Scott's Bonsai and Peppers

2011-07-24T16:35:00.000-07:00

TRIMMING SHAGGY

Spent 4 hours thinning and cleaning my kishu shimpaku today...it was a little over due as you can see.

TRIMMING SHAGGY
From the back, you can see there isn't much light getting through.

The front side isn't much better..no birds flying through this. So I cleaned up the bark, thinned it real good (still needs more top thinning) and gave it a rinse. Here's what it looks like now.

It needs a serious wiring this winter, and will work on the left side branching. What do you think Jeff?

2011-03-10T15:26:00.000-08:00

GROWING YOUNG JAPANESE BLACK PINES

Growing trees in aqua baskets. You've heard of it, or perhaps you haven't, but if you want great root systems on your trees....just do it! Here is what one of the trees I repotted today looked like-I know, it's getting awfully close to spring to do this in my area. Here is what the roots looked like when I dumped the topsoil off of it; you can see the tie down wires from 2 years ago.

Once the wires were cut, and the tree was out, root combing took place. Prior to growing in the baskets, regular potted trees produced lots of big roots on younger stock. As you can see, that doesn't happen here; this is what it looks like when the roots get a ton of air.

If you click on the second picture, you can see tons of that great mycorrhizal fungus that is so beneficial to great roots. All trimmed up and ready to go back in the basket, the tree is again tied down and soil is added.

I left the last picture half done on the top. Notice the size of clay king on the left to the size of soil on the right; a smaller grade is used on the top to help retain moisture. Here's the finished product.

I can tell you without a doubt that this process will help you achieve greater feeder roots on your pines. And greater feeder roots=greater nebari; the tree pictured here is 5-6 years old, and has been grown this way since I got it as a seedling. Free draining soil and LOTS of fertilizer. Growing pines in aqua baskets (also known as pond baskets) produces quick results; what are you waiting for?

2010-11-04T15:31:00.000-07:00

As Fall temperatures begin dipping at night, it's time to make the last haul of the carribean red habaneros. Here's what came off this afternoon.

They're rated somewhere between 250,000 and 350,000 on the scoville scale, with regular orange habaneros being about 150,000. The nice thing about them is they lack the citrus tones found in a regular hab, and are straight heat....nice :)

2010-10-02T18:56:00.000-07:00

Getting ready to transplant...Pot prep 101

After reading another entry on Jonas' wonderful blog, Bonsai Tonight, I thought I'd share a little preparation of my own. I like this time of year to be spent getting soil ready, and also pots. Being that my pots consist mainly of growing pots, I thought I'd share how I get one of my growing pots ready.
First off, you have to buy the pot-terracotta in this case, 4.99 each. With these pots being as cheap as they are, there is always a downfall or two, and those are irrigation, and the ability to break when wind blows them off a shelf. As far as the wind goes, using bulb pots has worked well for me. In this case, a 10" bulb pot. As for the irrigation, that's a little more complicated. For that issue I need to drill some drainage holes.

I use a 25 mm diamond tip drill bit, and get ready to add some holes, 4 in this case as it will make the tie down wires easier to insert-more about that later.

The most important thing when using a diamond tip bit is to keep the drilling area wet as you drill. As terracotta is pretty thirsty material, I spray it down pretty heavily before I start.

I then begin drilling, spraying water in the area as I go-can't see it in the picture, because I only have 2 hands, but 1 hand is drilling, the other spraying the water.

Once the drilling is done, you have a nice clean hole-now all you need to do is repeat the process 3 more times.

I use a 16 penny nail to go through the side of the drill bit to push out the terracotta plug.

Now it's time to do some drainage hole covering so the soil stays in the pot.

Making the tie downs is pretty simple-cut some 2mm wire into lengths long enough for your tie down (always err on the side of excess as you can trim it later after it's in)

Using your thumbs, make a "U" over the drainage hole that allows wire to hold down the drainage mesh on both sides of the hole. (again, picture would have both hands doing it, but 1 hand is holding the camera)

Now, with you left hand holding the "U" of wire, push it with your right hand and thumb towards your left hand making an "S".

Then, crimp both end with your pliers to create this....

Now bend one of the the outside wires down using your pliers allowing some of the wire to go over the edge of your drainage hole-it's important to use your pliers to make crisp sharp bends so that the mesh will be held in place firmly.

Then, put the wire into the hole, so you can see where to bend the other side down. Place your thumb over the spot and bend down with your pliers so your tie down looks like this.

Now double check that your tiedown is snug in the hole- if it isn't, re-bend the last bend to make it that way.

Just pass the tie down through the mesh, push it through the hole, and use your finger to push it against the pot and you're done. This is what it looks like when it's all done.

Now the pot is ready to transplant in the winter...one less thing to do.

2010-01-22T16:15:00.000-08:00

Did a trident maple repot today, first real pot for this one. It had been growing in a big 3 gallon plastic pot for the past couple years, and I was satisfied with the beginning of a good nebari.

I removed the roots that weren't going to serve any purpose, including a couple bigger taproots. It had really gone to town.

Using my handy Astro Turf cutter, I removed more than half the roots...but I had a good groundwork layer at the base of the trunk to work with.
It barely made it into the pot, where it was secured, filled, sphagnum mossed, and trimmed in preparation for spring.

I'll be working on thickening the trunk just a bit more, not too much, then taking most of the top growth out, and working on making it wider.

2010-01-20T14:51:00.001-08:00

Well, it seems posting to the blog has taken a bit of a sideline recently. I've decided to take a year hiatus from the Bay Island Bonsai club due to personal reasons, but will be back next year. It's been a rough couple of months, but I'm sure it will be fine soon enough. In the meantime, I'll post whatever it is I'm attempting to do at the time. Today, as with all week, I'm just trying to stay dry. Since Sunday night, the bay area (all of California for that matter) has been besieged by rain. It looks to continue through the rest of the week, so I decided to throw up a couple of rain photos just for fun. Do not adjust your set.

