Search results

Hi Fredman and Mark, So my skills at raising azalea seed is woeful at best. Prick them out but can’t keep them alive. After battling away at work trying to germinate these, I started at home instead and have had success. What’s it been, like 3 years lol!! My latest success is from leftover seed...

Hi, you have a really nice tree here, I likes lots. But you have the variety of Viburnum wrong. This might be it, if I have the leaf shape right. The snowball-shaped flowers of Viburnum plicatum f. plicatum. (photo: Aleks Monk) Viburnum opulus has an almost finger-like leaf. Just...

Hi Mike, That got me thinking, then remembered that they use either JBP or Scots Pine as rootstock(both 2 needle pine I think or at least JBP is) for JWP being 5 needle pine. Charles

Hi, I have a Juniper raft project going here and the thread title is something like - Kiwi’s Telephone pole Juniper - as you will see I asked for ideas to convert a boring tree into something different. Also you will see in my pictures how I got roots via stripping the bark length ways down the...

Hi, From timers attached to hoses with batteries to control the valves to brands like Hunter or others that use a power supply and solenoid valves for multiple stations. Also the search function on this site will reveal there are a huge number of options from sprinklers to drippers as there...

Hi, Also you can put your thumbs on the inside of the bend you are creating. That makes sure you bend the wire where your thumbs are, and the wire is on the outside of the bend etc. Charles

Hi, I use a Venturi system. I bought off Amazon, and it works by sucking fertiliser out of a bucket of concentrate and is added with the hose water. Needs a bit of water pressure to run it and it has a small valve to reduce the amount of suck (eg. strength of solution when mixed with water). I...

Hi, I thought I would give my thoughts then wait for more experienced growers to comment. So my comments would be that you are worrying too much and this tree is way too young to have reverse taper issues. If it was my tree I would let it grow like crazy for another 2-3 years and use the part...

Hi, Yep, use cut paste as it seals the wound from any possible infection. I don't agree with the previous message as you are using the rest of the growing season to complete job. Yes, it might not be ready, but so what. Obviously the best time to do thread grafts is in the Spring before leaves...

Hi, I would have thought that covering the soil of your bonsai with some kind of plastic would reduce any risk of contaminating the soil. Then spray or paintbrush works a treat. Charles

Hi Jimlau, So I might be going against other members concerns here and agree with you that thread grafts can be done late Spring. Sure the grafts performed in early Spring are safer but here’s my reasoning too. So a year or two back I tried to wire late Spring or Summer growth. This was to...

Hi all, Wow, forgot I started this thread some 5 plus years ago. About a month ago we in NZ had our national show/convention which I helped organise etc. My lovely wife took a large number of photos of the show trees of which many are natives. Here are the entries Beech forest Corokia Sophora...

Hi, Since they are part of the greater Rhodo family you should have no trouble with back budding and would compact your design nicely. Probably won’t get flowers straight away, but a small price. It seems unbelievable that a 20 foot Rhododendron can be cut down to basically a stump with no...

Hi @Cajunrider Just wanting to say how cool your forest looks, even if I am not so sure about the big tree out left. For your soil media for this, is that straight bark chip plus compost (pine or something)? Charles

Hi @eplov90 , I really like your tree and I see a great future. I want to present you with another option of a more feminine tree. You will see in my crude adjustments to your photo are to - 1. Red lines to cut off and start new apex 2. Black lines are thread grafts to add more branches as I...

Hi, I am sorry to disagree here, as @Deep Sea Diver might have valid concerns. If you look at Chemical ‘compatibility’ charts for Agrichemicals it will tell you that both of the fungicides are compatible with Malathion. Yes, very wise to be cautious as Malathion is a known carcinogen, eg PPE...

Hi, Thread graft is easy here. Drill a hole, strip the leaves of the whole branch/stick, push through carefully etc. I have found and others recommend using another stick/off cut to wedge inside the hole. Don’t worry about the cambium thing as the bark is not an issue as the cambium is virtually...

Hi DSD, Are you planning on taking cuttings or more seedlings to give girth changes etc. I am looking forward to seeing this planted out. Charles

Hi, A purchase from an aging club member. Probably 30plus years old. From a couple of years back. Still work to do etc. Charles

Hi, If it is of help, I make a variety of box sizes from 6 inch to 12 inch square ( plus custom sizes for my forests). I use insect netting and a few slats on the bottom to hold media and raise the boxes of the concrete or benches etc. I still have most of my boxes still in use 4 years later...

Here’s mine so far. Few more years to go. Charles

Hi, @Glaucus , thread for you, friend Charles

Hi Leo, Many thanks for your thorough reply 👍👍. As you can see by initial post I was concerned, and didn’t connect Zeolite to the lock-up problem. I will definitely try some orchid food and report back as it is still a good month or so til Autumn. Charles

Hi Bobby, Yes you are totally correct that you have posted many photos and the latest virtual was a great help. I do need to just to buy the gear and get on with it (in my own time). Thank you again, Charles

Hi all, I thought I would start a new thread to document my couple of Ginkgo trees. Although the pot is too large for this tree below, I thought I would use it to see how to grow Ginkgo in a flat bonsai pot. As you can see from my photos I have a concern about the soil mix I am using which is...