November is the time to finish up black pine needle removal - if you have not done it so far. Heavy pruning and cut back can be done safely now. Copper wire is best used on black pines because it holds, especially on heavy branches. Aluminum just does not have the strength to hold a pine. Really severe bends are accomplished by applying well soak raffia before applying wire or to bend with the down wire. You may need a small craw- bar for this and help from a friend with the tie down. Also, be sure to have a rubber pad to put beneath a branch bender or the bar to prevent bruising or removal of bark. A piece of old garden hose or old tire rubber from a bike or car tire will also work. Plastic tubing is not as good because it may slip and do damage to you and the tree.
Any wire put in the Spring or early Summer should be removed. The wire can remain only if it is needed and is not cutting the bark. Cedars often have to keep major bending wires on for three to five years. They are put on in such a way that they are loose enough to stay that long or musbe be changed and rewired at once so that the curve or bend is maintained.
Make sure all moss is removed from around the surface roots and trunk. It holds too much moisture and will seriously damage the bark on surface roots and trunks, especially deciduous trees. Also clean up any fallen leaves orther debris on the soil surface and ground around the bench for fallen leaves that contain insects and mildew, etc… Late November is time for dormant spray.
All in all enjoy your trees and admire all the work you have accomplished this year. Take pride in what you do and you will do a better job. Look for details to improve on. Bonsai is detail work and there is no getting away from it. There is no about or almost or pretty good, or pretty close, or good enough for now. Think precisely, exactly, perfectly, just right, top form, picture perfect, front page ready!
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If you have not been watching your wires in July you better watch them in August. The second growth period begins somewhere in late July or middle of August depending on the weather, and also when you put the wire in the first place. Sometimes wire must be removed in three months or less and if the branch or trunk has not lignified, it will not stay in place and so must be re-done at once before you lose the shape you want. Remember some trees need to be shaped by wire for three years of more to hold the shape you want, like cedars for example and thin branched pines that have a heavy head. Many trees will do this and it is not a matter of doing anything wrong, you must still apply the wire correctly or you cannot get the exact placement you need. Putting the wire on loosely is a waste of time and you cannot place the branch or trunk the way it should be. This is the lazy way of applying wire and it shows up when you may think that the tree is shaped. I think this is the reason for many poor looking trees. We do not wire properly, so that we don’t have to watch so carefully for wire scars. The old adage of a thing worth doing is worth doing well, apply especially in bonsai where every little mistake shows up. Of course this not only goes for wiring but also for proper pruning and heavy branch removal. The whole gist of this is to do it well the first time.
Wire marks are really hard to remove on many trees and even on those that can be fixed, it takes a long time. So don’t be lazy, put the wire on properly and remove it before it cuts in the branch.
Pines should be budded out by now or may not get any this season. Plan ahead on what trees you will repot this Fall, such as flowering quince, trees that bear fruit or trees that bloom in the Spring. Get the pots cleaned-up or purchased. Fit them with wire screen and make sure you have the soil handy. Nothing will put you off when you are all set to repot and you found out you are missing one more things. That alone may put you off for a week until you have a free day to get the missing stuff or have time enough to repot.
Thin out junipers that have grown lushly during the summer or you will get dieback in the interior of the branch and also find little caches of insects or nests full of eggs just waiting to be hatch and devour your hard work. Be sure to remove the crotch growth as this will weaken and perhaps kill the branch it is growing on. Keep the tips pinched also to prevent long and loose growth. You will find that if you do not keep the junipers pinched the new growth will become coarse and loose. If you have not put lime sulfur on the jin and shari yet this year, don’t wait! If it comes out too light or white for you put some India ink in it to tone it down to gray or brown ink to make it a bit tan. Or you can mix the two for a natural or neutral shade. You will find that different shades will work better on different trees. Remember trees go black on the exposed wood such as olives and to have a white scar looks unnatural, so add lots of ink to the lime sulfur application. Some people like to wash off the lime treatment after applying it to make a more natural look.
If you go into the Sierras you will see that the over all look of “driftwood” is more silver gray that down south where it is more white. This has more to do with climate or rainfall and so I think our trees should reflect that.
So enjoy your trees, watch for insects and give them a spin (and I don’t mean a ride).
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