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09-06-2003, 12:20 AM
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[IBC] Care Tips for your trees #4 -- Summer (LONG!)
This is the fourth (and final) installment of the annual cycle of
bonsai care tips I have prepared. The others - fall, winter, and spring - can be found in our archives. ================================================== =============== ========== Caring for Your Bonsai Over the Long, Hot Summer Ahh, Summertime . . . and the livin' is easy. But wait. You've got all those bonsai to take care of. The bonsai are growin', and the bugs keep eatin' -- while you desperately plan for that hard-earned, two-week vacation. Whew! Maybe the livin's really not that easy. So, what to do . . . ? Let's start with the bonsai are growin' . . . which leads us directly to managing that new growth to keep your trees under control. Pinching and pruning -- Candles are lengthening on your pines. New growth on your junipers is a bright green. Your maples are getting leggy and if you don't get busy, the internodes will be two inches apart. Your Chinese elms look like that Kia Pet you had when you were 10 years old. Since you did most of your major seasonal shaping when you repotted in the spring, summer chores in the pinching and pruning department are aimed at refinement of the basic shape. But, be sure you rotate your trees a quarter turn every week to balance the light reaching various parts of the canopy, or your tree's shape may turn out to be "lopsided style". You've probably already pinched new growth from your conifers at least once in spring. Early summer is the time to get rid of unwanted buds around the tips of the branches, leaving only the buds that guide growth to where you want it. Rapidly growing species will be putting out new growth almost as fast as you can keep up with it. Using your thumb and forefinger, twist off the new clumps of needles you don't want. Be sure to get rid of buds that form beneath a twig. Many of your broadleaved trees desperately will need a general haircut. Generally, you will let perhaps one or two pairs of new leaves remain on each branch -- except where you might want a branch to extend. In late June (and again in mid-to-late July if you have a long growing season) you might think about complete defoliation of your mature broadleaved trees that are growing strongly (NOT those that were repotted this spring) to help develop smaller leaves and, incidentally, improved ramification. Defoliation seems to work best with trees whose leaves have longish petioles (stems). Leave at least half of the petiole attached to the tree. Early summer is also when you do some fairly hard pruning on Satsuki azaleas and other spring-blooming bonsai. You will get no vacation in THIS part of summertime. Fertilizing -- It seems a bit strange while you're busy taking OFF new growth to think of fertilizing your trees on any kind of a schedule. (That's why I NEVER fertilize my lawn; it just needs mowing that much more often.) But a tree's growth takes energy and regular application of fertilizer to our relatively sterile bonsai soils helps your tree meet its energy needs. For most trees, a more-or-less balanced (in terms of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium -- NPK) fertilizer will be satisfactory. Newly potted or young trees that you're still growing on probably would appreciate a weekly application. Established trees will be just as happy with an every-2- weeks application, and your oldest trees can get along with a dose of nutrients once a month. Some growers recommend less N as summer comes to an end, especially for flowering trees. I'm not at all sure that it matters, so long as there is plenty of P and K available for the tree to use. Micronutrients -- zinc, magnesium, manganese, iron, and others -- are necessary minerals for healthy trees. Your most-used fertilizer should contain a full range of micronutrients. In late summer, you might begin to supplement your fertilize with a bit of Epsom salts (about one teaspoon per gallon) for an extra shot of magnesium. Fertilize at label strength; there's no need to go half strength as many books recommend, but do not over fertilize. Organic fertilizers, such as fish emulsion, blood meal, or bone meal, tend to stick around on our mostly inorganic soils a bit longer. However, most organic fertilizers lack a full complement of micronutrients. An increasing number of growers are using timed-release fertilizers mixed into the soil at spring repotting, then scattered over the soil surface once or twice during the summer. I prefer a bit more control over when my trees get their doses of nutrients, but it probably doesn't matter. Growers tend to make fertilization more mysterious than it is. Watering and the Trials of Summer Heat -- It gets hot in the summer. The sun is high and it beats down upon your bonsai tables. The combination of wind, sun and fast growth sucks moisture