AusBonsai

The weather has been so mild... 19 degrees, that I have done a couple of elms, a native and atwo tridents. I just want to get stuck into the spring repotting and tomorrow IS the 1st of August.

I pruned an elm, swamp cyprus, trident maple and a sapium. Unfortunately my son broke two branches off my jacaranda yesterday. Score: football 5, bonsai nil

EdwardH wrote:I pruned an elm, swamp cyprus, trident maple and a sapium. Unfortunately my son broke two branches off my jacaranda yesterday. Score: football 5, bonsai nil

I have a similar problem, but mine is netballs bouncing off the practice ring we have. No branches broken, but lots of pots knocked off benches and trees ripped out of pots

Oh well that the price of having kids outside playing

kcpoole wrote:

EdwardH wrote:I pruned an elm, swamp cyprus, trident maple and a sapium. Unfortunately my son broke two branches off my jacaranda yesterday. Score: football 5, bonsai nil

I have a similar problem, but mine is netballs bouncing off the practice ring we have. No branches broken, but lots of pots knocked off benches and trees ripped out of pots

Oh well that the price of having kids outside playing

i have an electric fence around where my bonsais are, primarily it's to keep the dogs away from the trees (If they get in there, they eat the trees, don't ask me why, maybe it's a jealousy thing) but I have found that it also works well to keep the kids playing with balls etc, on the other side of the yard, since if the ball goes over the fence, I tell them they have to retrieve it

I'm very interested in this thread, and would like to know if I'm reeading this right? you can repot a chinese elm late spring? after the leaves have come? (they don't lose them here exactly) I'm still doing the dig them all up from the yard debate. (Still haven't heard back from this job hubby has applyed for)

Hi Paddles,

Re dog eating bonsai - many years ago when one of my sons gave away working as a jackaroo he returned home with Boof, his red kelpie working dog. The first night he was in the back yard and dug up all my newly potted trees. I was at that time, and still do today, use a small amount of blood and bone in the potting mix, and that is what attracted Boof. I kindly pointed out to Boof the error of his ways and he never did it again. Boof lived with us for a further 12 years and has now gone to doggy heaven. Just a little story to start the day.................

John T

I don't use blood and bone, and they actually do eat the trees, you find bits of tree all around the yard.. I'm told that zelecova is a fodder tree (They really liked that one) the other ones they seem to eat is quince and box varieties

On the topic of Chinese Elms and root pruning, I've noticed with my new tree, that it has an unsightly root. Am I best to just try and hide it when I repot (i.e. pot it lower in the soil next time), or should I cut it off and if so when's the best season for that?

I repotted and gave a root rpune to my chinese elm about 4 weeks ago. it loved it! It was stating to get leaves pening, and heaps of buds. I didn't give it a huge root prune, cauase it was going into a large pot for growing, but man it's taken off. Branches, buds and leaves everywhere ^_^
My japanese maple took off in a similar way with the same thing. repot into a pig pot, bit of a root prune adn BANG. They are emga healthy!!
But we are having SUPERB weather up here ^_^