2009-11-22T07:47:00.000-08:00

Fall color is beginning to creep over the backyard, so I thought I'd put up a couple pictures. It's funny, the last couple of years when the colors changed, and leaves began falling, I've begun having a sense of urgency. I used to think it was time to settle in for a slight "nap" on my responsibilities to the trees; less watering, etc. But now I know there are so many things to do-repotting, wiring, soji....I gotta get to work!

2009-11-11T15:43:00.000-08:00

__________Golden State Bonsai Federation Convention____________

This was my first convention attended, thanks to my brother. We had talked about me coming down to go to a day or two of the convention, and he surprised me with a 4 day pass! Thanks again, brother. He and his family live in Riverside, so it just had to happen being it was so close to his house. It was a lot of fun, and Jeff (my brother) had a really good time, and also showed me some great spots to eat downtown Riverside-if you're ever there, you HAVE to try The Taco Station. Anyhow, I digress.
Jeff took two workshops, and had a great time at them. Here he is working on a kingsville boxwood with Bob Hilvers, the new GSBF President.

Of course, with all the different activities scheduled, there was also the Joshua Roth New Talent competition going on right next to his workshop. I was really happy to see Peter Tea was entered, a fellow Bay Island Bonsai member, so I was jumping back and forth between the two. Here's Peter working on his tree, happy that he had made a jin that he wouldn't have to wire.

By the end of the day, both Jeff and Peter had done some good work. Peter won the new talent competition on Saturday night (nice job, Peter), and Jeff had a nice Kingsville to add to his collection.

I had a great time, and plan to attend the convention in 2010, which is right here in the Bay Area 40 minutes from my house. Great meals, seeing some old friends, working on Bonsai...what could be more fun?

2009-10-11T17:52:00.000-07:00

Not sure what the name of these peppers are-like a few I've grown over the past few years, I got one from a friend who didn't know it's name. Not sure it's name is important after you taste one. I'd put the heat level in between a Thai Dragon and an Orange Habanero, so right around 100,000 or more on the Scoville Scale. Nice thing about this pepper is the nice clean heat it puts out, not a lot of extra flavor, just the spice.

2009-10-06T14:17:00.000-07:00

Summer is winding into fall, and that means harvest time for the peppers! The Thai Dragons outdid themselves this year again, and new varieties were also enjoyed. Heres a couple pics.

2009-07-25T12:06:00.000-07:00

I also wanted to send out kudos to Michael Hagedorn for the response he gave me about making fertilizer.

cake post

I got a little more serious about finding a melon baller with a ratchet arm, and came up with a medium cookie dough scoop, from Good Grips. It is a little bigger than a melon baller, but just barely, and the finished cakes fit under the fertilizer baskets. So thanks again, fertilizer making just got quicker (by 1 1/2 hours)

2009-07-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

Here is an update on the pine below. It went 1 month with no fertilizer after the work, then successive fertilizing began taking place. Learning the correct method for cutting back a pine from Boon, I now have more confidence with other trees. Look at all those buds!!

Fertilizing will increase into Fall, and I'll select the buds I want to keep then.

During the last month or so, as the weather has gotten hotter, I've started having a visitor during my watering sessions. This dragonfly and I have gotten to know each other pretty well.

One afternoon, on a 90F+ day, I shot a little water on it, and it flew off, then right back to the branch it was on in less then 5 seconds. I gave it another soft mist, and it flew off again, then right back to it's same branch, where it seemed to drink up some of the water on itself. I slowly reached over to it, expecting it to fly away, and to my surprise, it didn't. I reached over and touched it's wing, then let it sit there in peace. Now it seems to come around every watering (sometimes 3 times in one day). Kind of nice having a watering buddy.

2009-06-18T15:33:00.001-07:00

This tree has done a lot of resting lately, and getting healthy. As you can see, it had a nice spring, and was ready to be candled. At a workshop this last Saturday with Boon, the tree was decandled and completely wired, opening it up for some premium back budding, hopefully.

I'll be burning the jin work this weekend...here it is from the front.

The tree has a lot of length to the branches, which subsequent follow up procedures will correct. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

2009-06-02T18:23:00.001-07:00

I've always had a fascination with pine bark. Perhaps from an early experience in my childhood that I can't put my finger on now, there has always been something about the way pine bark looks that is unique to me. The way it grows, and flakes just amazes me, as if it is telling a story with it's bark.
Most of the trees I have that are pine bonsai are relatively young, as some are grown from seed, or young seedlings, and are just beginning to tell their own story.

Even more intriguing to me is that fact that each different species has its own traits. I am currently growing a few different species, including pinus nigra, pinus thunbergii, and pinus densiflora. Here are some pictures from a couple days ago that I took, see if you can see what the bark is saying to you. Enjoy.

2009-04-30T16:38:00.000-07:00

More as a record for myself, I sprayed the junipers and pines today with Malathion. Spring has been hanging on pretty consistently, minus a couple freak days in the 90's, at or about 70F. Lots of 60's throughout April, and today is 68. Great weather for us here in the Bay Area. The new growth is hesitant on some trees, as the night temps drop down to 45 or so, and the peppers that are in the ground (Thai Dragons) are just content staying like they are. They are hooked up on a drip line, along with the tomatoes, and have been getting fed, but to no avail. Once the night temps get to 55F consistently, they'll take off. Anyhow, that's it, back to work.

2009-04-12T09:17:00.000-07:00

YOU'VE COME A LONG WAY, BABY....(and you still have a long way to go!)

It's no secret that I have a lot of beginner stock. One of the things I most enjoy about bonsai is growing the trees I have and basically watching them "grow up". Here is a picture of a small juniper I got back in July 2004 from Grove Way in Hayward.

