The Dreaded Vine Weevil

August 29, 2011 | Author: admin

The wine weevil is the number one pest when it comes to bonsai.  This vile beast has the ability to destroy your whole collection!

The signs to look out for are semi-circular holes on the leaves indicating that a weevil has been chewing on them during the night.  They prefer to come out in the night time to feast on the leaves so they can be hard to spot.  The best way to find out if you have any is to keep a check on your leaves for marks.  Spend time looking after your bonsai and you will be able to spot these easily.

However the adult vine weevil might make your bonsai look ugly by chewing on the leaves but it is not the one that will kill them.  They lay eggs in the soil of the pot and their larvae eat the roots of the plant which will lead to their death.  Because they live underground they are impossible to spot which is why it’s important to keep an eye out for the adults.

What can you do to treat them?

If you discover vine weevils or think you can see their marks on the leaves you must spray your whole collection with parasitic nematodes.  These are microscopic worms which will kill the larvae.

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Posted in Diseases + Pests | 1 Comment

Help! The Leaves on my Bonsai are Dry and Crispy

August 29, 2011 | Author: admin

If you find that the leaves have gone dry and crispy on your bonsai the most likely cause is dehydration. The soil has dried out too much at some point and the bonsai has suffered as a result. There are a number of stages of dehydration which you can check for. If the leaves have started wilting but are not crispy it is desperately in need of a drink and you should give it water straight away. This should sort it out and get it looking it’s best again.
If it has not had water for a long time you will find that the leaves are going crispy on certain branches but not all.
Finally the last stage is when all the leaves dry up and go crispy on ALL the branches. Even at this stage your bonsai might be saveable by soaking it in water and pulling off all the leaves to further save moisture.

There are of course other reasons for leaves drying out and going crispy. These could be the lack of a good root system, spending too much time out of it’s pot during summer or diseases. With an indoor tree it could mean that it is placed too close to a radiator.
Whatever the cause the fact is still the same that it has not had enough water.

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Posted in Science, Weather + Seasons | Leave a Comment

Cotoneaster Restyling

August 16, 2011 | Author: admin

Here’s a before and after of a cotoneaster I restyled.  I am extremely happy with the results and I really think it has turned out to be one of the best cotoneaster bonsai I have ever seen.  It’s history as a bonsai goes back at least 10 years and possibly more.  I bought it from a lady who’s husband owned it but had passed away.  Unfortunately she didn’t know how to care for the trees and had to sell them all off.  This particular one seemed to have been neglected for a long time as you can see in the photo.  I found evidence that it had previously been in a shallow pot as there was mesh halfway into the root ball!  I spent a few hours trimming it and moving it to a new pot and this was the result:

It has bushed out a bit more since taking the photo so I will be adding another soon.  They really are great shrubs to use for bonsai as they give a lot of interest.  The bark looks aged and rough quite early on and the leaves are very small.  Add to that the fact that they flower in spring and grow berries late summer they give year round interest!

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Posted in Styling + Pruning | 2 Comments

False Cypress Styling

August 16, 2011 | Author: admin

Heres a before and after of a false cypress (cryptomeria) I bought recently for a little project at the weekend.  I am fairly happy with how it turned out but I think it’s got a long way to go before it’s looking great.  I think I may have worked too quickly on it as some of the needles are turning a bit yellow unfortunately.  Having said that, this variety does turn a golden yellow in the winter so it might be ok, only time will tell.

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Posted in Styling + Pruning | Leave a Comment

Needle Juniper Progression

August 16, 2011 | Author: admin

Heres a before and after of a needle juniper I have been developing.  At the start when I bought it from a garden centre the trunk was horizontal to the ground and needed a lot of work to get it upright.

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