Dawn Redwood – Expressions of Grace Bonsai

Dawn Redwood Bonsai

Xavier Martinez — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 17:34:39 +0000

Find out my KEY dates and Bonsai Care Tips for Dawn Redwood. A short and simple guide that is ideal for beginners. Pruning dates, Wiring, Potting, Disease, Fertilising and a bit of history too…

God Bless & Happy Bonsaiing
Xavier

I’ve finally started a YouTube Channel

Xavier Martinez — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 09:25:20 +0000

I know…it has been ages since my last post and I am well aware of the work to be done on our bonsai right now. In truth, I have been diverted by my new project – You Tube content creation. I have been undecided on taking this route for many years simply because I believe there is enough great channels already. However, I was aware that without an external video platform I would never be able to include my own material on this site.

So, with great nervousness, I loaded up three videos this past week. The first two take you through my ‘opening up’ processes. In these, I provide a detailed look at what I have in the nursery and what work priorities I have to juggle to be ready to open. The second video features a repot of one of my mame Japanese maples and shows exactly what you are required to do – NOW.

I would encourage any of my customers to subscribe and actively comment on anything you see…or do not see. My approach is fairly casual and I do intend to discuss personal issues as well. Bonsai was central to keeping me ‘on track’ during many stressful and emotional situations. I want to use these videos as a means to help others understand how I used bonsai to manage or overcome these difficulties.

Some of the issues I intend to discuss will include:

Dealing with cancer
Dealing with Alzheimer’s
Becoming a carer
Dealing with addiction (predominantly internet / social media related)
Grieving
Setting up and managing a small business

This will be done in a sensitive but honest manner and will relate entirely to my own experiences. I do not pretend to be an expert or to suggest that my approach should be anybody elses.

I hope that the addition of this platform will allow me to pass on my bonsai knowledge in a better manner. My aim is to have the video run alongside my ‘usual’ descriptive blog content. We all recognise that seeing a tutorial is so much more effective than reading one.

Most of the work done to date has related to repots and bud pruning. I have also carried out some wiring on many of my trees over the winter. This wire will need to be checked regularly over the next 4 – 6 weeks as shoots swell. Now is definitely the time to be working on your Dawn Redwood. This is an ideal moment to select and clean up unwanted buds and decide where your new growth is heading…

Check out my latest video below.

The latest on my Shop Page

And finally…

I am still struggling to sort out any sort of store. The work required to get the stock properly photographed and correctly (fairly) priced is overwhelming right now. There is no doubt that recent events have had an unforseen influence on bonsai prices. Not quite as bad as energy rises but certainly similiar. I have always attempted to keep things in the ‘budget’ range but recently found I could not replace my imported stock for anywhere close to last years prices.

As always, visitors are more than welcome to book a viewing and if they see a tree they like then prices can be discussed. This nursery remains, primarily, an outlet for my hobby and though I will sell my trees – this is not my main objective. I want people to learn to love bonsai – in whatever direction they take it.

Until next time,

Happy Bonsaiing

2nd Larch Pruning & Snakebark Maple Tidy Up

Xavier Martinez — Sat, 07 Aug 2021 16:15:16 +0000

Around this time of summer, many of our Japanese Larch will have produced a long enough second flush to allow for a follow-up prune. As with the first pruning, we are seeking sets of buds that have a small internodal gap. If the buds are still too far apart then we prune right back to ‘just above’ the needle swirl at the base and wait for a final smaller push in Mid-Autumn.

If your tree is in early development and you are still looking to thicken branches then I would recommend you only remove unwanted new growth that will not be of use in the design or may lead to unwanted branch thickening and inverse taper. If you are unsure, then it is much safer to leave the growth and review it when we carry out the Spring prune and bud selection in March 2022.

Please read the June blog post which provides detailed images of this pruning technique.

Japanese Larch ready for 2nd pruning

Lots of new growth

Most of this is too small to prune

My Yamadori Japanese Larch

The images I have selected show one Larch that needs over 3/4 of the new shoots to be pruned. The lower branches will be kept longer with at least 4 viable buds as I intend to wire some movement into them when they start to swell next Spring.

The second Larch pushed out lots of new growth but it is very juvenile so I will leave it till Autumn before pruning.

Most of our decidious bonsai will now have a good covering of leaves and be in need of a tidy up to ensure we are able to maintain decent airflow and light into the core of the tree. We will want to remove any unwanted juvenile growth that sprouted from junctions or crotches and we will look to prune shoots back to the desired shape.

This pruning is not intended to encourage another flush, though it does happen. This is the time when I am looking to remove surface weeds and inspect for bugs. I also use this time to wire in ‘minor’ movement on branches for my younger nursery stock. I often carry a notebook and write down any thoughts I may have for the future of the bonsai.

It is important to remember that your bonsai needs a good amount of leaves to enable it to produce strong vascular growth in the autumn. This will be the period when the tree expands trunk and branch girth. If you remove too much of the growth now, you can severely impair this aspect and put the tree back a year…or two!