It's a starter, no doubt about it, and as I was just confident enough at the time to do some minor pruning and shaping.

Now THAT is a lesson learned. Evidently, I was happy with the trunk, taper, and movement of the tree (yes, I'm smiling to myself as I type this). One of the great things about working with Boon is that he's up front with me about my trees. Yesterday, during the beginning of workshop, I had another Shimpaku up on the stand all ready to go. Maybe some refining wiring, some pruning...Boon just looks at me and tells me the tree has no future. And I appreciate that so much, that honesty. No more time wasted on that one, other than keeping it healthy until it can be sold off to someone who might want it at a club sale. Or maybe my brother might want it...(it's free for him). Anyhow, moving on in the workshop, I got up, took the tree over to where the others were that I was going to work on that day, and brought another over. Now this is the tree above, the trunk lacks lots of movement (which the last tree had none of) and trunk movement is kinda key, but it has some...and more moving of it might happen in the future, but it's a bad time of year to bend shimpaku as the cambium might separate. I had previously put more bend in the trunk in 2005, using lots of raffia, and bending it at the right time of the year. I did some thinning, and picked up on another wiring tip that really helped me with relation to putting too much wire on one branch. So here is the tree now...oh, also jinned 3 branches in the process. I will be finishing the wiring on this one today, and through the week. It really has come a long way since that one gallon can it was in.

2009-03-28T11:04:00.000-07:00

FERTILIZE ME!!!

Fertilizing your trees correctly is a big part of having healthy trees-when you use the soil mix I do (akadama,pumice,lava,charcoal) it's imperative. Since there is no organic material in the soil, the trees health is reliant on what you give it.
I use a mortar tub to mix the ingredients, which are all organic meals. Cottonseed, blood, and bone meal are used (5p,1p,1p) and then I throw in 3 parts organic pellets which hold it all together when the cakes are made. The pellets are from a nursery, and their NPK is 7-5-7. This is a mix that was given to me after a discussion from some club members of BIB, and it worked GREAT last year.

Heres what it looks like with the water added, just enough to make it the consistency of soft mud. I use the putty knife to keep the end edge clean, as i drag the melon baller up the edge of the mortar tub, pressing firmly to form the cakes. The trick I found is using a cup of water and dipping the melon baller every couple of cakes, so that the balled up fertilizer comes free of the melon baller without sticking.

Once the plastic plates (thanks IKEA) are full, they are left to dry out, and then scrape them off the plastic plates with the putty knife. Whatever little bits fall off, I throw that in the garden for the peppers, and place the cakes as needed on the surface of the trees, fertilizing slowly every time I water. I replace them monthly, turning my trees when I do that, and throw the old cakes in the garden, and replace with new cakes.

Here's a shot of the finished product-this ought to get me started....

2009-03-15T07:35:00.000-07:00

Slow spring time is the best! Seems the last couple years, we've had some springs that have lasted 2 weeks, then right into summer temps, and I for one am all for a nice long spring. Here are a couple pics from the backyard this week.

2009-03-01T18:25:00.001-08:00

Got a pine out of a pond basket today, needless to say, the Boon mix is working it's magic. Love that beneficial fungus!

2009-02-28T18:28:00.000-08:00

Did some repotting today, this tree was prepped for this all last year, as it was fed like crazy...

minor pruning to capture the essence of what I was doing...

here's what I got the rootball into after 2 hours of root pruning...

and here's a look at the trunk (much more cleaning tomorrow)

and here it is from the side. As you can see there will be some deadwood, and a drastic bending of the upper segment, but aside from cleaning the trunk and branches, that will do it for this year.

So, what do you think? Will it make it?

2009-02-14T19:25:00.000-08:00

Repotting season is among us here in the Bay Area, and I've spent every free moment doing it. I thought back among all the repots I've done over the years that I've been attempting to do bonsai, and I realized just how far I've come in that time. I suppose it's a natural path learning most skills in life, but in this case especially, I realized just how much more precise my technique is now that I am studying with the Bay Island Bonsai Club with Boon. Things just click as I'm tying the tree in the pot, or adjusting the height of the tree with more soil mix, and I understand now more the steps to creating finer bonsai.
Now I'm not claiming to have any spectacular trees, mind you, but I am becoming enlightened more to the process of creating good trees. And I am sure I have plenty more to learn, too. I've been busy potting up the trees, and not much time for anything else, like I said before, but last night I just quickly perused a few of the forums to see what was going on. Now I understand why I don't spend much time on the forums anymore. The amount of bickering back and forth just seems so useless to me, and I think I am gonna be doing more blog watching than anything else because of it. There are some really good blogs going on, and in the future, I'll post some of them for anyone who might want to look.
Anyhow, just wanted to put down my thoughts about what I was feeling tonight, that's it.

2009-01-21T15:15:00.000-08:00

The Bay Island Bonsai 10th anniversary show was January 17 & 18 this year. As usual, lots of fun seeing people I hadn't seen in a while, catching up on whats new in their lives. Also lots of work, but it seems the most important was the bonsai. The club is so well layed out, that when it comes time, everyone knows their spot-and if they don't, they jump right in and lend a hand. One of these years, I'll have to do a photo expose of how the show gets set up-Chris Johnston put up a few shots on his blog, and it gives you a good idea.
I was a little upset, as my pictures didn't come out as well as last years, I REALLY need to learn my camera inside and out. Anyhow, here are a few of my favorites from this years show, and if you get a chance to attend next years show in Hayward, Ca...you should!

2009-01-12T15:06:00.000-08:00

Needled a Japanese Black Pine on Sunday, thought I'd put it up for a comparison. I'm gonna get lots of new inner buds to use from doing this. This tree was screwed up by me (decandled wrong time) and was allowed to rest, and got lots of fertilizer this past year. the before and after pics tell the story.

