Hi All,
The AABC seminar is on in Canberra this month and a small con- tingent from the club will be attending. We will bring back loads of photo’s and information to share at the June meeting.
This month the club meeting falls on the same weekend as the AABC seminar. For the members staying behind you will be well looked after by the lovely Pat who is going to assist you with wiring and pruning deciduous trees. Pat has some amazing deciduous trees from the “motherland” and her knowledge on the English varieties is second to none in our club. I strongly suggest chatting to her about her trees especially if you have purchased one from her, have the same species or are looking at trying one.
Enjoy the AABC Seminar or the local club meeting
Cheers
Trunks – trunks should taper as they go upwards. These trees look good with twists and bends. If you have something special in mind and can’t find it, get a
young plant and wire the trunk to the shape you want. Before doing so, check
that the material is supple enough and protect the trunk for the wire with raffia or bike tubing. The latter is my preferred material at this time. With this protection, you can leave the wire on longer than normal and so get a better result.
Apex – Every tree has an apex. When reducing the height, make sure you know
the front of your tree and that you have a suitable branch you can bring up to replace the old apex.
Branches – Select a tree with plenty of compact foliage from the base of the
branches. With the procumbens, if the needle type foliage is too long, you can
cut it with scissors. The cuts will go brown but you can remove the brown parts later on. In the case of the Chinesis foliage, cut to the base of the foliage and not straight across – this will probably prevent browning.
Pots – Evergreen trees look best in earthenware pots. Pat Kennedy’s earthy
glazes are also good. The Juniper is one plant I have managed to grow in a slender pot. They do tolerate our heat well and will stand a little drying out. As
usual, the shape of the pot will depend on the style of the tree. We have a much
longer potting time with Junipers being able to pot in the Autumn as well as in
the Spring. I do mine in the Autumn.
Pruning – For your regular maintenance, pruning is best done by plucking. You remove the tips of the foliage when the tips are long enough to grasp. This constant plucking, thickens up your foliage pads. Keep underneath the pads clear. I find the foliage of the apex of the Chinesis get very heavy and need thinning out.
Fertilizers – I have the same programme for all my trees. I mainly use liquid fertilizers – seasol and powerfeed. The Chinesis like lime and I sprinkle 1 or 2 teaspoons of Dolomite on top of the pots in December and February. I did try it on Procumbens but I found they didn’t like it as much.
Repotting – I repot the trees every 2 years except for miniatures which I do annually.
Styles – The Junipers are suitable for all the styles except the Broom.
The AABC seminar is on in Canberra this month and a small con- tingent from the club will be attending. We will bring back loads of photo’s and information to share at the June meeting.
This month the club meeting falls on the same weekend as the AABC seminar. For the members staying behind you will be well looked after by the lovely Pat who is going to assist you with wiring and pruning deciduous trees. Pat has some amazing deciduous trees from the “motherland” and her knowledge on the English varieties is second to none in our club. I strongly suggest chatting to her about her trees especially if you have purchased one from her, have the same species or are looking at trying one.
Enjoy the AABC Seminar or the local club meeting
Cheers
Junipers
The Juniper is an excellent subject for Bonsai especially for beginners. The two main varities used in Bonsai are Juniper Procumbens and Juniper Chinesis. Juniper Procumbens have a needle type foliage. The main varieties are Procumbens ‘Nana’, Juniper Rigida and Juniper Squamata. Juniper Chinesis has a soft foliage and the main varieties are Juniper Shimpaku (also known as Sargenti in some areas) and Blaauws Juniper. There are others but these are not readily available in Australia.
When selecting a plant, the main elements to look for are the same as for any other plant so let’s have a quick revision.
Roots – The roots should spread evenly all round the tree and divide at the base of the tree. These trees are mainly surface rooting and so have a fibrous root ball that will need to be untangled.
young plant and wire the trunk to the shape you want. Before doing so, check
that the material is supple enough and protect the trunk for the wire with raffia or bike tubing. The latter is my preferred material at this time. With this protection, you can leave the wire on longer than normal and so get a better result.
Apex – Every tree has an apex. When reducing the height, make sure you know
the front of your tree and that you have a suitable branch you can bring up to replace the old apex.
Branches – Select a tree with plenty of compact foliage from the base of the
branches. With the procumbens, if the needle type foliage is too long, you can
cut it with scissors. The cuts will go brown but you can remove the brown parts later on. In the case of the Chinesis foliage, cut to the base of the foliage and not straight across – this will probably prevent browning.
Pots – Evergreen trees look best in earthenware pots. Pat Kennedy’s earthy
glazes are also good. The Juniper is one plant I have managed to grow in a slender pot. They do tolerate our heat well and will stand a little drying out. As
usual, the shape of the pot will depend on the style of the tree. We have a much
longer potting time with Junipers being able to pot in the Autumn as well as in
the Spring. I do mine in the Autumn.
Pruning – For your regular maintenance, pruning is best done by plucking. You remove the tips of the foliage when the tips are long enough to grasp. This constant plucking, thickens up your foliage pads. Keep underneath the pads clear. I find the foliage of the apex of the Chinesis get very heavy and need thinning out.
Fertilizers – I have the same programme for all my trees. I mainly use liquid fertilizers – seasol and powerfeed. The Chinesis like lime and I sprinkle 1 or 2 teaspoons of Dolomite on top of the pots in December and February. I did try it on Procumbens but I found they didn’t like it as much.
Repotting – I repot the trees every 2 years except for miniatures which I do annually.
Styles – The Junipers are suitable for all the styles except the Broom.