from your bonsai pots. Some trees -- Japanese maples are the most notorious -- can suffer severe leaf scorch from hot sun and wind. This means you MUST keep a close eye on your trees. With almost no exceptions, barring a rainy day, your trees will need to be watered at LEAST once a day. Shohin and mame bonsai may need water 2-3 times a day in the hottest, driest part of mid and late summer. But only a close watch over, and intimate knowledge of, your trees' needs will determine your watering schedule. I use an automatic watering system that goes on once a day in late afternoon. In the morning, I use a misting attachment on my hose and give individual trees a good soaking if they need it. Some trees -- Wisteria and bald cypress come to mind -- thrive in a shallow pan of water during the hottest parts of summer. A few drops of vegetable oil in the pan keep the mosquito population in check. On the other hand, some trees like to dry out -- such as Texas ebony and other arid-land acacia relatives. If you have a summer rainy season that sometimes can be difficult. Bougainvillea and juniper are somewhere in between and must be watched carefully so they don't get TOO dry. I do not include any of these trees in my normal automatic watering cycle. Shade -- provided by "big" trees, a lathe screen, or shade cloth -- may be necessary for some species of tree. In North America's deep south and the arid southwest it will be a requirement for ALL trees. Summer sun beating down on dark-colored pots and dark soil can raise soil temperatures -- especially in moist soil -- to dangerous levels. Pots can actually become too hot to touch for any length of time. Many of your trees will appreciate being moved into larger-than-normal (for display purposes) pots for the dog days of summer. While moss can help keep a pot cool, summer heat and moisture often causes it to "melt" from mold and bacteria. So-called sun-loving trees almost always will do better with sun in the first half of the day and a bit of shade in the afternoon. Some growers wrap pots in aluminum foil to reflect sunlight and heat. This can be dazzling on a sunny day. It also makes watering more difficult. Repotting -- Summer is NOT the time to repot most trees. True tropicals may be an exception. Trees such as buttonwood and some of the Ficus species prefer to be repotted during the hottest period of the year -- or so I'm told. Consult an expert on tropical plants before you repot anything in July or August. There always is the odd emergency repot -- after root rot, or following a squirrel's depredations. Do it quickly. Disturb as few roots as possible (being certain that all rotten roots are removed), move the tree to the ground or a slightly larger pot, keep it in the shade for the remainder of the summer, and water sparingly. In warmer areas, trees often go into a late-summer dormancy around mid August to early September. Trees CAN be repotted during this narrow window of time, but it still is dangerous because of the summer heat. Repotted trees should stay in the shade for the remainder of the growing season. It is always best to wait to report in late winter or early spring. Weeding -- Weeds are the mostly a problem of early summer. Pull them as soon as you see them. Weeds are yet another reason to examine each tree and pot at least once every day. "Weedlets" are more easily removed than a weed whose roots have permeated the pot and intertwined with the tree's roots. Large weeds steal nutrients and water from the tree. Keep moss trimmed and in most species of tree, away from tree trunks. Moss can help keep roots moist. It also can rot the bark on some trees if allowed to accumulate. It also can block the penetration of water and fertilizer to the soil, so wet the moss thoroughly before you fertilize. Wiring - In summer, keep a close eye on trees that are wired. Especially in early summer, trees are growing rapidly and wire can dig into the bark almost overnight. Azalea are wired in early summer. Other trees may be wired in mid to late summer after most of the spring pinching is done. Pests -- In early summer, the overwintering critters are busiest -- including a few caterpillars (webworm, etc.) White fly, scale and aphid begin to show up early in the warm season, but reach their peak after July. These last pests bring on the related nuisances, honeydew and sooty mold. Wipe both off leaves. Stink bugs can appear almost anywhere at any time in the summer, but they are hit-and-run sucking pests and seldom cause much damage on bonsai. Later in summer, azalea caterpillars, army worms, tent caterpillars, and inch worms will be munching on many leaves. Don't automatically massacre caterpillars. They turn into moths and butterflies which are very important pollinators. Move them somewhere else. (EXCEPTIONS: army worms, tent caterpillars, azalea caterpillars.) Slugs can be a problem if tables and display areas are continuously wet. The Japanese beetle is a problem in