shohin_branches
Omono
As I approach my promotion to temporary Assistant Curator of the Milwaukee Bonsai Foundation Collection at the Lynden Sculpture Garden I have decided to log my work there in a single thread. After being on a bonsai skill plateau for many years I have found my work there maintaining trees to really help me get the hands-on application of skills I needed to start improving again.
Our lead curator is pretty awesome and has taught me a lot over the years. She also puts a lot of trust in me to teach other volunteers.
So for today I did a double shift. my task list was to:
Remove the 10 largest leaves from the trident maple
fix the moss on two trees
Prune the two larches
Fertilize the collection with fish emulsion and iron
And pull weed (there are always weeds!)
First I have to unlock the exhibit and set out the patio trees
10 largest leaves is easy. Done! We do partial defoliation on this tree every year. It is so happy and the leaves are tiny. My curator always tells me about how she got points off at a bonsai show because the judge assumed the only way she was able to get leaves that small on her trident was by stressing it. What a doofus. I use this technique on my own trees often.
I fixed moss on one tree, the other she had listed for me looked fine. Forgot to take photos. I love moss though.
I also spotted some spider mite webs on a tree trunk and some very faint damage to the leaves. Didn't know ginkgo could get spider mites.
So I scrubbed the bark and branches down with rubbing alcohol. Once it dried I hosed down the foliage on the tree paying attention to the undersides. I also sprayed down the two trees that were stored near it and notified the curator so she could monitor and follow up with a miticide if needed.
on to trimming larches.
I did the spring trimming and thinning on this Japanese larch so it was fun to get to see how it responded and work on it again.
While trimming larches we always trim back to buds. Can you spot them?
Second tree is a larch I fell in love with the moment I saw it on display at the Art Museum as a kid and now I get to work on it regularly!
I had to get the step ladder out for this one!
On Tamarack the buds are so easy to spot and there were no long shoots lacking buds to deal with
I really worked on my technique cutting the shoot and not the needles. Sometimes you catch a needle accidentally, but if you flex the shoot and cut carefully you can avoid the damage and minimize browning.
I didn't take photos of me weeding the patio pavers or watering and fertilizing. You'll have to use your imagination.
It was a good day of bonsai!
Our lead curator is pretty awesome and has taught me a lot over the years. She also puts a lot of trust in me to teach other volunteers.
So for today I did a double shift. my task list was to:
Remove the 10 largest leaves from the trident maple
fix the moss on two trees
Prune the two larches
Fertilize the collection with fish emulsion and iron
And pull weed (there are always weeds!)
First I have to unlock the exhibit and set out the patio trees
10 largest leaves is easy. Done! We do partial defoliation on this tree every year. It is so happy and the leaves are tiny. My curator always tells me about how she got points off at a bonsai show because the judge assumed the only way she was able to get leaves that small on her trident was by stressing it. What a doofus. I use this technique on my own trees often.
I fixed moss on one tree, the other she had listed for me looked fine. Forgot to take photos. I love moss though.
I also spotted some spider mite webs on a tree trunk and some very faint damage to the leaves. Didn't know ginkgo could get spider mites.
So I scrubbed the bark and branches down with rubbing alcohol. Once it dried I hosed down the foliage on the tree paying attention to the undersides. I also sprayed down the two trees that were stored near it and notified the curator so she could monitor and follow up with a miticide if needed.
on to trimming larches.
I did the spring trimming and thinning on this Japanese larch so it was fun to get to see how it responded and work on it again.
While trimming larches we always trim back to buds. Can you spot them?
Second tree is a larch I fell in love with the moment I saw it on display at the Art Museum as a kid and now I get to work on it regularly!
I had to get the step ladder out for this one!
On Tamarack the buds are so easy to spot and there were no long shoots lacking buds to deal with
I really worked on my technique cutting the shoot and not the needles. Sometimes you catch a needle accidentally, but if you flex the shoot and cut carefully you can avoid the damage and minimize browning.
I didn't take photos of me weeding the patio pavers or watering and fertilizing. You'll have to use your imagination.
It was a good day of bonsai!
