Is Summer the worst time to start Bonsai?

[JimmyTheSkip]

I’ve got the bug, definitely got it. But I’m also wondering, is Summer the worst time of year to get started in Bonsai? What do you do on your trees in summer? What should I be doing in summer? I’ve got a couple of maples and am looking around for other plants but I feel like this is the wrong time to be doing much of the “bonsai work” so to speak. Am I right or am I wrong?

[KIRKY]

Summer the season of watering, watering, watering…
Summer bonsai work will depend on the tree species you have chosen. Ficus and Natives will take up most of your time. Repotting, trimming, feeding etc.
Pines will also require decandling, deciduous trees will need to have their spring and summer growth trimmed back.
Weeding your pots will also take up a lot of time too. Weeds complete for nutrients in pots so feed your tree or weeds.
Cheers
Kirky

[shibui]

Apart from watering and regular fertilising I'm spending plenty of time trimming but that's only on the older, well developed trees. Most beginner trees need to grow so pruning and trimming should be once a year or even less but beginners being beginners want to try things so even young trees can be trimmed provided you don't mind if they don't grow and develop much.
Summer is a good time to wire and shape junipers.
Kirky has already mentioned ficus and natives. Also add any other tropical species because we do most of the work on those in the warmer months.

Not sure that Summer is the problem. Probably more the beginner part. Beginners have not yet learned that patience is the key

[JimmyTheSkip]

Not sure that Summer is the problem. Probably more the beginner part. Beginners have not yet learned that patience is the key

This is absolutely right. I don't think Summer is going to change anytime soon. I'm the one that needs to figure out what I should be doing. I guess that will come with time and learning. Should I be fertilizing now? For some reason I got it in my head that I shouldn't be fertilizing in summer?? Not sure if I read it somewhere or just my brain playing tricks on me.

On the positive side, they tell me that watering is the greatest skill, and one of the hardest, to master so I guess I'm getting lots of practice!

[KIRKY]

You wouldn’t normally feed the garden at this time of year however bonsai are watered daily sometimes 2-3 times a day. So regular feeding is required as nutrients get washed out of the pots.
Cheers
Kirky

[shibui]

We need to water smaller pots enough so that water runs right through the root ball and out the drain holes. That leaches nutrients which means the trees soon become deficient in one or more nutrients.
We want older, well developed trees to NOT grow much. Limiting fertilizer is one way to restrict growth but it is easy to go just too far and tree health declines quickly.
Beginners tend to have immature trees that need to grow. To grow the trees need more nutrients so regular fertilizer is essential. Trying to limit nutrients for immature trees just prolongs an already long development timeline.
Fertilizer is a much debated and often misunderstood topic. Thankfully not quite as quick to kill as watering if you don't get it correct.

Watering seems easy - just splash some water on each day? The reality is much more difficult. Not enough water kills trees in small pots in hours. Too much water takes longer to kill but can be just as deadly to some species. Applying water so that it reaches all parts of the root zone is also something that takes time to figure out. In addition, different pots, potting soils and species use water at different rates and water requirements vary according to local conditions so proper watering is indeed a skill to develop.

[JimmyTheSkip]

Any particular fertilizer would you suggest? Someone on another thread suggested slow release, but are all slow releases the same or is there a preferred one used in the bonsai? I have also heard that some people use teabags, I assume they fill empty teabags with fertilizer rather than just having tea in them but would be keen to know what people fill them with.

[legoman_iac]

Tea bags, or small plastic mesh containers, is how some people distribute the fertiliser, to allow a release and to monitor how much is left, good for visibility. I bought empty tea bags to try this but never got around to it.

I just scrape the top soil, then put a small handful, depending on the size of the pot, then cover with soil. I've only fertilised with pellets once before. This technique worked well before, hence why I'm doing it again. I did it a few weeks ago, some trees burtsing with new growth, and bigger leaves. Whoops.

Previously used liquid fert a few times during summer, though it doesn't seem to have as strong a reaction as the pellets. I use lifeForce Gold.

Keen to hear who does this too, who doesn't things to do differently?

