Make plans to stop by the Free Third Thursday Workshop on January 21. The workshop begins at 7PM. Time to start major work on those trees! Also, don’t forget, now is the time to start prepping for our March Show. So, bring a couple trees by the Hall of Flowers and get advice from advanced members of the club.

January - quite possibly the busiest month of the year for bonsai work.

So first, catch up will work from the Fall. Cut off any remaining leaves. The past few cold weeks from last month should have done the trick, if not use your scissors to remove them. For those fruiting and flowering trees that needed repotting, go ahead and repot before new growth starts.

Now that the rain has become regular and there is less sunlight, make sure the roots of your trees are not constantly soaked. If drainage is a problem, tilt the tree to one side. If the top layer of soil is too dense, scrape away the bad soil and add fresh. Tag the tree for repotting later this spring. Adjust your watering schedule. While it is important that a tree does not remain constantly soaked, you still must water to flush the soil of stagnant water and CO2 to keep the roots healthy.

Systematically go through your trees one by one. Make notes about what needs to be done. If rewiring, now is the time. Large cuts and heavy bends can be made now that your tree is dormant. For heavy bends, use raffia and heavy wire. Pay attention to the silhouette your are trying to achieve for the tree. Examine the structure of branches on deciduous trees. If internodes are too long, cut back the branch. Look for multiple buds along branches. Removes strong buds and leave ones that are in more ideal positions.

Set aside those trees you plan to show. Pick out all trees with show potential. You may only show a fraction of them, but in case a tree doesn’t respond to show prep, you will have a backup.

As the days become longer and the sun begins to shine more on your growing area, keep an eye out for trees that begin to grow. For some trees, the window for repotting is small, sometimes only a week. As buds begin swell, roots will begin to grow. If you miss the window, you may have to wait another year for the opportunity.

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