2009-01-03T18:37:00.000-08:00

Took some progress photos today, just to keep up on last years work. Enjoy.

2008-12-21T17:55:00.000-08:00

Here is a less than quality tree I worked on today. Japanese Black Pines respond well to hard cutting back, and thats what I am hoping for this spring. I fertilized well this year, and just let it grow, which it did.

Here is what it looks like after the work was done. The tweezers in the second shot are NOT what I used to pluck the needles with, they're just there for a reference. I'll most likely be doing the wiring on this Xmas day, and will post more pics then.

2008-10-29T06:20:00.001-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2008-10-05T14:45:00.000-07:00

Fall is coming and the fall work is coming too-I just fertilized today again, most likely for the last time this year, with the recipe from the club. I change the fertilizer cakes monthly, removing the old ones first, then making a new batch up. Just a quick tip, if you throw your old fertilizer cakes into your garden area, sure does help out. I also rotate the trees when I fertilize, as this makes it easy to remember to rotate your trees monthly. I'll do my best to get some fall color up when the temps start dropping.

2008-08-27T19:09:00.000-07:00

Did some basic thinning on the Kishu today, might as well, as it was 101F. Heres the before and after.

2008-08-25T18:10:00.000-07:00

Here is another project, a shimpaku from Grove way, via Chikugo-En. First is tree upon purchase, second is this today-I will be doing some work on it this week, and will try and upload if I remember.

2008-08-25T17:44:00.000-07:00

Since the onset of summer, very busy dealings with both the trees and the peppers-the heat suits the peppers well, but not so much the trees. I guess there is a reason to favor each of the seasons for me. In reading a post on BonsaiTalk recently, I was moved to post, only to discover I haven't mastered sizing photos from Nikon's Picture project, so I ceased and desisted. Not so worried about the size issues here on Blogger, thought I'd kick in a small before and now project with a Burt Davy ficus I have had a few years. As can be seen, the trunk size is considerably larger, and some preliminary work has been done on the apex. Other than that, it's gonna grow till next summer when it will be transplanted. Just a simple project. Btw, the first photo was in 2004, and is a 4"starter from Lone Pine Gardens.

2008-06-07T20:52:00.000-07:00

Quick update on the Mantis-I let the remaining 30 or so go to the backyard, as they had begun eating each other. They were still pretty small, but had morphed towards adulthood, so I let them go on the bonsai trees. Here's a few quick shots.

2008-05-15T15:33:00.000-07:00

I became, as Boon said, "a Daddy" today. The praying mantis egg sack hatched in the garage-a female last year left her sack on top of one of my trees. The top came off the tree at a workshop, so the branch came home and went into a small aquarium I had from a lizard a few years ago. I religiously check them everyday coming home from work, and today, being it is 100F, they hatched. Here are some pictures, there are currently (are they done, I don't know) about 125 little guys in there. They are going to be released when it is cooler out, and I'm off to find aphids for them to eat.

2008-04-26T11:24:00.001-07:00

And 1 more, though we had late frost this year....the grapes are still coming in :) Merlot.

2008-04-26T11:19:00.001-07:00

More pictures

2008-04-26T11:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from this morning, as I have finally gotten around to taking pictures. The color in the bougie is real, not doctored-really. Enjoy

2008-04-22T17:06:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been so long since I posted, I almost am having trouble typing. Seriously. As for the trees since my last post, everything is leafing out, and budding/growing nicely. It's been a slow spring to say the least, and have only had a few days above 80F. Lots of 70's and 60's, but that might be better for the initial growth phase in the trees anyhow. Night temps are horrible for the peppers, as we were in the 40's again last night, and the low 40's the past few days. Almost everything I grew from seed this year is about dead. Thank goodness for Navlet's Nursery.
I've been to 2 full day workshops with Boon this year, and continue to learn, learn, learn. My last workshop was nothing but wiring, and as we got later in the day, Boon was pushing me to set the branches myself, saying that I had to practice doing it to learn. It was a good push in the right direction. I need to push myself more, but due to doing so many things wrong in the past, I guess I have a block or something-one more thing to work on. It's been a busy spring, though, and I have started making my own fertilizer, Boons recipe. First time I put it out, the dogs ate about 70 of the little guys, making their crap rather dark. It's all organic, though, so it must have been like dog treats. I've started letting it dry out for a few days first now, to let that initial smell get less pungent. Anyhow, I'll do some picture taking soon.

2008-01-22T13:45:00.000-08:00

As a member of Bay Island Bonsai, I had the privilege to setup and work at the 9th annual show this last weekend. It was my first year doing so, and I had a great time, and also understood just how hard it is to get it setup. This club has such wonderful members, and everyone chipped in and did their part. Here are a few pictures from the show that I took.

2008-01-13T17:36:00.000-08:00

Also wanted to put up a pot I recently got as a gift. It's from Japan, and the glaze is beautiful.

2008-01-13T08:17:00.000-08:00

Did some repotting today, as I am not going to have anything else in plastic pots. I still have a long way to go, but heres some pictures from today. And by the way, the perfect bonsai soil mix is pictured-Akadama, pumice, lava rock, and a touch of horticultural charcoal. I'm missing the decomposed granite, and will have to look for it.
Also of note is that all the clay pots were drilled by me, with a special drill bit that allows extra holes for drainage.

2007-12-15T08:11:00.000-08:00

It has been a while, again-oh well. Heres a pic of the praying mantis eggsack on my Japanese Black Pine. The mother had been on it for a few days, and I wondered why she hadn't left the tree, until I found this. I'm gonna keep an eye on it thoughout the winter, then spring.

2007-10-21T15:08:00.000-07:00

Jeff, this ones for you-heres the other red pine-from the top, side, and a closeup of the new branching I am looking for, nice and low. (the bottms pics are the red pine, the top 2 are the JBP) Also, heres a JBP that I grew from seed, notice how many branches I have to work with. I'll be wiring the branches out horizontally this winter, in preparation for spring.