The current tree front

The potential new front

Japanese Maple - Post prune

Post prune - Front option 2

Post prune - Front option 3

This Snakebark Maple has been in the wars and has lost several key primary branches over the past 7 years. I have slowly brought it back to full health and am now looking at maximising the ‘charm’ of the chaotic root growth whilst hiding the obvious ugly trunk flare resulting from extensive dieback.

Once I had pruned and tidied up the tree I decided on using front option No 2. It still allows the central trunk dieback to be a part of the design but reduces the amount of visible inverse taper. This angle also improves the view of the nebari and the branch structure. It still has a long way to go yet…

So what else have I been doing?

Italian Alder Spinney

First wiring of my Hornbeam

Ongoing Hornbeam work

Wiring and branch development

I purchased a variety of 2-year-old starter plants in 2016 that included: Hornbeam. Italian Alder, Japanese Larch, Silver Birch and Crab Apple. I try to work on them but find the demands of the more developed bonsai sap my energy and time.

This week I have managed to do some more wiring work to establish a primary structure for these potensai. The key is to avoid trying to prune to the ‘final shape. You need all of this leaf mass to help the tree grow but you can definitely apply some wire and get your branches moving in the right direction.

I appreciate this is only a snapshot of some of the ongoing tasks in the nursery so if you have any specific questions you want me to answer then just ask by leaving a comment. If you take the time to look back over the previous blog posts and also my facebook posts I am certain you will probably find the information you need.

HOT TIP:
If you have applied any wire during the last 3 months then be sure to have a reminder set on your phone for early autumn because this is when you may see some pinching. Early autumn is also the time to apply some more biogold fertiliser so make sure you have some ready

And now for a final few images showing one of my imported Dawn Redwood. This has been put through quite a radical branch removal and it’s potting angle changed. This year I finally applied the ‘once only’ pruning technique and all of the new fronds look fantastic.

Another long blog but hopefully someone is getting something from them?

Happy bonsaiing

Cuttings and general bonsai upkeep

Xavier Martinez — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 13:25:56 +0000

If you are anything like me then you will really struggle to throw anything away. Every year, since I started in bonsai, I have spent as much time taking cuttings as I have in developing the trees. This was not a deliberate choice on my part – just a natural desire to use all of that discarded material. When I first began, I had no idea that there were techniques used for successful propagation. I just took an offcut and planted it into some garden soil. Any size and any time of the year that I was pruning…

Surprisingly, I had a reasonable amount of success during the early years so it never occurred to me that I was just lucky. I still have an eight-year-old Corkbark Elm that started off as a broken branch discarded into a compost pile.

I later learnt that Chinese Elm are particularly easy to propagate from cuttings – which did explain the success.

I take my cuttings twice a year. First, is sometime in late May / early June when the spring flush of growth has extended and hardened off. This also coincides with my pruning cycles and the increased temperatures / daylight hours. Ideally, we would want nightime temperatures to be above 15 °C to aid root development.

The second occasion occurs late July when I carry out my general pruning to maintain bonsai shape. I have most success placing the cuttings into damp perlite or vermiculite. They are then kept in a propagator or covered with an upended plastic bottle. I keep them misted but do not water. They are normally kept in a shaded part of the garden to reduce transpiration.

The best results come with: Fuji Cherry, Trident Maple, Chinese Elm and Boxwood. With indoor varieties I find that Ficus and Jade root very easily and all I need to be careful of is not to overwater them as they succumb to root rot quickly.

Cuttings taken June 12

4-6 weeks under cover

3 years later...

With Fuji Cherry I take a cutting from the point where the stem has changed colour and hardened enough to be self supporting. I remove the growing tip and around 3/4 of the leaves. I use a general purpose rooting hormone and then place the cutting into the soil medium.

I have used a range of potting mediums with success. The real issue is to ensure you establish a humidity bubble to stop the stem drying out. Don’t worry if the leaves fall off – shoots may still appear 4 -6 weeks later.

Cutting taken on 18 Jun

Year 1 Dawn Redwood Cutting

Year 2 Dawn Redwood Cutting

Year 3 Dawn redwood Cutting (Progression)

Dawn Redwood was a surprise success for me and though I only take 3 or 4 a year it is great seeing them develop. I tend to concentrate on last years unwanted growth as it gives me a thick stem. I use either perlite or sphagnum moss and then cover them to preserve humidity.

It is worth remembering that after a couple of years you should consider loosely wiring the main trunk to produce the movement you desire. Once the trunk thickens too much you have no hope of bending them!

4-6 weeks under cover

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Trident Maple are treated exactly the same and you can take up to a pencil thickness cutting. With the thicker cuttings I use sphagnum moss as the potting medium as I find this helps the hardened wood stay hydrated whilst the roots form. I normally leave two or three leaves on the shoots and remove the growing tip. I always cut at the base of an internode section.

I will take up to two dozen cuttings for each washing up bowl I use – success is up to 80% for me normally. In Year 1 I will thin out any obvious weaklings and then split them in year 2 to individual pots.

