Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu

With the holiday season upon us I’ve got some jobs for you! It’s a great time to get out there and knock off some jobs that will make a massive difference to your bonsai. And it’s not a bad time to stop and admire these beautiful trees. When we work on our bonsai it’s a calculated risk and the health of your bonsai will determine whether is a little risk if any or if it will be life threatening. Your actions may be the tipping point now or sometime in the future. 

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Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu

I am a reflection/continuous improvement sort of person. I like to consider how could I do that better? Or what do I need to focus on? What do I need to change or stop? Always taking steps forward along with my bonsai. So as decandling season starts to wrap up for me I like to look back at my list of grievances I have with myself and the different areas I look to improve as I work on any bonsai. And while it relates to Japanese Black Pine these focal points apply to almost every time you work on your trees.

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Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu

Summer is a time for a well earned rest but for your bonsai it can be a very stressful time. Whatever the system is you plan on using for while you are having a break, make sure you test it early. Friends, family, neighbours, watering system, no matter what your plan is, start the testing and 'training' now. If you have Japanese Black Pines this time of year is one of the most important and exciting periods. It's officially Decandling Season in southern Australia so here's a refresher on what we do, how we do it, why we do it and what to expect as well as what not to do.  

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Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu

Sometimes you can just get caught by surprise. You style a bonsai and it looks great, then a year or two goes by and all of a sudden you look at a part of a pad and it's weaker than it should be. Almost always it is a result of shading either from another part of the tree or the environment the bonsai is kept in. This needs to be rectified asap. Some of the tasks for our bonsai are extremely time sensitive however the exact timing will depend on your local micro climate. Following advice is a great start but you need to expand on this and become a local expert in your area.

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Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu

Doing something which may not be perfect is far better than doing nothing. But more important than that is the health of your bonsai. So sometimes it is best to do nothing, but at times you have to do something. Taking your bonsai to the next level in the ramification stage takes serious focus on branch selection. I'll discuss my approach on how to move from flat structure to a full volume pad through your pruning practices.

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Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu

Spruce and Cedar both make excellent bonsai and about now is a vital time to do some maintenance to improve their future structure. There are a few techniques I use that will help you understand and develop them into beautiful bonsai. Spring is a turbulent time for our bonsai as well, with weather extremes still impacting them. From excessive heat on fresh spring growth to overnight frost, hail and days of rain. What should you do? Not working to a calendar and focusing on your trees needs will ensure you give them the best care possible.

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Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu

With all this talk about pruning and managing the Spring growth, is there ever a time where you should just let them grow? Yes there definitely is. And if you do let them run when should you prune them? To improve the strength of your bonsai we can use selective pruning (or not) and help build resilience and improve vigour. Sacrifice branches are a tool we use when we talk about trunk development or primary branch development but there is another use for them. 'Short Term' sacrifice branches are great and really can give your bonsai a boost. 

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Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu

The candle cutting process is a technique we can use to successfully develop certain pine species. It is not decandling, rather candle cutting into the new spring candle to help build structure and ramification. I chat about the process, timing, what to expect, what to do next as well as the finer details to ensure you have a complete understanding of the process. This is an episode for every pine lover!

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Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu

What a month of bonsai! Travelling around different areas of Australia, meeting loads of bonsai lovers and getting to create new bonsai. What could be better? When I do a demonstration I need to find the bonsai within the 'bush' and I have a process that I will share with you. From finding the trunk line, forcing taper and integrating flow and movement. I get to meet a lot of people and I love hearing their bonsai stories and I was asked a really interesting question...when does bonsai become a cult?? I'm still laughing about it and I'll dig a little deeper to see if we can give an appropriate answer.

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Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu

There's lots to do now around the yard, including deciduous pruning, defoliation, repotting Australian natives and Ficus as well as working on cedars. You need to be careful (very careful) with watering both over and under watering and we need to prepare for Summer. The last round of fertilising needs to happen and there's almost too much to talk about in one podcast! Let's chat about your Mid Spring Bonsai Jobs Checklist.

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