In this searing heat bonsai should have some light shade. In our nursery we remove the shadecloth from our shade houses in winter and put them back on from November to early March.

The heat doesn’t affect the top of the tree as much as it damages the roots by heating the pot. Any temperatures over 35 degrees are likely to cause the pot to heat up and damage the roots of the bonsai.

If you can’t provide a tempory shadehouse, there are other measures that can be taken to keep the pots cooler.

A geat solution is to place the bonsai in its pot in a white foam box, then pack sphagnum moss in the space between the bonsai pot and the white box. Don’t forget to mulch the soil surface as well. The sphagnum moss can be kept moist without soaking the roots of the bonsai.

Misting the foliage twice a day is also a great help, but unfortunately not always possible for some of us.

An alternative is to install a sprinkler system, on a timer that comes on twice a day for a few minutes at a time.
The concern here is that the pressure of the water might blow the hose joiners apart and waste water.

If you have rain water tanks or a dam, it is possible that the water pressure won’t be as strong as town water.
The beauty of rain water tanks is that we have separate pumps for them so a simple timer can be placed at the powerpoint and when the power is off the water is also off. If something did blow apart it couldn’t waste very much water as the misters only need to be on for (say) 5 minutes in the morning and again in the afternoon.

As well as warm weather, we in Queensland are getting a lot of rain at present. It really is essential in our climate that we use a fast draining mix. Otherwise we could find our trees dying from root rot.

I hope this helps save some trees. Good luck

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Our minimum and maximum temperatures would average around 7 to 24 degrees in winter. In spring they can be about 10 to 26 and in summer it gets quite hot. During mid summer it is not unusual to experience overnight temperatures as high as 22 and daily maximums average low to mid thirties, although it is not unusual for us to have two or three days a year in the low 40s. Autumn is my favourite time of year, the nights average a pleasant 12 – 15 and the days about 26 degrees. Ours is a temperate to sub-tropical climate with dry winters and wet summers. It is important for readers to note that the Gold Coast is in the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore readers in the Northern Hemisphere will need to add six months to a specific month quoted in the body of the newsletter to correspond with the same climate. I try to refer to seasons as much as possible but I am sure there are times when I forget.

Below is a conversion chart:

MONTH SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE
January Mid Summer Mid Winter
February Late summer Late Winter
March Early Autumn Early Spring
April Mid Autumn Mid Spring
May Late Autumn Late Spring
June Early Winter Early Summer
July Mid Winter Mid Summer
August Late Winter Late Summer
September Early Spring Early Autumn
October Mid Spring Mid Autumn
November Late Spring Late Autumn
December Early Summer Early Winter

Therefore when it is winter in Australia is will be summer in the northern hemisphere.

1. By Appointment

Open by appointment only for sales and service. We are normally closed to the general public through the year and re-open in November and December when we have our stock reduction sales. This coming November and December we will have some big reductions on both plants and bonsai. To check the actual days and hours we will be open please ring 0755 305 425 where a recorded message will have constantly updated times.

2. Repotting / Maintenance

Our repotting/maintenance service which has grown into a very busy business will still be available, call the number below to make arrangements.

Just call 0412 135 030 or email us bonsaiworld@aapt.net.au for further information or an appointment

However on a visit to the AABC Convention in Melbourne a few years ago I heard a speaker say that they put their Melaleucas in shallow trays with no drainage holes. They cut a thin strip off a chamois and place one end under the soil in the tray and the other hangs down to slowly drain water from the tray, but it doesn’t do it anywhere near as quickly as it would if the pot had holes in it. What a great idea.

I came home and immediately transferred one of my Melaleucas to a ‘hole-free’ tray. To tell the truth because the tray is so shallow I didn’t even use the chamois, and the plant is just thriving.

It has been there now for almost over two years which would certainly be long enough to kill it if it couldn’t cope with the copious amounts of water it gets but if you try it, use the chamois for best results. The Melaleuca loves cool, damp feet at all times.

