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I have had some luck getting good back budding, but it seems to be a drawn out process. I let the growing tips run run run while pruning all lower leaves on the branch off. The longer they run, the more back budding happens at some nodes along the branch. Then I cut the growing tip off and...

I'll snap a couple shots if the pile of snow we got this past weekend melts...sometimes around here, the snow doesn't leave until April after it falls. :) Yours looks great!

Up here in Siberia (a/k/a the Upper Peninsula), I just dig holes and bury all my trees, pot and all, in the ground about an inch below the pot. I then cover with lots of mulch. I also put a homemade wire mesh/fencing type cage over the deciduous trees to prevent hungry critters from gnawing on...

That's an interesting idea GGB. Never thought of thread grafting or approach grafting this tree....

I have no scientific backing, only anecdotal experience re your question. My belief is that the grow box should be as small as it possibly can be and still fit your root structure inside. A whole lot of roots can grown in a tight little space, and a big box is difficult, if not impossible to...

I'm hoping to get some back-budding on a Strobus I collected this fall. It's got great natural taper (though not a ton of movement) that the photos just don't do justice. It'll be a really cool tree in a five or ten years if/when I can get some back budding to shorten the branches, but it'll...

Here's a couple shots of a monster yew I dug this fall. (These things are a bear to get out of the ground.) I combed out the roots, washed it gently and bare-rooted it with much reservation. I'll post an update in the spring if it lives, as I have been searching low and high for advice on...

I do the same thing and have had very good success rates. I shelter them with some fencing and cover with mulch, critter wire, and then bury in snow. Seems to work fine and I live in upper Michigan where it gets pretty cold in the winter.

This response is specific to the gov. running in the black and not red, and is meant for informational purposes only -- take it for what it's worth. I couldn't care less about politics, only in so far as how they impact the economy. Very very briefly and overly simplified: if the government...

Great tree!

Thanks for the response Leo.

Thanks for the thoughts and perspective. They are red oak, and probably won't amount to much more than practice trees. I'm really just getting into bonsai seriously, and am mostly still just gathering material so I have trees to work on. Would love to go collecting sometime. I live in the UP...

I've read about preventative spraying in the spring and good leaf hegiene Dav4. Thx for the response

Just leaves.

Anyone have problems with Tar Spots on their maples? I have a few very nice Norway Maples that I dug up a few years ago -- great great yamadori, but they suffer from tar spots every year (just like all the Norway Maple do in the area). They drop their leaves early, and look like shit from...

I dug several native oaks (I live in N. Michigan) yesterday b/c they were free and going to be destroyed due to construction. Nice trees, good taper and root spreads, but I'm concerned about keeping them alive given that they were dug in August. I don't have much experience with oaks. Should...

One tool that I have used numerous times in collecting is a three ton come-along. It's heavy, requires bringing chains (or heavy duty tow straps), and needs an anchor point close by, but for pulling big ornery trees, there is no exception short of a truck/tractor which is often impractical...

Marquette. I think I am the only person in the UP to practice bonsai too! :)

I recently inherited a dwarf jade from a older gentleman who passed away. He knew I was into bonsai, and I am thankful for the tree. It was in rough condition when received though. I repotted it, wired it up and left it to grow out for the last five months. It's doing great, and putting out...

I'd wait I actually have a fair amount of experience with both growing and trying to bonsai hibiscus. Leaf size is always a problem though, and as such, the good hibiscus I have seen are generally "larger" in overall size as compared to other more commonly used bonsai species. That said, I...

I can attest to the fact that Akadama left outdoors through an Upper Peninsula winter breaks down nearly completely and turns to mush.

I've been dabbling with bonsai for a few years, but live in a relatively remote area. As such, much of my bonsai "education" has come from reading bonsai blogs and websites. Other than Bonsainut.com (which has been great), what are some other informative websites out there that you all...

I've been playing around with bonsai for a few years now, but just last year got into making my own soil mixes. My question is not what kind of soil/composition I should be using. Rather, I am interested in learning some tips/techniques on how others actually achieve their desired composition...