AUSTRALIAN BONSAI GROWER

Well the rain has been a god sent, reducing water time and filling our tanks. Still checking bonsai daily to make sure all trees are receiving enough water is important as is checking for bugs and disease. 

This is perfect weather for all bugs and disease and I am sure you would have noticed all the beautiful butterflies touching down everywhere. Butterfly eggs hatch after 3 days and the caterpillars emerge and eat for 10 to 12 days. That's a lot of foliage they can consume. Growth is also strong now and control by top pruning is required. I am still fertilising once a fortnight with an organic, low nitrogen fertiliser.

We have had many inquiries regarding smaller stock of black pines. I am sorry to say we are still unable to obtain seed and although it did look promising this year, the fires put a stop to this. We do however have limited stock of Japanese Black Pine and Red Pine. Some of this 25 year old stock has had a major root prune in July and is looking amazing, as is our general pre-bonsai stock.

For bonsai that need a root prune, I am preparing now to carry this out at probably the end of March, weather permitting. All in all, it is a wonderful time of year for the bonsai enthusiast. Follow us on Facebook for a closer look at our bonsai activities.