A white, mealy coating forms on young leaves and shoots shortly after budding. The affected leaves stand up steeply, remain bent backwards, curl up and gradually dry out from the edge.

When we want our bonsai to grow as optimally as possible, we use techniques such as lapping and drill grafting. These methods can be used to compensate for undesirable natural developments such as an inharmonious root base or missing trunk branches.

Bonsai trees can not only be bought, but also grown from a seed or a cutting. You can also buy raw material from a tree nursery or “simply” collect them in the wild. Of course, only with the consent of the landowner.

This method can be used for almost all evergreen trees and shrubs, with very good chances of growth; important: the rootstock and scion must be young and vigorous. The method works with all evergreen species such as pine, fir, spruce, juniper, Chamaecyparis etc..

In 2010, we were helping friends to redesign their garden and discovered this yew tree. Unfortunately, it was growing in a very unfavorable place and therefore had to go. It was too good to throw away and it wasn’t particularly good as bonsai starting material either, but we took it anyway because a Taxus baccata “Summergold” is very rare as a bonsai.

In order to be able to shape a blank that was collected as a yamadori or comes from a tree nursery into a bonsai, it is essential to carry out a thorough tree analysis. Of course, you have already checked the characteristics of the blank as a future bonsai before you collected or bought it. The first preliminary analysis is usually based on the trunk movement and branching; if you take a little more time, you will also look at the roots. The pre-selection of the raw plant is a very important factor and you should really take the time to check the selected plant for its suitability for bonsai.

Why is this done? Tanuki is not necessarily a style, but rather a technique to make a bonsai appear older. It involves combining a living plant with a piece of dead wood. The original style is called Sharimiki.

If a bonsai has not been repotted for a long time or if you have just purchased a bonsai, it is usually sitting in compacted or incorrect soil. Compacted soil does not promote root growth and there is no oxygen exchange. Furthermore, the roots start to rot and the first pests appear (see picture below).

It doesn’t matter which pot a bonsai is planted in. In the art of bonsai, the pot and the tree form a unit, just as a frame surrounds a picture. In Japan, a rule of thumb has been established for the size of the bonsai pot.

The term mycorrhiza refers to the direct coexistence of fungi with the roots of higher plants. The essential factor here is the mutual exchange of substances, which takes place for mutual benefit (symbiosis).