There are a lot of things that Bonsai artists do without really knowing why. One example is the use of bonsai soil mix over a standard nursery soil mix. The reasons are many but for the most part it is to help stimulate more feeder roots over the long leggy roots that nursery soil promotes. In the following video I show examples of roots as they have grown in each of the medium and tell why bonsai mix works so much better.
If you need a good bonsai mixture, I sell some on Orlando Bonsai.
When I started taking pictures of my Bonsai years ago I never thought they would be used in a website that is viewed around the world each day hundreds of times. Orlando Bonsai has grown so much and I owe it all to providing consistant devleopment of the trees and good photographs that demonstrate solid technique.
I wanted to share with you some tips and commenst about photographing bonsai, and the use of video was the easiest way to do that. Here a just a few videos that provide short tips on what to consider when taking a photo.
Photography – Lighting and lenses
Photography – Enhancing the color of the trunk
Photography – Point of View
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So my plan for 2011 is to add more instructional/educational information to Orlando Bonsai. Additionally I want to include more videos. It’s much more entertaining and informative. So the first video I thought I’d do is regarding preparing bonsai pots for a show or photograph. I learned this little trick years ago from my friend Jarbas in Miami. I have used it for every show and photo ever since.
All you do is simply find an old sock, fill the toe of it with shelled walnuts. Tie the sock off and then crush the nuts with a brick of hammer. The walnut oil then comes through the sock and you rub the pot with it. It creates a deep satin finish without looking oily. The nice thing about it is that you can keep the sock in your bonsai bag for years.
Here is the before picture.
Here is the after. Just 30 seconds of rubbing and the pot looks brand new.
Today I travelled to Bunnel Florida to attend the 9th Annual Joy of Bonsai. They really do a great job setting this mini convention up. Every year it just gets better. Although I was definitely under the weather I was able to build this highlights video. Be sure to subscribe to OrlandoBonsaiTV after the video.