some areas. In the south, the tiny shotgun beetle is about the only beetle that bothers bonsai. (How do you know what is chewing on your leaves? You have caterpillars if the munching starts at the leaf edge and moves inward; you have beetles or slugs if there are holes in the leaves.) There are "good bugs." Lady beetles, praying mantis, assassin bugs, any beetle with large grasping pincers, and others are one of your best defenses against insects on your trees. Other bugs are neutral. Centipedes and millipedes are no problem to trees; neither are pill and sowbugs. Earthworms also won't hurt trees, but seem to appear in organic bonsai soil by spontaneous generation. Worm casts can cause clogging of soil if worms are abundant. Submerge your pot in water up to the soil surface for a few hours to rid the soil of earth worms. Toss the worms into your garden Soaps and summer oils can control most sucking insects. (If you use an oil spray, keep trees out of the sun for several days, and do not use soaps on maples!) Pyrethrum sprays work on just about everything, but spray in late evening. Most pests eat at night and an evening spray is less likely to affect bees and other pollinators. A jet of water helps with aphids, spider mites, and whiteflies. Use yellow sticky traps for whiteflies. A saucer of beer (please use LITE beer) works on slugs and snails. Use pesticides ONLY when you are severely infested! And know your bugs. Many good bugs resemble bad bugs. Leaf spots and other plant diseases -- In the heat and humidity of late summer, expect to see odd spots appear on the leaves of your trees. Almost none of these will be fatal to otherwise healthy trees. However, if you grow apples, pears, firethorn (Pyracantha) and junipers, you may discover an infection of cedar apple rust. There is no spray that will eliminate (or even control) this in the summer. Remove and destroy (burn or toss in the garbage) infected leaves on the apples and pears. Remove and destroy any of the jelly-like growths that may appear on your junipers. A copper fungicide applied in the early spring MAY help prevent infection next summer. But don't bet on it. Pear, Chinese Quince, and Pyracantha also may get a bacterial black spot on their leaves. Again, remove and destroy the leaves. Again, a copper spray MAY help. But picking and destroying the infected leaves is the best approach. By September, leaves are simply getting old. Just as we elderly people get "liver spots" on our hands, tree leaves become blotched and worn out looking. You (and they) just have to live with it. In warmer areas of the country, most Japanese maple leaves look as if they've been through a war by late September. They should still turn color in the fall. To be able to identify the pests and diseases that might affect your trees, you should own the "Ortho Home Gardener's Problem Solver." It is available as a book and as a CD for your computer. Southern Living Magazine also has its excellent "Garden Problem Solver." Sunset Magazine has the smaller, cheaper, and less comprehensive "Garden Pests and Diseases" which is useful. Check also with your state forestry department. Caring for deadwood -- Summertime is the best time to apply lime sulfur for that weathered look on pines. junipers, other conifers, and the few broadleaved trees that are suited for whitened deadwood. And Finally, Vacations -- You should consider an automatic watering system. It goes against most recommendations I've seen, but I recommend battery-operated timers. BUY BATTERIES JUST BEFORE YOU LEAVE FOR VACATION and your trees will not be harmed by those common summer power outages and spikes that can "re-program" (read: ZAP!) a timer connected to your home wiring. Another option is to plant your trees in the ground -- either pot and all or after lifting them from their pots. Put them in the ground in light shade. Your trees then will have the entire reservoir of the ground to work with. Again, however, an automatic watering system (perhaps for your lawn, set for perhaps every third day) is helpful. Friends and family also can water your trees while you are gone. However, long experience indicates there is a certain lack of reliability in even close friends and family if they are not bonsai growers themselves -- or at least dedicated gardeners. Someone from your bonsai club may have a summer "business" set up to care for members' trees. Ask. And, you might find a local nursery that will take care of your trees -- for a fee. In late summer, it's time to start thinking about how you're going to over winter your tender trees. See the first article in this series. It and the others are in our archives. Jim Lewis ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Mike Page ++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
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#2
09-06-2003, 11:32 AM
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[IBC] Care Tips for your trees #4 -- Summer (LONG!)
