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Well here is a bit of an experiment. Several people have recommended growing trees on slabs in 100% muck. Well I did not want to risk one of my nicer trees, so this cedar seedling got potted up about 3 months ago and has looked fine. Will see how it does over winter. If it stays happy, once it...

I find it interesting that the laceleaf forms of Japanese maple are not developed more for bonsai. I know that the majority of them are grafted and have some traits like long Internodes that are less desirable, but they have an exceptionally graceful quality to them. I have seen some good...

Abies is not a genus that is usually an option for bonsai here in climate zone 7b. If they are to survive usually they are grafted onto abies firma rootstock. The grafts are usually very noticeable. I was able to acquire the tree below that was grafted and grown locally about 15 years ago. It...

Got the idea for this thread from the recent post by @Deep Sea Diver. I know that a bunch of us have young Ezo spruce that were purchased from Bill Valavanis. Presumably, they are all similarly aged. Would be interested in seeing photos of what people have done with them. I am also interested in...

Would love to see more Eastern hemlock being grown. I grew up right before woolly adelgid killed off many of the old growth hemlocks in my area, so I have always loved the species. I have worked on a few collected ones but they were so gangly that they were never very impressive. That being...

Probably around 5 years ago, I had the idea of making a forest planting of seiryu seedlings. My plan was to plant the forest on a rock slab. I thought the ruggedness of the stone would play well with how dainty the lace leaves are. Seedlings with small dissected leaves and good growth were...

The tree below is a fusion of two air layers taken in 2019. My intention is for it to become a triple trunk tree. Sango kaku is one of my favorite varieties though it is an aggressive grower even on its own roots so internode length can be an issue. I have found that container growing the tree...

Here is a tree I started as an air layer and removed in March 2019. It is acer palmatum Ryusen which is a strictly weeping form despite palmate leaves. Several members here have one. It had excellent 360 degree roots at the time of separation which it still does, they are just buried. The...

Was hoping to get some peoples experience with bonsai jacks universal organic/inorganic mixes. Secondly, using the soil components on his website are any of you building your own soil? If so, what are you including/what percentages and why?

I suspect that there are others out there like me, who work, are just busy, or perhaps just vacation a lot for whom watering bonsai can be problematic. There are a lot of posts out there on using hose timers, and I think these are good for a short term trip. Over the last couple of years I have...

Does anyone have any pictures of The state of their Japanese black Pine candles at the time of decandleling. I have watched Ryan Neal‘s video on training black Pines and it sounds like most of the time he is Decandling in his region around 1 June. I am in zone 7B North Carolina, and my needles...

I received a new Japanese black pine from a local nursery man for an excellent deal. He said it is grafted and is a type that was popular with bonsai because of the rough bark that forms quickly, but the exact variety is unknown. It has been in its nursery can for A very long time without...

I have a Sharps pygmy (pictured below) that is on its own roots. It is nice and healthy, but grows pretty slowly since it is dwarf. I like where the top is heading, but the trunk is a little thin and slender. If I want to enlarge the lower trunk, but get taper, at this point I need a lower...

Here in zone 7B most of the time, just placing containers on the ground is enough for winter protection. I do not mulch my trees in, partially because they’re all in wooden containers which should provide some insulation over ceramic. To avoid rodents and other pests, my preference would be to...

All these white things are at the base of my contorted quince extending up some branches. Looks like some kind of pest. Just not sure what it is/if or how it should be treated. This was repotted in the fall and is now covered with extending flower buds/roots through the bottom mesh, so it seems...

Has anyone ever had any luck air layering or ground layering one of these? I bought one a few years ago, which only had three large roots shooting straight down at the base. I was told that it would layer easily, so it’s been in the ground with bands (zip ties) around each of the three roots.It...

This is an Acer palmatum ‘Ueno Yama’ air layer that I would like some input on. The variety is much like katsura but grows very vigorously and has great twigging. I generally prefer tall thin maples so Im not planning on an aggressive chop. The lowest branch has been wired up and is just as tall...

Any suggestions on the process of building foliage pads. I get the 2d nature of it, fan out the branch tips, but eventually that will result in a bare middle with leaves at the periphery. Im missing the 3d nature/vertical component. Here is a maple recently wired.

How do you decide when a root Graft has taken? The picture below is on a European beech. When repotting in the spring, I cut a grove in the trunk in an area with a gap in the roots. I took a small root and Looped it backwards towards the trunk and fastened it into the groove. The root is about...

Thanks for everyone who replied to my previous post regarding Soil attributes for chojubai. Finally got a red one, and it looks very healthy. My goal would be for it to look like this in 35 years... my first question is, from what I read quince should be reported August/September. Average...

I have a new chojubai on the way, just a small sampling, as well as a much larger Chaenomeles speciosa 'Contorta’. The contorta has been in the same soil for about three years, so I plan to repot it in about a month. The new chojubai I am sure I will repot as well. I have read a lot about soil...

Does anyone have any good examples of oriental spruce that they are currently growing. Can’t find any real good examples, but they seem to grow very densely, and are a great option for me since I’m in a warmer climate (7b). The very dark needles are also a plus I think. I have a small seedling...

Lost my air layered acer campestre carnival. It has grown and died back and grown and died back since spring. Ive been removing wilting limbs and using copper fungicide but the whole plant finally died. It was growing in my grow bed of predominantly maples. No other plants are showing symptoms...