Archives for 2009

How To Grow Azalea Bonsai

Azalea bonsai are great plants to cultivate. Satsuki azaleas are especially suitable for bonsai.

Repotting is best done just after flowering-late May to early June in temperate regions. Autumn repotting is not so good. The fertilizers used mostly are soy bean cake, rape cake, and dried fish (herring cake, etc.). Liquid fertilizers are simplest.

Water is given to young plants three or four times a day in spring, summer, and autumn; to old plants, twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. In warm weather it is good to syringe the plants.

Exposure.

A sunny and well ventilated place is the best tip for how to grow bonsai varieties of Satsuki azaleas, but in the height of summer they should be in partial shade; I place them under a marsh-reed screen.

With the approach of freezing weather (in November most generally), keep them in a sunny place and prepare the frost cover.

Propagation.

Satsuki azalea bonsai are propagated by cuttings. When the young shoots attain a length of 2½ to 4 inches and are somewhat hardened (that is in May or June), the shoots are cut off, a few leaves at the bases removed, and the bases recut on a slant and placed in water for two or three hours. These should then be inserted 1 to 2 inches apart and an inch or so deep into a good rooting medium in a cutting box. Water, let drain, and wrap box in polyethylene film. Place in full light (no sun) where they should root in 30 to 40 days.

After remaining for fifteen to twenty more days in the cutting boxes or pans, they should be transplanted into soil prepared as described above for young plants. Two weeks or so after this, fertilizer is placed on the soil to encourage growth. If liquid fertilizer is preferred, it must be very dilute, otherwise the fibrous roots often become damaged and may decay.

Application of Liquid Fertilizer

Use fish emulsion fertilizer or other commercial liquid fertilizer, diluted according to manufacturer’s directions. Liquid fertilizers should be applied three to six times a year, starting as the buds burst in spring, and every three to four weeks thereafter until mid or late summer.

Use the diluted liquid fertilizer as though you were watering. Do not sprinkle the foliage with fertilizer-only the soil.

So as you can see there really isn’t much to learning how to care for your bonsai. Follow the rules and your trees will bloom with wonderful flowers and thick trunks. Good luck producing your beautiful azalea bonsai.

The Secret Art of Growing Bonsai Elm

by admin

The gray-barked elm (Japanese zelkova) can be trained to form miniatures of the naturally grown forest trees, and will make beautiful bonsai. These bonsai elm are much sought after.

Unwanted sprouts. At budding time in the spring and after leaf thinning, sprouts appear at unexpected places on the trunk and branches, and these should be rubbed off or cut off. Aphids and other insects are exterminated in the usual ways.

Autumn. After the leaves have fallen, any disproportionate and undesirable twigs and shoots are removed, so as to enhance the symmetrical and delicate beauty of fine twigs and shoots which produce the atmosphere and image of a great tree throughout the winter.

Branches in a circle and a branch parallel to trunk should both be avoided. Branches alternating and spreading is the result to be desired In the spring, just before the buds burst, for the sake of possible improvement in the beautiful shape of the tree, twigs and shoots are cut back as short as possible. Then the renewing and rewarding beauty of the young leaves is awaited.

General Care For Bonsai Elm

Soil for growing bonsai should be selected to match the variety of plant. For potting soil for zelkova bonsai I use loamy soil from cultivated land or sandy loam from the mountains. The soil is sifted through a sieve, and used only after it has been well and thoroughly dried. The tree should be planted in the dry soil in the pan, and the pan shaken several times after planting. The surface of the soil is then leveled and immediately watered gently and thoroughly with a watering can. The soil should never be pressed.

Surface roots. When a zelkova bonsai becomes older, several roots become thick and appear at the surface of the soil. Such a “root-surfaced-on-the-soil” tree is much sought after and very ornamental. However, if the roots are surfaced when the tree is young, they never thicken; only roots in the soil will do so. After learning by bitter experience, I cover surfaced roots slightly with soil, and on this place moss.

As the roots develop, the moss becomes scanty and the roots gradually appear on the surface. Sometimes even when the tree is 14 to 15 years old the roots are not yet developed sufficiently to appear on the soil. I have several trees of the same age that do show surfaced roots. Bonsai merchants often show surface-root formations in young trees for commercial reasons, but this is not good for nice root formation on the soil later on.

Shading. In the hottest weather, July and August, the trees are shaded; I use marsh-reed screens.

Watering. Over watering is not good for the trees. However, as zelkova bonsai are grown in shallow pans, they dry out rapidly in the summer, and watering twice a day is necessary; but in other seasons once a day is enough. After the leaves fall in the winter, it is sufficient to give water once every other day.

The bonsai elm is a beautiful plant to learn how to grow bonsai, and it will give you joy for many years.

Getting started With Your Own Fall Flower Garden

by admin

So you know that you want to get into gardening, but where do you start? Planting fall flower garden is very enjoyable and simple enough for the beginner gardener. Now if you want to go ahead and plant a fall flower garden in your yard, there are a few steps that you are going to have to take.

