Why do we repot bonsai and is it important

 First of all let me explain that there are many answers and factors involved in this question . But first and for most in my opinion and very important it is for the health of the tree. Why do we re-pot and when is yet another question that often is ask of me and then again the answers are varied so let's get right into it and see if I can possibly answer some of your questions with the proper answers.


 It is of my opinion after creating and working with many types of bonsai trees over the years that one of the most critical things we as bonsai artists need to learn and do with our bonsai are first watering properly and second re-potting when needed for the health of the tree. Your main job as a bonsai artist is of course healthy tress and you can not attain that buy sitting on the side lines wondering what to do. So let's get on with it and see some of what is involved.


 First of all we may be re-potting because we only wish to change the values of the tree by that I mean perhaps we want a different pot for a different overall look and or feel or perhaps we want a different color of pot or we wish to re-position the way the tree sit's in the pot and we may want to change some of the styling which in turn often affects the pot chosen for the tree. Or as stated above perhaps we are re-potting because the tree needs it for the total health of that tree. Which I might add is most often the reason we do re-pot our trees and that is to keep them healthy and thriving for many years in pots.


 So when and how often do you re-pot you may ask and again I would answer there are many factors that we would take into the scope of it all. The type of tree or shrub and the health of that tree or shrub and other reasons are many but is your tree healthy and growing vigorous and strong? If so then why re-pot I ask?

 But on the other hand is it in need of re-potting because it is root bound or not growing any more and just kind of sitting around on the bench not doing much, do you wish possibly to re-pot it because you want or need a different pot and or shape style and or color. Is it the proper time of the year to re-pot the tree and is it healthy enough to re-pot.

 Once you are more experienced then you will learn when and how, and it will be a task nearly every year for your deciduous and of course longer for conifers simply because conifers grow at a much slower pace than do deciduous trees.

 Although at this point in this article I will endeavor to give you my own personal insight here. The teachings in many of the better quality bonsai books on the subject will try to tell you or point out to you the age old wisdom taught by the Chinese and or Japanese that the rule of thumb pardon that pun that for conifer it should be every three to five years and for deciduous every other year. I personally find this to be rubbish.

 I have been raising and growing bonsai trees and shrubs since the young age of 9 and I'm not nearly 80 and I have trees in my collection that are truly as healthy as can be for any bonsai and some have not been re-potted on that time line or any other time scale.

 I pot or re-pot when it is as explained above for most for the health of the tree but why as the old saying goes take a hammer and fix what is not broken.  Simply put as I can it is a matter of your choice and the way you may or may not have been taught.

You as a bonsai grower or caretaker must learn about your trees and there needs and if I might say the wants of every tree as they by species are all different other than a huge class they might belong too.

 Some need little attention and can grow on healthy and fine for many years with out being totally fussed over or touched at all other than to water and fertilize. While yet others will need that so called time table and need attended to year after year by re-potting and root pruning and so forth. So I would tell you if your going to grow bonsai for your own personal enjoyment or for resale learn the needs of each species of tree and or shrub and the class it resides in and what it requires to grow vigorous and healthy.

To put  it as simply as I can do your home work. The internet is full of information on nearly any species of plant and shrubs. So if you do not do your due diligence you've no one to blame but your self if your tree parishes. Study its needs like a drill instructor in the service. No all there is to know about any given species, and you will be off to a very good running start.

  

 

 There are so many yet other total factors that I could touch on here in this article but I fear for the sake of bonsai in general you would after all become totally bored so I'm trying only to hit on the real reasons.

 It would be fair to say here that most all deciduous trees should be re-potted in the very early spring or when you as the owner can first see signs of buds begging to swell and close to opening on into leaves.

So when we see that swelling of the buds it is a good time to re-pot if the tree needs it and is healthy enough to with stand the shock of re-potting and it most defiantly is a shock.

 In point of fact please kind of consider re-potting to that of major surgery on your self it is a critical thing and must be carried out in a good clean manor and in satisfactory time, and by that I mean you should be prepared and have at least some knowledge of what to do, you should not be fumbling around looking for a tool that you should have had at hands reach right from the start or you should not be letting the exposed roots dry out because you do not have a spray bottle with water at hand to keep them misted and wet while working.

 Of course there are many other things that are involved and I will try to explain them as best as I can but if your indeed a beginner or in question of what to do it is always best to attain as much information to prepare yourself in advance or simply take a class from someone that is accomplished and can instruct you how to do it, there is truly no substitute for hands on information.

 Now Conifers can and will wait until further into the spring to re-pot. So my rule is to re-pot my deciduous first and conifers second unless totally needed sooner for the health of the tree.

 We as the surgeons must be prepared and ready in advance, we need to have all necessary tools ready cleaned and a new pot selected and prepared if your indeed going to use a different pot. If  your going to use the same pot the tree was already in then it is slightly done a little different but still all tools and materials should be prepared in advance. You would not take a patient into the operating room and not be prepared.

 What are the tools needed for the task at hand?


 Now at this point bear in mind that this is my way of doing it  and could be done different by others and I would be the first to tell you that this is only my method and not always excepted by others and that opinions are like clothes most everyone has some and or wears them but opinions of how they dress in them can truly differ. So it is up to you to decide. If you like my method use it if not find another's way of showing you or doing it.

 First off let me explain my method when using a new pot. I will always have my pot prepared in advance and ready to accept the tree. The pot could be of any of many different styles and shapes but it should always have at least one main drain hole and possibly more and some smaller and other tiny holes for inserting wire tie downs. I would interject here that the hardest pots to use are ones with only one main drain hole and they are very plentiful so you will always see a lot of them around in Nursery's I personally try to avoid them if there are other choices as the process for making and tying in screening and tie down wires is somewhat different for this type of pot.

 But if your out and about pot shopping then try to attain a pot with more than one drain hole and at least two if not more smaller holes to insert wire tie downs into the pot. Now let us assume that you have selected a new pot with these characteristics and are ready to prepare that pot.

 First step is to cover the drain hole from the inside of the pot with some drain screening so that bugs and other incest's most often can not attain entrance into your pot from the underside. Turn your pot upside down on your working surface and measure across the drain hole from left to right or right to left does not matter the width of the drain screen your going to use and it should by pass on either side of the drain hole at least ample enough to completely cover the hole and have some material left over all the way around that area.

 Then cut a piece of wire from at least a size 1 or 1.5 or possibly 2 or 2.5 of at least three times the length of the size of your drain hole. Now it is of note to make here that there are many different types of ties for the drain screen but in this lesson I only use one and that is of the U shape simply attained buy bending and shaping the cut piece of wire in the shape of a U equal lengths on either side. So if  you were for instance to hold up your thumb and little finger straight up and tuck the rest of your fingers into your palm you would form like a U looking shape and that is what you want with the wire tie for the main drain screen in your pot. I guess here it could be easiest explained that the shape would indeed look like a staple.

 Also for the purpose of this demonstration I'm going to use a pot that does indeed have only one main drain  hole and some other holes for tie down wires. Now in the picture below you see the bottom of the pot and it could be any style of pot as long as it complements the tree and of course that is a different lesson and time.

 So then indeed below you can view a picture of the pot I selected and the tools I use to re-pot with but remember like I said this is  only my selection and may vary from person to person.

 So then here are my choices from left to right first the pot with one main large drain hole and five much smaller holes that are used for wire tie downs and that I will discuss in a moment but first the rest of the tools in the picture, next is my curved blade used to help loosen the soil around the edges of the pot if you are indeed re-potting a plant that is already in a pot. This will be yet another lesson in part two of this series of re-potting in the next session I will go into more detail of the actual re-potting of a tree that indeed is going to go right back into the same pot and more showing you how to trim the roots and make it ready to go back into the existing pot. But in this lesson I'm not showing the trimming of roots and all the other factors only the way I prepare a pot and make it ready to plant a tree assuming of course that the tree  has all ready been prepared for the pot and ready to plant.

 Next you will see my wire cutters, then there are my are my pliers, next are my chop sticks, and finally my Scissors. Then you will see one piece of screen that I have already cut for my drain hole.