[legoman_iac]

I’ve got the bug, definitely got it. But I’m also wondering, is Summer the worst time of year to get started in Bonsai? What do you do on your trees in summer? What should I be doing in summer? I’ve got a couple of maples and am looking around for other plants but I feel like this is the wrong time to be doing much of the “bonsai work” so to speak. Am I right or am I wrong?

To answer the thread title ... "there is no bad time to start bonsai, so long as it is not in the future".

In summer, enjoy the growth ... enjoy watching them, being with them, imagining ways you might trim and style later. Photograph them too!

[Ryceman3]

I think when people start bonsai they are keen to see stuff happen. With that general principle I would say early winter would rank as the “least best” time to start bonsai. Anything worth doing at that time of the year is probably not applicable to the novice other than basic horticultural maintenance. I remember when I started I was intently inspecting my trees multiple times a day with no real idea of what it was I was even looking for. I’d reckon in summer this would be a godsend, the opportunity to pick up a watering can and actually feel like you’re doing something would be great! I think I started in mid spring?
That’s just my initial thoughts, I can’t say I’ve spent much time contemplating this though… I guess everyone will have their own take on it.

[shibui]

Any particular fertilizer would you suggest?

No particular fertilizer.
All fertilizers have nutrients and that's what your trees need. Minor differences in ratios don't matter much.

Liquid fert is immediately available so great to boost growth or when you realise the tree is lacking but also leaches away relatively quickly. Great if you can remember to apply at regular intervals.

Organic fert is slow release. It takes time for microbes, etc to convert the organics to soluble nutrients so nutrients are not available for a few days/weeks but release continues for some weeks. Mostly low amounts of nutrients by volume.

Controlled release fertilizer eg osmocote. Relatively recent innovation coats nutrient in polymer that controls how much is released and over what time frame. Releases nutrients at a relatively stable rate over longer period of time so we don't have to remember to apply so often.

Every manufacturer will try to convince you their product is better/best.
Your plants cannot read the label and do not care. All they want is nutrients and all fert has nutrients.
Most bonsai growers will have favourite fertilizer but relatively few actually understand fertilizer well enough to know why.

[dansai]

What shibui said!

I will add though that most people refer to controlled release fertiliser as slow release. Shibui mentioned osmocote as an example of a controlled release. This, and other controlled release fertilisers are little balls. You can get them where they release over a spefici time frame, like 3 month, 6 month, 9 motnth, etc. I usually put a good amount in my plants I'm growing on in plastic pots and even some in trees in Bonsai pots when I repot. Its important to remember the time frame is not an exact thing. They tend to release more when temperatures are high and moisture is available.

Slow release are things like chicken poo pellets, and there are also chemical slow release too. These generally only last a few weeks. The teabags people use usually contain this type and maybe blood and bone. Blood and bone is a slow release too, though it tends to be a slower release than chicken poo based ferts.

Its also important to note that some Nitrogen gasses off easily from fertilisers so mixing in a controlled release fertiliser into the mix is more efficient than spreading it on top. This also applies to slow release, but they can clog up a potting mix in a small pot. Hence why people place them in tea bags and the little plastic baskets. Easy to remove after a few weeks when most of the goodness has been watered in.

[tgward]

choose a couple of starters now and keep them alive during summer -put them somewhere where you can see them as you walk past them every day- plan what needs to be done as far as growth and styling while reading as much as you can on each species.

[JimmyTheSkip]

To answer the thread title ... "there is no bad time to start bonsai, so long as it is not in the future".

In summer, enjoy the growth ... enjoy watching them, being with them, imagining ways you might trim and style later. Photograph them too!

Very true. I came home today and saw some new shoots on some of the trees and was very happy.

To some of the other points, I’m also learning that on the first 30+ day of summer one of my maples decided that it would let me know it wasn’t happy. I think I’ve been over watering the maples so I was cutting back but then today with the heat I wasn’t sure so I watered it. It’s alive but it’s not looking healthy. I’ll have to keep an eye on it.

I have some osmocote for now but I do like the idea of teabags. Will have to figure out what makes both me and the plants happy. I’m not sure that the wife will appreciate the smell of blood and bone in the backyard just yet… little steps