One of my first "friends" here on bonsai nut, all those years ago. Vey sorry to hear, I wondered where he'd been. I guess fighting cancer, unfortunately.
All I can tell you is that the leaves can reduce quite a lot. I have seen it with my own eyes multiple times. I know it’s not helpful but at least you know the potential is there, If you didn’t already know. Have never grown them but absolutely love them as mature trees
for $200 you can get a good sized seigen maple prebonsai (2" trunk) from Ed Clark. A word of caution for anyone on the East Coast though, the fall color can be kind of lame. I think this cultivar is better suited to warm climates that don't get fall color but enjoy the spring color maybe? I know...
Here in the states, sango kaku is very common and nearly always riddled with anthracnose. Maybe it's just our climate on the East Coast, but be wary of keeping it near your other maples until you know it's healthy.
Haha it seems to get strong reactions. So in that sense it's refreshing. If bonsai is really "art" then it's supposed to stir emotion. I personally don't like the look of "cosmic style" or "octopus style" or whatever label you want, but I'm glad some folks are doing something different. Whether...
Of course bacteria is important, if you are fostering fungi then you should also be growing good bacteria. BUT I think it's important to remember that soils high in bacteria are generally devoid of trees and fungi. As soil "improves" bacteria is replaced largely by fungi. I assume that's why we...
I didn’t think it is any “bonsai style”. But why fit into a Japanese category? The tree you pictured (I like it btw) looks like something Harry Harrington would have on his bench. Just a nice naturalistic type tree. Not dynamic but peaceful and familiar looking.
Everyone has an opinion of course...
WGW beat me to it but they eat detritus. It's simply a matter of opinion, so drench away if you'd like but.. When I work on my trees I always make sure why I know why I'm doing the operation I'm doing. I think this is a great approach to the pests and beneficial insects as well. If you are going...
Actually, Harry Harrington has a great article on bud swell with helpful photos.
https://bonsai4me.com/when-to-repot-your-deciduous-and-broadleaf-bonsai/
I like Mother Earth brand because the sizes range from 1/4” to shohin size grains. If there is a hydroponic store near you they may have it for 20/25 dollars for a big bag. And if they don’t they may be able to get a few bags with their next order for you. Which would mean cheaper shipping at...
I’ve always wondered myself what those guys look like under all the flowers and foliage. In my American brain I figured bar branches, thick branches and straight sections probably aren’t tooooo big of a deal since these guys are only shown in full bloom. But that was all assumptions. I love this...
yeah, I'm not super handy with the search bar on this site myself. I only knew from experience that was somewhere on the site haha and I knew who posted it, which makes all the difference
I generally agree with rockm that identifying a satsuki without a tag is silly and possibly deterimentally if it's propogated. But in this case... it's very possible that it's the chinzan cultivar. it's extremely popular, I think possibly the most commonly imported variety? it trunks up quick...
Nice, this is my favorite pine in the US. I have a very green thumb but for some reason can't keep that species healthy. But John G has some super dope examples. He likes styling his to mimic lobloly pines. https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/a-couple-more-virginia-pines.23741/#post-362501
Yes, I know exactly which grower you are talking about. I still support them but it's an annoying quirk for sure. Haven't lost any trees because of it though
You'll just have to try to see if you like it. There is nothing wrong with that mix. Don't forget that particle size makes a massive difference too. I think when I switched to mostly inorganic components I was using too big of a sieve. Deciduous tree + 1/4" APL + MY climate + MY care = wayyyyy...