AusBonsai

Hello

Some of you may remember this tree from BT forum last year. It has had a pot change since .

Peter

beautiful pete thanks for sharing! gotta get me one.

Top bonsai Peter. The taper is sweet and the tree looks so believable. How do you keep the leaves small?
BB

A truly beautiful bonsai. I am inspired by your work Peter. Thank you for posting for us to view.
I too am interested in how you have reduced the leaf size. Do you defoliate? Liam

Thank you for the feedback,

Liam Taylor wrote:I too am interested in how you have reduced the leaf size. Do you defoliate? Liam

Yes I defoliate this one at least once a year.

Peter

Hi for your defolitation do you remove the whole leaf with the stem or just leave the stem on? Lovely tree
Thanks M

very nice oak peter. i thought about getting one last year but leaf reduction was something i was concerned about.
Good to see the leaf size can be reduced. might add one to my collection yet.

Very nice peter

Mine has not coloured at all yet

marleeney wrote:Hi for your defolitation do you remove the whole leaf with the stem or just leave the stem on? Lovely tree
Thanks M

marleeney, when defoliating you should always leave the stem so as to not damage new buds.
recently at a club demo on oaks, dave the oak man showed us some fairly small leaved oaks. his success defoliating by cutting the large leaves in half. he said this produced smaller leaves. when totally defoliated the leaves come back faster and larger. he does this 3 to 4 times in a growing season. i would also think that pinching out the large terminal buds at the end of the branches, in late autumn when the leaves have fallen, will increase ramification and back budding, which in turn decrease leaf size. oaks love to be fertalized with pellets in summer and enjoy organic mulching (still be mindful of drainage).repotting and collecting they are much happier when done just after the spring growth comes out. while still tender before it hardens off. that makes a small window of oppertunity. dave has been working with oaks a long time and these are some of his findings. he is from bendigo and it can be very hot and dry over there

pete any of this ring true with you what are your experience's?

anttal63 wrote:pete any of this ring true with you what are your experience's?

Yes all of the above.

Peter

I have all but given up on my Oaks. The growth has been very slow in ground or potted up. Maybe I am doing something wrong. I have a very small cascade that did better last season. Maybe Antonio's suggestion of pellet fertiliser is a key. I had heard something about soil acidity being an issue with slow growth.
I still have a couple growing out but have given up expecting much from them

I am lazy when it comes to fertilizing. I fertilize in spring with a liquid and osmacote. Then early summer with dynamic lifter and late summer with osmacote.
Not as much as some growers.
I have enough trouble keeping up with the weeds,family and other things.

Peter

Thank you for your replys and great info. Much appreciated.
Marleeney

A year on.

Peter

Autumn and its glorious colours is what I miss most about Tasmania. Grew up there, now living in the tropics.

Glenda