2007-10-21T14:25:00.000-07:00

Did some cleanup on a Kishu Shimpaku today-not the time of year to do major pruning on junipers, but it's ok to trim downward growth. Minimal is best, and thats pretty much what I did. Also removed the wire as it was starting to mark the trunk and a couple branches. It was wired in early April, so 6 months went by-my wiring needs perfecting, or it could have stayed on longer. Heres a picture of it in April, then this morning, then once work was completed.

2007-09-27T17:13:00.000-07:00

Kishu Shimpakus-bending away.

2007-09-22T08:04:00.000-07:00

A little late getting this up, as I made this almost a week ago-dried chips from the dehydrated peppers ground up in a coffee grinder. Tried some orange habanero popcorn last night, and it definately retained its flavor and heat levels. Gonna do some more drying today. I got the containers at Linens and Things, they have a shaker top under the metal screw on cap-$2.00 a piece.

2007-09-13T15:15:00.001-07:00

Dehydarating time! First try at the drying game-pics are of peppers prepared, and after 3 hours time @ 135F-still not done.

2007-09-06T17:24:00.000-07:00

And here, in reverse order of posts, is the shimpaku that just doesn't amount to much. I still like it, though, and will work on getting it in a good pot this year, where it can do some growing, and refine it more. It won't be ready for any show, but I like progressions, what can I say.

2007-09-06T17:16:00.001-07:00

This red pine was purchased a few years ago, and has lost some limbs due to my lack of knowledge. The first pic is Aug 04, and then today, with a 3rd picture for the growing angle it will be planted at in the spring.

2007-09-06T17:09:00.000-07:00

I worked with Boon on September 2nd, and realized just how far my trees have to go-not a bad thing, necessarily, just lots of work and time to go ahead with what I have. Some of the trees I have won't make good bonsai, but I work with them to understand how to grow them. In taking pictures today of the trees I worked on, I realized just how far they have come (some of them, anyways). I'm gonna post a seperate post for each tree.

2007-08-31T10:36:00.000-07:00

Picked some peppers this morning, also including a new accent plant that I got from a nursery in Mill Valley-hope it makes it.

2007-08-29T10:19:00.001-07:00

Wow, 3 weeks since my last post, shame on me. Busy time of the year, watering trees is a priority, as temps have been soaring lately. I watered 3 times yesterday, and will most likely water 3 more times today. Peppers are ripening fast as the hot temps continue, heres a few pics from todays peppers, including carribbean red habaneros, arbols, orange habs, and thai dragons.

2007-08-09T17:39:00.000-07:00

minus a couple cool days, things are starting to heat up...from todays picking.

2007-08-01T16:41:00.000-07:00

Some pics from this afternoon-90F, and watering is always important when it gets this hot. Was watering the pines, and noticed some movement; seems I have a little help in the bug business, although I haven't found any yet. Also took some pics of the peppers, which are finally coming to fruition. About time. DeArbol, puta, and Thai Dragon. Also, I think I might have the smallest red carribean habanero on the books.

2007-07-28T09:13:00.001-07:00

It's been a weird summer-weird in that we have had few days where it was above 90F. Which is is ok for the bonsai, but in years past, it's been hotter. Spring was just flat out unproductive garden-wise, as we would have a few warm days, then it would cool off, then back to warm, then cool off again. The peppers were struggling, along with other things planted.
I went out to water this morning because it should hit about 90F today, and as usual, I looked at each tree as I watered it. But today was different-I realized I had so many different types of trees just a couple years ago, and now, I was down to my core of basic trees I should be growing. I think when you first start growing bonsai, you want one of everything; which is fine, it's what most people I have talked to do. Then, as trees start dying, you shrink down to your core of species that are really going to thrive in the area you are growing in. I'm glad I have the trees that I do, being Junipers and Pines really grow well where I am. Trident maples also grow well here, though they do get leaf burn badly some years. I'm a little disappointed in myself this year, as I didn't plant seeds from pines in the area, but I will this year. I ususally wait until Oct/Nov, and find the trees I want to take from, then collect cones. In the past I have used cones from the pines near the San Rafael bridge, which has worked out well. I will be wiring some younger pines today, not only for the practice of wiring, but because some of the younger 2 and 3 year olds need some direction. I won't be wiring branches, just trunks-now is not the time to worry about branches, that will come later for these youngsters.
The peppers have been producing pods well, and I'm looking forward to them ripening up-last year, I had a steady supply by this time, but it's the first time I've had to wait for salsa ingredients. I'll post some pics later today.

2007-07-19T17:06:00.001-07:00

Here's the red manazana from this afternoon-much bigger than the one in the pot (I have 2), and the only thing I can figure out is the afternoon shade. The one in the pot has already produced 2 pods, so it's a give and take.

The orange habaneros are producing like gangbusters, and its a race between them and the carribean red habaneros which one will produce more.

The red manzana in a pot produced this beauty, and the flower is in the pic too

2007-07-15T10:21:00.000-07:00

I spent the entire day at Boons yeaterday, working on my sad little trees. I don't mean to make mine seem trivial, but when you see the class of trees everyone else is bringing in, I realize my trees have a long way to go. I spent the entire day wiring. Nothing but wiring-and it was great. At first, in the beginning of the day, I was taking a good deal of my wire off, and redoing it. Once you put wire on a branch, and realize it is not put on correctly, whether it was too tight, not anchored correctly, or just plain sloppy, you have to take it off, and it can't be reused. I had a contest with Janet, another club member who was sitting next to me, on who would fill the bucket with bad wiring quicker. I won, hands down. It was good practice, though, and by the end of the day, it was going on much better. Working there among the club members was wonderful, and everyone is really supportive, making a great teaching enviornment. Boon was his usual self, reaasuring, and very helpful. I got a handout on wiring, and went over it page by page with him-very helpful-I used the handout all day as a reference as I worked. By the end of the day, I had fiished the 5 trees I had brought, and went home satisfied that I had learned alot. Just as the front page of the handout had stated, "bonsai is wiring, and wiring is bonsai."
Did some work on the English oak, and also wired and got started a clump shimpaku I had for some time- I also have another one just like it that I will do the work on as practice, knowing my wiring skill is getting much better. Btw, took the top 1/3 off the oak in it's quest to become a better tree. The first pic is the tree in Jan 07, the second is how it looks today.

