My year around bonsai work in the Inland Empire, CA

[bonhe]

Your garden is filled with many magical pieces ! You have worked very hard it seems , so many beautiful specimens ! ???????

Thank you for your kind words.
Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

This trident maple had a first styling last week.
Before


After pruning and wiring

Bonhe

 

[JudyB]

Do you have any small trees LOL!!!
I like the first tree's hollow, very natural.

 

[bonhe]

Do you have any small trees LOL!!!
I like the first tree's hollow, very natural.

The big trees kept coming without any effort from me ! Yes, I do have small trees. I will show you some of them in the near future.
Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

I planned to transplant this pomegranate to bigger pot in few weeks, but I could not wait longer. The tree starts showing the wake up call at this time.


This morning, I transplanted it. I used pumice: orchid seedling bark: fir ground with 1:0.5:0.5 ratio


As usual, I only use the twine to immobilize the tree in the pot.


Because of its heaviness, I had to use Hoyer lift and hydraulic lifting cart to assist me.
Lifting the pot with Hoyer lift.


Putting the hydraulic lifting cart underneath the pot


Using the cotton rope to tie one end to the deadwood of the tree and the other end to the Hoyer lift


Using sickle to separate the soil from the pot's wall and cranking up the Hoyer lift. The tree was out of the pot.

Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

It has a lot of rootbound. After removed the rootbound in the bottom and the sides, I put the tree into the new pot. I used Hoyer lift entirely in the root work and transfer the tree into the new pot. With the tree was hung, it was so easy to rotate the tree around during root work.
The tree was in the new pot


The tree was fixed in place with the twine


There is a defect of the pot. The problem is that the drainage holes are not in the lowest parts of the pot's bottom. I had to use a wooden wedge to lift one side up, so the water can be drained out completely!


I did not place this tree into the "recovering room" as I always did for other trees. The reason is that the recovering room is already being occupied by my big juniper. I think it should be ok to let it be in its usual place (at this time, it has little afternoon sun). It should be OK for pomegranate.


Bonhe

 

[mcpesq817]

Very nice trees Bonhe. Very smart to use the Hoyer/hydraulic cart combo. My trees are not quite as big as yours, but that is a very nice system you have. Thanks for sharing it, back issues are no joke!

 

[bonhe]

Thanks Mcpesq817. Because I don't have any assistant, I had to think something works! ;-)
Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

I recently put this big pomegranate for sale here, but no one wanted it! In this late afternoon, the tree "insistently demanded" me that I should keep her! Because of that, I decide to hold her back
She starts having some new buds. Before working.


I removed all of unnecessary branches, pruned back all other branches, and wired them down.


This is hollow trunk all the way from the top to the bottom. There is a small hole at the side


I plan to remove this part in the near future to make her more taper.


If I have a chance, I will transplant her to the clay pot soon; otherwise will be next winter.
Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

We will celebrate Vietnamese New Year ( called Tết in Vietnamese language) on 2/16/18. This flowering peach tree never failed to bloom in our special holiday. I just took its picture this morning. I expect it will be in full bloom in Tết. Northern Vietnamese considers the flowering peach is one of the Tết's symbols. Chúc mừng năm mới tới tất cả các bạn Việt Nam!

Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

This is flowering peach in bonsai training. I admit I did not take care it well for more than a year and it is why it gives me only few flowers this year!!! I will pay more attention on it this year.

Bonhe

 

[JudyB]

Happy Tet to you my friend! Lovely flowers to welcome in the new year and wish you the best for the year to come.

 

[Wilson]

Amazing stuff Bonhe! A few real fairytale trees.

 

[bonhe]

Happy Tet to you my friend! Lovely flowers to welcome in the new year and wish you the best for the year to come.

Thank you very much JudyB.

Amazing stuff Bonhe! A few real fairytale trees.

Thanks for your kind words, Wilson.
Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

I just finished changing soil for this cork oak. It had been staying in the current pot since I bought 8 years ago.
Before


After wire removal and pruning back


Its small leaf.


Because of its size, I had to use Hoyer lift to assist me in transplant.


The tree was removed from its pot.


Its new soil includes akadama: pumice: pine bark: fir ground with ratio 1:2:2:1. The top soil is akadama: lava cinder: pine bark: fir ground with ratio 1:2:2:1
Because I ran out the twine, I did not use any thing to stabilize the tree in the pot. However, the tree seems to stay firm in the new soil!
Done


Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

Then I place it in the "recovery room" right beneath the big guava tree.

This area is equipped with 2 misty heads to which I let it run twice a day, 3 minutes each at this time of the year.


I try to make root cutting from cork oak. Let see what happens.


Bonhe

 

[my nellie]

Thanks for letting us enter your "recovery room" @bonhe Niiiice place!
All I know about root cuttings is that those trees which sprout suckers at the base of their trunk are the ones which will give new plants from root cuttings.

 

[bonhe]

Thanks for letting us enter your "recovery room" @bonhe Niiiice place!
All I know about root cuttings is that those trees which sprout suckers at the base of their trunk are the ones which will give new plants from root cuttings.

Thanks My Nellie.
Yes, you are absolutely correct. I have observed the oak sends out lot of root suckers (?), so it is why I give it a try.
Bonhe

 

[my nellie]

To see the results of your experiment will be very interesting, indeed.
Good luck!

 

[bonhe]

To see the results of your experiment will be very interesting, indeed.
Good luck!

Thanks
Bonhe