Fall Flower Garden: Plant in Spring

Although it is called a fall flower garden, remember that you are going to have to plant it in spring. The point here is that it is a fall flower garden because the plants will bloom in the fall. Flower garden makes a lovely landscaping around the yard and to bloom at the right time you have to choose right plant.

You want to find late blooming varieties of traditional spring and summer blooming flowers such as tulips, which are all going to work great in a fall garden. You can look up information and make sure that you spend some time researching whenever you are going to do anything with your garden, so that you know what you are doing and know that you are going to have the best results.

Adding a few climbers into the garden will be a great idea, because these will turn scarlet and red and will create a beautiful color pattern in the fall season around your home.

You are also going to want to plant a border around the garden. Not only is this going to be good for aesthetic appeal, but as well the border is going to help keep your plants contained. A border for your yard is very necessary so that your garden plant does not comes outside of it.

As long as you are researched and know what you are doing, and of course choose the right plants, then you are going to have great success with your fall flower garden and not only that but can enjoy yourself while you are doing it. That is one thing about gardening, and that is that although there may be a lot of things that you have to learn, at the same time you always want to keep it fun.

Gardening is a great hobby, because not only are you going to have fun and get more relaxed, but it is a great way to showcase your home and add to its appeal.

Growing Basil – Tips on Growing Basil

by admin

Herbs are beneficial in many ways. Growing basil, Ocimum basilicum, is an easy way to spice up the garden and your favorite recipes. I am pleased to introduce, Basil, a sweet herb, member of the Mint Family. Although there is a few different varieties of basil, sweet basil is the most popular and well known. This herb is well known for flavoring foods and in its long past has been used for folk remedies.

Old tales-

Growing basil has a special significance in many cultures throughout the world. The people of India swore their oaths in court on basil leaves. Italian lovers would wear a piece of basil in their hair when courting ladies. The Mexicans believed it would bring back a cheating lover if you walked around carrying basil.

Medical uses-

There are big health benefits of growing basil. The plant contains beta carotene, naturally packed with vitamin A. The herb is known by herbalists as a ‘cure-all’ for a wide array of ailments, from stomach trouble to headaches. There are so many benefits derived from basil, that it is known as the ‘King of Herbs’.

How to Grow Basil-

No need to worry, growing basil is a breeze. The seed can be sown indoors, then transplanting outside at a later date. It can even be full grown indoors if preferred. If you decide to do this, remember the plant needs sunlight, so a man-made alternative should be used, like fluorescent growing lighting.

The seeds should be sown about 1” from each other, in a warm time of year. After a few leaves have grown, the basil can then be re-planted. Make certain you wait until a late frost is no longer a threat.

Add layer of mulch of about three inches. Organic mulch is an excellent choice. Watering should take place one day per week, before noon. Never use too much fertilizer, as this can remove the unique odor from the herb.

When re-planting, dig the herbs in at least 1 – 1 feet apart from each other, to ensure appropriate growing space. Growing basil has two main requirements: well draining soil, and a sunny, but damp area.

Basil should be pruned fortnightly to increase its hardiness. To do this, clip the leaves back, but stop ¼ inch above the node. This is to ensure enough foliage is left for growth to continue. Remove dead heads from flower stems for it to continue in good health.

Try growing basil near tomato plants. Both of these plants require a lot of sunlight, and watering, so it is convenient to place them close to each other. Just like in your famous spaghetti sauce, these 2 plants go well together. Basil is a big help around the kitchen and helps to repel insects in the garden.

After 6” of growth, the top leaves are ready to be pinched off. Basil plants can grow to approximately two feet tall. Growing basil not only adds to your culinary delights, but it is delightful addition in the garden.

Composting: Reducing Carbon Emissions

by admin

Learning how to compost is one of the most earth friendly things you’ll ever do. Composting is simply a process of transforming your kitchen and yard waste into nutrient-rich soil. Composted soil is an optimal fertilizer for your yard, and helps with all gardening issues, including drainage, disease, and pest problems. It’s an easy, natural way to give life to the soil around your home in a natural way that doesn’t contaminate your soil with chemicals or poisons.

With composting instead of tossing the waste into the trash, you’re also actively reducing the amount of waste you’re sending to the landfill. The world’s landfills are bursting at the seams, while the population keeps growing, and this is becoming a more and more critical issue.

Many families can reduce the amount of waste leaving their homes by half or more, by composting everything they can. If you recycling everything you can, there ends up not being much to send to the landfill in the first place. The Earth and every future generation will thank you.

By composting, you’re also reducing greenhouse gas emissions in what can add up to be a rather significant sum. By composting, not only do you to cut back the greenhouse gasses created in the landfill, but composted soil actively pulls carbon dioxide out of the air. In fact, it’s possible for a person who actively tills compost into the land around just their home, to offset a year or more of the average American’s carbon emissions.

Think about what an impact it would make if every family composted instead of sending their waste to landfills. The soil around our homes would become healthy and nutrient-rich, the landfills would become controllable, and our greenhouse gas emissions would minimize too.

Learning how to compost is easy; there are plenty of resources on the net – a simple search can give you all of the information you need. Then, start with a simple compost bin or even make one yourself and get started with no investment but a little time.

Archives for 2009

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