 All the above are what I use to re-pot and to make ready my pot. Wire is the only thing not shown in this first example and a spray bottle for keeping roots wet wile the process is taking place. Wire of course depends on the tree its self and the size and how large or small the tree may be. For obvious reasons a little bigger wire for tie downs if the tress is indeed larger and needs it and smaller of course for smaller trees that is your choice as to what size you use and if it be copper or aluminum and again this is a matter of preference.

 Next then I would take the piece of screen that I cut to size and turn my pot over and position the screen in the pot as close to center of the main drain hole as possible then I would take my precut U shaped wire and run the wire through the precut screening just at the very edges of the main drain hole on either side as to make a rather good snug fit then hold in place with your thumb or other fingers while you turn the pot back over and then press the wire emerging out of the bottom drain hole into place on the bottom of the pot firmly with your other thumb to hold the drain screen snugly in the pot.

You will then most likely have a little extra wire and it can be cut so that it is not overly in the way at the bottom on your pot that is to say just snip it to say around less than a quarter inch or less on either side. It should still be snug and not move around at all. If in doubt then test to ensure you did it right.

 All right then now we come to the tie down wires they are to of course added into the pot from the bottom and then brought to the top and also in the shape of the former U. They are used to tie the tree into the pot anchoring it in place. There are couple of main reasons, one so that the tree is sung and stable in the pot and the roots are not moving all around in the pot every time the wind wiggles the tree and to insure that it is not blown out of the pot in foul weather and of course to prevent your not so bonsai friendly friends from picking up your tree by the trunk and in so doing actually yanked it free removing it from the pot because it was not wired into the container. On my gosh did I really say that... Yes in my early years before I learned to wire them it actually happened just that way.

 All right then let's make ready our tie down wires and insert them into the pot. I take enough wire to measure at least three quarters around the pots circumference and one slightly smaller buy perhaps and inch or so at best then I bend these wires also into a u shape and then insert them into the smaller tie down holes most often at the outer edges of the better well made pots and you will indeed learn what are good pots as you progress and what are bad ones for sure. Now pull these wires on through and place them as close to the edges of the pot as you can and actually place them over the rim or edge of the pot out of your way.

 Now your ready to plant and make ready your chosen tree. Next I would place a layer of medium to large pumice into the bottom of the pot for drainage. Then I would place at least one scoop of my favorite potting soil into the pot in the position I want the tree to sit. I will work the scoop of soil into a upwards mound and then carefully position the tree over that mound and gently push down on the mound while twisting the tree from side to side slightly to insure some of that soil works its way into the center mass of the root ball on the tree.

 Now then I'm ready to tie my tree into the pot into the desired position. I will bring the wires together over the mass of root ball as gently as possible and then twist them together a few times to ensure they have made a grip and then I will take my pliers and gently pull upwards taking out some of the slack in the wire and then with the pliers make a couple of twists too the wire and release then repeat till you feel that you have indeed secured the plant into the pot. Now your ready to begin adding more soil and working the plant into its desired container.

 Once again here I will add that you should use if possible two sets of tie down wire and if not one will often suffice. But again more is better and once again a matter of choice and preferences. This way with more tie downs you can work from one side or the pot to the other and make even a more secure tie down overall. As most people that have been doing bonsai for any time will tell you the wire ties are also now acting as the anchor for the tree because in a lot of cases you have removed larger roost and even the main tap root of the given tree to insure that it fit in the pop you selected in the first place.

 Now here below you can see a proper prepared pot with drain hole screen in place and cut to proper size at edges so not to have excess wire on the bottom of the pot which could make the pot shaky or wobble around on it sitting surface. Some do have legs while yet others do not so they are not raised up so that the wire does not interfere with the pot wobbling around. Of course it is best to find a pot slightly raised above its intended surface some what either with legs or some other way slightly above the surface or you might need to raise your pot up by placing something under it.

 Now I'm ready to add more working soil to my pot and begin the process of working it into the pot. This is where my chop stick comes into play and you can get them made out of plastic or real wood at nearly any Chinese restaurant when you eat a meal there the chop sticks will be free for you to take with you when you leave. Or of course simply go to a source and buy your self some. It would be better if they are made from real bamboo but not absolutely necessary.

 Also another good use for chop sticks if your just starting out with bonsai and want to really learn when your plant needs to be watered then take a pair and break them in half making now four pieces and place one of them into your potted tree all the way to the bottom and then every day pull it up and take a look at it and you will be able to see the water line on almost all wooden chops sticks as they will absorb water and then when drying out the water line will continue to works it way up the chops stick. the closer to the top the dampness is the sooner you should water again. Simple enough right.

 Anyway off the beaten path here so back to it, now I will take my scoop and add more soil all around the pot and gently tap the sides of the pot to settle as much of the new soil as I can then starting at the edge of the pot I will work the chop stick all the way to the bottom and gently wiggle back and forth and with my for finger pushing soil on down into the hole the wiggling has made and then repeat all the way around the pot at the edges until it is firm and once in a while I will tap the  sides of the pot yet again to see if more soil will indeed settle if not then I will insert the chop stick at about a 45 degree angle pushing towards the center of the pot and work the same way causing new soils to settle in the center root mass closer to the center of the potted tree. Work the soil until you feel that no more will fall into the small holes you have made by the wiggling of the chop sticks back and forth.

 Now like I stated and will once more this is my method but you must learn what truly works best for you and if you take lessons from some one and they clearly have been doing this for a few years and have proof to show you then you should by all means do what they tell you or show you because it should be clear to anyone that if they have planted trees in bonsai pots in there garden and they are healthy then they must know and have some knowledge of what they are doing.

 Bare in mind this is part one of re-potting and I will show you the other parts of my ways to re-pot in yet another installment in part two so be looking for that and as always happy bonsai to you and hope you return for more of my ramblings..


By: Harold Yearout ©Copyright 2016 Harold Yearout All Rights Reserved for more information feel free to contact me: h.yearout@gmail.com
 

A most majestic pine the Ponderosa

 Hi and welcome once again to my bonsai channel, today I'm going to tell you a little bit about one of the most majestic of all pines, the Ponderosa and we do not need little Joe or Hoss from Bonanza to help us.

 The tree you see here in this picture is roughly 150 years old and by that I mean I have no real way to totally determine the actual age of this tree but however by using an age old theory of age dating trees by counting growth rings from a core sample taken at the base of the trunk one can then count the rings that form around the trunk through out each season and then pretty closely to some degree determine the age of a tree.

 So that is what has been done with this tree. One core sample was taken at the lowest part of the trunk where it was at its widest and most thickest around then the core sample was examined and the growth rings counted to determine a fairly close age for this tree.

  However let me just state for the record here so as to way off any confusion there is truly no way to totally at best determine the real age of most tress, at least not ones growing in the wild. But lets assume that you yourself planted a tree from seed and you yourself grew that tree all your natural life and then it was passed on down to the next generation person say for instance in your own family like many Japanese families have done over the ages, and then yet even once again the same tree is handed down again to the next documented person and they in turn grew the same tree for there natural life time and so on and so on of course all the time keeping accurate records in printed form and most assuredly keeping photo records when and where at all possible then indeed we, or he, she or they could indeed have a pretty accurate recorded of that given tree.

  Then of course there should be no questions in anyone's mind as to the true said age of such a tree.

 This I might add is and was a real practice with the Japanese culture and so most all of there tress are documented as to age. However not so here in the western civilization simply because no one seems to care, I might add of course other than the true collector. However the  average joe or person who buys from there local nursery will almost always not get any real documentation or true age of said purchased trees.

 Also if they were lucky enough or even far enough advanced in the art of bonsai to go out into the forest wilds and collect a Yamadori meaning collected in Japanese they still would not truly know the age of said collected tree, because age at best is something we all can only estimate.

 However let's just try to be as practical as we could be and say let us assume that we are out looking for a tree to collect and we find an area in the forest that looks promising and we spot a small tree and by small I mean a tree say possibly fist sized around or maybe even two fists sizes around you would get pretty excited at least I know I would . So then my next thought is gee I wonder how old it is?

Well like I said there is no real way of knowing with out having a somewhat accurate core sample taken and that is not as easy as it sounds.

