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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.

Way back in the 1990's, I used to help out with some friends who were senior members of the Midwest Bonsai Society. Every year they would bring in a master for about a week to work on their trees. The master would spend a day in each person's garden, working on trees that the owners wanted...

Is this a typo?

You are extremely limited in not only what Japan can supply, but also what the USDA will allow into the country. By the time you work your way through the numerous regulatory requirements, prep the trees for shipping, bring them in, have them inspected, provide the necessary aftercare, and in...

I build custom wood furniture as a hobby. I was talking with another guy who bought some raw hardwood from a large tree that they had to take down in Mount Vernon (George Washington's estate). Because the tree was so old, and so much of the wood was decayed, damaged, there was just enough to...

I moved this post and created a new thread... because I think this is an interesting topic to explore further. Perhaps because I know so many growers, nursery owners, etc, and I have stated on this site that I will not sell trees because I am here to try to help them versus compete with them...

Buy some ladybugs?

Yes, I was considering simply doing a massive pruning spree and waiting for a year... but if it is possible, I'd love to be able to save the material. The tree is approx. 30' tall. The highest I could reasonably do an airlayer would be about 15' off the ground - and even that would require...

If I know a tree has been styled by @Brian Van Fleet it immediately looks nicer to me :)

Yes definitely. If you can't say it in one line, it should be said somewhere else. Though I have never seen it, I could see how it would be cool to have a small sign by each display with a QR Code that linked to a web page where each artist could fill in info about the display, the plant...

If you want to increase the girth of the trunk, increase foliar mass. If you want to increase foliar mass, let the roots run. Planting in the ground is generally the fastest route because it allows the roots the fastest growth - not only giving the roots room to grow, but keeping the roots...

If you see the big koi shows in Japan, sometimes the owner doesn't even see their fish until it wins a big award :) The only time I think an exception could be made is if someone grew or otherwise collected a tree and did 100% of the work by themself. Similar to calling out a special pot or...

I know we're mostly talking in diameters. How TALL of an air-layer has someone successfully taken? I'm wondering if I can take a full 15' top off a tree... or if I would be better off pruning the tree back, letting it recover, and then air-layering when it was a more manageable size.

All I saw was Kingston Mines on N Halsted... my old stomping grounds :) (I just bought my copy of the book):)