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[NeedlesAndLeaves]

Sifted 6 bags (14L each) of akadama for our upcoming southern hemisphere repotting season. Still have perlite and crushed LECA to get through
Things should start moving here in the next week or 2, I better hurry up!

View attachment 558513View attachment 558514

Been there, done that six months ago

 

[InTheMeantime]

I have had good luck drying it out then shredding it and mixing it in with shredded sphagnum moss. Once it gets growing it takes over the sphagnum fairly quickly. This lets you store it and make more of it.

Do you do anything special to dry it out?
I know moss is fairly indestructible, but I have to think anything could die if handled the wrong way.

 

[badatusernames]

I have had good luck drying it out then shredding it and mixing it in with shredded sphagnum moss. Once it gets growing it takes over the sphagnum fairly quickly. This lets you store it and make more of it.

Man I did this this year and it got so messy, retained too much moisture and didn’t seem great for them

I just finished doing soji to remove it from all the plants I did it on

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

I trimmed my Trident maples, the new growth was running wild, and I wired curves into it, I'll cut back after the curves set in, I also didn't take any pictures except this shohin TM I was taking a progress pick of. I also trimmed some tropicals & cleaned up some pines, and checked most everything for bugs.

 

[Ruddigger]

When I was stationed in Virginia we had this problem with opossums. My tough ass cat, though, somehow managed them. Then people act like I'm crazy for not liking opossums.

Pic tax, a shot of that cat being badass
View attachment 558551
I miss that cat.

Rodents of unusual size? I don’t think they exist…

Picture tax. I leaf pruned my wisteria for the 3rd time this season. I also cleaned up a procumbens, but didnt take a picture.

 

[TrevorLarsen]

Rodents of unusual size? I don’t think they exist…

Picture tax. I leaf pruned my wisteria for the 3rd time this season. I also cleaned up a procumbens, but didnt take a picture. View attachment 558606

Very nice Wisteria. Maybe a dumb question but why do you leaf prune them? I thought they didn’t ramify like most trees.

 

[LuZiKui]

Rodents of unusual size? I don’t think they exist…

Picture tax. I leaf pruned my wisteria for the 3rd time this season. I also cleaned up a procumbens, but didnt take a picture. View attachment 558606

I’ve got some pictures of that Procumbens

@Ruddigger stopped by to pick up some trees today and was kind enough to give me a wiring/styling lesson on my p nana. After he finished I said “ hmmm maybe I changed my mind about selling this tree!” (Picture taken without permission)


Before:

 

[actionflies]

BC from Cajunrider.

 

[KateM]

Tried to make larger pots...

 

[KateM]

Repotted my bougies. All except the littlest one went in their original pots with root reduction and a haircut.
Before

And after

They really needed it.

 

[19Mateo83]

Repotted my bougies. All except the littlest one went in their original pots with root reduction and a haircut.
Before
View attachment 558653
And after
View attachment 558654
They really needed it.

Good looking horde you got there

 

[KikurageOtomo]

Once again addressing some of the evils and ineptitude of my first year bonsai projects. This Toyo Nishiki had been vastly overpotted and I had allowed it to flounder in questionable health out of a fear of repotting it while weak. This year I decided to transfer it to an appropriately sized pot that had opened up when I moved my 'Salmon Sport' Quince into a nicer vessel.

The highly evident health issues dimished, but to play it safe it was left untouched other than fertilizer since repotting. I thought it was about time to break up it's bushy profile as Toyo Nishiki leaves aren't quite as dainty as a Chojubai, leaving much of the finer growth shaded out. There is certanially more branch removal and fine work to be done down the road, but im hoping the improved light penetration will create more potential for improvement.

 

[Mikea454]

Gave a deep soak to a few pots that needed it after a third consecutive atypically hot week here in New England.

Also planted several seeds that need 60-90 days warm strat followed by 90-120 days cold strat, so planting need and shed for the winter.

