Best of all, Winter is OVER! Yay! No more winter protection …..? unless of course your Spring hasn’t sprung yet. Spring in Florida means Spring temps are heading northward soon. I know because most of the Snowbirds just left or will soon. If you are south of the Equator then all bets are off but your day will come. All four seasons have their moments of beauty and, well, a few not so good days.

In Florida, Spring is my favorite time of year. The excitement of seeing deciduous trees leaf out is always a thrill. If you haven’t experienced it, you might not fully appreciate it. Just like if you have never experienced throwing your own slab of clay on a potter’s wheel, you might not fully appreciate potters work. Speaking of that, it is a time of year to start getting your hands dirty (or your gloves). But first, just feel the joy of Bonsai as you see all the fresh beautiful shades of green as everything starts growing, especially after you begin your fertilizer regime again. That’s the BEST!

The birds are singing and all manner of creatures are out and about including bugs. BAD People-biting and Bonsai-eating BUGS are the WORST! I planted some flowers last week after dark (don’t ask) and had to grab the bug spray but too late as I had already been bitten numerous times. I like to use organic, natural things when possible but some things can’t be tolerated like ‘no-see-ums’ and mosquitoes. Inspect each bonsai for bugs and decide /ask / research how you want to treat whatever you find. There are natural ways of treating too, as well as other methods. Bugs like aphids, thrips, scale and mites are bad. Lady bugs are good (they eat aphids). Even spiders can be helpful; they eat other insects (i.e. ants, etc). Know your bugs. County extension centers are very helpful with insect and plant classification, soil analyzing and more. All for free! Consult your local bonsai experts if you have specific bonsai questions or just to chat bonsai.

Then get your hands dirty as it’s time for repotting many trees, or styling, pruning, wiring, defoliating, trunk cleaning, etc. Consider Orlando Bonsai for your new tools, wire, pots, and more. We love to help people find out how much tools help their Bonsai journey. Wire cutters from a box store just aren’t the same. My dad taught me to use the right tool for the right job and that definitely holds true in Bonsai. If you didn’t receive concave cutters at Christmas, do yourself a favor and buy yourself a birthday gift. Clean cuts are important but that’s a lesson for another day.

Do the right things now with the right tools during the BEST of Spring and your bonsai will be thanking you all year long. ENJOY BONSAI.

… a few words of encouragement from …

Sandy R

Orlando Bonsai

sandy@orlandobonsai.com

Share on Facebook

Not sure about you, but we’ve been pretty busy here at Orlando Bonsai so far this spring.  Filling orders, doing paperwork and tax reports, preparing soil.  Re-doing the pond, weeding, trimming trees. Fertilizing, insect maintenance, acquiring new trees, selling trees. Attending bonsai meetings, demonstrations and garden shows, visiting suppliers, and volunteering at Epcot’s International Flower & Garden Show.  Help, I need a time out! Of course, there was National Grilled Cheese Day, and a mini time out for a grilled cheese lunch. Yummy! And we did go see a movie – another mini time out. That was fun!

Have you been busy? Need a time out too?  Come join Orlando Bonsai from May 24 – 27 at the 2013 Bonsai Societies of Florida (BSF) Annual Convention to be held in sunny Lake Mary, FL at the Mariott. It will feature bonsai artist, Suthin Sukosolvisit with Sean Smith and Michael Feduccia teaching workshops and demonstrations. Orlando Bonsai will be selling bonsai tools and supplies in the vendor area.  And also check out the Exhibit area for a beautiful display of bonsai by many Florida artists. For more info, go to the BSF web site, www.bonsai-bsf.com.

…Back to working in the bonsai garden. The fastest ways to a great bonsai:  start with good stock, take a good look at the roots, pick a front, pick the apex (top of tree), cut the correct branches, trim hard – trim early, proper maintenance, trim new growth, and pay attention! Nutshell version:  do the right things at the right time! How do you know what the right things are?  1. Education. Read a book, join a club, go online, ask questions, find a mentor, take a class. 2. Experiment scientifically.  For example, cut a secondary branch, take a picture, journal it (date, tree name, photo, notes, etc.) wait for new growth, see where the new growth occurs, look back at your picture to see the difference.  Soon you will learn the growth habits of that tree. By the way, the fastest way to a great bonsai takes time. Is that an oxymoron? Or just buy a good-looking tree in a pot and then maintain it. That’s pretty fast! Either way, it is worth it.

Aspiring bonsai enthusiasts often ask “How do I know which branch to cut”? Well, it takes a little time and sometimes a mistake or two, but there are some general guidelines to help.  If a branch is growing straight down, typically you would cut it off. If a branch is growing on the inside curve, it should come off.  Look at the picture of the branch I took off with standard concave cutters from an inside curve. It’s a little fuzzy but you can get the idea. Another guideline is to avoid bar branches – branches directly across from each other. Notice the branch I was about to cut off was also a bar branch and there is another branch directly above it that has secondary bar branches so I cut one of them off too. There are other guidelines to learn as you go.

Inside Curve cut

The right tool is needed for the right job. Four tools I use all the time are standard concave cutters, shears, wire cutters and tweezers. And there are lots of other great tools that really come in handy and some that are more specialized. Feel free to send an inquiry to sandy@orlandobonsai.com if you are unsure what tool is needed or how to use it.

So take a TIME OUT! After ‘working’ in the garden, get a refreshing beverage of your choice,  sit back and ENJOY your bonsai.

Share on Facebook

There is a large amount of tools available for bonsai, and not knowing what you need could be costly. I wanted to go over the top three most needed bonsai tools so that people new to Bonsai could have an idea of what they need.

Share on Facebook