Clinton's Jobs

October

* Well I hope everyone has enjoyed the Spring thus far. There has certainly been some glorious weather about with relatively mild Spring temperatures, a little bit of wind here and there, and thankfully plenty of rain. Most importantly I hope you had success with your late Winter and Spring flowering Bonsai. You always here mixed reports from people on how successful they were with particular trees. In particular the most regular query I get is “Why doesn't my Wisteria flower?” If I had $1 for every time I've heard that........Anyway, first question I would raise is “Was it grown from a seed or cutting?” If it was struck from a hardwood cutting off a mature flowering plant then there is no reason why it shouldn't flower the following season. If your plant was grown from a seed, then pull a number and please take a seat......In short, who knows? It could be 3,4,5 or up to 10 years before it might flower. By seed it really is luck of the draw. But in general to give your Wisteria the best possible chance to flower I would consider doing the following; 1. Make sure your Wisteria is in as much sun as possible. 2. Wisteria's are very thirsty plants and easily dry out in the Summer so you can almost sit them in a dish of water through the Summer to keep them nice and flush with fluids. 3. Make sure you are using a fertiliser that is high in Phosphorus and Potassium. These elements assist in flower and fruit production in plants, in particular quality, size and abundance. (Now that sounds good!) 4. Don't prune your Wisterias back hard after January. Otherwise you'll be pruning off potential flowering wood. 5. Clasp your hands and look above.......If you follow those 5 things then you've done your bit, now it's time for your Wisteria to conform!

* For those of you who have had success with your Spring flowering plants it's now time to do some tidying up. Spent flowers on Azaleas and Wisterias can be removed. Wisterias can then be pruned back reasonably hard right through to December as they will come out with very vigorous foliage growth. Azaleas can also be trimmed up, and now straight after flowering is an ideal time to re pot them. Don't wait till the last flower comes out to do these procedures. Once the flowering peak of your plants has ceased all flowers should be removed and that way you have all areas of your plant going into consistent growth rather than some branches getting the “jump” on others. Do not remove spent flowers on fruiting trees like Crab Apples and the like. Otherwise there will definitely be no chance of fruit developing. If you let your Crab Apples dry out between or during fruit formation this will be the first thing the plant will drop. So keep up with your watering. Definitely get some fertiliser into all your plants that have just finished flowering to give them a boost to produce some great Spring growth.

* Pruning and watering again is a dominant task of the month. Hopefully you are well and truly on top of your deciduous trees flush of growth and have had some time to tackle some of your Evergreen trees as well. Remember for every time that you have gone back to prune that same tree during the year you have improved the density of branches that it last had. It's this density of branches or what can be called the “ramification” of a tree that makes your Bonsai really look like a tree you see in nature. This won't occur with “Once a year pruning.” It goes without say that you should be keeping up with daily watering of your Bonsai if they are in a full day sun position. Always be wary of exceptionally windy days as the wind can dry out your Bonsai quicker than warm temperatures. Top ups on some of your vulnerable Bonsai may be required.

* By October we receive some consistent warm weather, thus it is an ideal time to get stuck into your Figs. They can be pruned back and re potted all at the same time. Figs really thrive in an open mix so don't hesitate to put in extra quantities of pine bark and even larger pieces that you would normally put in for your other trees. Figs are very tough plants but are prone to rotting if planted in a very fine poor draining mix. The new growth tips should be pinched back and large leaves cut off. If you wish you can even totally defoliate your tree by removing all of the leaves by cutting the petiole which is attached to the base of the leaf in half. As the new leaf emerges it will push the old petiole away and you will have in around six weeks time small glossy new leaves and more in proportion with your tree. It is important to spray with water the milky sap that appears when cutting any part of the tree. If it is left to run down and settle on any part of the tree it can leave an unattractive stain. If you have any really overgrown Figs do not hesitate in cutting them back extremely hard to get the growth closer to the trunk. It is always advised to re pot the tree at the same time and add plenty of fertiliser to the potting mix to give the tree a well and truly fresh start. Finally and most importantly Figs should be kept in the sunniest position you can find for them to get optimum growth and development out of them.

* Finally, I hope you all have been out and about attending the various Garden and Bonsai Shows that have been put on over the past month or so. It is certainly a great resource for ideas and keeps you in touch on what is being grown by other Bonsai enthusiasts. If you want to see more or have been slack and have not been active thus far then come along to the School of Bonsai's Annual Exhibition and Show at Ray Nesci Bonsai Nursery. It is free entry to all and there will be continuous Bonsai demonstrations, quality Bonsai and Suiseki on display and between 11.00am and 1.00pm a Sausage Sizzle taking place. So get active we'd love to see you there!

Clinton Nesci         (Ray Nesci Bonsai Nursary)