This is why we prune.

Tags

advice, Bonsai, boxwood, buxus, how to, privet, prune, pruning, styling

Occasionally I witness a beautiful example of why we do what we do in bonsai. I’d like to share just such an example, highlighted by the plant itself.

Bonsai Planting Angle

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advice, angle, Bonsai, broken, juniper, pot, repot

What do you suggest? And please withhold suggestions to throw it all in the compost pile!

I know plenty of folks who wouldn’t waste their time with something that isn’t “proper bonsai material,” but I am the type who enjoys figuring out what to do with unusual material. It’s a puzzle… a challenge!

Doing It Wrong #2

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advice, beginner, Bonsai, bozek, novice, repot

Number two on the list of things I was doing wrong for two decades: Repotting too often. 

I have heard from many who are scared to repot their bonsai – afraid they will kill the tree. Not me! Perhaps I read one too many things that suggested you should repot annually. And I did for many of my trees. I enjoyed it. Got good at it too. Didn’t kill the trees either, but boy was I slowing them down! My trees were in development. I should have let them grow. Instead, I was root pruning and repotting like I didn’t want them to grow beyond what they were already. 

Any advice about how often to repot (or anything else for that matter) should taken with a grain of salt. The advice is given from the context and experience of the giver, not the receiver. If a guy like me (with a bunch of undeveloped trees) hears from a guy with many refined trees, the advice just doesn’t apply. 

“We repot too often,” local guru Rich Bozek says. Here’s how he breaks it down:

There are three reasons to repot.

1. Soil decomposition
2. Loss of percolation
3. Aesthetic reasons

And NEVER repot a sick tree!

One way to understand his advice is this: don’t repot a tree because a certain number of years has passed. Repot because it is needed!

Doing It Wrong #1

Tags

advice, beginner, Bonsai, mistakes, novice

How does a guy spend twenty years with bonsai and still feel like a beginner? By doing it wrong! I have been doing things wrong for so long, I’m an expert! LEARN FROM ME!

I have not laid out any sort of plan for sharing my misdoings (ironically, as you will see in a moment) but I am going to move forward confident that putting a “#1” in the title will be the right path. There could, no doubt, be many of these. So, what is number 1? 
I never refined a tree!

The experts do address this issue, in a way. I would distill the related ideas into two statements:

1. Every tree is in training.
2. A tree can’t always be show ready. 

The problem is, I took these ideas to the extreme and for two decades never even tried to get a tree to a refined state. What’s worse, I also wasn’t taking advantage of this time to properly develop thick trunks and nice branch structure. (If only!) I kept every tree either untrained (because I didn’t know what to do with it yet) or I pruned just to maintain a shape or size without any proper techniques for improving the design or ramification. Neither approach will make a great tree no matter how long you try!

Here’s my advice to avoid making the same mistake: Make a plan for each tree – a five or ten year plan if you must. What steps must you take to develop a refined, show-ready tree. Sure, you may have to adjust as you go along, but without a plan, you are just keeping a tree  alive. A good start, sure, but you can do better.