Bonsai Reminder - It's Time to ------------

[dbonsaiw]

A lot of the questions on BNut relate to the appropriate times to be performing one procedure or another. Of course, the answers to these will depend where in the world one finds themselves and the trees we are working on. Best advice is always to find someone locally and see what they are doing at different times of the years. So I thought I'd start a thread where users can post when the time is right for X, Y and Z in their neck of the woods. For example:

- Spring repotting/pruning
- summer pruning
- taking tropicals in and out of the house
- the bonsai shuffle for other trees

Kind of like the "What did you do today" thread, except limiting the entries to seasonal work so folks in Texas and Johannesburg, for example, aren't trying to extrapolate from information posted by NYers.

 

[RKatzin]

A lot of the questions on BNut relate to the appropriate times to be performing one procedure or another. Of course, the answers to these will depend where in the world one finds themselves and the trees we are working on. Best advice is always to find someone locally and see what they are doing at different times of the years. So I thought I'd start a thread where users can post when the time is right for X, Y and Z in their neck of the woods. For example:

- Spring repotting/pruning
- summer pruning
- taking tropicals in and out of the house
- the bonsai shuffle for other trees

Kind of like the "What did you do today" thread, except limiting the entries to seasonal work so folks in Texas and Johannesburg, for example, aren't trying to extrapolate from information posted by NYers.

Snip, snip,snip, water water water, snip snip snip water water water!

 

[Ruddigger]

For me its time to check for wire bite and start defoliating.

 

[penumbra]

^^^ Yeah, I just removed wire from about a dozen trees. I won't defoliate for a few more weeks.

 

[circledisk]

Mirai Mobile has a great calendar for this for tons of species that adjusts based on your zone…just sayin

 

[Paradox]

Repotting time pretty much done here in southern NY for everything except possibly juniper. Much cooler spring this year, usually all done by this weekend.

I'll start thinking about bringing the tropicals out in the next 2 weeks

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

It's time to get this party started. I have some tropicals to repot, and this weather is making think it's time, since I brought my trops out 3 weeks ago, & I'm slowly moving them into the sun. Looking at you water pooling Bougie, I'll wait till summer starts though. It's bonsai no reason to rush unless it's early spring.

 

[Lorax7]

Candle cutting on single flush pines

 

[Paradox]

Candle cutting on single flush pines

I think you mean pinching in half, not cutting completely?

 

[Lorax7]

I think you mean pinching in half, not cutting completely?

I use the scissors instead of pinching with my fingers. They’re shortened enough so that the candle length is roughly uniform, with the weakest candles not being cut at all. It is not decandling, as that’s a technique reserved for double flush pines (and it’s not yet time to do the double flush pines).

 

[dbonsaiw]

Mirai Mobile has a great calendar for this for tons of species that adjusts based on your zone…just sayin

That’s really good to know. I’ll check this out.

 

[dbonsaiw]

Temps seem to be staying above mid-50s here so I brought my vachelia outside this morning. (And now have tons of scratches from the thorns).

 

[JudyB]

cutting flowers off satsuki... then repots if necessary. Soon defoliating, first up trident, as I try to get two rounds in on it.

 

[Lorax7]

Temps seem to be staying above mid-50s here so I brought my vachelia outside this morning. (And now have tons of scratches from the thorns).

I prune the thorns off any species that grows them. It’s extra work but worth it to avoid the scratches. I wouldn’t even think about trying to wire my BRT without removing the thorns first.

 

[Paradox]

I use the scissors instead of pinching with my fingers. They’re shortened enough so that the candle length is roughly uniform, with the weakest candles not being cut at all. It is not decandling, as that’s a technique reserved for double flush pines (and it’s not yet time to do the double flush pines).

Yea unfortunately the terminology gets confusing for newer folks. So I try to distinctly say if I'm cutting them off completely (decandling) or cutting in half.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

cutting flowers off satsuki... then repots if necessary. Soon defoliating, first up trident, as I try to get two rounds in on it.

Different climate... but I've already defoliated my tridents and they have already pushed their 2nd round of growth(!)

 

[Paradox]

cutting flowers off satsuki... then repots if necessary. Soon defoliating, first up trident, as I try to get two rounds in on it.

Lol mine haven't even flowered out yet

 

[JudyB]

Different climate... but I've already defoliated my tridents and they have already pushed their 2nd round of growth(!)

I could have done it a couple weeks ago but have been too busy with spring property work. It’s been warm early for me.

 

[leatherback]

Snip, snip,snip,

yup.

 

[Lorax7]

Yea unfortunately the terminology gets confusing for newer folks. So I try to distinctly say if I'm cutting them off completely (decandling) or cutting in half.

I was trying to avoid saying cutting in half because it’s really cutting to a length that makes them equal to the average of the weakest candles on the tree. It seems like any way we describe it, it’s still going to be an oversimplification that could confuse a novice.