 But what to me really remains as the kicker is how did that tree get in its resting place in the first place. Did a seed fall from a mother tree close by or did a bird drop a seed or perhaps some other critter, because lots of forest animals bury seeds only to forget where they hid it and then the seed germinates and pops up and starts growing. So then how long did it grow there in that place you found it. Has it been there a hundred years perhaps two hundred years maybe even more and no one knows for sure.

 Any way the whole idea is astounding at best and truly should be taken into account and well thought out with how ever the tree was age dated estimated or other wise. So I guess what I'm trying to truly say is don't boast or brag or what ever unless you can prove it or have accurate records it will only serve to make you look foolish and not only does it make you sound and look foolish it is very misleading to the viewer and to the public in general.

 I for one being a true avid collector and caretaker myself of bonsai do care and have trees that are as young as only a year or two and some that are upwards of two too three hundred years of age documented of course, simply because a lot of my trees have been handed down in my family for four generations and a lot of the tress I now own were purchased by my family from various parts of the world and some of the older specimen tress were purchased in Japan in the 50s and these tress were already well established and old when they were acquired and bought then now add my young age of only 80 years to the mix and you do the math and then decide.

 One of the other nagging factors with age of tress of course is that of constant climate changes and conditions and these all affect the ring count on trees of course so you only can estimate at best and or guess if you do not have paper work and you might say what is all the fuss about age anyway well its a matter of bragging rights for one thing with some bonsai people I guess and or what ever, but for me it just makes sense to no and of course if you ever plan to sell any or all of your collection it is going to be a really big factor in determining what you get in the way of money out of your collection.

 This tree was an acquired tree from a local Nursery and they had no real information either about the tree. For instance it would have been nice to know where the tree originally came from or even from whom, and that is sad that no one even seems to care to ask or do any kind or research to find out where the original tree came from in the first place and that includes many nursery's at large so buyer beware it is always a good thing to practice in buying bonsai trees ask for as much information as they have.

 Was this tree say collected or was it perhaps started from a seed or even from smaller nursery stock purchased and then grown on to what it is now. The real way that this tree came to be what it is today seems totally amazing to me at best considering its size and stature, but when I first saw it I could not resist having it so I saved and bought it. Now normally I would never undertake purchasing a tree with no history but this tree to me was just to awesome to resist no matter the outcome.

  Of course the ways that it came to be could be many but indeed with a tree of this size and stature you would have thought that someone selling it would have cared enough to ask the person they purchased it from. The tree has been in my collection now for a couple of years and I have been working and continuing to further style and train it since. These pines live to be hundreds of years old even in pots if cared for properly and I for one truly do take care of my plants as bonsai and have for many years.

 The Ponderosa was first collected way back in 1826 in Eastern Washington near what we now no as Spokane, and it is also the state of Montana's state tree and grows predominantly in the western range of the United States and Canada, although it can be seen as far as the plains of Nebraska and of course Nevada where a Television series was created called Bonanza and the ranch they used in the series was called the Ponderosa more than likely because that area of filming had an abundance of these trees.

 These pines can also be found as far south as Texas and on in too Mexico so yes the Ponderosa has been seen growing in a lot of different places and climates but still out side of being a bonsai it does grow predominantly in the Great Northwest.

 These pines have a real tolerance for many conditions to include harsh rains wind and also dry climates where the trees would even say struggle to live and still they survive. I for one do nothing special with any of my trees other than to water as needed and feed throughout the growing season  and then let nature take its course. I do not baby any of them or take any special precautions like some bonsai people do.

 I truly have always believed that if you just let the trees grow on there own and only do your job of watering and feeding and repotting when called for you will have a good healthy tree for many years to come, I know I do.

 When I do loose a tree it is because of my own neglect 90 percent of the time and not the fault of the tree or any other conditions other than me forgetting to water enough or over watering and or not enough sun or too much sun the list of conditions goes on and on but the bottom line here is do your research for each tree you plan to grow and you should be good to go.

 Say for instance one of the deciding factors for Ponderosa is that they need totally full sun or as much as you can provide to really do well in your garden and they can go on the dry side for a bit without harming the tree so like I said again simply do your own home work before deciding.

 The Ponderosa is no different and it is a very good looking pine to add to anyone's collection. These trees have a real stout needle and depending on where the tree is growing in the vast scheme of things it can have any where from two needles too three but the most common are three and that is what I have a three needle Ponderosa.

 The size of these trees if left to grow in the ground can indeed reach some pretty majestic heights one was located in the state of Oregon and was measured out by a top horticulturist to be 268.29 feet tall and close to eight feet in girth and is on record now as the tallest pine known taking over the former record held by a sugar pine.

 The Ponderosa Pine has also been called the bull pine and the western yellow pine and sometimes even the blackjack pine. Although most of these tress do grow in the state of Washington and Oregon they can be seen in many other areas as well and could be collected by an avid bonsai person and then kept in bonsai art form for many years assuming you know what your doing to start with.

 If you do not have the knowledge to collect trees then by all means do not try, as in most cases you will only kill the tress and do no one including yourself any good. So if you want a collected one then by all means either purchase it or take someone along that has knowledge in the field of collected trees to help you.

 Ponderosa Pine makes a very nice tree indeed for bonsai and any younger tree can be wired easily and trained into a very nice desirable shape with a little practice and time and they will survive in a fairly wide rage of climates and tolerate many growing conditions. Younger tress are known for there more blackish bark and are often times called blackjack pine because of this. Often times the older tress will eventually be noted by there orange colored bark and look a whole lot more majestic.

 If wounded by nature the tree will emit a sap like resin we often times call pitch to help in covering over the scar and helping the tree to heal over and bounce back where it was wounded. If a limb or branch is removed in the art of bonsai then it is important to help seal over that area with cut paste used by many bonsai people to cover over areas cut on a tree.

 Well at least I hope that I have sparked your interest in getting your self a Ponderosa for your tree collection if you have not already procured one. In closing happy tree hunting and please have a very nice summer.

 
Thanks, for reading,


Update for this tree it is going to be reworked this spring or possibly fall I'm not sure just yet weather and all permitting. But if you look at the tree closely you will see that it now has three places on the tree that could be considered a top or apex and that is truly not expectable in the world of bonsai so by reworking I mean to correct this and try to restyle the entire tree and this will be a major undertaking for me but it will happen.


By: Harold Yearout ©Copyright 2014 Harold Yearout All Rights Reserved for more information feel free to contact me: h.yearout@gmail.com
 

THE CYPRESS AS BONSAI

 The cypress is a very nice choice for anyone creating a bonsai even if your a seasoned gardener or a beginner. It can be trained into a very wide variety of styles and this makes your choices fun and easy with a little work on your part.

 First you always want a good nebari for your Cypress or really for any bonsai for that matter. You will want to look for good placement of the branches and limbs for your tree.

 I tend to usually start with a good one gallon size nursery stock plant and then work from there to begin a style and I tend to leave it in the one gallon pot for a year or two to just get some growth and then I will take it out in early spring and plant it up into a desired bonsai pot.

 Or if you have plenty of time and are not in a rush you could plant your tree in the ground in your garden and let it grow on for six or eight years and obtain a really nice caliper for your trunk and then did it up and start the process of shaping and creating into a desired bonsai.

 I have started many cypress just from cuttings as they do seem to root well for me easy. I can not say that they would for everyone. I discovered actually by accident one year that the Squirrels around my place like to bury there winter forage into some of my bonsai pots and along with that for some reason they always seemed to deposit a piece cypress leaf or branch  and that begin to grow in my pots along with the other bonsai.

 In fact this happened on several occasions so the next time I trimmed some of the longer branches off my cypress I scraped the ends of the stem to scar it some and then just dipped the ends in some root tone and stuck them down into the bonsai bowl and they actually rooted and begin to grow. 

 So then I deduced that it must be fairly easy to start from just a leaf or branch.. So now every year I stick a few and let them grow on to a size that I can work with. Sometimes this takes an entire season to happen but it does never the less at least for me anyway.

 One thing I have learned about cypress as well as junipers do not trim your plant with scissors as this will turn the ends brown and unsightly. Instead pinch them out with your fingers and its actually easy to do.