2007-07-09T17:51:00.001-07:00

Another day of photos in the garden....lots of closeups.

2007-07-08T14:25:00.000-07:00

warm day today, not as hot as a few days ago though, will probably hit 90F. It's looking like a good salsa season. Habaneros (orange, red caribbean, and red manzano) are all doing well, and tomatoes are ripening up. Anaheims and super chilis are producing well also. Heres some pics from today.

2007-07-04T14:06:00.000-07:00

4th of July, and it's hot!! Over 100F today and yesterday, and little relief in sight for the rest of the week-watering 2 and 3 times a day is all I can do. The peppers are loving it, but the bonsai are not liking the temps so much. I've defoliated several trident maples,a vine maple, and a japanese maple and the added stress is going to take all their reserves, but luckily I've been fertilising well in advance. Have put all my trust in fertilising lately, allowing some trees more heat exposure (sun) than last year, and along with good soil, hope that does the trick. So far it has been paying off, but the heat has ony really begun here-it's been a weird weather year.

2007-06-17T15:16:00.000-07:00

Long time since I posted, a lot of growth in the trees and the peppers. Didn't get a chance to work with Boon this month, as I was back in NY and Conn on vacation; had a great time. Came home to see some real growth in the trees though. Funny, I was gone as the first high 90/100's hit us this year. It was 65F where I was. I always feel a little worried when I am not there to water, but my neighbors across the street filled in in fine fashion. Heres a few shots of the peppers flowers, including the Carribean Red habanero, Arbol, and Red Manzana.

2007-05-19T10:22:00.001-07:00

Nothing looks better than saturday morning peppers.

2007-05-14T15:14:00.000-07:00

Wow, long time since the last post...will try to do better. Good weekend, saw Johnny Saturday, he's looking better, pneumonia must be all but gone. Got a couple clump shimpaku starters, each in 2 gallon pots. Sunday, did 2 workshops with Boon, and worked on 5 trees. Did some good wiring practice, and I'm getting better, but still have a long way to go. Designed the shimpaku Jeff gave me 2 years back, and it looks great.
Temps are much more even now, had a few days of 90F, but have gone back to 70-80F range, with it about 50-55 at night. Peppers are starting to really take off, as the temps stay consistent. Most of the plants I have are podding up, and blossoms are abundant.

2007-04-21T08:47:00.000-07:00

Saturday, with more rain in the forecast, and cold temps at night continue. Will do much more maintenance work on the trees and post some more pictures soon. Repotted quickly the Bald Cypress trees I was growing, as a 30mph gust took them off a bench, and have now been put in heavier duty terra cotta pots. They're resting in the garage for a few days to get strength back.
The peppers are growing better, getting some new growth, but the late night temps are really hindering their growth as well. The carribbean red habaneros are looking pale, but hanging in there. Hope we can make soemthing out of this growing season. The reds, btw, are showing pod flowers, so something must be working out there.

2007-04-16T17:08:00.000-07:00

Well, here's a couple pics of the Kishu Shimpaku after I finished wiring it at home. I really have to start taking more time taking these pics, as I saw them, and was less than impressed.
Rough day today, as the Virginia Tech shooting happened, and stirred me deeply. Sometimes I just find myself shaking my head-it was a terrible tragedy, a truly sad chain of events-but the press seems ready to make their question heard, their statement the first. What, as a society, have we become? Why do we lose ourselves in "who should have done what" arguements? We should mourn those who have passed, and hope for those that were injured to make a full recovery. No law, no dismissal of Presidents, no question or blame of police chief will change the fact this has happened...and no matter what, it could happen any time again. Thats why life is so fragile, and why we should make the most of the time we have.

2007-04-07T21:34:00.000-07:00

Had a good day today. First off, it's always good to start off the day working with Boon. Such a good teacher, I spent the whole workshop working on the kishu shimpaku with him. I also had an epiphany; dictionary.com explains it as.... 3.a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.
Thats what happened. Although a workshop with Boon wouldn't be commonplace, the wiring in itself is, to me anyways...or so I thought. I suddenly realized as I was beginning to wire the tree with newly aquired Gremel wire, that this is how wiring is supposed to feel. Not aluminum, that I had used in the past on conifers. The wire stayed where it was supposed to and it did so with strength, and almost rolled on the branch itself. Crazy? Nope. I'd recommend the wire to anyone, it simply is great wire. And alot more affordable than I had previously thought. I had picked up a Gremel pot last week when I went to Grove Way Nursery, also at a good price. Now I sound like a commercial for Jim Gremel, not what I had intended, but hey, let the cards fall where they may. Go to his website if you're not from the Bay Area, and order some wire. Use it on a conifer when you wire; you'll be hooked, like I am.
Here's a picture of the wire with the pot. I'll post pics of the tree soon enough.

2007-04-02T16:49:00.000-07:00

nice day today, the peppers are doing well....the kishu shimpaku whips are wired and in shape now. Gave them some nice twists, and made sure to leave them some room to grow. Used copper wire I had annealed myself, kind of a pet project. Heres a couple shots showing the height difference on the bench it's on now.

