Three days ago I uploaded this video to YouTube, and guess what?  I have done nothing from that long list of tasks!  The wind has been howling around the bonsai garden and rain has also made an appearance.  The best thing about it, is that it stopped ‘drill man’ from featuring on my next video soundtrack

Seriously, I did spend all weekend breaking up the rotting benches and also cutting up and clearing away a lot of last years dead branches – left kindly by my very expensive Tree Surgeons (not sure that is the best description).  Then I had the joy of meeting our very well paid ‘Rubbish Disposal Technicians’ who were happy to  watch me struggle with a diverse range of rubbish.  Why do they have to be so rude and unhelpful!

I was actually told, bluntly, that I had to hold my rotting pieces of wood and NOT put them on the ground – whilst waiting for the current load to be compacted.  Now I know I’m not exactly feeble but I did struggle to understand why he was so adament I could not put them on the ground whilst waiting!

I started to become a wee bit uppity and then stopped myself as he suddenly spurted out some **** about ‘Health & Safety’ rules!  These council departments have so much power and the last thing I needed was to be slapped with a Tip Ban for being ‘aggresive or confrontational’…

So of the 5 Things I should be doing now, I can definitely mark myself with a big green tick.  Dry and ignored Dawn Redwoods watered, benches removed, majority of trees are happily dormant AND everything is safely tucked away from the wind.  I even moved my little Forsythia into the coldframe for some additional protection due to unwanted bud swelling.  I suppose I  now need to let you know how I have got on with the 10 Tasks for Winter (or not)…

Deadwood Work.

Do you know how cold it is right now?  I mean, I  did look at a few Bonsai with deadwood but then the rain hit hard and I had to run away inside and comfort myself with a hot chocolate.  By the time the rain had stopped, my enthusiasm had waned. So I reminded myself that there is always summer to do this job.  After all, why do something now when you can enjoy it much more in 6 months time!  A bit like cleaning dirty bonsai pots…

I did plug the dremmel in to a power socket and set my studio up with Andy’s lump of wood.  And I did even look at it for several minutes.  I tutted and mused over different ideas and drew all over it with my HB pencil.  Not sure why, because I have never followed any pre-planned cutting lines in the past.

Having decided where I was going to start channeling out this piece of trunk I realised I needed my safety glasses and gloves.  Although I didnt find the left glove I did manage to find a packet of Doritos instead…perhaps a sign that this job should be done another time too

Clean up your Pine Bonsai.

If you watched the video you will already know that I did my Pine clean up work in Autumn.  I did find a few dead needles and one or two terminal buds to remove but I am happy these can be left for a good few months yet.  The next bit of work will not be till late spring when the candles have elongated.

Bonsai Bench & Garden Clear-up.

I spent all Friday with my serrated saw blade and branch loppers to reduce everything into easy to handle pieces that I could pack into my old ‘skip’ bag.  The benches themselves fell apart as soon as I showed them a picture of my hammer. It appears the only things keeping them standing were the wood louse.  I can happily report that I achieved this momentous task without injury – a definite first for me

As for the Tip run…well, enough said at the beginning of this article.

Create Rock Structures for plantings.

I have the glue ready and the lava rock ready but unfortunately my studio lights have decided to blow their bulbs, making it impossible for me to film. I suppose that means I need to get some more hot chocolate instead…

Building my new Website Pages.

I am loving this task and my biggest fear is it will distract me from my Bonsai Channel too much.  At High School I majored in Journalism and Literature.  I love nothing better than spending a day just creating articles or starting ‘another’ prize winnning novel.  Needless to say, they remain unfinished – like most of my creative projects.  I really do need to learn to commit to something and stop getting bored and distracted.

There is so much work to do to make this website really useful and so many of the pages need lots of work.  The calendar may be the biggest issue with the volume of entries I need to start putting in it.

Update my Bonsai Workflow App.

The day after this video was released 8 people asked to try the app from various parts of the world.  Since then, I have sent out another 7 files.  Lexi and I are absolutely blown away with the interest and pray that there are no major issues using this product.  It has worked so well for me during the last 4 years AND the first group to use it have also reported postive results.