Hi Jim
very interesting How can I get the 3 previous ones in the Archives ? are tehy open to everbody ? Thanks for your feed back Theo Jim Lewis wrote: This is the fourth (and final) installment of the annual cycle of bonsai care tips I have prepared. The others - fall, winter, and spring - can be found in our archives. ============================= -- Think like an Alien and visit your own Planet Theo http://www.byjoke.com/ |
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#4
09-06-2003, 01:56 PM
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[IBC] Care Tips for your trees #4 -- Summer (LONG!)
Go the the IBC website (the address is at the bottom of the
message), find the link to the archives in the first paragraph, then search the archives for "Care Tips for your trees," and you will find them all. I have just added them to my growning amount of text to read. ================= Thanks. I wasn't certain I'd named them all alike. ;-) It's easier your way if you can find all of them at once. Is that "groaning?" ;-) Read, Read, Read. Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - This economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment. - Gaylord Nelson, 1995 ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Mike Page ++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
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#5
09-06-2003, 01:56 PM
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[IBC] Care Tips for your trees #4 -- Summer (LONG!)
Hi Jim
very interesting How can I get the 3 previous ones in the Archives ? are tehy open to everbody ? Thanks for your feed back Theo The archives are reachable through the address below. Search for "fall" "Winter" and "Spring" respectively and you ought to find them. Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Wondering (again!) why, when people can e-mail Aunt Tillie without any problem, they feel BOUND to send a "Test" message to a mailing list. (And wishing they would stopit!) ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Mike Page ++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
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#6
10-06-2003, 04:56 AM
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[IBC] Care Tips for your trees #4 -- Summer (LONG!)
G'day All...
I take the liberty to post these questions because the answers may help others. Jim...great write up. Two questions... First, in your "shade" section, you say: "...summer heat and moisture often causes it (moss) to melt from mold and bacteria..." Is this accurate? If "yes" could you explain what you mean by "melt from mold and bacteria". Second, in your "weeding" section, you say: "...Weeds are the mostly a problem of early summer..." Should "the" be removed? Have a good day. Pat...where, even at 4550' elevation, our temps are running in the mid to high 90s Dez of the Arizona High Dezert, at 4550', Oracle, AZ, 2000' above Tucson Sunset Zone 10 USDA Zone 8 aka: Pat Patterson 'riding off in all directions' |
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#7
10-06-2003, 01:32 PM
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[IBC] Care Tips for your trees #4 -- Summer (LONG!)
G'day All...
I take the liberty to post these questions because the answers may help others. Jim...great write up. Two questions... First, in your "shade" section, you say: "...summer heat and moisture often causes it (moss) to melt from mold and bacteria..." Is this accurate? If "yes" could you explain what you mean by "melt from mold and bacteria". Well, you really have to see it to understand, Pat, and I doubt you have any very lush moss crops out there. But in effect, your moss grows a coating of gray slime and turns to mush. But you need 90-degee-plus heat and 80 percent-plus humidity to attain that artistic effect, and you desert guys die at 30% humidity. Second, in your "weeding" section, you say: "...Weeds are the mostly a problem of early summer..." Should "the" be removed? Of course. Need you have asked? This is why one NEVER should rely on the author for the final edit of anything he or she has worked on for a week or more. He/she KNOWS what is supposed to be there and doesn't see what gets left in from one of the 2,103 earlier edits. Up to an earlier draft (# 2,000, I think) I had that weeds are "one of the major problems of early summer. . ." I later (in draft 2,001) I decided that weeds also can (or may) be a problem in later summer in some areas. I took out "one of" but missed the "the," so it is a relict remainder of that earlier version. It happens. Most folks figure it out. Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - This economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment. - Gaylord Nelson, 1995 ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Mike Page ++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
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#8
27-07-2003, 08:22 AM
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[IBC] Care Tips for your trees #4 -- Summer (LONG!)
