Monthly Archives: September 2024

Outdoor:This is a time to be preparing for the coming winter.  Decide where and how you will protect your trees; mulch bed, cold storage house, cold greenhouse, etc. Acquire any needed materials now so that you are not caught without needed supplies when it is time to store the trees. Keep trees outdoors on cool fall nights.  Do not bring winter-hardy trees indoors. Adjust watering to the changing temperatures. The soil is likely to stay damp longer on cool, and in particular cloudy, days. Fertilization with a very low…

It has been a month since we completed the Bonsai Show at Morton Arboretum during the Destination Asia Festival.  Most of the bills have been finalized, awards prepared and presented, and so it seems a good time to reflect on the show, what went right and what can be improved for 2025.  The ShowWe had 22 members bring a total of 58 trees to the show.  Thirty-six trees were included in the judging and twenty-two were categorized as Trees in Training.  I always enjoy talking to the people viewing the…

This article will cover the techniques that I use for late fall maintenance on my double flush pines such as Japanese Red and Black Pines. You may want to consider adapting this to your circumstances depending on the tree and the stage of development/ramification it is in. Do not perform this technique on trees that are in a weakened state or that are not healthy. In early September the new buds that have formed at the tips of the candles should be reduced to two buds. I try to pick…