Zone9bonsai Blog
It's time to move on up.
I have way too many trees and most are not ever going to amount to anything. The funny thing is that now that I know what makes a good tree and where to find such trees, I can't find anywhere to put a new tree and can barely take care of it if I do.
Root grafting a Ficus
Time to help this ficus become a much nicer tree.
http://www.zone9bonsai.com/zone9bonsai/articles/Root%20Grafting%20a%20Ficus.cfm
Hello Spring!
I love Spring. It's the busiest time for bonsai and I'm up to my neck in work. Who could ask for more?
http://www.zone9bonsai.com/zone9bonsai/articles/Spring%20has%20Sprung.cfm
Repotting the Big Bougie
It's finally warm in Central Florida and I just couldn't wait to get this tree in a proper pot. Follow me step by step.
see larger
Spring in fast coming
A small crape myrtle just two weeks apart in Feb.
see larger
Fire and Ice
This article covers some basic information about dealing with your bonsai in winter.
http://zone9bonsai.com/zone9bonsai/articles/Fire%20and%20Ice.cfm
see larger
Enter the Wire - article
Some people hate doing it. I like it. Either way it's an absolute necessity for bonsai. A brief intro to bonsai wiring.
http://www.zone9bonsai.com/zone9bonsai/articles/Enter%20the%20Wire.cfm
The cascade potted
It's been about a year since I first got this tree from Lucas Nursery in Oviedo, FL (good people). It was obvious to me that it was going to be a cascade, but I was not sure how to get it there. I had not worked with junipers before and felt a bit intimidated by all the foliage. Thanks to my bonsai club, Central Florida Bonsai Club, I was able to figure it out.
Today I decided it was ready to be put in a proper bonsai pot. I chose for it an antique Tokoname pot I had acquired a few months ago just for this tree. I could not be happier with the fit.
At first I was a little worried about it fitting, but that soon disappeared as it became obvious that the tree had been recently moved into the five gallon container when I bought it and had not grown into it yet. What I found was a pretty compact root ball for what it was.
Getting into the pot was not a problem. After cutting off very few longer roots it went right in. I worked in the soil using a chopstick. The trick is not jabbing, but twirling, and sort of stirring the soil in between the roots.
Hope you find this useful.
see larger
Welcome
I've been working hard, putting together some articles and resources that will, hopefully, help some people in the bonsai community. Many of these article are the progression of my personal trees and what I've learned as I went along.
I hope they are of use to you.
Remember, bonsai takes a lifetime.
see larger
Still in development
Thanks for visiting Zone9Bonsai.com.
We are still getting things organized and there is the little task of actually writing articles to contend with, but once that's done, I hope you will find the information here helpful in your bonsai endeavors.
Ed Mercado
see larger