 This cypress pictured above is very old around sixty years or more and well developed and the shape and style is very close to a informal upright. I have worked on this tree for many years to obtain what I now have and it won two show awards this year. One for the customers choice and one at yet another show for best in the show.

 I'm very happy with this Cypress. I did screw up a bit on it later this year as I had it sitting near my air conditioner exhaust to the outside of the house and it burnt the top of one of my branches and turned it ugly brown and so now I have to wait till next season for this to grow out and put on some new growth to hopefully fix and cover over the ugly brown ends.

 I use a very granular soil mix for all of my conifers and this Cypress is no exception as with most all conifers they do not like wet feet and so you should always strive to have a good granular mix for these types of plants to increase the flow of water out of the pot. The type of soils I make will actually draw up some of the water and disperse it later out into the pot as the tree begins to dry out and need it.

 I pinch my plant out in the early spring after it has established a considerable amount of new growth.

 Then sometimes I will pinch it out yet again later in the season if it seems to have any branches that are in the way of the viewers eye from front to back. I like my tree to be well podded up and the branches well rounded and this makes for a nice looking bonsai to view.

 Pests are none that I have dealt with and if any at all sometimes some small spiders may try to build there egg laying nests in the tree and I keep a keen eyes out for that and spray right away if I see any.

 Watering is pretty much every day in the hot season and misting a couple times a day if its really hot out. Other than that I water normal every day and I do not do anything special for this tree in the winter I just leave it out where it gets the winter rain and as long as it does not get way down in temperatures below freezing for any long periods then I just leave it out in the garden and it does just fine form season to season.

 As with any plant if the temperature does drop below freezing for any long periods then I will take the plants into a sheltered area of my back store room shed. Over the years my bonsai have withstood the test of the times for sure with rain sleet hail snow and freezing rain and temps well below zero and they still survive simply because I do not baby them. My rule of thumb has always been to let a plant get well acclimated to the out doors and then it seems to do just fine.

If indeed the tree is for your climate region to begin with and I always try to get material that is at least if at all possible two to three climate regions below mine that way I know for sure it can with stand the harsh climate if it gets real bad out. Say for instance your in a climate region of say eight then I would try to get a plant that will survive in region say five or even three..

 The key here is time watching as I like to call it. If the weather changes real rapid to real severe and  bad then I will act but other wise I just let nature take its course of action and only in the spring will you tell if they truly survived or not. Lots of your bonsai as well as mine will go to sleep so to speak in the winter months and not grow at all and in this state of sleep they will use water as they need it and very little nutrients and only begin to bud up again in the spring as the weather becomes gradually warmer.

 Deciduous trees will loose all there leaves in the winter months and be bare and so this is a good time to get rid of some of the unsightly and unwanted branches and kind of restructure your tree if it needs it. I do not get too carried away clipping out limbs just the dead ones or ones that I no for sure need to go to get my desired look and shape.

 Cypress are wonderful trees and make lovely bonsai as they are pretty easy to train and shape and style and I love all of mine and I have several in my garden.

 Feeding should be every other month through out the growing season and then slack off till spring again. Make sure you try to re-pot your Cypress every three to five years depending on your pot size and overall size of the tree of course.. Some will need to be sooner and some of course can wait for another year of later.

 So grab up some cypress of your choice and begin and you will soon have your self a nice looking tree to add to your collection.

Thanks, for reading,
By: Harold Yearout ©Copyright 2014 Harold Yearout All Rights Reserved for more information feel free to contact me: h.yearout@gmail.com
 

Wiltonii Juniper

 Here you will see one of my favorites bonsai in the garden. This Juniper is very old and the trunk on this shrub is the center of attraction for most visitors too my garden. This tree took two awards this year at a recent show.

 This particular type of Juniper makes a very good ground cover in almost any garden and also can very well be trained with time and patients into a stunning bonsai as you can see from the picture here.

 The juniper here is over thirty five years old and is named after a nursery that founded the variety back in the year 1914 in Ct. It is often times more commonly called Blue Rug and will take full sun in most types of soils in your garden if planted as ground cover. But of course if your going to train one into bonsai like the shrub here has been trained then you will want fast draining soil and keep it well watered but not totally wet either.

Typically in very hot weather I will water my bonsai twice a day and mist in between. This means on days above 80 degrees for my garden and yes it does take some time but anything worth doing is worth doing right or just do not bother at all if you do not wish to spend the time to take care of your plants.

 Like most Junipers it will do its best in full sun, however it will also tolerate shaded areas with part sun in the garden.

 Pests are possibly scale and other than that pretty much none known and if any at all then I personally would use my favorite bug spray to get rid of them. Not much pruning on this particular plant once it was well established. I do thin it out a little latter in the year around June in my area.

  As with most all junipers they tend to be slow growers anyway so not really a whole lot of pruning at least as a bonsai that is, but left in the garden as a shrub then you will need to contain it or it will over run an area quick.

 I use my own personal soil mix and you can read about my recommend mix in yet another article on this blog.

 This tree will be worked down into a much smaller pot this next season but for now it is what it is and will remain in this pot. It was too late this season too work into a smaller pot so I left it alone for this year. I simply had other tress in my collection that needed my attention and there were just to many that I had to work on and so this one got skipped this year.

 It does happen sometimes not deliberate of course but sometimes it just can not be worked like you would want because with a large collection like I have you simply run out of time. Any tree like this should never be majorly worked past spring as it just gets too hot for any repotting to take place.

 These junipers are crawlers and creepers if left unattended for any long periods and are truly used in most gardens as ground cover and they have a kind of blue cast in the winter months and they also grow berries and this can add to the interest of the plant.

 You would spend many years getting a trunk like the one here, which by the way has been lime sulfured to create the Shari look and in point of fact even perceives more age than the tree truly is.

 So if you plan to bonsai one then just be patient and take your time to achieve the look you want and not necessarily what you see here either, it can be what ever you like.. It could very well be full cascade or even a half cascade or wind swept or many other styles, maybe even upright just decide on a style and then go for it. 

 This particular shrub now trained to look like a tree was originally growing straight up and then we had a very large amount of snow one year and it bent the main branch back down and in almost a reverse position making the main branch twist backwards back and up over the plant giving the trunk an even more interesting look and style.

  So it was then decided to leave it in that position rather than trying too bring it back straight. So mother nature decided the style of this tree and she did a pretty good job if you ask me.

 You can find this juniper in most nurseries and I hope you find one and start your own as bonsai as they do make a special one for sure. Try too start with at least a one gallon size and work it from there.

Thanks, for reading,
By: Harold Yearout ©Copyright 2014 Harold Yearout All Rights Reserved for more information feel free to contact me: h.yearout@gmail.com
 



 

The great Hornbeam as bonsai.

 Hi everybody sorry there have been no posts but its really been hard for me this spring.  I have been so busy in the garden tending the bonsai and repotting  and trimming and wiring, and then being  out and about to some nurseries and all that I simply have not done my job and posted any new content.

 However I have lots of new stuff coming into its own this year and yet more to come so there will of course be many more articles, pictures and new content and things to look at and ponder.

 One new addition to my garden this year was this  Hornbeam. A simply awesome bonsai really well trained.

 I purchased this bonsai early on in the spring from another persons collection even before it had begun to bud up and so all I could see was the limb structure but that was enough for me to no that I truly wanted this tree for my collection. Normally I do not purchase bonsai I create and grown them my own that is that idea of the hobby in the first place but I simply could not resist this tree.


 Well now it has come into its full leaf and it is absolutely awesome at least to me any way.. This tree is about 35 years old and is doing fine and of course I will need to repot it next year as I did not do any thing with it this year but bring it home and watch it leaf out. As you can see I hope at least from the picture it is a nice sized tree with a really wonderful full nice limb structure also a awesome root system and its rooted in a very shallow pot less than one inch in depth. This tree would also have been a real good subject for a root over the rock style of bonsai, just take a good close look at the root system above the soil level and I think you would agree.

There are three varieties of Hornbeam a Korean Hornbeam Japanese Hornbeam and Common Hornbeam. I'm not sure what variety I have yet but will certainly find out after some more research.