1. Korean Hornbeam f. Korean
2. Acer Tataricum Sub. Ginneala - Flame Amur
3. Acer Palmatum Atropurpurem

Hopefully they will start sprouting next March

 

[River's Edge]

It was time to pot up the Prunus mume cuttings I experimented with this year. A later spring time for starting the cuttings. Fifteen of the sixteen produced excellent root structure very quickly! That is for Prunus Mume. This year I waited until new leaves were forming before creating the cuttings. My idea was that with new leaves already in the formative stage they would contribute to root formation faster. The reserves used to form the new leaves would come from the mother plant and not deplete the cutting so quickly. I used sections that were at least 3/8 inch in diameter and cut sections 6 to 7 inches in length. Here are the pictures and what process is used for potting them up. A few twists specific to prunus mume.
1. larger and deeper pots than usual. I went directly to five inch pots.
2. More organic component to my soil mix. Addition of 10% fir bark ( small size ) not chemically processed!
3. Transfer a portion of the rooting medium used for the cuttings placed just above and below the cutting when potted.
4. Usual approach to soil mix with all medium size particles. Components as follows. 10 % Fir bark, 20% Akadama, 30 % Pumice, 30% black Lava, 10% granite grit.
5. The bottom of the pots have a light screen and a shallow layer of larger particle pumice for better drainage and air change.
a couple of suggestions.
Take the time to spread the roots to form better nebari and plant the cutting on an angle to begin better trunk line.
Add a small amount of bone meal to the surface of the soil after potting and remember to fertilize lightly during early stages of growth. In particular if using primarily inorganic mix as I do. I also transition the plants slowly to stronger sunlight and outdoor exposure after potting them up. In my case I leave them in the greenhouse for an extra week and start them out in a shadier spot outdoors after that.
Next up are the Tskumo Cypress cuttings, the Korean Hornbeam seedlings. Last week were the trident seedlings as they germinated quicker and grew faster.

 

[Mikea454]

Auto correct changing things after I'm looking to the next word
*so planting now*
Korean Hornbeam F. Coreana *

 

[KateM]

And hibiscus schizopetalus. It was really root bound and had a couple ugly knuckle roots, which I potted up. Hope they don't make it as I have no room to keep them in the winter, but I could not resist...
Before and after.

 

[KateM]

Good looking horde you got there

Guilty as charged. Dear husband and I are plant hoarders. I also have a habit of eating fruit and sticking seeds afterwards in pots...
There you go jackfruit forest

I also hot wax apple and mame sapote that way after visiting a Vietnamese supermarket.

 

[Ruddigger]

Sold a couple trees, including this one that I was pretty fond of.

 

[Cajunrider]

Swamp box construction. 8 ft x 13 ft x 1 ft. Will be lined and filled soon.

 

[River's Edge]

Seems like today is for propagation chores! "Kishu" cultivar of juniper. The air layers were ready on the mother plant. Finishing off this particular plant with s group of five air layers using the plastic rooting pots that I favour for certain size of air layers. They have the advantage of excellent drainage and air moisture mix due to their design and small well built into the bottom of the structure. They do have the limitation of branch size due to their rigid structure that folds together over the branch. Here are some pictures to illustrate the results beginning with the mother plant and ending with the separated group.
Couple of comments that go along with the process.
1. I retain the stub until spring, will remove the base off the air layered portion then and seal the bottom cut. I prefer to use it for stabilization in the pot and avoid unesescary disturbance of the new roots.
2. Plant is wired in as well to prevent movement and damage to roots. I feed the wires down from the inside and up the outer side of the pot to secure from four directions. This is easiest for me. I have predrilled my terracotta pots with four small holes for tie down wires as a matter of practise.
3. The rooting substrate is small particle pumice with shredded sphagnum moss so it separates from the new roots easily and mixes well with new substrate. No need to comb out the roots at this stage.
4. The remaining base will be developed as a multiple trunk display tree. For now the cuts have been sealed. Will wait until recovery for additional work.
5. The air layers will be repotted this spring and housed in the greenhouse over winter for this year only.