03 Sunday Nov 2019
A common challenge for bonsai practitioners is learning not to do too much to a tree. Over-working a bonsai will slow development or even kill it. I’ve learned this lesson over and over, and have started to become more patient in recent years. More than ever before, I find myself making the conscious decision to do nothing, leaving a tree to grow out even when I am eager to style or do some other operation. Today I am learning that it is also possible to take “leave-it-alone” too far.
01 Saturday Apr 2017
Posted in Bonsai
I collected a few Virginia Pine specimens a couple of weeks ago. The stress of transplanting can make plants more susceptible to pests and disease, so it was no big surprise to discover a pine tortoise scale infestation on one of them.
Can you see them, above? How about below?
You can see where they get the name. This cluster of sap suckers looks like several tiny turtles stacked onto the same section of branch.
So what to do? On a small tree in a pot, you remove them by hand. These are fat little guys who have gorged on pine sap, so I prefer to where gloves to limit the amount of bug guts on my fingers. When they are hard to reach or they are wedged between needles, I use an old toothbrush to brush them off.
I figure I removed 80 to 100 from this plant (some of the carnage shown above on a wet paper towel) and then I treated with a systemic pesticide to take care of any I missed and any future attacks.
Bonsai Iterate 