There were roots out the bottom of some of the Japanese black pine cutting pots so it was time to check on progress. Continue reading
Black pine cuttings – update
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Catalogue update
This morning I checked the sales benches at Shibui bonsai and updated the current catalogues. Quite a few of the maples and elms have been sold but not much interest in Japanese Black pines so far this year (which is quite unusual) so plenty left to choose from.
Take a look at the catalogue page to see what we still have available.
Banksia shohin
Banksias are iconic Australian plants – the fact that they also adapt well to bonsai is a bonus. I have seen some really great banksia bonsai on display at shows in Melbourne and Canberra and cannot understand why we have not been growing more of these. Continue reading
Autumn 2013
The days are getting noticeably shorter and nights just starting to get cooler here at Shibui Bonsai. Some of the trees are responding with autumn colour. My trident maple groups were first to show colour, closely followed by a triple trunk English elm. This week more tridents are showing a bit more autumn colour and a zelkova has a hint of yellow and brown in the outer leaves. Continue reading
Black pine seedlings
Today I pricked out the last of this year’s black pine seedlings. Correct treatment of the roots at this early stage pays dividends later with better rootsystems to give superior nebari on your bonsai. These photos show my methods. Continue reading
Japanese Black Pine Cuttings
For those of you who propagate your own plants here is an interesting new slant on Black pine seedling cuttings. Continue reading
Hot Weather
With longer summer days and temperatures in excess of 40C several days in a row the pressure is really on watering and watering properly. With the dry weather I start to notice the areas on the benches that don’t get full coverage from the watering system as a few trees start to wilt and leaves brown off. Sensitive trees are moved to areas that recieve a full share of water while drought tolerant species can manage better in the ‘rain shadow’ areas. Continue reading
Is it too late to repot my…..?
This question is regularly asked by beginners in bonsai. The answer given is usually along the lines of ‘repotting deciduous species must be done as the buds swell and before the leaves open.’
For many years I have stuck with this repotting rule but recently have started to question its validity. Sure it works but is it entirely accurate? Some new information has indicated that this rule may be far more prescriptive than necessary. Continue reading
Repotting Aussie natives
I love bonsai and I’m also passionate about Australian Native Plants so it was natural for me to try to grow Aussie natives as bonsai. Originally I tried to use the Japanese timing and techniques and had many abrupt failures so gave up on natives as bonsai for many years. More recently, information from committed growers has led me back to growing natives as bonsai. Word was spreading that many of our natives dislike having roots pruned in the traditional winter/ spring period but thrive when repotted during the summer. Several years ago I set out to confirm this with a series of trials. Continue reading
Seedlings
To help those who are unsure about how, here is the Shibui Bonsai Guide to seedlings. Continue reading