but in general, he thinks the reader knows a lot about plants: in my case, no.
Theodore (age 5.5), repotted (into too big a vessel, I now understand, but I'll fix it next time rather than disturb him now), and part of the job lot of old pots I bought off Ebay and am now tempted to fill:
So that's why this 84 year-old writer looks so young and wins so many flower shows! It’s Wizard Shit—
Bonsai Xian also titled a chapter 'Cultivation Secrets'. I would like to see them, sir.
Here's what I learned about the care and keeping of our deciduous Chinese Elm:
- We’re supposed to be watering this bonsai every day in the growing season, getting some on the leaves, doing it until it starts to come out the bottom and then doing same thing again 10 min later. And at morning or evening, not at high noon (because the sun can catch the water droplets and magnifying glass style burn the leaves).
- Twice a month from spring to fall, we need to give it fertiliser—powder, granular or liquid. You do it after watering. Low nitrogen, high PK. En Mag is a good brand.
- Spray with Benomyl at the start of the growing season, then monthly throughout, to prevent disease.
- You make pruning cuts from the side, not the top or bottom, and at a 45 degree angle from the main branch, not parallel.
- Our tree can be pruned in late winter and early spring
- Pruning cuts need sealed with a tree sealant. Just ordinary Vaseline or petroleum jelly will do.
- Use aluminium wire for shaping—I think we have some—and use one piece of wire to shape two branches, coiling the ends around the limbs. Different gages of wire are appropriate for different jobs.
- You shape in early spring, or, failing that, midwinter. Wiring and pruning are often done in February
- You leave wire on for a full growing season, and take it off in autumn. September is a good time to remove wires from branches that have set properly.
- If we grow a willow, in summer it sits in a basin of water. Willow roots well from twigs or stumps left in ponds.
- You can often use ordinary garden centre material to make a bonsai.
- Now that our Chinese-born tree is getting in sync with other trees in this country, March is a good time for repotting.
- Bonsai are originally Chinese, not Japanese (or so a Chinese guy claims).
- Our tree will need repotted every other year, until it’s 20 (it’s about five now). Less afterwards.
- We shouldn’t apply fertiliser to the newly repotted tree for 2 months.
- If we get a flowering tree, we shouldn’t fertilise it until two months after the flower has fallen
- In mid-October, you get to stop watering.
- Small plantings of grass, fern or bamboo in bonsai pots are traditionally displayed with bonsai.
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Date: 2022-05-11 10:39 am (UTC)Bonsai scares me...
no subject
Date: 2022-05-11 01:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-05-13 12:45 am (UTC)