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I kept koi for 24 years in SoCal. Don't even bother thinking about them in NE Ohio unless you are planning on a pond that is at least 4' deep with 3' vertical sides. That will keep your koi safe from predators and with an aerator keep it from freezing solid in winter. Otherwise just get...

All my trees are still out on benches. On Friday I will be moving some of my deciduous into an unheated garage for a week, and then they'll go back out on benches hopefully for the rest of the winter.

Yes, those are graft unions. Not a big deal if the tree is going into landscape... bigger deal for bonsai. The white pine graft is not very noticeable, depending where you got the tree it may be a closely related rootstock and may in time be less noticeable.

One thing you don't say about your setup is where you are placing your seed flats :) Out in your yard on a bench? In a cold frame? Greenhouse? Because location matters greatly. Additionally, you talk about watering but don't mention bottom heat. Again, depending on location, I would almost...

Since I didn't know your location, I assumed you were in New Zealand or Australia. Since you are in the UK, I would hold off on doing any work on it until spring - or whenever you might be able to put it outside. They are true tropical trees and pruning work is best conducted in the late...

I am not familiar with Araucaria cunninghamii, but Araucaria heterophylla is quite common here in the US as a tropical tree - often sold as a houseplant or even as a small tropical Christmas tree. I saw them in landscape in SoCal, and have one now as a large houseplant (though at Zone 8a I can...

I think what is missing in this discussion is that the art of bonsai is about capturing the passage of time in the form of a tree. We all talk about how we aren't simply sticking saplings in pots and calling it a day. An "undisturbed" tree that grows in a field for 500 years is going to look...

Fewer problems with mold if you use inorganic substrate and treat the seeds appropriately. In my case I use a fridge because of: (1) pests, like birds and squirrels, that will devour any available seeds left out in soil or plastic bag and (2) wild temperature swings. We can see highs in the...

I have a large cork oak bonsai and a cork oak that I have put in landscape here to see how it does. Since living in NC, I have lost one smaller tree due to cold, so these are definitely more cold sensitive than my olives, which sit outside 365 days per year. Because I am nervous about my large...

So far so good, with temps about 5-10 below normal... but Sat and Sun are going to be 20 below normal...

Hard to explain but... on the West Coast there is an "old school" Japanese bonsai crowd - the John Naka, Harry Hirao, Mas Ishii crowd... Roy belongs to that group (in a good way). Back in the day, many didn't have web sites. In fact, they wouldn't even allow photos in their nurseries. Andy...

YES!!!! That is Roy Nagatoshi's nursery! I can't speak to what he has on hand day-to-day since I moved out of state six years ago, but you will never find a more experienced, humble, and yet amusing bonsai authority. He was a regular at the GSBF exhibitions, and would often do demos... for a...

I appreciate your honesty... and I'm just gonna say I don't have any skin in this particular game. However I will say that I know tons of bonsai professionals, some of whom I consider personal friends, and tons of nurserymen, etc. I don't think Ryan is going out of his way to annoy people...

Do you know what kind of seeds you are looking for? What kinds of trees you would like to grow?

Bury the trees in snow if you can. Entirely. They aren't photosynthesizing and don't need any light. Think of trees in the mountains buried under 20' of snow. It can be -20F outside and they are sitting at 25F because of radiant heat from the earth.

If someone was interested, why wouldn't they sign up for a newsletter or email for more information? There aren't too many people able to swing 3x 3-day bonsai intensives per year, of which $3000 would just be the starting cost if you also had to pay for travel, stay in hotels, and pay for your...

I've never seen an air spade. I'm not sure how different it would be than using a pressure washer (with water) or for the matter a hose with a jet nozzle... though with an air spade you don't have as much mess. Personally, I don't use hoses with air OR water... and do all my rootwork by hand...

Are you looking for larger pre-bonsai? Someone is selling a small tree on Etsy if you just want the species...

FWIW... he posted that as of 2024 he has "retired from bonsai" :( His last content on his site dates from 9/2023. I was just looking him up because someone was asking about Water Elm - and he's the source!

Generally speaking, Japanese maples do well with direct morning sun and afternoon shade during the heat of the day. However a lot depends on the cultivar, with red leaf cultivars being more sun tolerant than green leaf, and palmatum leaf cultivars being more tolerant than dissectum cultivars...

@William N. Valavanis You probably have all of these... got them in the mid-90's when I was on the West Coast.

Out of curiosity - I've got some old pins that I was going to just put on my tool bag. Do people collect them any more?

Diospyros cathayensis is a different species. Sub-tropical, evergreen. USDA Zones 7-10... though in a pot probably 8-10. Hard to tell, but these trees appear to be suffering from drying out - as if from root damage. You say you got the tree six months ago (like in July?). What are they...

You beat me to it - I was going to say the same. Primo Arborvitae is one of Iseli's registered cultivars - to such an extent that they have even trademarked the name. They were supposed to be "the foliage of a hinoki cypress with the strength and speed of growth of an arborvitae". If...

LOL... ok at this point the die is cast. I would recommend you leave it alone, keep it warm and in full sun, water it without water-logging the soil, and wait.