 Hornbeam used out side of bonsai materiel are of course very popular in parks and in major cities around the globe as they do make wonderful trees for city parks and the like and they are short and squat at best and hardly ever mature to be over 30' feet and they make great additions as bonsai also to almost any one's collection. Perhaps if you visit a park or campus of some collage in your area you will find a Hornbeam growing and you could easily take a cutting from a branch with some very new fresh growth and then try and root it to make your self a bonsai.

 They will require a lot of close attention to watering in the hotter summer mounts and try not to let it dry out ever in that time of the year.  Keep it well watered and fed and you should have a nice rewarding tree for many years to come. Common Hornbeam can take the cold but the Japanese and Korean variety will do much better put into a protected area during the winter or housed over in a green house.

 This tree is deciduous and it will loose its leaves in the winter and look a little bare but oh what a show in the spring and right on through till fall. I use a well balanced all around fertilizer granular released on this and many other of my trees it works best for me however there are may varieties on the market and its only a matter of preference as to what you use but do feed all your trees through the regular growing season.

 I personally would find it best if any wiring is to be done on this kind of tree then do it in the winter on these trees as then all the foliage is gone and you can simply see what your doing a whole lot easier and take much less chance of damaging any of the nice finer foliage or limbs also be careful if you can too try and wire around bud nodes as not to damage them for any new growth coming in the next season.

 I would also make real sure you remove any wiring on the limbs before the tree starts to bud up in early spring as that is the most critical time for limbs to be growing and swelling and the wire could sink in and do damage to your limbs and not only that but leave you with unsightly wire marks and scars that would indeed take years to heal over if at all.

 Pests are unknown to me at this time for the hornbeam but if any they would be few and treated just like any other bonsai in mine or your collection. I personally use systemic on all of my bonsai as it seems to drive any bugs and or other pests away completely. Systemic may be found in most garden and nursery stores. Make sure to read the direction on package but if you do not wish to waste a lot of time reading all that tiny print just be sure to dilute it well down with lots of water added to a very small amount of the solution and add to a spray bottle and mist your tree and or plant with it and stand down wind as it really smells bad but does the job.

 I used less than a cap full of the solution and the rest water in my one quart spray bottle and it works just fine driving nearly any bug in the garden totally away and that is the intended job at least for me.  

 Pruning of this tree is done usually in mid summer for me anyway because at that time it has leafed up enough for me to see where I need to trim back and that is done on the ends of the branches making a cut of one or more leaves back too a couple of leaves and then new nodes will appear out from the two remaining leaves to make new leaves appear.

By the way the red looking flowers you see in the picture are not part of the hornbeam it is a climbing rose that is next to my fenced in garden in the front. At some point down the road if I ever get time I need to build a giant light box for taking pictures of the plants. But then I do have some bonsai that are so big that it would take more than just my self even to move them around as they are very heavy indeed, but that's another story. LOL.

 Anyway I hope you find the picture to your liking and I hope you will try a hornbeam if you have not already.

Thanks, for reading,
By: Harold Yearout ©Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved for more information feel free to contact me: h.yearout@gmail.com
 

       







 

Making your own bonsai soil

 I have to totally apologize to my readers as I had written a nice article on making up your own bonsai soil even including pictures of the products and where to get them only to have found out that yes indeed they were available last season but then when I went out yesterday in search of the same products they were not being sold any more at either of the main locations where I had purchased them before and so after some more research I found that I needed to indeed find new materials in general and just try too forget any specific brand names as company's do come and go any more so fast it seems a waste of my time looking for certain brand names.

 Bearing in mind of course that not all of us are living around big city's and sometimes its real hard for us too find what we need and want so to try and make it fairly simple I have put together a pretty basic bonsai mix and you should be able to find all these materials nearly anywhere in the world if you do a little home work and look for them.

 So with that in mind it was back to the drawing board searching out some basic material in my city with out any specific brand names. I did find what I wanted and I'm still going to pass on too you what I consider to be a very basic mix for 90% of all bonsai.

 Now to start with we have what we call Inorganic and there are organic mixes for bonsai . So what is the difference you may ask, good question so here is the answer. An all inorganic mix will consist of only rock like materials such as lava rock, crushed granite, course sands,  or pumice, of course the list can go on and on so the bottom line here is that if you wish to have an all inorganic mix then you do not wish to have any other material in the mix other than a stone or clay based substance and with no organic materials involved at all.

 While yet on the other hand an organic mix will have perhaps some peat, pine park fines, and or some other types of general compost mixed in the mix to help stimulate the plant, acting as sort of a food for the plant. Although your plants truly need none of the later if you fertilize the plants regular during the growing season and you should be doing that anyway.

 What were really trying to do here is create a mix that is fast draining and yet I do not want to sound  contradictory you also need a mix that will retain some of the water and release it later. So a good choice for an Inorganic mix is as follows.

 1: Pumice, or Red lava rock, or Decomposed granite and possibly some course sand if you like or you may in point of fact use all three of the above rock based products as I do and forget the sand.

 Now for an organic mix we will use the same as above and add some sort of pine bark or some people use Orchid bark or other type of compost material but Orchid bark is rather expensive and most people like too keep the cost down and yet still obtain a good result.

  So most other medium grade compost materials will work but bear in mind all of this material should be screened to obtain a uniform size and also to help eliminate the fines and to clean it. Now both mixes organic or inorganic will work for most all of your plants but your conifers will do better in the inorganic mix and your deciduous trees will do better in the organic mix. So then there could be argument as to why we would need both or even use both and to that I will simply say its a matter of choice rather than any necessity.

   I believe that the main thing most of us miss here is that it will depend on where you live and the climate where you live that is going to dictate what you should be using as a mix for your plants. I live in the Great Northwest in the state of Oregon and trust me here in the winter months mother nature is our constant garden hose so the key here is to get all that water out quick so the plants roots can breathe and not rot and so it makes perfect sense that water will pass through a medium based rock substance rather than be left behind in a bunch of organic bark based compost products that will retain a lot of water and stay wet for days or even weeks at a time.

 I personally use for all my tress and plants the inorganic mix and simply fertilize my bonsai on more of a regular regime and for get about the organic materials altogether.

  Now as I stated above you will want to wash all of this material to get out any dusty dirt and or other materials that are not wanted in the mix and then screen it all so you can obtain a good uniform  particle size for your finished mix. I use five gallon buckets and put all my products one in each bucket and then as I dip out each along the way and wash it screen it too get a finished material.

 I save the screened finished material in yet another bucket and what is left over is most often too fine and so it is saved and set aside for later use as a base starter mix for cuttings or seeds.

 Here is a basic set of sifting screens that I use and they consist of three sizes of screens and range from a large screen then medium and then of course a small and I always strive for the finished material to be of a medium size or about the size of a normal pencil eraser or half that size will also be alright in your mix but anything smaller should be passed on to the final screen or have totally passed through and is not wanted in the bonsai mix.

 Once you have all three of your materials in one final bucket then of course mix them all together well and your finished. So once again Inorganic mix is as follows.

 1: Pumice
 2: Red Lava Rock
 3: Decomposed Granite
 4: Optional of course is Small pencil eraser sized crushed rock of any brand or kind and or coarse sand. The mix should be not too large and not totally small either a good gauge is to lay an ordinary penny in or near the mix and the materials used should be about 1/4th the size of the coin. Here below would be what a mix should look like when finished.

  Most all conifers will need to be re-potted about every three to five years depending on the age of the plant younger trees will need to be re-potted more often while yet older trees less often.

 Deciduous trees such as maples flowering and or fruit tress will need to be re-potted every year and or every other year.

 I do not endorse or recommend any pactiular product here and only offer the items that I have wrote about as my choice of material used for my bonsai. Your products can or may be totally different, the choice and final dession is always yours to make as too what you may wish to use for your own bonsai.

 If your unsure or question if the mix is safe or good then I recommend that you only plant a very inexpensive small tree or shrub in the mix first and then follow its progress for at least one entire season and then if your satisfied that your plant survived and is doing well than it would be safe to assume that this mix is safe and can be used on a nearly any bonsai. We would further assume that now our job is done and we need not not use any other materials or search for any other, this is true too some extent however there are other alternatives and or products too research and experiment with and who knows but with time and extermination you may find or stumble on too yet another good bonsai soil mix..

