Hibiscus (Rosa sinensis) 'Brilliant' - UPDATE

 This exerpt is the latest entry to the Photo/History page of this little tree; follow link to see full history

The Hibiscus is really starting to put on some serious growth; the branches I decided to keep are merging into the trunk & are "leafing out" with big, giant leaves. Hopefully, they will voluntarily reduce in size, but right now, the tree still thinks he is a full-sized tree.

I have been pruning this tree since the cutback to select the main branches & control their tendency to "reach for the sky". I don't want 'leggy' growth & the pruning thickens the branches..making them look older & melding them with the existing bark. 

Now that I've established the 3 main branches, I want to start defining the sub-branching & so I will limit my pruning for awhile to "pinch & grow", which gives me a more granular control over the sub-branches individually, instead of just overall length.

I am still impressed with the vigor & stamina of the Hibiscus. Nothing much seems to deter him from growing & growing, in spite of being chopped, top & bottom , 5 repots, in less than a year, each repot reducing the roots/rootball overall, combining for what I estimate must be a 75-80% total root reduction & still going strong, as evidenced by these photos.

He still has one more repot to contend with this year, as I transtion to in-organic potting mix for all of my trees. This goes against all the informal rules that govern bonsai, then again, I don't think the Hibiscus knows about those rules & I'm not going to tell him.

Japanese Red Maple (Acer Palmatum 'Bloodgood') - UPDATE

 this is an exerpt from the latest entry to the Photo/History page for the Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood'). click-on see the full history of this little tree

I have not updated or reported on the 'Bloodgood' simply because he is not doing well. Starting in mid-summer (about the same time as I chopped the 'Monrovia') this tree stalled-out, stopped growing, no new
leaves, but also no manifestation of disease or infestation. 

Stumped by what might be wrong, I sought advice & was advised that this particular sapling was not bred or conditioned to handle our hot, dry & windy environment. The diagnosis was that the Bloodgood had shut-down in self defense & I was also advised that "benign neglect" was the best course of action; to leave the tree alone & that if he survived, he would recover his vitality, in time.

Since then, I've continued to water the Bloodgood & occasionally feed him over the summer & into the early fall. There has been virtually no change..he has not dropped foliage, leaves are not 'droopy', but they do show evidence of wind burn on the tips, which is common for this cultivar. 

Recently, I decided to transition to an inorganic potting mix, a standard Bonsai soil mix with better than expected results. What I have learned is that commercial potting mix's have a tendency toward compaction when used for the more intensive cultivation required for miniature trees. 

After seeing the positive responses from most of the trees in my collection to the new potting mix, I have decided not to waste another season, do nothing but hoping that this tree will spring-back to normal health & growth next spring. I'm going to gamble that re-potting the Bloodgood now, this fall, will give him a solid foundation to recover during his dormancy, this winter & a better chance at a full recovery to active growing status next spring.

I think we'll know how this gamble turns out in a week or less, so stay tuned for updates!

Koala Blooms Banksia (Banksia spinulosa 'Schnapper Point') - UPDATE

 This is an exerpt from the latest entry to Photo/History of this tree; to see the full history, click on  Koala Blooms (Schnapper Point) 

I wrote previously about how easily the Banksia acclimated, so when it came time to repot in Bonsai soil, I decided he could go into a tray for the next step in his training.

Since it was only 5-6 months since his initial root pruning & potting, I was a little surprised at the re-growth, but pleased that the root ball is conforming to a flat bottom, fan shape that we want, so after a trim, he went easily into a tray.

Since I know very little about this plant, I am really happy with the way he came through our summer, here in the IE. Perhaps it more closely matched his native Australian summer conditions, hot, dry & windy. Whatever the case, I think this tree will be a real asset to the collection & I'm looking forward to seeing if he blooms this winter.

"No Dirt" Allowed ! - UPDATE

 It has been just about a month since I decided to transition from organic potting mix (dirt) to mineral based or inorganic's, commonly referred to as "Bonsai soil"(no dirt). Of course, there's a learning curve to work through..it is not as simple as buying a bag of commercial potting mix at the garden center.

In addition to researching the basics & sourcing materials such as lava rock, pumice, calcined clay(fired), decomposed granite, charcoal, one has to start thinking about feeding the trees & other plants that we expect to adapt to a whole new environment. A completely inorganic mix carries no nutrition at all, meaning that we must supply 100% of what the plants need to grow & thrive.

More research into types of plant food, fertilization schema, organic vs manufactured, liquid vs dry & I have only figured out that I will stay with Liquid Seaweed as a "base" component + fertilizers intended for specific types of plants; i.e. a tomato fertilizer for tomatoes; a low-pH fertilizer for acid-feeders like azalea's, maples, etc.; a general purpose fertilizer for decidous trees. 

Even though I've only repotted about 1/2 of the collection, I'm beginning to see the differences the new potting mix brings about:

1.) Some of the trees exhibited various degrees of transplant shock, but only 1 casualty, so far (Red Karo) & I'm not sure if the repot was a cause or whether it just contributed to a pre-existing problem, but most of the trees look better, healthier & happier..many of those are showing new growth. 

2.) Daily watering time & effort have been cut significantly; also water use has been reduced.  I have also adapted a different method for water & feed application..am now using pressurized sprayer & wand, which allows me to put the food & water exactly where it needs to go with less loss to run-off.

3.) Although the initial cost of the components of Bonsai soil are more expensive than commercial potting soil, I am beginning to see the advantages of the ability to re-use inorganic soil, instead of discarding it. I don't know how many bags of commercial potting soil I have gone through over the last 3 years, but now, with the addition of a stainless steel sieve, I can recover the inorganics, like pumice, granite, charcoal, rinse & re-use that material, as it does not degrade over time. 

I will continue to report on the conversion to "no dirt" as time goes on.

Coprosma 'Karo Red' (aka Mirror Plant) EOL

 this is an exerpt from the Photo/History page for the Karo Red (Mirror plant); use the link to see the entire history of this little tree.

I've been stalling on writing this post for days, but I think I have to face reality & declare EOL for 'Karo Red'. I defoliated this little tree in a vain attempt to find what killed him, maybe a boring insect or a colony of fungi, but I can find no evidence of him being 'chewed-on' or any apparent damage

I down-potted him into my now standard Bonsai potting mix & I will keep him on the bench for the winter, water the pot occasionally & hope that next spring we might see green buds..stranger things have happened.