natural remedies

Here is a website that has a list of plant and tree problems (insect and disease) with the natural remedies. instructions on how to make them are also included. It's a great page.
http://www.ghorganics.com/

Fertilization information.

I found this on gardenweb a while back. I thought it was pretty useful information. There seems to be a lot of confusion on fertilizing trees.


> Probably the most important rule about fertilizing is to never feed a tree that is under stress. The causes of stress are many, ranging from over watering or under watering to newly pruned roots or disease. > Once again, it is so very important to know what type of tree your bonsai is.
Different types have specific needs as to the type and frequency of fertilization.
> Many enthusiasts who have some experience think the safest method, with no fuss, is 4 month type of 14-14-14 time release fertilizer, such as Osmocote. This is incorporated right into the potting mix or sprinkled on the surface and worked down into the mix.
> Most broadleaf trees and tropicals can be fed with any general houseplant or garden fertilizer.
> Conifers, azaleas and certain others can benefit from a monthly application of an acidic fertilizer, such as MirAcid.
> Some growers include hormones such as Superthrive in their regimen to stimulate root production.
> Trees should only be fertilized when in periods of active growth. This is generally from midspring through early summer and from late summer to early fall.
> If your summers are extremely hot and your trees are outdoors, do not fertilize until temperatures have moderated and growth has resumed.
> Likewise, do not feed trees in winter when they are either dormant or growth has slowed down.

Here we all are, waiting for hurricane Irene to pass.

juniper

Here is my juniper. It came from Wal-mart this spring.

When I got it, it was too late to do any root work, so I left it in the original pot. As the summer progressed the roots started to clog the drainage holes in the bottom. I knew something had to be done so I slip potted it today.I cut the old pot off and put it into a bigger one with more soil without disturbing the root ball. Since this tree is going to be a cascade I put it in it's new position and added some soil, and watered it. I made sure the roots on the new top of the soil were covered. Next spring I will start the root work and put it in a smaller pot.

Hydrangea cuttings

these are cuttings from my limelight hydrangea. I took them off my hydrangea and liked how they looked, so put them in water for a few weeks, and waited for roots to appear.Then I just put them in pots with free draining soil. I have a bunch of rooted cuttings but these two are my favorite. I can't wait to see how they develop.

eastern redbud

This is an eastern redbud that I got at mardens for $4.00.
These trees make horrible bonsai trees. The branches are brittle and the leaves are huge. It does back bud pretty well.I have trimmed off a bunch of the lower branches and it budded higher up.  the reason I got this tree is for it's flowers. it's one of the first trees to flower.The flowers pop out everywhere, including the trunk.
I got this tree in late spring it was probably too late to re-pot it, but I did. It bounced back pretty well. I didn't disturb too much of the root ball. next spring it's going to get a good root pruning.

Here are a few pictures of what it went through this summer.

willow #2

here is another willow cutting. The only reason I'm posting this is because of the pot. I was given it yesterday. I drilled 2 holes in the bottom, covered them with screen and added my last willow cutting with my version of bonsai soil (30% potting mix,70% napa oil-dry). I like this pot but I don't know how appropriate it is for any of my trees. We'll see.

Rugosa rose #2

here is the second rose that I got this spring. I have let it grow all summer long. All I did was keep it out of the sun for a few weeks and kept it watered. I don't know what I'm going to do with this one. I'll just let it continue to grow and see what happens.

hydrangea

Here is the limelight hydrangea that I chopped back a few times this spring. It's coming along faster than I had expected. I really like this tree. :)

lilac

This is a lilac tree that I got early in the summer. It was dug up and put in a pile of branches for 2 days.there was construction at work and it needed to go, so the workers dug it up and left it. I wasn't sure if it was even going to live.The roots were exposed to the air for days with no water or protection and it was the wrong time of the year for collecting yamadori. I trimmed the top back and put it in a pot with potting soil.It bounced back pretty well, so next year I'm going to split it in to 2 different trees. One for me and one for my front yard. I'm going to keep everything together except for the single trunk on the right.Right now it's a little too tall but that's okay......for now.

individual willow #1.

