Cedrus Libani

[Si Nguyen]

Hi Dan (Yamins), you got too many questions! Where do I start? May be you ought to start a separate thread just on your trees so we can keep things straight. I will do my best to reply. Others will chime in too for sure.
Yours truly,
Si

 

[milehigh_7]

Hi Dan (Yamins), you got too many questions! Where do I start? May be you ought to start a separate thread just on your trees so we can keep things straight. I will do my best to reply. Others will chime in too for sure.
Yours truly,
Si

Si on behalf of newbies everywhere, thanks for jumping in like this! Folks who do what you are doing make bonsai so much more accessible! You are right that tree does already look better!

 

[Si Nguyen]

it is a deal then !

Any wiring I should advanture myself in this year or i stick to feeding and let it take some forces back

OK, the first thing you should do is pull all those weeds. Then clear away some soil from around the base of the root, exposing the surface of the roots a little bit. Then make a mound of soil about 8-10 inches around the tree. So when you water it, the water would stay around the root ball. This will keep the roots short because it wont have to send its roots far out searching for water. Here are some pictures to explain this. Then submit a new picture of your tree after all the clean up.
Have fun!

 

[Si Nguyen]

Si on behalf of newbies everywhere, thanks for jumping in like this! Folks who do what you are doing make bonsai so much more accessible! You are right that tree does already look better!

Thanks for the comments! I am like everybody else here. I could only be here for a short time. Life is short and there's too many trees to work on. Sometime it is just as peaceful and calming to think about what to do on somebody else's tree.
Peace!

 

[akhater]

Sensei

i don't know if i did correctly what I have been told but here are the results

 

[Si Nguyen]

Hi Akhater, this is very good. Now we know that you had buried the tree too deeply before. That could have killed the tree right there. Make the mound ring a bit taller. Now cover the root ball area with a layer of mulch to protect those small roots. Then fertilise it lightly because these trees are light feeders. They like it on the dry side, so don't keep it soaking wet all the time. In the ground, you could probably water it every 2-3 days in the summer and 6-7 days in the winter.
That's some nasry red clay you have there. Is it well draining?
One more thing, you can stop calling me sensei. It's not funny anymore.

 

[Klytus]

Mud,mud,glorious mud!

Get it out of that mud hole and into an airy frangible tilth

 

[akhater]

Hi Akhater, this is very good. Now we know that you had buried the tree too deeply before. That could have killed the tree right there. Make the mound ring a bit taller. Now cover the root ball area with a layer of mulch to protect those small roots. Then fertilise it lightly because these trees are light feeders. They like it on the dry side, so don't keep it soaking wet all the time. In the ground, you could probably water it every 2-3 days in the summer and 6-7 days in the winter.
That's some nasry red clay you have there. Is it well draining?
One more thing, you can stop calling me sensei. It's not funny anymore.

Sorry but what is mulch ? Can this wait 24 hours it is night here now

Edit
Ok wikipediea said peatmoss can be used as mulch this is what I did, just a thin layer though and i didn't water again

No the soil isnt draining it is very compact but it had been happy with it for 3 years and I have another full grown cedar in it for years so not worried about this

 

[Klytus]

That soil,it's like the potters ground.

The poor entombed roots struggling for air.

 

[akhater]

That soil,it's like the potters ground.

The poor entombed roots struggling for air.

Yes I agree but I think the poor thing had enough for this year, I will try to remove it from ground next year

 

[Klytus]

I've never seen anything like your Martian soil,it's been very dry here recently so much so that the worms have been burrowing up from deeper than usual and leaving chalk casts.

Never seen that before.

 

[akhater]

I've never seen anything like your Martian soil,it's been very dry here recently so much so that the worms have been burrowing up from deeper than usual and leaving chalk casts.

Never seen that before.

This soils contains a lot of clay it is the typical soil of our country and forests.

The cedrus libani natural soil is just like this one by the way

I know the tree will be happier in a draining soil but I am afraid that removing it this year after all it went through will kill it so maybe next year

 

[Klytus]

Is it Loess?

 

[akhater]

I don't know but i doubt, here we call it "clay soil" I dont know more then this

 

[Klytus]

It's a fair definition,i look forward to viewing more.

 

[akhater]

because of this soil we have a lot of landslide here and we say that when it rains a lot in a very short period of time plants can't take advantage of it because basically the soil becomes waterproof and the water just slide on top of it

 

[Klytus]

The Cedar is the expert!

 

[Si Nguyen]

Hello Akhater, I just noticed you are in Lebanon! I am not sure bonsai would be a good idea in Lebanon. But keep trying.

The moss for mulch is OK. It could wait a few days. No rush. Couldn't you find some barks or compost material?
That red clay you have there is interesting. You should try to dig up some large chunks of it, let it dry out hard, then break it up into small grains, strain out the fine dusts, and then use the small grains in your potting mix. I think you could make your own akadama! Look into it!
If I was living in Lebanon, I'd be composting.

 

[akhater]

Why would bonsai care if it is done in Leb or elsewhere? (unless of course you are referring to my poor skills )

I do have pine bark would it work as mulch ?

As far as my potted sticks (not to say trees) they are in expended clay balls and just a bit of peat moss as per the advise of walter pall

 

[Si Nguyen]

Pine bark is good for mulch. Use it.

We have several cities named Lebanon here in the USA. And a bunch of Lebanese too. Never met one who did bonsai. Keep it up!

If Walter Pall said it, it must be right. If you can get expanded clay balls, then you can get anything. Hard clay pan is good, if you break it up and sift it. That's all akadama is.