Recent content by MichaelS

Just a tip - seal ALL cuts with kiyonal paste. They are very prone to fungal infections.

10 meters apart is right next to each other for a Sequoiadendron. I planted one in my garden 15 years ago. I stood back and tried to imagine a giant tree. I imagined shit. What I thought was enough space will soon be an embarrassment. I will have to start cutting down mature trees around it to...

The time to prune Japanese Maples where the roots are not being cut is at leaf fall when sap is being withdrawn or at the least sap pressure is reduced. When half or a little more than half of the leaves have gone is optimal. If you cut roots you have a much wider window. Here I mean substantial...

To tell you the truth I can't quite remember why I grafted it because it was a decade ago but it was probably because the seedling was a bit weak or slow compared to it's siblings?? I have another clone from the same batch which is more vigorous and with longer needles but still well worth...

This clone is a seedling from kotobuki with extra-short needles which don't seem to get any longer so far and without any dwarfing techniques. It is grafted onto a BP seedling. I might try to graft a piece of it onto another BP stock to see if it changes.

Good on you for trying to style the cedar as a cedar -the most majestic of all trees. The bad news is that it's 40 year project. Like it has been said, you need to thicken the trunk by letting it grow but most of the branches on it now will be replaced by the smallest ones such as in the pic...

How to turn a cedar into a Japanese white pine. Why do people do this to the majestic cedars? They are completely different to pines. To begin with, their growth is concentrated at the top of the tree which is usually flat, not domed.

I would not so quick to jump to conclusions. The CEC in Akadama is also not high (and does not particularly need to be) I have used it mixed with other materials on various things (including some cacti) and I have not observed much in the way of negative results. I will know more when I look at...

''When should inexperienced bonsai growers shut up and let the experts talk?'' All the time....... But seriously, you should never ''shut up'' and as long as you ask questions and consider the answers you are doing the right thing.

I was going to say Fe deficiency but seeing the distortion in the newest leaves I'm more likely to think it's a virus.

No I used one of these kits.. https://www.bunnings.com.au/manutec-garden-care-products-soil-ph-test-kit_p3016727?region_id=116118&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8MuspfnkgAMVTIBLBR0qBgI4EAQYAiABEgL4_vD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

One night in my backyard in Victoria AU. in the Southern Hem. The similarity to Michigan tree murderer's first pic in amazing.

Latest... 1- Defoliated, ( I got my daughter to do it ), 2 - close up of the mess, 3 - trimmed and wired and 4 - starting to leaf out.... (It will be allcut right back at leaf fall)

What is she saying? Buy my stuff and things will be great?

I grew flowering cherries from seed years ago. I did a cross between campanulata and ''Okame'' They took 10 years to flower. I have one left. It is very nice and worth naming. Next season I'm planting seeds from campanulata x ?, Kojo no mai x ''incam'' and ''incam'' x Kojo. I hope to see the...