General Update

What can I say? It's the summer (officially starting today) and I've been busy with everything. Here is a general update on my hobbies.

Bonsai

I never got a chance to take pictures of the fig tree all wired up. It's too bad because it was my first wiring project and I think it turned out fairly well. As of last Thursday, I removed the wire from the ficus because it had started to cut in. To explain, the tree obviously is growing the whole time the wire is in place and if left too long, the tree will start to grow around the wire and leave ugly spiral grooves along the branches. Even with my current timing, it left some evidence, but only on the underside of 1 or 2 branches. Hopefully that will grow out quickly as I think the fig is the most vigorous of my trees.

For my birthday I was taken to Bonsai West to pick out a new tree. I choose a Tropical Cherry tree that was in a nursery pot. However, it was mostly prepared to enter a bonsai pot so I also purchase a greenish pot. I attended another Get Wired session and potted the Cherry, which has already taken to its new habitat and is growing rapidly.

All of my trees are now outside to take advantage of the long days and warm weather. While today marks the longest day, it will remain warm for many months to come and my trees have plenty more time to grow. I have staged each of the trees in an area that gets morning sun for a week and then moved them to full sun. The last of this staging should happen this afternoon.

Origami

I'm currently working on a secret project that represents the most complex origami model I have attempted so far. I have almost completed the base for the model, but I am extremely nervous about shaping it to the final model. Wish me luck! More to come on this after the secrecy is no longer necessary.

I've attempted a few smaller models from an exclusive CP standpoint. I've been able to fold one of the three models, but haven't tried shaping it yet. I took pictures during the folding of this model so I hope I can find them and upload them at some point. The other models I gave up on and instead, cut the model in half to simplify the paper management. I've had more luck with this method, but I haven't gone back to finish the complete base for either model.

Ficus - "Get Wired"

I finally made it to one of Bonsai West's "Get Wired" seminars. The basics are: show up unannounced, pay $20, do anything you want to your bonsai with the help of an expert.

I knew going into it that this would be a good experience even if I could only use their tools. They had all sorts of shears, knob cutters, and other spherical, concave cutters. They also had tubs of soil and about 6 different gauges of wire. To top this off, the staff checked in with me to ask about my goals for the day and offer some advice.

I brought both of my trees because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I talked about how the plum went through a difficult time (my failure to water it adequately) and lost a lot of its inner foliage. The suggestion was to prune the outter leaves religiously until the tree produces buds lower on the branches. Upon looking at my fig tree, wiring immediately came up. It was exciting because he suggested pulling the branches apart just like I had started doing. However, he explained that using string or rope doesn't always do the trick because the entire branch bends and then flexes back. Wiring on the other hand allows you to bend a specific location of the branch that will eventually become permanent.

He began by demonstrating how to wire a tree. Start by planning how you will wire the bonsai. Obviously you should have some idea of how you want to shape your tree or you wouldn't be wiring it. We talked about my goal of making a dome type canopy with a crescent moon shape when looking from the top. Since my bonsai is currently rounded, this required wiring out branches to open up the inside of the tree. He used one piece of wire to wrap around two branches.

The instruction for wiring is as follows:
1) Always plan out where your wiring is going to go.
2) Make sure the wire is anchored well.
3) Angle the wire at about 45 degrees for maximum strength.
4) Don't use the branch to bend the wire. Bend it first and then position it on the limb.
5) Only bend the wire, do not bend the branch.

My wiring job wasn't perfect. There were many points where the wire was too loose around the branch. The spacing of my coils also varied a bit, especially toward the end of a limb. Overall, practice makes perfect and this was my first attempt.

I also learned that I've been pruning incorrectly. In the past, I would prune to the final location that I desired. Unfortunately, this does not take into account that there will be some dying back. The proper way to prune is to make a rough cut away from the final location. As this severed limb dies, the branch will swell by the previous joint. Make the final cut above the swelling for best results. There are several examples of exposed dead wood on my fig tree that was caused by my faulty pruning. This technique works for all size branches. We cut the apex (top-most point on the tree) of my fig to make it look better, but the final cut and healing will have to wait.

Finally, I discussed my attempts at Yamadori (bonsai from the wild). I told him about the shrub I excavated from the front of my house. He told me that this is the perfect time of year and that leaving it in a big pot was a good move. I can apply some pruning to shape if desired, but it should remain in the large pot for at least one year before heavy root pruning. I also mentioned my desire to convert my parent's over sized Daphne into a bonsai. This shrub would be perfect due to its large trunk size and Jin/Shari (deadwood that remains part of the bonsai). Unfortunately, I couldn't remember the species while I was at Bonsai West, so more to come on this.

Pictures coming soon.

Thanks for reading.

