BONSAI WEST TIPS FOR MAY

Boston weather, there isn’t anything like it!
We must be the best Bonsai growers in the country, just to be able to put up with the unpredictability!

Everyone is calling the nursery and asking if it's time to put their trees outside yet. The answer is the same every year: “yes, cautiously.”

We need to keep an eagle's eye on the cold, the sun, and the wind. It's definitely too early for our tropicals!
My rule of thumb for all my indoor trees is not to put them out until the nighttime  temperature is consistently over 50 degrees.
This may seem conservative especially after having days in the high 80’s such as last week - but if you have grown bonsai as long as I have you will also remember nights in the 20’s through the middle of May.
If you can manage bringing a few trees in and out you may be safe but there isn’t any advantage to rushing.
Use these next 2 weeks to prune and clean your trees and start fertilizing and check your wired trees for scars. There is plenty to do while waiting for the warmer weather.

Outdoor trees can finally go out now but watch out for too much sun. New leaves and needles are very tender, just like our skin after being indoors all winter and they are very susceptible to sunburn.
You may be wondering why maple trees in the ground do not get their leaves scorched: it is because they are gradually opening up in the sun, unlike your bonsai.
You need to do this gradually. In addition to the sun the wind can do a lot of damage to trees especially freshly transplanted ones.
Once our bonsai have acclimatized over the next few weeks to the outdoors they will be happy as can be to stay there until fall. There is no reason to bring your trees in and out.

Our Winter Boarding customers have been picking their trees up over the last two weeks - now is the perfect time to come get them! We have been fertilizing and spreading them out to give them more room to grow.

Our Bonsai growing season in new England is a lot shorter than that of our friends in the south and California, but it is equally intense. Our days are longer and we are able to accomplish a huge amount if we are ready.
Getting our trees ready for spring consists of mostly heavy pruning and fertilizing and good insect management. May and June are the best two months for root growth and foliage growth so we are watering more and feeding more, and by pruning we trigger budding back that will create thicker branches within the same growing season

The spring is a great time to think about projects, like transplanting, wiring, and restyling.
It's also a great time to come out to the nursery to get inspiration.
We have been busy landscaping again and creating better display gardens for our specimen bonsai .
I particularly like seeing the amazed expressions on our customers faces who haven’t been here in a while or haven’t been here in the summer. Mike and Glen have done an amazing job of transforming this into the special place that it is.

Repotting your trees in Spring:

Spring is the best time to repot most varieties of bonsai and picking the right pot and using a high quality soil is essential.

  Pots

Our spring shipments of Japanese, Chinese, hand thrown and mica pots is in. Glen and I just came back from a pot-buying spree, and handpicked all the pots that just came in - it's our best selection ever!
In fact we have so many boxes that we haven’t found room to display them all.
The Japanese pots are all beautiful, and we have a huge selection, come early to do your pot shopping because finding the perfect pot for your tree is a real treat.

  Wiring

Spring is a great time to do the fine detail wiring and managing new growth with pruning and wiring.
We have all sizes of wire in - and our popular "Get Wired!" workshops are beginning again for the season on April 1st. (If you haven't heard about these workshops, click here.)

Soil

The Bonsai west soil mix is the perfect mix for all your potting needs.
Over the past 25 years we have formulated an excellent bonsai soil that we use for all of our trees- we like to think the proof is in the potting: our trees are always healthy, and we think our soil is the best around.
We also have a new shipment of Akadama and Kanuma soil from Japan at some of the best prices in years.

  Fertilizer

Get a jump on the season and start fertilizing your bonsai now.
We're offering three new products for you to try - we love them!

GREEN DREAM FERTILIZER - try it and within a month you'll be amazed at the performance of your trees!

"I used Green Dream 6:6:6 in the UK for over fifteen years with spectacular results!"
       -- Colin Lewis

Unlike imported organic pellets that persist for months without breaking down, Green Dream is designed to release most of its nutrients over a period of four to six weeks (with the N released sooner than the P or K), giving your trees the nutrients they need when they need it.
Also, unlike those bland innocuous imports, Green Dream is a truly active organic composite: it "smells organic", it grows mold when it rains, it provides nourishment in a readily acceptable form with the help of valuable microorganisms. (Recommended for outdoor use only).


MYCONOX: Mycorrhizal inoculant

Virtually all plants in nature form mycorrhizal relationships with subterranean fungi which benefit them by increasing the plants' ability to gather moisture and nutrients. Research has shown clearly that plants growing with mycorrhiza in the soil grow more strongly, are more resistant to stress and disease, and are more tolerant of drought.
MYCONOX contains the spores of no fewer than fifteen species of mycorrhizal fungus, which guarantees that whatever species you grow, there will be at least one species of fungus that will benefit your bonsai - and your flower or vegetable garden too!
60cc jar contains enough inoculant to treat up to 60 containers.
Contains spores of the following mycorrhizal fungi: (Endomycorrhizal (VAM) spores) Glomus aggregatum, Glomus clarum, Glomus deserticola, Glomus intraradices, Glomus monosporus, Glomus mosseae, Gigaspora margarita, Paraglomus brasilianum. (Ectomycorrhyzal spores) Lacarria laccata, Pisolithus, Rhizopogon amylpogon, Rhizopogon fulvigleba, Rhizopogon rubescens, Rhizopogon villosuli, Scleroderma spp.

Sprinkle one quarter teaspoon over bare roots tips when repotting. Mycorrhizal fungi will colonize roots within four to five weeks.

MICRO TOTAL: Micro Nutrients

Bonsai soil is virtually inert, containing little or no nutrient value. Similarly, most fertilizers contain adequate amounts of the three major nutrients (NPK: nitrogen phosphorus and potassium) but they usually lack the essential micronutrients. Although only needed in minute quantities, micronutrients are indispensable to a tree's well-being. Many of the worrying problems we see in our trees from time to time can be attributed to a deficiency of one or more micronutrient.
MicroTotal contains eight essential chelated micronutrients: Magnesium (Mg), Sulphur (S), Boron (B), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Molebdenum (Mo) and Zinc (Zn), in a formula that is extremely effective when applied as a foliar spray, or can be used as a soil drench during normal watering.

After just one or two applications you should see a marked improvement in your bonsai's appearance and performance.
Safe, non-toxic and economical to use.

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New Arrivals

We have been receiving shipments of trees and supplies weekly.
My buying trip to the West oast was very successful with hundreds of varieties of temperate trees and a huge assortment of black pines, and we also have been getting in our tropicals trees from Florida in anticipation of an early spring.

Our Japanese Maples are looking their best now with their fresh new growth. We are getting in an assortment of larger specimen Japanese maples and pines from Oregon that will be perfect for a Japanese garden.
These are one of a kind trees are very difficult to find in general nurseries and will make an exciting addition to our inventory.

In addition, we just received a container of fine quality pots from China, and our shelves are stocked high.

Spring Open House

Our Open House will be held on the weekend of May 24th and 25th.

As always, we'll celebrate the end of winter with garden tours, free demos, great food and drink, and some fine sales!

Be sure to check back for a schedule of events. Can't wait to see you!

--Michael

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100 Great Rd (2A/119)
Littleton, MA 01460
9 7 8 - 4 8 6 - 3 5 5 6

Summer Hours: Mon - Sat: 10 - 6; Sun: 10 - 5

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