The summer rains are almost daily in Florida now. That still means monitoring daily to make sure the trees receive enough water. Although the bonsai were watered this morning and there was a very brief mid-day shower, it was so hot some trees were wilting by late afternoon and required a second watering.
June 1 is the official start of hurricane season. Did you know that Native trees suvived the hurricanes better than non-natives? Buttonwood, live oak, red maple, and cypress are all examples of good trees for hurricanes while Australian pine, ficus, laurel oak, and black olive are not storm resistant. Maybe we are helping out by turning them into bonsai. Since the good hurricane trees also make great bonsai, they too should be added to collections. And it’s always a good idea to anchor your trees into the pot in case a heavy wind comes along.
Along with the rains come the pests so be sure to look for leaf changes and deal with pests quickly when you find them through natural organic (or non organic means if you must). If you want your bonsai to live, you may want to follow the directions. And if you see lady bugs, look closer with your magnifying glass to see what they are feeding on. Lady bugs are a natural pest control and can be purchased by the hundreds. Now, don’t even get me started on mosquitoes. They don’t hurt the bonsai but all the rains caused a new batch to hatch. Got out the citronella candles and put on skin-so-soft (thank you, Avon ©) and finished weeding the bonsai garden, well almost…!