2007-03-29T17:30:00.000-07:00

Went to Grove Way Bonsai today, Johnny looks good, he'd been a little under the weather with pneumonia. He's still fighting it, but looks good, and was happy. Got a new tree, a Kishu Shimpaku, and will do some work on it in the 4/7 workshop with Boon. Also got a coule "whips" of K.Shimpaku. Will do some real bending on them, and let em grow out. Picked up a nice Gremel pot, too, a nice handthrown round, which will be perfect for the bunjin pine I have growing.
Peppers are really doing well, seeing the nasty weather has finally gone, hopefully-got down to 39F with some crazy storm that blew down from up north. It was 76F today, and the important thing is the nights are gonna be warmer. Good for the peppers. So far this year, I have red manzana, red carribean, orange habanero, arbol, thai dragon, serrano, anaheim, and jalapenos growing-a nice selection. some pics from this afternoon.....

2007-03-24T16:48:00.000-07:00

Wow, spring is a busy time-seems we're having a semi-normal spring this year, too. No 80's in February, or 12" of rain in March; kinda nice. Got a new pepper plant this last friday, a red manzana-got it at Harmony Nursery in Sebastopol, and I read up on it. Another type of pepper, it is shaped more like an apple, as that is what manzana means in spanish. It has approximately the same heat as a habanero, but with more of a spice flavor to it-also has black seeds. Fertilized today, and applied more baskets of fertilizer cakes to the trees in the back. Will be trying to add older fertilizer cakes to the tubs the peppers are in, and see how they handle it. Should be fine. The ahbanero seedlings I had grown from seed didn't fare so well, as we've had a few nights in the low 40's. I had attempted to harden them off too early, evidently, but bought a six pack of them at Harmony when I got the Manzana. Organic plants as well. Thats it for now, off to water.

2007-03-14T14:28:00.000-07:00

wow, lots of time since the last post, but it's been busy. Peppers are doing well, and the bonsai are leafing/flowering out now. It was about 78F today, and will be hotter this weekend, then back to cooler temps on mon. Having all the windows open in the house is kinda nice.
Also, on March 3rd, spent the whole day out at Boons working on 4 trees I brought. I'm now an official member of Bay Island Bonsai club, and enjoyed and learned alot form Boon. Simple things like repotting that I thought I had down...nope, I didn't. You GOTTA join a club to get the real basics down. There is no side stepping it, and I'm proof.
Heres a few pics from this spring so far...

2007-02-28T15:54:00.000-08:00

Last day of February, and it almost froze last night, but the peppers hung in there, and are enjoying some sun this afternoon. It is supposed to be cold again, way below suggested temps for pepper seedlings (55-60F), but they are doing so well, I don't want to mess with them. Not being lazy, just don't want to mess with their growing cycle, as they were in the garage for so long that it might have hindered their growth. All 4 varieties are doing well-Habaneros, serranos, thai dragons, and arbols. Heres a few pics of them growing.

2007-02-24T18:53:00.000-08:00

Another busy week as spring temps are starting to show up more and more-did a quick last minute forest planting on Weds, and it turned out nicely. The peppers and tomatoes got moved (in the greenhouse) outside today, as it is expected to be about 45 as a low-about the best I could hope for. The seedlings had done about as much as they were going to in the garage, with the filtered light that comes in the top row of the garage door windows. The deciduous trees are starting to bud, and most likely I will be setting up tree benches tomorrow. Did some Oleander trimming today so that the damn things wouldn't be obtrusive come summer. I really have learned to hate them; found out via my brother that they are poisonous, just what I need in my backyard, poisonous weeds. Anyhow, will be going for my first workshop with Boon this next weekend, looking forward to becoming a member of the BIB.

2007-02-17T14:14:00.000-08:00

Busy week, lots of warm temps, although tomorrow will be slightly cooler, and will continue to stay in the 60's for most of the week. All the peppers are coming in, and the trees are slowly making their way outside as buds are swelling.
Nothing beats spring.
Say what you want, there is something about the new life spring possesses that makes it almost magical. No other season makes itself known quite the way spring does-oh sure, autumn has the colors, but spring green after bleak cold is something else. As I type this, it's 72 F outside, and I've been working out in the back yard all day. Beautiful.

2007-02-10T08:24:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been an interesting week, lots of rain. The peppers are coming up, all except the arbols, which were planted late anyways. Took some of the lettuce (romaine) out into the garden, and planted the little sprouts, all of whom had sprung up in the greenhouse, and it's doing fine. Planted snap peas, too.
Haven't had to do much watering this week, with all the rain. The buckeye is pushing leaves, and will have a primary set out by the end of the weekend. Just can't get enough of spring, although everywhere else in the country seems to be freezing. But we were freezing when they were warm, so I guess it all figures to be the same.

2007-02-05T15:02:00.000-08:00

Did one of the trident repots yesterday, though I spent too much time visiting with folks as always. Went to Yabasuki's Dwight way nursery in Berkeley yesterday as Grove way isn't open on sundays now, evidently. Saw the family and visited, which was nice, seeing it had been almost a year since the last visit we found out. Everyones doing well, and I took a look around, and got a few containers for growing, and 2 bags of medium akadama.
Came home today from work, and looked in the greenhouse, and the serrano peppers are sprouting!!!! Very psyched about that, and will hope for the best with the Habanero's and Thai Dragons and most of all, the Arbols. It's kinda cloudy, but nights are about 37-40F so that's great for the seeds. Also kinda nice for the buckeye as it makes for a nice transition from the garage.