Larch Cutting about 6" long

Year 2

Azalea Heel Cutting

About 9 taken for this pot

A variety of this years cuttings

Japanese Larch are the hardest cuttings from my experience. I have tried a variety of times and methods and can boast the grand total of 3 successes in as many years! But at least that is three more than I had before – at no cost

Satsuki Azalea are best taken as heel cuttings. This is when you gently peel the shoot away from the trunk or branch. My success with these is also mixed and I have found the cuttings that have taken are extremely slow to develop. But again, they are free…

Mother Tree

Straight branch removed

Ground layer propagation

Three years of Chinese Elm cuttings

Like the Trident Maple, you can take very thick cuttings off of a Chinese Elm. They often propagate successfully without need of humidity covers and this time of the year I am planting all of my prunings into washing up bowls.

This spring I removed a large straight branch from one of my bigger Elms. I removed all of the bark on the lower side and wired it into some soil to attempt a variation of the ground layer technique. I definitely have new growth so time will tell…

I have found that so long as you apply the general principles to your propagation success will follow. It may be discouraging in the first year because they are still not bonsai but watching them send out new shoots is definitely rewarding. It doesn’t matter how many failures you have because the ones that do take will be your future bonsai masterpieces.

I definitely recommend you scouring You Tube for content on ‘how to take’ cuttings – there are loads of videos available. The only cautionary thing to remember is that we each live in different areas and it can be surprising just how varied results can be within our own ‘micro’ climates.

If you are ever confused at whether your cutting is viable it is worth taking a closer look at the rare but popular ‘dead tip’ variety. This is a sure give away that your propagation failed! Oh…and don’t be confused by the little green weed – that will never make a bonsai.

It is now the time to carry out 2nd pruning on your Japanese Larch but more on that in the next post.

Happy bonsaiing

Post Flush Pruning – Decidious Bonsai

Xavier Martinez — Tue, 15 Jun 2021 10:28:08 +0000

So what is Post flush hardened pruning? When is it and why is it so important? For all our decidious bonsai we are desperately waiting for the time to get our brand new bonsai scissors out and start cutting. We all want that lovely bonsai shape and we are all want it NOW! So why must we be so careful and why must we always ask ourself one important question:

What am I trying to achieve?

Firstly, we need to understand that the period to get the most out of your pruning is at a time after the bonsai has had the greatest opportunity to restore all of its energy levels utilising the spring ‘solar panels’ (leaves). The leaves will have fully opened and formed cuticles to protect themseves from external elements. There is very little new growth and the tree is telling you ‘I have enough stored energy’ to get bigger. This is usually around the last week of May / first week of June.

But before we commit to the pruning process we have to understand what we want to achieve and ask these questions:

Do I want the branches to develop & thicken?
Do I need to heal new wounds?
Is my bonsai unhealthy or recovering from a major re-pot?
Has my bonsai shown poor Spring leaf production?
Is my tree still in early development?
Do I want the trunk to thicken?

If the answer is ‘yes’ to any of these then you will be leaving the tree alone or reducing the level of pruning to just specific zones. Certainly, if it is unhealthy or recently repotted you will probably just leave it. Remember, for most of our decidious trees there will be a second opportunity in late summer / early autumn.

So show me what to look for:

Needs branches

Branches in development

Recently recovered yamadori (limited roots)

Although these images give you an idea of what to leave alone please remember that you will always know your tree best. Where branch development is required then I generally prune the apex and allow all of the energy to be directed toward the area I need improving.

So let’s get pruning…

Dawn Redwood

The Dawn Redwood is a deciduous conifer and is treated differently. The time for pruning is when the new growth stem has begun to turn a reddish colour indicating that it is now forming lignified tissue.

This is the only time of the growing season when you will prune this variety. Pruning any later than the middle of July allows insufficient time for new growth to harden off (it will drop in autumn).

In this image you can see two shoots that have elongated beyond the desired shape. However, the left hand shoot is green and therefore must be left alone OR removed if not wanted. The right hand shoot is ready BUT there are no new shoots on it to prune back to…

In this case the smaller right hand shoot is left alone whilst the dominant central shoot is clearly showing development of 2 sets of new growth and a growing tip.

If I wanted to thicken this branch then I would not prune but allow the growing tip to keep on going…

I have chosen to cut back to the first set of new growth. This should encourage buds to form behind the site of the cut. My aim is to build new shoots into branching and develop some ramification.

The standard advice applies with reference to the ‘rule of 2’. Any junction where more than two shoots originate should be pruned to reduce the prospect of inverse taper through swelling of that area.

The pruning is now complete and I have managed to keep a couple of the harder shoots for cuttings.

I have also cleaned out any unwanted new growth from the trunk and branch crotches.

I do not reduce the length of individual fronds.

That should be all I do until I decide on bud selection in the early spring of 2022. This is also when I will wire out the growth established this year.

This is the first of a series of articles I am posting this week covering the pruning principles for a number of different bonsai in my nursery.

Tomorrow we get to grips with the Trident Maple and Japanese Maple.

Happy pruning