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  1. iant

    Cherry in bloom

    It's been raining so I didn't even notice that I had a tree in full bloom in the corner of the back yard, until I saw some pink in the corner of my eye and went to investigate. It deserved to be out on the back deck for a few days. Here's how it looked back when I got it from Brent as a 2 in...
  2. iant

    Malus 'Oekonomierat Ectermeyer'

    Update on a crab I purchased as a seedling in 2012 from EG. I'm trying to pay more attention to it and I think the ramification is a lot better since 2018. Best, Ian 1 year after purchase: Next year I barerooted it: 2014: 2018 looking a little more grown up: 2021 last month wiring. Sorry...
  3. iant

    Crab season!

    My collection of crabapples this spring. Enjoy! Ian Malus Oekonomierat Echtermeyer Malus Torongoides Malus Sieboldi 'x' #1 Malus Sieboldi 'x' #2 Malus Tina Malus Louisa Malus Mary Potter #1 Malus Mary Potter #2
  4. iant

    Landscape atropurpureum question

    Just moved in to a new house in December. There's a large Acer atropurpureum planted. I'm used to Acer palmatum bonsai trees and never seen wet sticky leaves and seeds in spring. Just noticed that all over this landscape atropurpureum specimen that everywhere there are seeds (and I suppose...
  5. iant

    How many of you are proactive and consistent with antifungal spraying?

    Over the last several years I haven't been consistent with it and I'm starting to wonder if I should be spraying more early and more often. This is what I've been doing: Maybe spray some copper when leaves are out on my Prunus mostly and while I'm at it I spray the Malus and JBP and Cedrus...
  6. iant

    Malus 'Mary Potter'

    I have about 4 crabapples I think and this one is my clear favorite for the candy cane flower colors. Ian
  7. iant

    Southwestern White Pine at Christmas

    Happy Holidays! Just thought I'd post my SW White Pine. I bought it in 2011 when it was straight. I've messed with it a bit. Now I'm just working on getting the branch pads to fan out flat. This is a fun little project. Haven't worked yet on any needle reduction or anything. No lights or...
  8. iant

    Maple chop timing

    I have this Japanese Maple that's coming along and the next step is to give the current leader a chop to get a new leader. In retrospect back when the current leader was a lot smaller I should have cut it back when it was tiny so that it back budded and I would already have a next leader to cut...
  9. iant

    Rock for root over rock maple

    I found this rock burried in the sand at the beach. I haven't done an ROR yet so thought I'd ask if anyone sees anything wrong with this rock. I'd do a Japanese maple or trident that heads off in a slant from the top in the same direction as the rock slant. Major root down the front major...
  10. iant

    4 quince and 2 cherries. Happy Valentines!

    Spring has sprung in the bay area. Earlier than last year! The grape growers in Sonoma and Napa are a little worried. An early frost would be bad but we're looking at 70's last week, this week, and next. Ian 1) Chaenomeles Toyo Nishiki Improved (from EG) 2) Chaenomeles Kurokoji (from EG) 3)...
  11. iant

    Azalea Nuccio's Wild Cherry

    This is a satsuki I got from a local nursery in San Jose. I've had it 4 y. Set it back a little by almost bare rooting it the spring I bought it. Wouldn't do that again with an azalea! Just wanted to share the blooms. This is the first year I've let it flower. I would not call this a bonsai or...
  12. iant

    winter watering reminder

    Just wanted to share. I'm not asking a question or telling anyone how to run their business. I get a little lazy in the winter as there's less danger of tree death with missing a watering or two or three. It rained for almost 16 days straight in Dec and tapered off a few days before the...
  13. iant

    Chill hours anyone?

    Here's what's going on in the SF Bay Area. I know the east coast has been cold. We're at 14 chill hours so far where I live (ave ytd would be more like 80.) Nothing cold in the 10 day forecast. Might have to put my little malus and prunus in the fridge this year. Ian
  14. iant

    small beech help

    Hi all, I'd like advice from someone who has worked with beeches on a plan. I bought a very young Japanese Beech from Brent last yr. I was only able to give it a slight bend with wire at the base when I first got it. The wire's off now but you can see a little curve down there. I'm planning...
  15. iant

    Daily foliage watering???

    I was poking around on an Aussie bonsai forum and decided to search under spider mites as it's been a problem for me here this year. (I know, you're thinking this is a cloaked spider mite thread!) I found someone in Australia complaining about them and he got advice on spraying trees with water...
  16. iant

    Major spider mite problem

    They seem to be everywhere. I checked with a 10 loop magnifier and I can see the whitish tan colored guys moving and some little tiny eggs under leaves. There are thin webs all over. It's on 2 elms, a couple cedars, my hornbeam, my stewartia, my azalea, most of my chaenomeles, my punica x 3, a...
  17. iant

    JBP direction choice

    I'm thinking ahead as to whether or not the next direction of this pine will go through the left branch or the right. Any opinions out there? Ian
  18. iant

    thoughts on new leader JBP

    I have a JBP I got from EG in April 2011 that I'm choosing the next trunk section on this spring. It took me a year or two to figure out how to keep these happy so it's now time to move it forward. I chopped it yesterday down to the current level (it had already been chopped 5 inches higher when...
  19. iant

    I don't think this quince is white anymore

    Picked this clump up 2 years or so ago and the seller thought it was white. I haven't done much with it yet. I may cut it back this summer to try to get better ramification. There are a few long straight sections. So this spring the flowers show more color and my guess is that it's the Apple...
  20. iant

    Winter work too early? (NorCal)

    I usually try to do major pruning and repotting in late winter, early spring. Around here (SF bay area) that's February for me. Last year I got a little behind and then we had a big warm spell really early and everything took off. So there were some repottings that I didn't get to and regretted...
  21. iant

    spider mites

    Seems like there are spider mites on most of my plants. It looks minor but widespread. It's hard to see any damage but there are little webs all over the place. My question is if this is a minor issue that is more cosmetic than anything or should I be more worried. I'll probably do a round of...
  22. iant

    Anyone have experience with shrubby cinquefoil?

    I was looking through one of my books ("Bonsai" Kunio Kobayashi) and saw a gorgeous photo of a 'shrubby cinquefoil.' It's otherwise known as Dasiphora fruticosa or Potentilla fruticosa. I guess it's a higher altitude shrub and there's a wide distribution in the US. Anyone grown one or have any...
  23. iant

    Ooops. My madrone tree played a trick on me.

    Two years ago my mom moved into a new house in Santa Rosa, CA and there was a woody tree in the front that had thin red peeling bark and waxy green ovate leaves and my mom and I both assumed it was a pacific madrone. So I lifted it 2 springs ago and brought it to my place. It stayed in this huge...
  24. iant

    A few Quince

    Thought I'd post a few quinces that I have. They're mostly young starts other than the one in the Anderson flat. That one's older (and photo is from last year.) Trying to decide what to do with that one... I'm thinking of staying with clump/multitrunk style for most of them as I just can't...
  25. iant

    2012 in review. Horticultural successes and failures in 2012

    I was thinking about this for myself and I thought I'd share. I have a lot of little starter plants (3-5 yr old prunus, malus, pumila, chaenomeles, etc) along with some older specimen type pinus and ulmus. So here's the year in review: The bad news: 1) killed a 15-20 y.o. juniper nana...
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