Proper watering and feeding will give more energy to the tree increasing the leaf size and vigor of the tree. However low lighting will also cause bigger leafs. When a tree does not receive enough light it will create bigger leaves to catch more sunlight. Also it will create longer internodes. Internodes are the lengths in between leaves. If the leaves can’t catch light they form longer internodes so the branches are longer to reach further for the sunlight.
Don’t worry though, you can control leaf size. Please take into consideration fertilizing issues because they will affect the results of your efforts in leaf reductions if you don’t. However look at the base of the stem of your leaves. You will notice a new leaf bud right there. Just like a shark tooth waiting to replace a lost tooth a leaf bud is ready to pop to replace a lost leaf. If you remove the leave the new leaf will come in 1/3 smaller. Remove it again and it will replace 1/3 smaller. Don’t do it too often, or during dormant periods and you will have much smaller leaves.
I remember when I first started into bonsai how hard it was for me to find out what was in bonsai soil. Recipes were scarce and no one had the be all, end all mix. However as I got more involved and understood what goes into making the soil it made sense why it was so different. Everyone seems to have their own mix and use different ingredients for one reason of another.
Bonsai soils are soil less as they contain no top soil, or sand. Bonsai mixes are developed based upon the results that bonsai artist want to achieve. These specifics are good drainage, water retention, and sharp aggregate. In the following video I review the different types of materials I use for making my bonsai mixes and the reason I use them.
I don’t know if you rember or not, but I learned how to do tilt-shift photography a while back. In the old photo I miniaturized Kunio Kobayoshi’s wonderful Bonsai Garden. Well I couldn’t resist doin the same thing to the Bonsai exhibit at Epcot (Walt Disney World , Orlando) Here is a tilt-shift photo of the Torii Gate taken from the Restaurant area. It just all looks so tiny.
This year’s winter in Florida started very early and was very cold, but it didn’t seem to last that long. My trees started popping out new growth a few weeks ago and now they are well on their way to having full canopies of leaves. However this is no time to sit back and enjoy the trees because there is a lot of work to be done. In this video I talk about controlling the growth o fyour bonsai during the initial growth of the Spring season. You need to stay on top of your trees or you’ll lose a great opportunity to make the most of the fast growing period.