Several of the Australian native species can be grown in trays using this method such as Callistemons. Not only natives, I have also used it on weeping willow, privet, clerodendrum and chinese elm. While these trees aren’t natives, they are all trees that love excess water and infact will shed small branches if they don’t receive enough water through the growing season.

Root-pruning: I never bare root natives, (with the exception of figs), but it is safe to remove large portions of roots. Take care to root-prune between growth periods. In other words, natives have growing cycles of about six weeks. New foliage develops and slowly matures and hardens off, it is when there is no obvious new growth on the plant that it is best to root-prune.

Fertilising: We use large amounts of Dynamic Lifter at about six weekly intervals and Debco 6mth slow release fertiliser. We occasionally give them a drink of Miracle Grow. Never use Superphosphate on natives, it is one sure way to kill them.

Pruning: Trim regularly during the growth phase. You can cut them back into bare wood in autumn. Be cautious if the tree is week as there will be some small amount of die-back.

Wiring: They have good tolerance for wiring, bending and shaping and look good with jins. Don’t bend the branches beyond the horizontal as they may weaken and die.

Soil Mix: Make up a mix using more humus than usual, or add some peat moss. They like a neutral to slightly acidic soil, and as peat is slightly on the acid side and helps retain water it is a good solution for all acid lovers who like moist feet. A word of caution: when using Peat never let the mix become bone dry as it is nigh on impossible to re-wet once it dries out.

Position: They need to be kept in full sun to ensure the flowers develop. The photo below was taken at the GCTBC Inc. Annual show in November 2005. It is an extremely easy tree to care for and is quite hardy providing it is given the two most important things for an Australian Native, eg. Ample water and full sunlight.

Tips to help our bonsai cope in a drought

If the same plant was in the garden there would be no clay pot for the sides to heat up and transfer the heat to the roots, less evaporation and the roots could search further for water, but there are things we can do to help our bonsai cope in a drought:
1. Use some water crystals in the mix

2. Place a layer of sphagnum moss over the surface to slow down evaporation and protect from overheating

3. During a very hot spell fill a box with river sand and bury small bonsai in the sand up to the rim of the pot, water the lot well then place sphagnum moss over the surface to stop dehydration.

4. Move bonsai into a position that gets morning sun and afternoon shade during summer and back to full sun in winter

5. Some bonsai water-lovers can sit in a tray of water, with this method there is less waste than one where the water must be sprayed over the soil until it runs out the holes in the base of the pot. Some of the water lovers are: Melaleucas, Chinese Elms, Swamp Cypress, Privets and Willows (note the latter are no longer permitted in Queensland, Australia

6. Place Hessian over the soil mix, around the trunk of the bonsai, like a bib on a baby, and let it drape over the sides of the pot. It will also help conserve water and when you do water you don’t have to remove the Hessian.

Tip:
Over the years we have noticed that people kill more bonsai due to over-watering than anything else. Think of bonsai like a car, you fill it will petrol and then drive it until it is nearly, BUT not totally empty and it is the same with a bonsai.

The tree’s roots both drink and breathe, so when it is watered it shouldn’t be a tiny sprinkle, it should be watered until the water runs out the holes in the base of the pot and the entire contents of the pot are wet. Then it should not be watered again until it is almost dry but not ‘bone dry’.

This is the bit that confuses most people, they water too soon and keep the plant too wet which can cause root rot, or they water too late and the roots dehydrate, either way, the plant could die. So, like most plants, when they are watered they should get a good deep watering, but then we must resist watering until the soil around their roots is close to dry.

One way to tell if a bonsai needs watering is with a wooden chop stick. Insert it deep into the pot under the root ball, and leave it for thirty seconds, if it comes out moist, there is no need to water, if it comes out dry then water.

Japanese Gardens

I believe that Japanese gardens are a great way to conserve water if people use dry river beds, instead of running water and fish ponds, because water evaporates at a high rate and the ponds need topping up all the time, hence a waste of water. A rock water bowl placed in a cool shady position with a flower floating in it looks the part in a Japanese garden and uses a minimum of water.