Sometimes I wonder which might be the explanation that a shrink might give about
our behaviour with Bonsais Bonsais having some ok is an hobby having many is a passion , and it is still reasonable but feeling this craving of taking home whatever might be gnarled enogh to look an *old * speciment to the point of taking the risk to be fined or arrested or destroy the desired piece because of a badly or done in a hurry collecting is something I wish I could have eaplained .. and this is all over teh world problem I follow sometimes in a french site and people had bought carts and levers and all a stuff to remove logs of over 200 llbs or more it is amazing indeed ! Theo Jim Lewis wrote: This is the fourth (and final) installment of the annual cycle of bonsai care tips I have prepared. The others - fall, winter, and spring - can be found in our archives. ================================================== =============== ========== Caring for Your Bonsai Over the Long, Hot Summer Ahh, Summertime . . . and the livin' is easy. But wait. You've got all those bonsai to take care of. The bonsai are growin', and the bugs keep eatin' -- while you desperately plan for that hard-earned, two-week vacation. Whew! Maybe the livin's really not that easy. So, what to do . . . ? Let's start with the bonsai are growin' . . . which leads us directly to managing that new growth to keep your trees under control. Pinching and pruning -- Candles are lengthening on your pines. New growth on your junipers is a bright green. Your maples are getting leggy and if you don't get busy, the internodes will be two inches apart. Your Chinese elms look like that Kia Pet you had when you were 10 years old. Since you did most of your major seasonal shaping when you repotted in the spring, summer chores in the pinching and pruning department are aimed at refinement of the basic shape. But, be sure you rotate your trees a quarter turn every week to balance the light reaching various parts of the canopy, or your tree's shape may turn out to be "lopsided style". You've probably already pinched new growth from your conifers at least once in spring. Early summer is the time to get rid of unwanted buds around the tips of the branches, leaving only the buds that guide growth to where you want it. Rapidly growing species will be putting out new growth almost as fast as you can keep up with it. Using your thumb and forefinger, twist off the new clumps of needles you don't want. Be sure to get rid of buds that form beneath a twig. Many of your broadleaved trees desperately will need a general haircut. Generally, you will let perhaps one or two pairs of new leaves remain on each branch -- except where you might want a branch to extend. In late June (and again in mid-to-late July if you have a long growing season) you might think about complete defoliation of your mature broadleaved trees that are growing strongly (NOT those that were repotted this spring) to help develop smaller leaves and, incidentally, improved ramification. Defoliation seems to work best with trees whose leaves have longish petioles (stems). Leave at least half of the petiole attached to the tree. Early summer is also when you do some fairly hard pruning on Satsuki azaleas and other spring-blooming bonsai. You will get no vacation in THIS part of summertime. Fertilizing -- It seems a bit strange while you're busy taking OFF new growth to think of fertilizing your trees on any kind of a schedule. (That's why I NEVER fertilize my lawn; it just needs mowing that much more often.) But a tree's growth takes energy and regular application of fertilizer to our relatively sterile bonsai soils helps your tree meet its energy needs. For most trees, a more-or-less balanced (in terms of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium -- NPK) fertilizer will be satisfactory. Newly potted or young trees that you're still growing on probably would appreciate a weekly application. Established trees will be just as happy with an every-2- weeks application, and your oldest trees can get along with a dose of nutrients once a month. Some growers recommend less N as summer comes to an end, especially for flowering trees. I'm not at all sure that it matters, so long as there is plenty of P and K available for the tree to use. Micronutrients -- zinc, magnesium, manganese, iron, and others -- are necessary minerals for healthy trees. Your most-used fertilizer should contain a full range of micronutrients. In late summer, you might begin to supplement your fertilize with a bit of Epsom salts (about one teaspoon per gallon) for an extra shot of magnesium. Fertilize at label strength; there's no need to go half strength as many books recommend, but do not over fertilize. Organic fertilizers, such as fish emulsion, blood meal, or bone meal, tend to stick around on our mostly inorganic soils a bit longer. However, most organic fertilizers lack a full complement of micronutrients. An increasing number of growers are using timed-release fertilizers mixed into the soil at spring repotting, then scattered over the soil surface once or twice during the summer. I