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  1. Lars Grimm

    Popup greenhouse for new winter storage setup

    Hi All, It's fair to say that this year has been rough on my bonsai journey. Like many of you, I struggle to come up with a winter setup. In North Carolina we don't get consistently cold weather but we do get swings in the low teens followed by relatively warm weather. It's not uncommon to...
  2. Lars Grimm

    Random branch die off on ume

    Hi All, I have a nice little ume that has been doing very well until recently. It leafed out in spring and I already did my first cut back. All of a sudden random branches have started to die off. The leaves just suddenly shriveled up and died. They are not clustered on one side or area. In...
  3. Lars Grimm

    Where do you store unused bonsai soil?

    I frequently load up on soil components from shows or when there are sales. I've been storing them in the original bags or in 5 gallon paint containers once sifted in my shed. They take up a decent amount of space though and I was thinking of keeping them sealed in the 5 gallon containers...
  4. Lars Grimm

    Contemporary daiza carver recommendation?

    Does anyone have any recommendations for contemporary daiza carvers? By contemporary, I mean the non-traditional daiza like those found in China with the more extravagant shapes and designs. There is a section on the VSANA website for reference: https://www.vsana.org/contemporary-gallery
  5. Lars Grimm

    American hornbeam branch die off help

    Hello All, This is an American Hornbeam that was collected five years ago with some extensive deadwood. It was repotted this March. It leafed out and has hardened off without any problems. The only work I have done is redoing some wiring to accommodate some branch thickening. It has been...
  6. Lars Grimm

    LG Grey Oak #2

    Hi All, This is a progression thread for my second grey oak. You can see my grey oak number one here. This was purchased from Alvaro Arciniegas in October of 2019. Here you can see the picture from him at that time. It has some nice deadwood in the front and apex. All the branches are...
  7. Lars Grimm

    LG Large Japanese Maple from Growing Grounds

    This is my progression thread for a large Japanese Maple originally purchased from the Growing Grounds in February 2017. Here it is as originally pictured once removed from the burlap sack, covered in thicken clay soil. Raw stock is an understatement. There had been enormous sacrificial...
  8. Lars Grimm

    Soil warming newly repotted trees

    Does anyone have any experience using soil warming cables or matts to facilitate root growth in newly repotted trees? I have some newly repotted coastal redwoods that came out of very dense clay soil and don't have the best root mass. I was debating trying to let them sit on a heating matt to...
  9. Lars Grimm

    Overwinter treatment for coastal redwood

    Hi All, I have a good overwinter routine of lime sulfur and dormant spray for my deciduous trees, but I can't find much information on prophylactic regimens for coastal redwood. I'm always concerned about fungal issues in my area. Thanks, Lars
  10. Lars Grimm

    Help differentiating live vs deadwood on coastal redwood

    Hi All, I recently expanded my collection to include a few coastal redwoods for the first time. They have been growing very well this year, but I would like to do some deadwood preservation in preparation for the colder/wetter upcoming winter. The rest of my collection is exclusively...
  11. Lars Grimm

    LG Rock Elm

    Hi All, Here is a progression thread for a rock elm in my collection. This was the first big tree I purchased back in December 2016 at the Winter Silhouette show. It had been collected a few years prior by a senior club member. Here it is as purchased. To my eye at the time, I felt there...
  12. Lars Grimm

    Lime sulfur appears chalky and grey

    Hi All, I almost exclusively work on deciduous so my experience with lime sulfur is limited to winter sprays. However, I have a few oaks that have some deadwood that needs some preservation and so I have started to apply some lime sulfur. I am using this brand, which says 28% calcium...
  13. Lars Grimm

    Winter Projection Theorycrafting

    Hi All, For those who follow Bjorn's YouTube channel or podcast, he talked a bit last year about building his deciduous garden and the large shade structure that was constructed over it. He mentioned that he was going to cover it in poly over the winter to essentially create a large temporary...
  14. Lars Grimm

    LG Accent plants

    Hi All, I'm just starting a thread to share some of my accent plants in development. Rain lilly and dwarf hosta in a Minarai accent pot. Beauty berry Unknown terrestrial orchid and unknown creeping plant with blue flowers.
  15. Lars Grimm

    Help with removing bracket/shelf fungus on trunks

    Hi All, I was away on vacation for a week so had sprinklers going to keep my trees watered. With the extra water and humidity, I came back and some of the deadwood and bark on a couple trees (oak and grape) have what I assume is white shelf/bracket fungus growing. In some places it has that...
  16. Lars Grimm

    Large JMaple Ground Layer Advice

    Hi All, I've done a number of successful air layers over the last couple years, but never a large ground layer and I am looking for advice. This Japanese Maple is a larger field grown material with a base approximately 5" across. There were a number of very large scars from sacrifice branches...
  17. Lars Grimm

    What factors determine when you put up shade cloth?

    Hi All, I've got a new setup that I've been documenting here. Despite the larger pergola, I felt that many of my trees were looking a little beat up by the end of summer and I order some 30% shade cloth to use for this year for part of my collection. I'm curious what factors folks use when...
  18. Lars Grimm

    LG Chuhin Kotohime

    Hi All, This is a progression thread for a chuhin sized kotohime in my collection. This was originally purchased from @MACH5 in the summer of 2017. Like almost all kotohime in the US, it was originally from @William N. Valavanis stock. Here are the pictures originally from Sergio in a Koyo...
  19. Lars Grimm

    LG Flat Top Bald Cypress

    Hi All, This is a progression thread on a flat top style bald cypress in my collection. This was one of the first trees I ever purchased back in 2016. I think I paid about $100-$150 for it and couldn't believe I was making such a large purchase (ohh how times have changed....). It was...
  20. Lars Grimm

    Removing bud scales on deciduous

    In Morten Albek's new shohin book he talks about removing bud scales on deciduous trees in the early spring to harden the new stalk faster and have a shorter new stalk. This is separate and in addition to pinching central buds. I have never seen or heard of this technique before. Does anyone...
  21. Lars Grimm

    What to do about early bud break?

    Hi All, In North Carolina, we have had some near record highs. It has been low 70s this week, but it is expected to get down to high 20s next week. Some of my trees (quince, beautyberry) have already started to leaf out despite being in a sun protected cold frame. This is a new experience...
  22. Lars Grimm

    Watering when overwintering in a shed or garage

    For those of you that overwinter your trees in a shed or garage, how do you do it without making a huge mess? Do you bring things outside to water thoroughly? Do you put some water barrier underneath and just lightly moisten to keep the substrate from drying out? I have shohin trees in a...
  23. Lars Grimm

    Root oxygenation and container choice

    Hi All, I was listening to Bjorn's end of year podcast and he was discussing the different types of containers used for growing pre-bonsai/rough stock (specifically not finished bonsai). He made the comment that wooden containers are the best in terms of providing root oxygenation (I'm...
  24. Lars Grimm

    Direct temperature measurements and winter protection

    Hi All, As with many of you, I obsess about winter protection this time of year. I have come to believe that many of us (myself included) go way overboard on protecting our trees. I often see people advocating to have trees placed on the ground and mulched to allow the earth to better...
  25. Lars Grimm

    Query regarding thread vs approach grafting on JMaple

    Hi All, I commonly see folks talk about developing a good trunk and then grafting on all the branches in good locations, but not which grafting approach to use in these circumstances. I am making plans for this coming spring and am debating the pros/cons of thread grafting versus approach...
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