Ficus Oriental - Trimmings

Last week I trimmed my bonsai tree. I decided that the growth on some of the shoots was getting a little out of control, so I cut any growth over a few inches. I left two or three leaves on each shoot to allow continued expansion of the branch. I also did some trimming of previous cuts. However, I learned that I don't have the correct tools.

I thought that basic trimming tools and maybe a good pair of scissors would be sufficient for my bonsai work. This was a bad assumption as there are specific tools for the art of bonsai. I learned that the scissors resemble two knife blades coming together as opposed to the blunt cutting edge of most scissors. There is also a specific tool that cuts a concave shape to make a trimming flush with the trunk. This shape also facilitates faster healing of the cut.

While I have made some progress, I need to acquire the correct tools or attend a "Get Wired" class at Bonsai West. I have plans to do this next month. In the short term, I have attended an "Intro to Bonsai" class and I will discuss my education and the newest addition to my collection soon.

Ficus Oriental - Continued Care

Ah, the new year. Now that the holidays are over, it's time to get back to Bonsai.

I acquired an instructive book for Christmas that I have been reading and it suggests making cuts to my tree during the off season. This is due to the fact that ficus trees are in a family of trees that make rubber and they ooze when cut or damaged. This has encouraged me to pursue some design help and begin formulating ideas for the future of my tree.

I stopped by Bonsai West on my way home from work not long ago and asked a few questions. I confirmed that watering the tree by submersion is the correct method. However, my watering frequency may be off. I have been watering the tree every 10 to 14 days or whenever the soil is dry. My soil testing method has been to bury my finger slightly into the soil and if I feel moisture, don't water. Apparently, my ficus tree probably wants water every 7 to 10 days which produces a dryness to the soil surface, but some moisture below. This new watering scheme has worked well and I believe there has been some growth (also the weeds seem to be very happy which is another good indicator). I also asked about trimming my tree.

The advice given was that since it is winter, trimming is fine, but only remove up to 10% of the foliage. This is fine seeing as I don't plan on going crazy, I just have some clean up work to do. My first task will be to trim previous trimmings closer to the trunk or branch. Since this tree was greenhouse grown, many of the cuts were hastily done and should be refined. Bonsai West confirmed this and warned of die back. This refers to a small length before the cut that dies to protect the rest of the tree. Leaving a small amount between the cut point and the nearest leaf is necessary so the leaf won't die as well. Good thing I asked!

I am hoping to make my first trimmings this week. Stay tuned for photos (if blogspot cooperates) of the endeavor.

Ficus Oriental - A Good and Propper Watering

Today I learned that I've been watering my tree all wrong. Instead of adding water to the soil as you would a plant in the ground, the propper technique is apparently to submerge the planting in water. Look how much happier that soil is now that it is drenched. Unfortunately, this also means that I will be forced to patiently wait a long, long time for the soil to dry out and require additional watering.

I've been thinking a lot about the conditions that I leave my plant in lately. I'm confindent that it is getting enough sunlight without the light being too intense. However, I'm concerned about temperature and humidity. Considering no leaves have fallen and it's been a week and a half, the conditions can't be terrible, but I'd like to make them better. My house is kept at about 60 degrees F thoughout most of the day. This is the minimum temperature recommended for this tree. My house is also very dry and I'm concerned about the lack of general humidity.

My improvements for these problems are as follows. While 60 may be a bit cold, my plant is located on a bed by a baseboard heater. It doesn't get a direct draft from this heat source, but I think that it may help varry the temperature slightly higher than 60 degrees. For humidity, I've added a tray underneath the pot with some water in it. I am considering misting the leaves as well. My main goal is to keep the plant alive until Spring.

I need to do more research on how to shape my ficus. I know that I should repot it in the Spring so that is my current task in queue. Another objective is to figure out the propper season for pruning. There are several branches that require trimming as well as previous cuts that seem to require more attention (see the old branch nubs in the picture). With a little luck and some care, I hope to be adding an entry with some pre-cut and post-cut pictures.

Thanks for reading.

Ficus Oriental - The Beginning

I got my first Bonsai tree yesterday. My brother bought me an Oriental Fig that is approximately 18 inches tall. It was a fairly cheap tree which is probably a good thing considering my experience level.

I was told that this type of tree is relatively resilient and therefore a good beginner tree. Supposedly, it can take anywhere between 8 hours of direct sunlight, to 4 hours of limited exposure. I currently have it placed about 2 feet from my window which approximately points south. It should get several hours of light there from mid morning till sunset.

I picked my specific tree because it has a sturdy trunk with multiple low branchings. My current thinking is to create a dense canopy design by stretching the branches apart and encouraging growth. The root system is maintained below the trunk and forms a weaved spiralling pattern around the base of the tree. It also includes a unique handle feature where the root bends away from the soil for some time.

Pictures hopefully coming soon.