2007-02-04T08:14:00.000-08:00

Put the california buckeye out in the backyard yesterday, it was on the verge of busting open, so it's the first one out of the garage this year. Have been busy doing repots lately, as temps have been warming, might see 68-70F today. Just like 2 years ago, makes a nice long growing season which means more growth in those trunks!!
Today I will be doing a couple important repots, and will be going to Grove Way to get more akadama for them. Seems I use more akadama every year, I should buy stock in one of the companies that export it. Makes for phenomenal growth, though, which more than makes up for the price.
In the greenhouse, have the first seeds sprouting, the romaine lettuce-kinda expected that. Still no peppers, though, kinda bumming about that. I know it needs to be just a little hotter. I will be buying heated germinaters next year for them.

2007-01-31T17:07:00.000-08:00

Last day of January, and the temps are up near 60F and the nights are only dropping down to about 38-39F, which can only mean one thing-buds are swelling. Cripes, thought atleast I'd have a few more weeks of getting ready, but nope, so I did some repotting today. A few Acer palmatums, and a nanking cherry. I hope to do the two big tridents this weekend, and will no doubt need more akadama, as I haven't got enough, I fear. Nothing like working, then coming home and repotting for a couple hours, kinda centers you.
The california buckeye is swelling majorly, and will put it out of the garage if it continues (like it will stop with these temps) this weekend. And even though I might be a bit flustered with the crazy temps, nothing makes me happier than thinking about the color of green of those first few leaves of spring (even though spring might be in Feb this year).

2007-01-28T08:58:00.000-08:00

A rain day- did some raining yesterday afternoon, and more today. I did some new updating of pictures, and might do some trident redesign today. Need to make some hard decisions about where I want a couple of them to go.
As a side note, the peppers in the greenhouse haven't sprouted yet, and I'm wondering if I started them too early. I'm gonna need 2 more trays of starters for everything I am gonna do this year. Will be planting tomatoes, and more peppers .
Also did some fine tuning trimming of Ficus yesterday, all 3 of them-1 retusa, 1 nerifolia, and 1 benjamina. All look much better, and started some cuttings of the retusa and willowleaf in the greenhouse.

2007-01-27T07:39:00.000-08:00

Didn't get to wire the pines last weekend, as I had hoped, ended up taking pics of the deciduous trees for records, which took a good part of the day. The trees look good with no leaves, but I've got to get a new camera. This one sucks wind, and doesn't have the sharpness I want. I suppose that'll be the next thing I get, the records are important to me.
It was cold for the first few nights this week, and has now dropped only to 40F ( last night), and will continue to do so for the rest of the coming week, so the weather guessers say. I am going to do some work outside with the pines, cleaning up soil surfaces, weeding, etc. If I get a chance, might throw some wire on the young pines to give them some shape.
Heres one of the tridents from the photo shoot last weekend.

2007-01-20T07:44:00.000-08:00

Not much to report, other than working on trees this weekend. I am going to be checking wire, doing more wiring, and general cleaning around the growing benches. It has FINALLY gone back to being around 32-36F at night, and up to around 55-58F during the day-much more the regular temps. Last week was good for the trees, though, especially the pines. Bet deep down they'll secretly wish for these temps in July when it's 90+ everyday.

2007-01-16T16:05:00.000-08:00

Great weekend, got to go to the Bay Island Bonsai show and what a treat. I've decided that I'm going to join the club, as they have weekend workshops, and I really like the perfection that seems to be achieved in the trees on display that I saw. Met a few folks, and had a good time at the auction-won an auction on a tree too. Now have a real nice california buckeye, they grow all over here, so it should do well. I was actually going to try to grow 5 or 6 this year, as they germinate quickly and easily, and are quite a seed. They're about the size of a fist, and are enclosed in pods at the branch end. Anyhow, I'm looking forward to working with it.

2007-01-11T17:27:00.000-08:00

Cold day today, lots of cool temps around the Bay Area. It was 25F in the area I drive in @ 7 a.m. Tonight is gonna be a cold one, and the temps are expected back down to around 20F tonight. Should be fine, as everything that needs protection is already stored in the garage, where it's safe(r). Saturday might even see some snow, if the pecipitation holds true, and I'll be at the Bay Island Bonsai show this saturday while it might happen. Looking forward to seeing it, as I feel it is one of the best in the country (from my perspective, anyhow) The Yamato Bonsai Club was a good one this year, too, lots of good quality trees. I saw a Shimpaku Juniper there and was commenting to my daughter about it, about the detail inside the tree. An older gentelman asked me if I liked it, and I told him I did very much. He then told me he was glad I liked his tree, and I complimented him on the fine jin work inside the canopy, that was unnoticed if you looked from the front. It was a lot of fun that day.

Scott

2007-01-07T16:49:00.000-08:00

Well, another weekend over...lots of jobs around the house done, including trimming the mulberry out front more. (still NOWHERE close to done) Will be working on that over the course of the winter. Trees are all doing well, watered the ones in the garage, and watered the seeds in the greenhouse. It was warm today, almost like spring....crazy weather. It will be back down close to freezing again, tonight, though. I'll be keeping an eye on the buds of the deciduous trees just in case. Will try to get to wiring young pines next weekend.

Scott

2007-01-05T16:38:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess I can keep up some basic gardening updates, too. Turned the garden over, the composting is working out great. Raked it smooth, looks almost like that Missouri farm soil I remember during that one summer. Got my small greenhouse (portable), that my sister and brother-in-law got me for xmas. Put it up, and since it is about 10 weeks before the last frost, planted 144 seeds for peppers-habanero,thai dragon, serrano, and arbol.
Watered the bonsai today, there were a few that were dangerously close to being dry, due to some heavy winds today and last night. Overall, the evergreens are doing great, and the shimpakus and the itogawa have some great winter color to them. Thats all for now.

Scott

2007-01-04T16:34:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are in the new year, 3 years from my last post on blogger. I was off work today, so I took a few minutes to look around old bookmarks, and here I am. FANTASTIC! Time to put out another resolution to keep up with it this time, and post pics so I can keep up with progress of growing healthy bonsai. I'm gonna go do some downloading of software.

Scott