It was fun to be back somewhat in the teaching mode. We started out looking at my 35-year-old Siberian elm, this is one of my favorite trees and it is in quarantine. The quarantine is not because of disease or something like that, but somehow when it is on the tables where I keep my trees, the Japanese beetles find it and it seems that only hit my three Siberian elms. I have a stand of canna lilies nearby and they are a favorite of these ferocious insects in my yard. But somehow when I move them away from my tables and the lilies, these elms are more or less safe from these bugs.
Walking around the tables and showing them my little trees was a lot of fun. The kid was very inquisitive, and grandma could not get him away from the place. He seemed particularly impressed by the tree (cherry) which I had to go at with a saw-saw or hacksaw. The root was simply too big. Grandma was impressed with my American hollies; she hates those prickly leaves. Fun was talking about my citrus trees that I grew from seed. As I told them anything is possible, with a little knowledge.
We talked about styles; how to miniaturize the leaves; root pruning; best time of year to work on them; pots; and of course, soils and fertilizer. I have written about this before, but it seems that everybody wants to buy a bonsai tree or has bought one once in their life. I think at least 95% of them invariably die within the first few months.
Most of this is soil related, the trees at the big box stores usually come in crappy soil in pots that don’t drain very well. The result is root rot when the temperatures rise in the pots, and they do not drain. Plants die or at least get weak. What to do? Repot? If you do that, you kill the poor guy. No, we just need to make sure we do not over or under water too much and we might want to protect the container from overheating. Additional issues seen is the lack of light. Folks put their first bonsai inside on the coffee table. However, it was an outdoors tree that likes full sunlight. Death is imminent. Finally, folks may start pruning or shaping to quickly and weaken the tree.
We talked for over an hour and a half. It was fun talking about my trees and what I do with them, my plans and more. It was just plain fun interacting with someone who was interested in my hobby and sharing these things with him. It made me feel good for the rest of the day.
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| The lower trunk of my Siberian elm. It is approximately 35 years old and was developed from seed. In the soils post that I have link to above, there is another picture of it. This tree has gone all over the country with me and has been ignored for a while. It is finally on a decent trajectory. |
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| This is the cherry that I got earlier this year. It was a thick stick in a pot with a horrible root. I used the hack saw to cut 2/3rds of it and planted in an Anderson flat. It seems to be doing well. I have no idea what styling decisions I will make in the near future but will probably have to cut it shorter. |
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| One of my hollies. Maybe not really visible. It has been in a pot ffor at least 7 years, I dug it up in my yard. |
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| The citrus plants grown from seed. This is their second summer, and they are enjoying themselves. I have a few oranges and lemons, all grown from seeds. |
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