prefer a bit more control over when my trees get their doses of nutrients, but it probably doesn't matter. Growers tend to make fertilization more mysterious than it is. Watering and the Trials of Summer Heat -- It gets hot in the summer. The sun is high and it beats down upon your bonsai tables. The combination of wind, sun and fast growth sucks moisture from your bonsai pots. Some trees -- Japanese maples are the most notorious -- can suffer severe leaf scorch from hot sun and wind. This means you MUST keep a close eye on your trees. With almost no exceptions, barring a rainy day, your trees will need to be watered at LEAST once a day. Shohin and mame bonsai may need water 2-3 times a day in the hottest, driest part of mid and late summer. But only a close watch over, and intimate knowledge of, your trees' needs will determine your watering schedule. I use an automatic watering system that goes on once a day in late afternoon. In the morning, I use a misting attachment on my hose and give individual trees a good soaking if they need it. Some trees -- Wisteria and bald cypress come to mind -- thrive in a shallow pan of water during the hottest parts of summer. A few drops of vegetable oil in the pan keep the mosquito population in check. On the other hand, some trees like to dry out -- such as Texas ebony and other arid-land acacia relatives. If you have a summer rainy season that sometimes can be difficult. Bougainvillea and juniper are somewhere in between and must be watched carefully so they don't get TOO dry. I do not include any of these trees in my normal automatic watering cycle. Shade -- provided by "big" trees, a lathe screen, or shade cloth -- may be necessary for some species of tree. In North America's deep south and the arid southwest it will be a requirement for ALL trees. Summer sun beating down on dark-colored pots and dark soil can raise soil temperatures -- especially in moist soil -- to dangerous levels. Pots can actually become too hot to touch for any length of time. Many of your trees will appreciate being moved into larger-than-normal (for display purposes) pots for the dog days of summer. While moss can help keep a pot cool, summer heat and moisture often causes it to "melt" from mold and bacteria. So-called sun-loving trees almost always will do better with sun in the first half of the day and a bit of shade in the afternoon. Some growers wrap pots in aluminum foil to reflect sunlight and heat. This can be dazzling on a sunny day. It also makes watering more difficult. Repotting -- Summer is NOT the time to repot most trees. True tropicals may be an exception. Trees such as buttonwood and some of the Ficus species prefer to be repotted during the hottest period of the year -- or so I'm told. Consult an expert on tropical plants before you repot anything in July or August. There always is the odd emergency repot -- after root rot, or following a squirrel's depredations. Do it quickly. Disturb as few roots as possible (being certain that all rotten roots are removed), move the tree to the ground or a slightly larger pot, keep it in the shade for the remainder of the summer, and water sparingly. In warmer areas, trees often go into a late-summer dormancy around mid August to early September. Trees CAN be repotted during this narrow window of time, but it still is dangerous because of the summer heat. Repotted trees should stay in the shade for the remainder of the growing season. It is always best to wait to report in late winter or early spring. Weeding -- Weeds are the mostly a problem of early summer. Pull them as soon as you see them. Weeds are yet another reason to examine each tree and pot at least once every day. "Weedlets" are more easily removed than a weed whose roots have permeated the pot and intertwined with the tree's roots. Large weeds steal nutrients and water from the tree. Keep moss trimmed and in most species of tree, away from tree trunks. Moss can help keep roots moist. It also can rot the bark on some trees if allowed to accumulate. It also can block the penetration of water and fertilizer to the soil, so wet the moss thoroughly before you fertilize. Wiring - In summer, keep a close eye on trees that are wired. Especially in early summer, trees are growing rapidly and wire can dig into the bark almost overnight. Azalea are wired in early summer. Other trees may be wired in mid to late summer after most of the spring pinching is done. Pests -- In early summer, the overwintering critters are busiest -- including a few caterpillars (webworm, etc.) White fly, scale and aphid begin to show up early in the warm season, but reach their peak after July. These last pests bring on the related nuisances, honeydew and sooty mold. Wipe both off leaves. Stink bugs can appear almost anywhere at any time in the summer, but they are hit-and-run sucking pests and seldom cause much damage on bonsai. Later in summer, azalea caterpillars, army worms, tent caterpillars, and inch worms will be munching on many leaves. Don't automatically massacre caterpillars. They turn into moths and butterflies which are very important pollinators. Move