 All of these products should be solid and not deteriorate or break down to any muddy substance and if for some reason they do then you have not washed it proper or purchased something other than what I have mentioned here.

Your end result is to put together a fast draining soil and still have one that will be absorbent enough to retain some of the water being passed through and not totally dry out in at least a day and if it does because temperatures are too hot and your material is drying out too fast then you will need to water more often even perhaps twice in a day in the hotter summer mounts.

Watering bonsai is a very critical factor in there survival or death so if your not sure then feel the soil and if its damp too the touch at the top of your pot then you should be alright and if not then watering may be advised. It never hurts to get your fingers dirty and scratch around a little in the soil the feel will tell you if your doing your job right, dry is a warning sign, moist is good, while mushy or soggy is a sign of too much water so just practice you will get the hang of it.

Thanks, for reading,
By: Harold Yearout ©Copyright 2014 Harold Yearout All Rights Reserved for more information feel free to contact me: h.yearout@gmail.com







  

 




   

The Yixing Tea Pot

 One of my favorite things to collect other than bonsai of course are other Japanese and Chinese items that truly only most collectors would appreciate and collect.

 I have always loved tea and of course I drink it a lot and although I drink mostly organic and or herbal teas as I do not like the caffeine in the teas most commonly found in the local grocery. I do however buy special teas found the world over and enjoy most all of them.

 As a collector I started collecting these special tea pots about two years ago and have several now in my own private collection and enjoy them on display because of some of the truly awesome styles and ornate carvings that they have on them.

 The Yixing Tea Pots originated from china and were made from the clay in the Yixing area in Eastern China in the province of Jiangsu and the clay is sometimes called purple clay and does come from Yixing China.

 These pots and the tea drinking practice from them dates clear back to the 15th century and truly tea drinking personally or as a ceremony can still be found today the world over.

 Although unless you have really deep pockets do not hope to find or buy an original Yixing of that time period any time soon. Although you can still purchase Yixing Tea Pots for your self because they can be found in many different locals all over the world and if you do your own research you will find them.

 I personally will not promote any special place to purchase them or find them here as that is not what I intended in this article, more over I did want to let you know that they are indeed a very nice collectible and that they are in point of fact more desirable for tea drinking than your normal or average tea pot simply because of there unique qualities and ability to absorb the flavors.

 Now what is special about these tea pots you might ask? Well its that being of this special absorbing  clay substance that allows these particular tea pots too absorb the flavor of the tea being consumed from that tea pot.

 It is very important that if you do purchase one for your self be sure only too use one type of tea per pot and never mix or brew any other type of  tea in that pot ever. This will allow that particular tea pot a chance to absorb only the flavor of the tea being used and eventually in time it will permanently do so. Then it will also become seasoned too that flavor and special aroma for the entire time you use it.

 It is said that if indeed you only brew one type of tea for that pot for many years eventually it will take on the flavor all on its own not even requiring that you use tea grounds or leaves any more to brew that tea. Simply add your hot water and let it steep until its ready brewed and then enjoy.

 Although I can not attest to this personally as I have not had any of my pots long enough or ever used them enough yet to have had this so called phenomenon happen. There are people that do swear by it though and say its absolutely possible given time.

 Another way to of course heighten the entire process in my opinion would be to submerge the entire tea pot in the special warm tea in a much larger container so as to cover the entire tea pot in the liquid and then just let it sit for several hours as the clay material from that region is very porous and will absorb naturally any of the flavor and aroma of the teas used.

 Makes sense given the nature of the tea pots made of Yixing clay. Pictured above are some Yixing Tea Pots and styles and this picture is from public domain and not mine. There are many pictures too be found on the internet and so enjoy looking around and perhaps you will find your own special pot and treasure.

 One of my favorite teas in these pots is Money Pod Picked Oolong very expensive tea too say the least given where and how it originated. The monkey picked Oolong tea got its name literary because it was picked by monkeys yes sounds phoney I know but trust me it did actually happen long ago.

 As the monks in areas of China planted the tea trees they never expected the tea trees to grow to such tall heights so as the tea trees continued to grow even taller the monks could no longer pick the most tender leaves and or even begin to reach them.

So guess what?

Well the monks actually trained monkeys to go to the top of the tea trees and pick the most desirable leaves for them and in turn the monks fed and cared for the monkeys so it was a win win for both involved. That then is how we arrived at the name Monkey Picked.

 Now I doubt that this particular practice is still being carried out today by monkeys however we still do have a tea called Monkey Pod Picked Oolong. This is a very fine tea and if you ever get the chance when out and about then try some but this special tea is not to be confused with all the other Oolong teas available. There are cheep Oolongs and there are expensive ones so buyer beware of what your purchasing.

Here are some of my most recent Yixing tea pots purchased. Never mind part of my kitchen stove in the background but anyway this gives you some idea of whats out there to collect and enjoy if you have the desire too.

 Please also bear in mind because of the nature of these special pots never use them in a Microwave oven and do not wash them out with any soap as this will truly destroy the flavor absorbed and ruin the pot for any further use and if by chance you use a tea bag in the place of natural leaves and or products then be sure to remove your tea bag from the pot as soon as it has steeped never leave tea leaves or bags in the pots after use as it will cause mold and also ruin the pot simply let it dry out naturally and then replace the lid and wait till the next use.

 The best natural way to brew special teas for these pots is to heat your water to the desired temperature for steeping the tea and use a glass container of some sort to heat the water in and if you can stay away from your city's tap water by all means use a bottled water for better taste and purity.

 In time when your brewing special teas you will learn that some will need to be hotter than others while some if you get them too hot it will also destroy the flavor and make the tea bitter and not very good tasting at all and believe me it takes a little effort to make just the right pot and get just that right taste but in time you will get the hang of it. Then its all worth it on a cold winters night like tonight to sip a lovely tasting special imported tea as you sit back relax and enjoy your evening.

Thanks, for reading,
By: Harold Yearout ©Copyright 2013 Harold Yearout All Rights Reserved for more information feel free to contact me: h.yearout@gmail.com

Cheif Joseph Pine:

 I decided to purchase an early Christmas present for my self as I do most years. Being alone of course affords me not only the pleasure of doing that, but also gives me more to spend on myself as I have no one else to worry about shopping for.

 The Chief Joesph Pine is a well balanced choice for a small nice compact looking bonsai, this two needle pines habit is naturally tight and of course is always a desired look in bonsai especially for conifers.

 This trees very tight and compact growth can give surprising results fairly fast as a bonsai. Of course with most all pines in order to obtain that desired shorter needle it will take a few seasons of work before it happens.

 Only time and many seasons of needle plucking pinching of the candles and shaping by wiring of the branches will get you your eventual desired affect and look but in time and with a lot of diligence it will and can be achieved.

  It is a two needle growth habit pine and in most cases but not all will grow fairly slow as it only has around a two inch growth spurt each year and will not reach more than usually six to eight foot over all in total height even planted and left too grow in the ground in the garden.

 Bonsai of course allows us to keep the tree small and in the confines of a pot and also allows us to shape it clip it and wire it to the desired creation that pleases us as a bonsai. The Chief Joseph Pine is all ready a dwarf conifer and so in my opinion makes a wonderful choice for a bonsai materiel as it truly is the case for most all dwarf trees and shrubs.

 The typical growth habit for this dwarf tree is green needles in early spring and then turning a golden and or bright yellow in the fall and this most often can be accomplished by giving the tree an ample amount of full sun during the growing season. This in turn will promote the lovely color of bright yellow with hints of orange in the needles of the tree for the fall or winter months and in turn makes this tree a very nice bonsai or even in the ground garden tree to look at and admire in the fall time of the year.

 I have wanted one of these trees for some time however they are hard to come by in my area and most often when you do find an ample supply of them then expect to pay a pretty good price for your plant as they are not at all cheap. The reasons I can give for this are that most often this plant is a grafted tree on too another trunk to make it stronger and that in its self takes time and work and then the color is of course another determining big factor. But most often even the smaller ones that would be suitable for beginning bonsai are in the fifty to sixty dollar price range in a one gallon size pot.

