Mini mondo grass can look nice with a bonsai or in a setting to give the right ambience but it can be deadlier than it looks from its petite size. The roots can form a thick, solid mat in the pot, robbing the bonsai of water and nutrients until the tree dies. Enthusiasts using mondo […]
To do good bonsai wire is a necessity but some people can’t seem to see the reason. Cruel, they say. Can’t you do it another way? Not really. You have little control over the shape of a branch using weights and clip and grow is slow and tedious and doesn’t help styling on a more
Dothistroma needle blight is more commonly known as red tip or red band disease. To the best of my knowledge it first appeared in the radiata pine forests around Cooma NSW and is rumoured to have been introduced to Australia from New Zealand on forestry workers’ equipment used in this area. I first came into
Bending Branches Obviously the most common way to bend branches is with wire but there are times that you need to use different techniques for the sake of the health and the type of tree you have. Using corks to pry apart brittle branches (especially azaleas) and at repotting times to pry apart stubborn roots.
Anchor wire to two branches so you have maximum strength- no movement. Always use a heavier wire when in doubt. Old Japanese saying, ‘When the wind blows, the style changes.‘ Pinch last wrap and use the wire to turn-forming a coil around the branch and snug it up. Wire gently. Do not use the branch
Ficus (or figs) is a genus of close to 1000 different species which include trees, shrubs, vines and epiphytes all belonging to the mulberry family (Moraceae). Some begin life as hemi epiphytes – seeds that are dispersed by birds and animals in crevices in tree tops. Some scientists seem to think that Ficus are an
THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF A SERIES PERTAINING TO POTTING MEDIUMS Dorothy Koreshoff O.A.M. ©️ reproduction by permission. I have spent what seems a lifetime with bonsai since marrying Vita Koreshoff in 1949 at the age of 18. He had been growing bonsai before I met him, but over the years, Vita and I trialled
It has been such a warm lead up to winter and many deciduous trees are yet to lose their leaves. For these trees a period of dormancy is important, so if your deciduous trees still have their foliage, it should be removed now to give the trees the rest they need before spring.