them somewhere else. (EXCEPTIONS: army worms, tent caterpillars, azalea caterpillars.) Slugs can be a problem if tables and display areas are continuously wet. The Japanese beetle is a problem in some areas. In the south, the tiny shotgun beetle is about the only beetle that bothers bonsai. (How do you know what is chewing on your leaves? You have caterpillars if the munching starts at the leaf edge and moves inward; you have beetles or slugs if there are holes in the leaves.) There are "good bugs." Lady beetles, praying mantis, assassin bugs, any beetle with large grasping pincers, and others are one of your best defenses against insects on your trees. Other bugs are neutral. Centipedes and millipedes are no problem to trees; neither are pill and sowbugs. Earthworms also won't hurt trees, but seem to appear in organic bonsai soil by spontaneous generation. Worm casts can cause clogging of soil if worms are abundant. Submerge your pot in water up to the soil surface for a few hours to rid the soil of earth worms. Toss the worms into your garden Soaps and summer oils can control most sucking insects. (If you use an oil spray, keep trees out of the sun for several days, and do not use soaps on maples!) Pyrethrum sprays work on just about everything, but spray in late evening. Most pests eat at night and an evening spray is less likely to affect bees and other pollinators. A jet of water helps with aphids, spider mites, and whiteflies. Use yellow sticky traps for whiteflies. A saucer of beer (please use LITE beer) works on slugs and snails. Use pesticides ONLY when you are severely infested! And know your bugs. Many good bugs resemble bad bugs. Leaf spots and other plant diseases -- In the heat and humidity of late summer, expect to see odd spots appear on the leaves of your trees. Almost none of these will be fatal to otherwise healthy trees. However, if you grow apples, pears, firethorn (Pyracantha) and junipers, you may discover an infection of cedar apple rust. There is no spray that will eliminate (or even control) this in the summer. Remove and destroy (burn or toss in the garbage) infected leaves on the apples and pears. Remove and destroy any of the jelly-like growths that may appear on your junipers. A copper fungicide applied in the early spring MAY help prevent infection next summer. But don't bet on it. Pear, Chinese Quince, and Pyracantha also may get a bacterial black spot on their leaves. Again, remove and destroy the leaves. Again, a copper spray MAY help. But picking and destroying the infected leaves is the best approach. By September, leaves are simply getting old. Just as we elderly people get "liver spots" on our hands, tree leaves become blotched and worn out looking. You (and they) just have to live with it. In warmer areas of the country, most Japanese maple leaves look as if they've been through a war by late September. They should still turn color in the fall. To be able to identify the pests and diseases that might affect your trees, you should own the "Ortho Home Gardener's Problem Solver." It is available as a book and as a CD for your computer. Southern Living Magazine also has its excellent "Garden Problem Solver." Sunset Magazine has the smaller, cheaper, and less comprehensive "Garden Pests and Diseases" which is useful. Check also with your state forestry department. Caring for deadwood -- Summertime is the best time to apply lime sulfur for that weathered look on pines. junipers, other conifers, and the few broadleaved trees that are suited for whitened deadwood. And Finally, Vacations -- You should consider an automatic watering system. It goes against most recommendations I've seen, but I recommend battery-operated timers. BUY BATTERIES JUST BEFORE YOU LEAVE FOR VACATION and your trees will not be harmed by those common summer power outages and spikes that can "re-program" (read: ZAP!) a timer connected to your home wiring. Another option is to plant your trees in the ground -- either pot and all or after lifting them from their pots. Put them in the ground in light shade. Your trees then will have the entire reservoir of the ground to work with. Again, however, an automatic watering system (perhaps for your lawn, set for perhaps every third day) is helpful. Friends and family also can water your trees while you are gone. However, long experience indicates there is a certain lack of reliability in even close friends and family if they are not bonsai growers themselves -- or at least dedicated gardeners. Someone from your bonsai club may have a summer "business" set up to care for members' trees. Ask. And, you might find a local nursery that will take care of your trees -- for a fee. In late summer, it's time to start thinking about how you're going to over winter your tender trees. See the first article in this series. It and the others are in our archives. Jim Lewis ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Mike Page ++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ -- Think like an Alien and visit your own Planet Theo http://www.byjoke.com/ |
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