Spring

Spring has certainly sprung on the sunny Gold Coast and I’m sure most of you are enjoying the same satisfaction as we are with all your deciduous species coming back to life and your evergreens showing a full flush of new growth, now is the time prepare your bonsai for the next stage in their constantly evolving cycle of improvement.  By now most of your trees should have been repotted and be showing the benefits of your labour.  The next step is to begin the process of refining the branch structure and foliage pads.  I like to place my bonsai in a position where I am relaxed, perhaps on the outdoor table where you have your afternoon glass of wine or cold beer after a hard days work, or that spot where you sit and unwind while reading the newspaper.  From here you can sit and gaze at your bonsai and picture the future masterpiece that you are creating.  It really doesn’t matter how long inspiration takes to develop, the true joy of bonsai is in the journey, you may see the next step the first time you sit, relax and enjoy your tree, or if you are lucky you may have to have several sessions of gazing at your tree before you see its full self (haha!).  While now is not really the optimal time for wiring, if, like most of us, you find it hard to resist, I recommend a technique called “cage wiring”.  This is when you use a gauge of wire that is larger than necessary and wrap the wire around the branches quite loosely, allowing approx 2mm gap between the wire and the branch that you are working on.  This will allow the branch to be bent to shape while leaving enough room for branch to grow before having to remove the wire.  Of course you will need to keep a good eye on your bonsai to ensure that the wire does not cut into the branch and if you have a very active growth rate, you will have to replace with wire at the appropriate time.

If you prefer the “clip and grow” method, then once the new growth has hardened off, trim the branch back to the position where you would like it to “fork” and let the new growth grow out.  You should do a little research into how many sets of leaves you should leave on each branch as this will vary depending on the species of tree.

As much as it pains me to say it, now is also the time to do a few of the mundane chores involved in bonsai.  As your tree is springing to life, so too are the weeds.  Keep on top of these if you have any.  Tool maintenance is also essential at this time, if you have not done it over the winter months.  Removing any sap build up, sharpening and a good coat of a natural protectant oil such as camellia oil will get your tools ready for a long hard summer at “the office”.  Of course a regular maintenance program will greatly increase both the lifespan and effectiveness of your bonsai tools.  I also recommend doing thorough check of all of your trees for pest and disease before the new growth makes it hard to see into the inner areas of your beloved bonsai.  You can also start feeding your tree; I use a combination of slow release fertilizer and liquid fertilizer.  I alternate between several different liquid fertilizers using a different one every 2 weeks.

In my opinion, now is the most rewarding period of the year for the bonsai grower.  So sit back, relax and enjoy the journey that is bonsai.

We welcome any feedback to our site or if you have any questions or queries we are only too happy to offer our knowledge and advise to help you better understand and have more success in the art of bonsai.  Simply drop us an email (admin@rockypeakbonsai.com) and we will reply ASAP (generally within 24 hours).

Bonsai Trees

The good news is that we have been very active during the late winter/early spring period and that means that we have a good number of finished bonsai to offer over the coming months.  These trees will be added to our site as we become more confident that that they have again begun to flourish after their repotting.  We also have several older trees that have been in training for several years that we will offer for your consideration.  I think that these trees are of the highest quality and won’t last long, so be sure to check in on our website on a regular basis so you don’t miss out!

Soon to be released!

Over the next week or two we will be releasing a large range of starter trees/kits.  These will include a quality bonsai specific starter tree, pot, potting medium, wire and mesh.  We will also offer the option of adding a starter tool package at a discounted price with this kit.  These kits will come in a variety of sizes and species including junipers, ficus and swamp cypress.  These are a great gift idea for friends or family that have been admiring your bonsai!

We are also expecting a large order of bonsai books to arrive from the US in approx 2 weeks.  We have chosen books that have been written by some of the most respected bonsai artists, some classics and others that are personal favourites from our collection.  Please be sure to add our website to your favourites to come back anytime and to checkout our always evolving range.  If you are looking for something inparticular that you have noticed that we don't stock, please don't hesitate to drop us an email and we will be more than happy to source your requirements.

Specials this month

We are offering 10% of all our wire & accessories range for month of November so stock up for christmas and rainchecks are available!

Regards
Warren & Jacki
Rocky Peak Bonsai
admin@rockypeakbonsai.com
www.rockypeakbonsai.com

November 2007