 I have not personally seen any in a smaller size than one gallon but I'm sure they do exist and someone out there is growing them for market some where so do your research and you will find a source as I did.

 Pests for this tree are none known by me personally but there are probably some out there so the key of course as with all plants and especially bonsai is too keep a sharp eye and be very vigilante. If you do decide to create and grow one of these pines as a bonsai first look for a nice healthy tree with some nice placement of limbs for shaping and then a suitable pot for your creation, in this case the pot should be a mat finish pot as in this case the tree I chose is a conifer and that most always is the rule of choice for bonsai conifers, a mat finish pot and deciduous and flowering trees or shrubs should have a glazed pot.

 Of course others are are acceptable but they should at least be in one of the bonsai styles and sizes and not just any old ordinary garden pot.

 Rules of course can be broken but then again most people will at times break the rules as a matter of ease for them selves personally rather than by choice. Say for instance you may not always be able to find the pot of choice so you compromise but its not that big of a deal unless your a stickler for the rules like I personally would be, or unless you were offering the bonsai up for show or sale then it should always follow the rules and be placed in the proper medium and pot before you do show it or sell it, once again only my personal opinion.

 But then again any Master would simply chuckle to himself and or at you either to your face or if not to your face certainly behind closed doors if he or she were to see you planting a bonsai in a nicely finished pot before its time.

 But then again a true Master would tell you the reason for this and explain to you why. However I do not consider myself a Master so again only my advise or opinions are given here, but I personally will always break that one rule and plant my bonsai in a nice pot right away. But then again do not miss understand a working bonsai from say a starter or just a newly started plant most of my personal plants that I have been creating and working on are well over the twenty year mark by now and although some are younger most are that age and even older and deserve a nice pot.

 Pots can always be changed later if indeed they need to be or if you so desire, a different pot can be chosen most any time and you can never have enough pots on hand anyway so if you can afford it then what does it matter? What's all this hype over when the bonsai should be planted in a nice pot anyway?  I simply believe that its my choice to make as to when I give it a nice pot and mine alone to make that decision.

 In my personal collection I have the belief that if I'm going too have this tree in my collection and I'm going to tend it work with it and create it into my desired affect and have in on display in my garden then it deserves a nice pot to add to its overall artistic value and look, end of pot discussion for me personally.


 But then again there are a lot of people that simply will not or have not spent money on pots for there plants until such time as they think that its truly a real show stopper or in the case of the bonsai being in the class of a Master tree or a Specimen plant that is truly deserving of a fine pot.. Pots are not cheap especially the nicer ones for bonsai and it becomes at least for me in my area harder and harder every year to find them.

 Reasons of course are that the best pots are most often imported from abroad and in most all cases the buyer is forced to by an entire container load at a time in order to get any kind of a price break.

 This in turn will also affect the prices you pay and or the amount you may find on the market at any given time in local nursery's and so depending on where you live in the country it can be and often times is a long search and can be daunting one indeed to find nice bonsai pots.

 I have often thought to myself that many years ago I should have also learned and created pottery only for the sole sake and specific reason of making my own bonsai pots... So if your a person that doses have a potters wheel and can throw bonsai pots and perhaps you also have your own kiln and can also burn the glazed pots or perhaps you know someone that does then have them contact me.

 This tree was ready for planting as a bonsai with really very little work on my part other than like I said selecting the proper pot and then positioning it in that pot and wiring it to the pot and wiring the tree its self after it was planted to begin the initial shape and styling.

 This tree is rather young even at around eight years in age and will take a lot of time in shaping and styling too create it into a nice deserving bonsai but in time it will truly be a nice addition to my collection.

Thanks, for reading,
By: Harold Yearout ©Copyright 2013 Harold Yearout All Rights Reserved for more information feel free to contact me: h.yearout@gmail.com

Would it really be Black Friday?

 As usual today was the famous so called Black Friday the biggest shopping day after Thanksgiving Turkey day. I of course just like so many others go out looking for bargains and unfounded treasures but seldom find any. More over I would call it Green Friday as all I or anyone else ever does if there serious about shopping on this famous day is spend the green and so why don't they just call it Green Friday.

 I found $387.00 dollars worth of plants today and some will make nice future bonsai with some time and care, then I bought a nice rectangular mat finish pot for a future bonsai, as the price was right and actually more than likely was truly the find of the day since pots in this area have truly accelerated in price, also I found a really nice tiny pair of very small bonsai shears but they will be absolutely great for getting into the really tight spots..

 I purchased first a very nice Spaan's Dwarf Shore Pine. Now since these particular pines grow very compact and with a small tiny short needle structure and somewhat contorted limbs they most often look like a bonsai before you even lend a hand to them anyway.

 The one I purchased is about two and a half feet tall overall height and is nicely balanced and will make a very nice bonsai with some of my wiring and pruning to get a shape that I like started, but the first step will be to get it into some proper bonsai soil as soon as I can because right now its  potted up very loosely in mostly all bark medium and this if left out in the full exposure to the rainy climate we have here will truly have taken its sever toll by spring and I simply do not want to loose this tree.

 It needs to be in a well drained mix that I can make up and that way it will drain very fast and not hold on too all that water retention and drown the roots.

 Then I bought a very nice little shrub most often used in the garden as just that a true shrub, but I plan to bonsai mine as usual and then train it in some sort of bonsai style. The plant is called Beautyberry Or Callicarpa Bodinieri.

 A very lovely shrub with green leaves in spring and a purple looking berry all over the limbs in the fall.. This hopefully will make a nice bonsai if I live long enough too see the results as this shrub has at present a very small caliper trunk and will take a few years to develop a larger trunk for beauty.

 Even if planted and field grown it would still take longer than I wish to wait to see a finished result in trunk size. So I will look now for a lager one with hopefully the larger trunk and then perhaps just plant this one as a simple garden shrub.

 Unless of course in my many travels around the country and to many nursery's I do get lucky and find one that has a really much larger trunk, but doubtful with out really shelling out a lot of the Black Friday or as I called it the green Friday... MONEY MONEY oh that MONEY...You don't suppose they would consider taking one of the many silver dollar plants I have in trade do ya?     Na I didn't think so.

 The second round of little beauty's I found were two hybrid red pines and they are called  Pinus densiflora Jane Kluis. These guys are grafts and will make some cute bonsai for my garden once I have imparted my handy work on them, surgery if you will... and by pruning them and cutting out some of the limbs then wiring and shaping them to get that initial style created then I will have the great start of indeed yet another fine smaller bonsai for a few years as these plants are still very young and only at this time would be considered nursery stock by most, but then again most people are not looking at them with the intent to create bonsai from them.. Most are at best just looking for another garden shrub around there home or patio.

 Since most of us tend to buy a lot of our material from local of traveled nurseries anyway were not out in the wild gathering bonsai stock. However truly not all of us are Yamadori collectors and just in case you do not know what that means... Well its a collected plant from the wild if you truly get lucky and get the material or in the process of trying to get it do not get thrown in jail or a big whopping fat fine so be careful and get permission if you ever plan to get any material like this for use as bonsai.  Always be sure too ask first before you go just go out digging.. Always remember that land belongs to someone..

 The Red Pines that I bought today are about eight years old each I would guess and in one gallon pots and have the same problem as the Shore pine they are planted in a lousy bark and will retain way too much moisture with this type of mix as a potting medium so I need once again to get them into some proper potting mix as soon as I can.

 Then I bought a really nice light weight rock often called feather rock and it will be used this spring for some plantings actually planted on the rock and these plants will grow on that rock in a way that they are actually growing on the rock and not root over the rock style.  I will write an article this coming spring showing just how I do this and what materials I use and where to get the materials and then I will give you some step by step instructions on how too accomplish this type of a planting  and then of course you will be able too see what the finished product can or could look like.

 Last for today of course but certainly not my last every too purchase was a nice little grafted Pinus strobus Tiny Curls also another Jan Kluis. This little contorted curly needle White pine will also eventually with some tender love and care make yet another addition to my garden as a nice looking bonsai.

