ThirdCoastBorn
Sapling
Greetings everyone!
First of all, thank you for being on this forum -- I'm brand new to the bonsai world and have been reading/learning as much as I can. Between old BN forum posts, various other sites, and numerous library books however, there's been a lot to digest, often with differing opinions, so I've compiled a list of basic questions here. If forum rules are to split these up into separate posts, please let me know rather than booting me off I started this journey in earnest about three months ago.
tl;dr version of my current plant status is: ~10 nursery plants that I'm treating as pre-bonsai material to trunk thicken (in large containers, rent so cannot field-grow), four plants I bought at the local society auction (three already in bonsai pots, 1 in large pond basket), and my first tree (stereotypical purchase of a juniper by the side of the road, the only thing I've done 'right' with it is keep it alive for three years). I've also embarked on the seed route and have a few sprouts of various species. I will try to detail my inventory further somewhere in my profile.
1. I gather that over the last XYZ years (10-15?) the trend is to use 100% inorganic soils. I'm curious about WHY this has occurred relatively recently; have read the two resource documents, which I (somewhat) understand, but even 5-10 year books that I have still recommend varying proportions of organic/inorganic. It's hard for me to grasp why this wasn't realized earlier within the community. I live in zone 8B and while I currently can water multiple times a day if necessary, won't always be the case.
2. How closely should I follow 'calendar of care' type guidance here and in books, given that my area is likely two or even three months from its first frost and we usually only get ~10 nights hovering around 32F? Figure I can also always wrap them or bring inside if one comes early...Specifically,
-- Fertilizer: Whether I need to switch to liquid 0:10:10 now, or whether I can still use balanced liquid and/or pellets that contain nitrogen and trace, depending on the plant/pot.
-- Repotting: Whether I can/should repot some trees now to correct mistakes that I've already made over the summer? Mostly relating to soil choice, as my nursery stock is in mostly organic potting soil, with only some Napa 8822 mixed in. Some are also in plastic pots rather than terra cotta (cost-effectiveness). I'm worried about developing root rot over the winter, as some go 2-3 three days without needing water.\
3. Regarding placement, my back yard is (currently) shaded and west-facing. The front walkway gets only intermittent periods of direct morning/early afternoon sun. I was previously keeping most of my plants in the back on a tiered rack where the only direct sun was 3pm-7pm; I figured any direct levels were better than none, but was told otherwise at my first local society meeting given the TX heat. So a few weeks ago, I started placing them on top of a garden shed where they get early morning and early afternoon sun, and then moving the ones that I felt were perhaps too damp to also snag those last few hours.
-- Is it bad to move plants around so frequently within the course of a day? I'd keep them where they only get the early sun, but it's not somewhere convenient for enjoyment and inspection.
Thank you in advance for your perspectives, I have many others 'smaller' questions, but will hold off for the time being
First of all, thank you for being on this forum -- I'm brand new to the bonsai world and have been reading/learning as much as I can. Between old BN forum posts, various other sites, and numerous library books however, there's been a lot to digest, often with differing opinions, so I've compiled a list of basic questions here. If forum rules are to split these up into separate posts, please let me know rather than booting me off I started this journey in earnest about three months ago.
tl;dr version of my current plant status is: ~10 nursery plants that I'm treating as pre-bonsai material to trunk thicken (in large containers, rent so cannot field-grow), four plants I bought at the local society auction (three already in bonsai pots, 1 in large pond basket), and my first tree (stereotypical purchase of a juniper by the side of the road, the only thing I've done 'right' with it is keep it alive for three years). I've also embarked on the seed route and have a few sprouts of various species. I will try to detail my inventory further somewhere in my profile.
1. I gather that over the last XYZ years (10-15?) the trend is to use 100% inorganic soils. I'm curious about WHY this has occurred relatively recently; have read the two resource documents, which I (somewhat) understand, but even 5-10 year books that I have still recommend varying proportions of organic/inorganic. It's hard for me to grasp why this wasn't realized earlier within the community. I live in zone 8B and while I currently can water multiple times a day if necessary, won't always be the case.
2. How closely should I follow 'calendar of care' type guidance here and in books, given that my area is likely two or even three months from its first frost and we usually only get ~10 nights hovering around 32F? Figure I can also always wrap them or bring inside if one comes early...Specifically,
-- Fertilizer: Whether I need to switch to liquid 0:10:10 now, or whether I can still use balanced liquid and/or pellets that contain nitrogen and trace, depending on the plant/pot.
-- Repotting: Whether I can/should repot some trees now to correct mistakes that I've already made over the summer? Mostly relating to soil choice, as my nursery stock is in mostly organic potting soil, with only some Napa 8822 mixed in. Some are also in plastic pots rather than terra cotta (cost-effectiveness). I'm worried about developing root rot over the winter, as some go 2-3 three days without needing water.\
3. Regarding placement, my back yard is (currently) shaded and west-facing. The front walkway gets only intermittent periods of direct morning/early afternoon sun. I was previously keeping most of my plants in the back on a tiered rack where the only direct sun was 3pm-7pm; I figured any direct levels were better than none, but was told otherwise at my first local society meeting given the TX heat. So a few weeks ago, I started placing them on top of a garden shed where they get early morning and early afternoon sun, and then moving the ones that I felt were perhaps too damp to also snag those last few hours.
-- Is it bad to move plants around so frequently within the course of a day? I'd keep them where they only get the early sun, but it's not somewhere convenient for enjoyment and inspection.
Thank you in advance for your perspectives, I have many others 'smaller' questions, but will hold off for the time being