Recent content by FourMileMarc

I have used Neem before on pines to control aphids with no ill effects. In fact the 2 other Mikawa's that did not get mites were treated several times with neem over the summer because they had aphids and I am thinking this is why they did not get the mites and the other ones did. I guess to...

Oh man, I do not know why I did not think of doing this, I had my brain stuck on fungus due to my climate. I just did the paper test and the paper became covered with many tiny spider mites. I will treat with neem oil. I find neem works very good on scale and aphids but spider mites as well? I...

I bought 4 Mikawa pines form Mr. Murinaka in Nipomo last June and one is almost dead and one other is now getting the same thing the almost dead one has. I never have problems with overwatering and use proper soils and decanning the really bad one their is no sign of root rot. I am getting the...

I have 2, one from cutting that was rooted easily around mid summer as a bare piece of kindling. They thicken quickly but have a very haringbone branching pattern.

Update for 2011 for this tree. I have followed the vision in my early drawing but have decided it needs the second left branch for now. I wish I had known then what I know now about letting side sacrafice branches develop for too long with too many in one area and in the front. As you can see...

The needles are cut just above the fascicle or sheath, little wrap that holds the 2 needles together about 1/8th inch long. This stimulates the dormant bud hidden inside. If you rip the needle off the bud will be ripped of with it and you will never get a bud there. Most people seem to all pluck...

I air layered it and it almost died! It took all of last year to root and I ended up severing it just above the 2nd bend. The reason I did this was because the nebari was to far gone and would have never been good. So it is a little shorter now and sitting in its new container. It is growing...

I went down to Muranaka's down south in Nipomo CA the other day on the recommendation by Al and I must say I am very impressed. I usually drive up to Evergreen Garden Works once a year but this time I decided to try this place out. Each vendor has it's pluses and minuses but both are very well...

More Agenda 21 in action with this situation. http://www.freedom21.org/ It will only get worse before it gets better. After the intellectual revolution this country desperately needs.

I gotta pitch in on this as well. Very good eye for style with both of these.

Talk about candles!

Oh Man, Cedar's are screeming sirens for me. Luring me into their beauty only to die in conditions most tree's do fine in. I would have to say do your root work in the middle to late winter when it is still cold and then put in partial shade. I would never do any root trimming in the fall but...

Wow, very nice. Do you ever worry about security? I'd probably have sentry guns lined up around the property. Maybe it's like here where people have no idea what they are looking at.:)

Thanks. My problem is that not only is the growing season a variable but since my pine tree's are in the trunk growing stage I also have to deal with variable vigor dependent on the ratio of sacraficial branches of various sizes compared to final branches and their size. Add in only 4 years...

Like Brent says more or less, if you want to make a buck in Bonsai you create allot of junky little $5 junipers and sell them real fast. My feeling is that is not why Brent or any other individual for that matter with stock worth the salt of the earth is in this buissness. It is a labor of love...