If you have taken advantage of this offer then please provide postive feedback in either the comments here or on the tuition videos uploaded to YouTube.  You are of course more than welcome to send a Gift Donation via Paypal to help me spoil Lexi for her hardwork

Bonsai Soil / Wire & Pots.

You all know that I have 29 bags of Zeolite and Pumice thanks to an order put in by my good friend Alex.  I also still have another 4 bags of Kitty Friend, 100 litres of vermiculite and a little bit of Pine Bark.  So I don’t forsee any issues with repots this spring.  I do need to order in a few rolls of 2.5mm and 3mm aluminum wire but that can wait for a few more weeks.  The price has remained pretty constant at £12.50 for 500g.

I did order over £100 worth of Pond Baskets for my Japanese Maples and last years succesful seedlings.  That is going to take a lot of time and this will be subject of one of my repotting videos.  Everything gets more expensive each year!

Cleaning Pots:

Everay day I step outside and then shudder in fear as I look at the piles of dirty and uncared for bonsai pots.  They litter most areas of my Nursery and have been the biggest thing ignored over the past 4 years.  I think the idea is good – but it is a little too cold right now!!!

Establish Bonsai Repots and Pruning Lists:

This is an ongoing nightmare.  I already have three A4 pages full of URGENT repots and the top of that list involves my Chinese Elms.  Some of these imported bonsai have not seen new soil in over 5 years – might also explain the occasional deaths.  Since starting a YouTube channel I have definitely found it impossible to keep up with this important job and my trees have suffered.  I think someone once accused me of ‘Tree Cruelty’ in one of my early videos.  I may not agree with the tone of the comment but I cannot argue with the sentiment.  I have too many trees to be able to care for them properly.

Managing your winter watering.

In truth, this doesnt present much of an issue.  The Dawn Redwoods missed out because I had stacked bags of bonsai soil on the bench above them – DOH!!!

I have visited the coldframe a couple of times this month and found most of the bonsai are happy and ‘refusing’ free drinks from me right now.

ANYWAY…

I have just spent another 2 hours writing this blog so I shall sign off here with a reminder of my biggest Bonsai fear: False Spring

Every year I wait as long as possible before starting repots on my Trident Maples, knowing that we always get a dramatic return to freezing nights (for about a week).  This has put my Bonsai back over the past two years and my Tridents are without a lot of their branches as a result of this.  Fingers crossed this year will be a mild entry into spring and the dreaded False Spring will stay away for once

God Bless & Happy Bonsaiing

Xavier

I killed my first Chinese Elm, also my first bonsai, within the space of 3 months.  I had no knowledge of how to care for this plant and no understanding that such care was needed.  When it first started to shed all of its leaves I panicked and thought it must need more fertiliser – to stop the leaves falling!

When more leaves fell from the bonsai I looked at a book in hope and realised my tree probably had a root problem and must need repotting.  Needless to say, I had no idea about the right soil or when the right time was to do such an operation.  I pulled it out and trimmed the roots, because the book said I should, and then put it back in using a combination of topsoil and John Innes No 2 (potting mix).

Surprisingly, it seemed to ‘pick up’ over the next month and I thought I had the problem solved.  I was now a Bonsai Master!!! Alas, I then noticed the tips of the new shoots were wilting and yellowing.  Clearly I thought, with an air of smugness, I needed to prune this back (like the book says)…

This process of plant murder continued for about 3 months.   It is probably important to mention that I made the biggest ‘common’ mistake by daily overwatering…as well as giving it more fertiliser.  One week later it dropped the last of its leaves and the new shoots browned off and died.  I think I ‘loved it’ to death…

But here is what happened with a dying Chinese Elm that I did take the correct action on

So if you want to learn how NOT TO kill your Chinese Elm Bonsai then I recommend watching this video

God Bless & Happy Bonsaiing

Xav

A short and simple guide that is ideal for beginners. Pruning dates, Wiring, Potting, Disease, Fertilising and a bit of cricket too…

God Bless & Happy Bonsaiing
Xavier

God Bless & Happy Bonsaiing
Xavier

God Bless & Happy Bonsaiing
Xavier