Wabi-sabi

I completed the repotting and root maintenance on my maples for this year. A bit early - but i suspect they will wake up early this year. They are having their third repot and and potting up to their final pot sizes. All of them at least a year late for their new pots - but poverty and the ongoing recession put and end to any new pot purchases over the last 2 years.

Luckily they were in well shaped pots - with no internal lip - and a nice taper on the walls - so they popped out easily. This is the root system of my Deshojo - they are in nice(ish) condition - but heavily compacted. A little bit dark and a tiny bit stinky.

 

A little help from the cat to get the positioning in the pot right. The position was adjusted for favourable wabi-sabi before soil was packed in.

 

The roots were combed out and any crossing ones removed. A little shaking and poking to settle the soil in and it was time for watering. The roots on the bottom were trimmed in tightly so there was no spring in the base. This maple is a random Acer Palmatum i got from M&S. Its thickening nicely and has a wonderful autumn colour - a deep wine red. The soil is old Akadama from before the Fukushima disaster so there is no danger of radiation. Its got a lot of Fuji grit in it as well - 2 scoops to 4 of Akadama i think - it looked right.

The soil mix and potting method is exactly as the Japanese nurseries do it. Their centuries of experience with this species gives us valuable knowledge. I have varied the particle size a little - the palmatum random getting the larger particles. The drainage layer is biosorb though. The rest is 1.5 to 5mm akadama with 25% fuji grit. plus minus.

I do wire the big maples into their pots as the wind can easily knock them over. These wires will also anchor the guy wires for the training rigging later in the year.

I gave them a really deep watering to get all the dust out and make them at home. Cat is assisting as usual. Note I am barefoot watering the plants on the lawn in January.

The soil level is well below the rim so that it will be easy to water - even after some growth and the usual moss invasion. This pot also has a nice taper and no internal lip - so when its time comes it will come out easily.

Here is the Deshojo's new pot. The ever present cat was assisting as usual. Really liking my new pots this year. I found a terrific vendor on Amazon with a really nice selection - and amazing fulfilment.

I'll pose some nice pictures of them in their new homes in the following weeks.

various things

Its been a strange winter so far. Only a few frosts - and no sign of snow at all. Several of the bonsai still had leaves out - and the hawthorns still aren't completely bare. Given how mild it is I've left some of the maples out on the lawn and not don't a great deal to protect much else either.

I've been fortunate this year and got some nice new pots for Christmas. Couldn't afford all the new ones I wanted last year - so the maples have had to stay on an extra season. Their roots got a bit messy and they grew strangely - but no long term harm.

Please excuse the crap photo - This is to illustrate the improved ramification on this maple. Its really come along very nicely this summer. I've taken it all back to 1 node and done a lot of wiring. All the work last year with weights on the younger branches has set them in position nicely so there wasn't much need for heavy wiring - just some tweaks on the newer growth.

Part of the upcoming summer program is improve the lower growth on this maple as the shape isn't great like this. A bit too much like a snow cone right now - I want to get a few big low branches happening. There's going to be almost daily pinching of buds during the peak season.

I didn't feel like working outside so I took it in and stood it on my desk. The picture is of it standing on the cats perch. No hanging out in the dojo with the sensei catching flies here.

I've got a nice 38cm pot for this one to be planted into over the next weeks. Really looking forward to getting the roots cleaned up and sorted out.

Next up is the major pine work. A lot of rafia and wiring to be done over the next week.

Those damned yamato sunball things still persist - no sign of decay yet. Ive bought some new korean seedcakes to test out. They look better - just need to see if they work. Wish someone would import cheap bio-gold again.

Edit -

Measure it - its 95cm tall from the ground and the base of the trunk is 5cm thick. So i have to watch the height carefully as its getting on a bit.

Peppermints

Some of my nursery material is coming along nicely - this is the end of their second year. The hawthorns are still in their first pots and the roots looking for space. Next year I'm going to grow one of them in the ground and see how it goes. The trunks are plumping up nicely already. All the nursery material is on tap water and cheap fertiliser. They also get any of the left overs from the hydroponics. No science - I just empty a bucket load onto them.

 

The trunk chop on the oak is almost grown over and integrated. Over time this looks like it will subside into a nice even taper. 


 




The Beech's are coming along nicely too. During midsummer when they were laying down next years buds they were watered and fertilised mercilessly to ensure a giant season next year. I'm thinking of trunk chopping these over the winter.

They seem to be bulking up faster than the hawthorns. They are all over an inch at the base - with this one being closer to 2.

Had I known that I could grow cheap hedgerow nursery trees to 2 inch trunks in 2 years I would have started many years ago.

Notice the peppermints.

My hydroponic pomegranates are coming well now. They have put on about 25cm this year. I want to get that again for a few years before i think about style. 


I've got some Canna terra flores for the indoor fruiting and flowering plants.

I think I will have to bring in the Scots pines during the winter for another round of maintenance as they are firing buds out all over. 

I think I have good buds at every point that I want - so the smaller Scots are going to look very good late next year.

I got some Raffia for doing some heavy work on the pines.


The pines are now on weekly Canna - I'll keep a slow feed ( bi-monthly) going to them during the winter. The dormant plants in soil will get a gentle monthly feed.


I've been trying some new fertilisers again - Yamato sunball. I'm very confused about this - they are like rock hard peppermints - been sitting on the soil surface for a month now with no sign of doing anything. Must be doing something wrong. I was hoping for something that behaved like biogold.