Lawns can be dug up and replaced with pebbles, it looks stunning, there is a large range of colours and textures to choose from, and pebbles act as mulch as they protect from direct sun and reduce evaporation, and the owner never has to mow it again!

If people choose their plants wisely and take care where they position them, they can almost give watering a miss. The Jade makes an excellent plant for a Japanese garden as it is easily shaped into a large bonsai with well padded branches. Jade are so drought tolerant they can usually on rainfall, (without additional hand watering) as they store water in their trunk and leaves and slowly use it

The Japanese Pines, both Red and Black are very drought tolerant, providing they have a mulch of pebbles around them and some water crystals in their soil and the Japanese would tell you it isn’t an authentic garden without a black pine. A lot of grasses that are popular today look great, are low maintenance and don’t require a lot of water.

In Japanese gardens use mini mondo grass instead of moss, it will look great and doesn’t need much water. It can be mowed once a year in early spring, and if done in the evening when we expect rain, it won’t show many cut dry ends. It can be planted sparsely as it will thicken quickly during spring and summer.

Japanese Maples, ferns and azaleas are popular for Japanese gardens but they do need a regular water supply so it may be better to give them a miss even though they are beautiful plants, and go for more of the hardy junipers. Juniper Squamata Prostrata is another tough plant and it spreads to about eight feet in eight years.

The Indian Hawthorn is extremely drought resistant and has lovely pink or white flowers, and could be used instead of azaleas in a hot area. A good tip is to take note of what the local council plants in public areas, and copy them; they will be hardy and drought resistant.

The final point in favour of Japanese gardens is that they have rocks, pebbles, lanterns, ornaments as well as plants and they support a ‘less is more’ theory, so a Japanese garden may have only ten plants as opposed to some of the Australian gardens where there could be 50 plants in a similar area.

Chrysanthemums do best in a cool position in the home (18-24C) but need to be near a window with maximum light, but no sun through the glass. Place out of draughts and away from heaters. Don’t place them on top of the T.V.

Water every second day, but spray mist the moss daily. Never let chrysanthemums stand in water.

This plant is an ideal indoor decoration while flowering but after flowering should be placed outside in a warm protected position, trimmed regularly between July and January. Fertilise with Green Jacket slow release fertiliser in June and December.

Any trees root-pruned in autumn should be placed in full sun to ensure enough warmth for roots to regrow.

Take care with natives, if they have new growth wait until it hardens off. This is a good practice with all trees. If you are unsure don’t prune a tree with tender new growth.

Jobs To Be Done:

• Apply superphosphate and potash to wisterias and crab apples
• Fertilise spring flowering/fruiting trees with fertilisers high in potassium.
• Move deciduous trees to full sun now if you haven’t already done so. This ensures better colour of the foliage before it falls. If you live in hot climates, the colour is usually not as good as that of cold areas. You could try watering with a little sugar in the water to enhance colour, also adding iceblocks to the top of the soil in winter may help
• You should have ceased all heavy pruning on azaleas now if you want them to flower in spring. Remember, if they are still under development, ‘never sacrifice shape for flowers’
• Watch that wire doesn’t cut into your trees over the next couple of months as trunks and branches bulk up during autumn. When unwinding wire from a bonsai start from the outer edge of the branches and work towards the trunk. If you try to work from the trunk outwards it can place too much pressure on the thinner parts of the branches and they might snap.

Many of our customers have been asking which bonsai plants and trees would survive with less water, and we have put together some suggestions.

What started out as a simple story researching “water wise” bonsai plants, ended up as a totally misleading article in the local newspaper. Everyone knows that the local press in any town or city likes to be “sensationalist” believing that if they can publish stories that have a little bit of truth, they will sell more copies.

Why let the truth get in the way of a good story?

At Bonsai World, we’ve been inundated with visitors looking for bargains. The telephone has been running hot” with customers concerned about their bonsai trees that are at the nursury for repotting. Where are they going to get their supplies from? What about purchasing more bonsai plants, plant pots and potting equipment.

Be not alarmed, give us a call or send us an email, and we’ll organise a time to catch up with you.

See you soon at Bonsai world in Mudgeeraba