Is direct sun from sunrise to 11-noonish, sufficient for ideal JM growth. (I understand cultivars very on their requirements ..read more

I see two different forms of bonsai scissors: ones with straight beams between the handle and the hinge and ones with bent beams. What's the difference between the two? Why would one choose one over the other? Are there cons to either one ..read more

Home Depot $15 Summer 2024 will repot into a pond basket and see how this stellar base thickens ..read more

I’ve a black pine with cones showing seeds. Due to my environment, I will not be trying to start any seedlings, but if anyone has any interest in a cone with seeds, let me know and I’ll send you a cone. Fwiw, my observations are that this tree has deeper green, and thicker/coarser needles vs other JBP I have from a couple of east coast retailers. Note, the needles respond as other JBP - they’ll reduce with candle cutting. In fact, they’re shorter than my other pines - quite nice for a... Read more ..read more

Anyone have any clue where Superfly got their Haydite from? Now that they are out of business, I have nowhere to buy it from. I want the exact same they used, not similar. I emailed them multiple times and asked, but just like always they never responded to any emails. Which explains why they are now out of business ..read more

Wondering what this might be? Was wondering if aphids but don’t see any movement. This is a Zelkova and still no sign of flush yet. This tree is new to me in March and did repot it not long after getting it. Got some neem oil and did start to spray it yesterday in case. If it is something do I need to keep certain distance from other trees ..read more

i believe that misting and watering newly collected trees, should be done with either well or spring, or some other natural water, that does not have chlorine/fluoride in it. My reasoning is that the tree and its mycorrhiza have never experienced these chemicals and they will either kill off the mycorrhiza or stunt new root development. I do this for the first month or so, then switch to city water.... so far i believe this helps. any thoughts or other yamadori aftercare tips ..read more

I thought that in terms of early spring maintenance, maples in refinement were the only ones that needed their middle bud pinched. But I was poking around today, and halfway down this page, they show a beech being pinched: Bonsai maintenance calendar Timing your Bonsai maintenance It is common sense to work on a tree at a time when it is possible to obtain the best result, while interfering as little as poss... www.bonsaiempire.com So now I'm curious - for trees in refinement, are you also pinching hornbeam / beech? I thought since they were alternating pattern leaves, the answer would ..read more

Hi, just this week I collected a birch tree from the wild and placed it in a wooden box. I kept the rootball moist and placed it in a mix that is mostly made up of pumice with 15% bark. Due to my current living situation it only gets a around 4 hours of direct sunlight in the afternoon, but this will improve when summer arrives. It is richly watered daily as the soil drains very fast. I have three questions for anyone more experienced with birches: 1. Will it be counterproductive to the... Read more ..read more

Just picked up this large Bougainvillea from my local nursery in Vegas. Reading a few recommendations on repotting best to be done in Mid Summer. Any recommendations for when to repot, root work and what type of soil mix for this species in the hot Vegas summer? Appreciate everyone's help on this one as I have seen a few different recommendations ..read more