 Sorry I do not really have time to take pictures of all this material right now but if you look them up under there names on the internet you will be able to see examples of what they could look like as a finished bonsai.

Thanks, for reading,
By: Harold Yearout ©Copyright 2013 Harold Yearout All Rights Reserved for more information feel free to contact me: h.yearout@gmail.com







  

Praise is due where praise is needed...Scotch Pine

 Although tomorrow is the big day for Turkey and for a lot of you its a chance to have a day with the family and relax and if your still in the work force then of course you get that chance to stay home too and enjoy.. But for me its just another day in the year and I simply could  not resist the temptation of taking a picture of this pine that I was able to work on today in a workshop with a very nice and most enjoyable small group of other people..

 Please excuse part of my kitchen in the back ground but unfortunately I have all ready put away for the season and winter the table I most often use to take photos of my plants on.

 We had the good fortune to have Ted Matson too help us and impart some of his many years well over 35 I believe in the wonderful world of bonsai creating many bonsai and teaching around the country Ted is probably best known for his very creative work on Shohin and deciduous bonsai and Ted is also very knowledgeable of pines and junipers and many other variates of plants in the plant kingdom. Yes fortunate indeed to have such a wonderful person take time out of there very busy day to teach us for over three hours and for this I say praise is due where praise is needed.. Many thanks to you Ted and all who were there and helped out...

 But trust me when I say I was stumped and simply did not know where to begin with this plant it had been left go for a few years and because of the neglect it had branches that needed complete removal and the rest that remained after a serious look and some real hard needle pulling and or pruning left us with some new desirable branches to wire and get started reviving this plant and turning it back into something that can be most rewarding in the years too come.

 In closing I guess I could not let this go with out showing you a picture of the Scotch Pine that Ted helped me with. I only wish that I had taken a picture before the work so you could have seen the real mess and confusion that I faced with this particular plant. 

There is still a long way to go with this one to turn it into something worth really being proud of but one always needs to just move forward and strive to do what needs to be done and I will for sure you can rest assured on that... At least now with the hard pruning this plant will begin to throw back buds and new buds for more future growth and then give me or the next person in line something nice to work with..

This will be the last post more than likely of the year but if I do something else it will be around or slightly before Christmas..

If not well then here is wishing you all a very Merry holiday and a most wonderful New year....

Thanks for reading.
By: Harold Yearout ©Copyright 2013 Harold Yearout All Rights Reserved for more information feel free to contact me: h.yearout@gmail.com









 

Turkey day tomorrow..

So here we are at another thanksgiving and I will be alone as my family is all gone and passed away over the last few years.. But I will most defiantly have my little Cornish hen and some dressing and mashed potatoes and gravy and perhaps some traditional cranberry sauce. Then I will just kick back and try too enjoy the remainder of the day lamenting over some of this past years blessings and good fortune.

I wish to tell all my readers and bonsai lovers alike here is wishing you all a very happy thanksgiving and I hope your able to enjoy and have a nice relaxing day..

Thanks from me to all of you, Harold Yearout

Juniperus rigida bonsai

The genus Juniperus rigdia like all other junipers is in the family of Cypress this particular species is native too northern China, Korea, Japan and the very far southeast part of Russia. It can be used as a shrub or a tree and lives in its native areas in fairly high altitudes it is an evergreen.

This tree or shrub has a very shredded like bark and this can look very nice if used in bonsai and it adds a lot of interest to the trunk of the tree but can in the case of bonsai harbor and hide little pests like bugs and ants and other insects so most often when working one of theses plants into a bonsai most people will peal and work that bark away down too the trunk where you will begin to see the reddish colored trunk appear..

You will of course loose some of the trunks interest but your tree will be much safer from insects and not be as apt to get any fungi and or other pests under the shaggy bark.. I acquired this plant from a fellow bonsai enthusiast and it was a very good price and deal for me as I love junipers anyway and thought it would make a nice little addition to my collection..

The tree is too small in trunk girth to have much of a nebari and is lacking there of and might have been the reason the other fellow did not want to keep it or work it any more.. I will always be the first to agree that a strong and well placed nebari on a tree trunk truly will make the tree shine and look fantastic but some times mother nature just does not give it too us in our life time and so we must settle for less than the best effort and take what is handed to us and try our best to still create something nice to view anyway. Or at least I do. I have often times been accused of not even letting a dandelion die even though it is a weed.

I bought it from him anyway and brought it home and re applied some Lime sulpher to re brighten up the Shari on the trunk and then later that day decided too also give it a nice looking pot. Now I know any master would think that I'm totally crazy and wasting my time by not only working this plant and would truly balk at me for giving it a nice pot but oh well rules are meant to be broken at times and I can not stand any plant in my collection not having a decent pot... Plastic and or wood crates and the like just do not cut it for me...

I have no idea how old this little guy is but not too old I suspect as its trunk size is way too small to have been around for too long.

This juniper like most any other conifer likes well drained soil and lots of full sun if you can provide it and although it will tolerate wet feet too some extent I do not leave it or any of my other plants stay that wet and of course since I do live in the Great Northwest I need not water as much like most others will in there areas as here mother nature provides much rain and remains my constant garden hose most all the time.

Some junipers produce berries and believe it or not the berries are used for spice in a fairly wide variety of food dishes and also the berries are used in some kinds of gin, mostly for a special flavor and it has also been used in certain beers.

Pruning should be carried out in early spring and you can trim or pinch some growth most any time of year but always try to pinch off new growth and stay out of the way of your older wood as it will not grow back to readily in the older areas of the tree or shrub. Re potting of this like most all conifers should be done in early spring before the tree begins too bud up and start any new growth.

Junipers are pretty hardy and strong so you do not have too much to worry about with growing this tree or shrub in your garden or as a bonsai.. Nursery's most often have a wide variety of juniper plants on hand so you should not have any problem at all finding a nice plant to work with and create into a nice bonsai in a lot of different styles.

You could even plant one in the ground for several years taking care to dig it up ever other year or so and cutting back some of the root and also to prevent it from getting too deeply rooted this will of course get you some nice trunk caliper and hopefully a nice nebari to start off with and then when your ready dig it up and benign work on it as a bonsai.

 Jin and or Shari of course is not recommended for the absolute beginner you should wait for this until you have a good total understanding of creating bonsai and then you could play with the idea and use it for its intended purpose and that is hide and or cover up a particular messy part of the tree, or old and or or dead wood, a possible branch that is interesting and has died and most often will just be cut away could instead be made into Jin and add the perception of age to the tree and or add other wise too its over all appearance.

In the case of jin on a bonsai it is a matter of scrapping or pealing all of the bark off in a particular area of the tree and making sure that you have it fairly clean and as smooth as possible and wet too some degree and then you paint on a coat of Lime Sulpher over the area that you wish too have as Jin and it will turn a grayish white giving off the appearance of drift wood or weathered wood too the tree. Be careful and wear goggles and use rubber gloves and also be careful and mindful as to not get any of the sulpher mixture down into your soil as it could or may cause the death of the tree. I usually cover the soil in the pot with some sandwich wrap and or an old towel then begin my work.

The Lime sulpher should be applied once in the spring and then again at or just before fall and then again in the next spring and as needed to keep the gray white weathered appearance after that. A lot of the finer master pieces in bonsai have some areas of the tree or shrub that have been made into Jin.

 It certainly does not need to be done but is a matter of personal preference and or the choice of the creator of the bonsai if he or she wishes to Jin or create Shari on any given tree or not.

Lime sulpher is not expensive and if you grow roses and or any fruit trees it can also be used to control fungi and pests so you can also get the other benefits of this product other than just for bonsai use. And as with any and all chemicals first read and understand the label before using for any application.

Well I'm going to end this article here and hope that you find it helpful even if in the slightest way and please by all means try your hand at creating your own juniper bonsai and who knows it may very well turn out being one of the worlds finer masterpieces..

Thanks for reading.
By: Harold Yearout ©Copyright 2013 Harold Yearout All Rights Reserved for more information feel free to contact me: h.yearout@gmail.com