Here is one of my 6 willow cuttings. I really like this one. It eventually will be raft style. I hope it back buds next spring, because the top the bottom "tree" is too high up.
I clipped the branches on this tree down to the first set of leaves to reduce the internodes a about 3 weeks ago. The tree responded with quick growth.

The "finished length of this tree will be smaller than it is now...I hope.

Staghorn Sumac

Here is a sumac that I got at work last year.
I know it's an invasive species....lets get that out of the way first :)
I wouldn't ever plant this thing in my yard...
I was thinking this tree would be great as a literati, but the bend in the trunk was too severe.

 I looked at  it for a long while this summer trying to decide what to do with this tree....or even if I should keep it.. A few weeks ago I chopped the whole thing down and waited to see what would happen. I didn't have to wait long. It popped out new growth in a week or less. I let it grow for about 10 days, then clipped off most of it's leaves. here's it's progression this year.

Rugosa Rose

This is a Rugosa rose. I took it from a huge patch we had growing out of control in our front yard.We hacked this thing down with giant pruners and chopped the roots with an axe. We weren't gentle by any means.. A few days later I noticed some growth still, so I took this, and another one. It was late in the year, and we had abused the bush, I wasn't even sure either one would live. They both did. Today I was out looking at them...wondering what I was going to do with them.

I decided to wire this one..just for fun. :)
I think the stump might be carved next year, depending on how this looks when I take the wire off in a month or so. I hope it blooms next year. I think pink flowers will add a lot to the shape.

Pine

This is my pine( white I think) . I got it last year as a gift for my brother. He had a few trees and seemed very interested in continuing with bonsai. I didn't know this at the time, but he had killed all of his trees with his enthusiasm.He told me to keep it at my house and he'd pick it up later....he never picked it up.

 It developed a fungal infection this spring. the new needles were turning yellow and falling off. I used a cap full of peroxide and 28 ounces(An old windex bottle) of water. I sprayed the tree once a day for 3 weeks then 3 times a week for another few weeks. Now I just do it every 4 or 5 days. I have to pick a few dying needles of this tree every day...still. Pines recover slowly so I will continue spraying it.

Sourwood.

This is a sourwood tree that I got  for $5.00 in late spring.The whole top of this tree was dead, so I cut it off before I even put it in my truck. It has a nasty bend in the trunk..the whole thing is wrong....but I liked it.  I liked the way this tree looked straight on. The nasty bend wasn't very pronounced that way.

 I wired a new leader that I will let thicken up. I also wired a few branches. It took less than a month for the branches to hold in place. The new leader wire I left on for 6 weeks. It was a little too long. It was starting to scar when I took it off..here are a few pictures of the tree.

Next spring I will do something about the stump sticking out of the side and re-pot it in better soil. Hopefully it will back bud lower down.

Here is the tree unwired getting ready for fall...and winter :(

Willow.

Here is a picture of a willow branch that I rooted in water this summer. I got the "pot" at goodwill cheap(Bottom picture).Its a glazed Terracotta bowl. I drilled 4 holes in the bottom  and planted the willow in a mix of soil and diatomaceous earth( Napa oil dry). This is one of many willows that I rooted this year.
Rooting willow trees is one of the simplest things to do. Cut off a branch ..put it in water..wait until they develop roots(2 or 3 weeks)..put them in a pot. keep that pot in a saucer of water for a few weeks so the roots won't dry out. then take it out and water as normal. Don't let the soil dry out but don't keep it soggy..
These trees grow very fast. They need at least one root pruning a year. They also need almost constant wiring and pruning. They are good trees to experiment on. they aren't recommended for beginners because of the constant care.

 I don't ever expect this tree( or any of my other willows) to ever be amazing. I'm doing this for experience.