Czech Yamadori

Or, perhaps? Back pain from the heavy loads of water. Busy for most of the growth season with scissors and wires. Bloodthirsty any time I spot a blackbird tearing off the well pampered moss from the pot. WHY I do sustain all this? That's why...

Some time ago I wrote about visitors to our pond - a pair of wild ducks.     Our koi liked them quite a lot.  Apparently fascinated by the ducks red legs they chased them around the pod.   And the ducks behaved  nicely.  Very different from this year visit.   Just have a look what has happened this time... Such a nice place. Lets have .. a sex here Yuppee The drake ready to take a nap.  Tired.

We need more chocolate, courage and ramification.  The ranking of the first two items is not that much important. A good chocolate is always good.  It helps to be patient. Courage is a must at the time of important decisions: Cut or leave? Ramification is the result of your courage and patience. Obviously, it will take a lot of chocolate to get there with this blackthorn.   As you may see the thread grafted branch is still fully connected to the feeder.   I believe the connection is ready for the separation nevertheless there is no hurry to do it.  Maybe later this  summer or maybe next spring... See below.   Branch dressed up with blossoms. The colour of freshly developed blossoms is brilliant white.  As the time goes, it will get a yellowish tint

Just kidding.  Showing lack of respect for a famous bonsai amateur.   A shame on my old bald head... The true fact is that looking at the weather fcast for this week I have made a quick conclusion: "The spring is just behind the corner - lets start with the first items from  my project list for this season.  Banzai." Root pruning Trying to reduce the size of a root ball with the main focus on reduction of the taproot and other main nowadays useless structural roots to get more space for hard working fine roots... Projects for this year 1.  Still need to work on a better transition between the "old and new" section.  I think I will let the current leader to have another full season of an unrestricted growth.  Once I am happy with the transition I will replace the current leader with the small side branch ( labeled NEW LEADER ) 2. Need to produce some additional branches on the  left and back side of the tree.   The first thread grafted branch

Malus evereste_Thread grafting A failure of an approach graft from last year = a chance to make it better this time but with a thread graft.  Or better to say an improved method of it.  Tubing. I do like this method more and more.  Less stressful for swelled buds. Not to mention me... The branch inserted into the tube Threaded Please note the position of buds.  Better for healing and good for the lenght of the internodes.   The first bud could be a start of a new branch if necessary The tree has been kept outside till the end of Jan.  Surprisingly nice and mild month with lowest temp just minus 2-3°C.   With the arrival of frost in Feb it has been moved to the frost free storage.  Now its a start of March and it seems that the daily temps will go nicely above freezing point.  So, I guess  the tree will be on the move.   Out for days and In for cold nights.   

What's that? Is it a Spring hammering ice on the river? Or perhaps a woodpecker marking his territory? NO. It is a bonsai enthusiast chopping down some of his elms to get  starters for new shohin sized trees. Little stump Michal Now I will keep both guys in the frost free attics in order to avoid possible frost bites. 

It has become  kind of  a "tradition".  With a winter fighting tooth and nails with the first initial signs of spring in the air I have changed again  from a bonsai grower to a bonsai carrier.   The ones who keep their trees in  frost free zones  know quite well what I am talking about. With temperatures  that are in my frost free  storage  well in the red section of a thermometer for last couple of weeks  most of the trees stored there  show  first signs of a new life... Well,  luckily most of my trees are still sleeping well protected in their winter beds scattered all over our backyard.  Neverthless some of the trees those in my view a bit more vulnerable by harsh winter ( heavy bending, late summer airlayering, special cuttings etc ) are stored in the frost free area. That means only one single simple thing. I should move them out  every  day with  temperatures above zerro and bring them back for frosty nights.  With this damned high pressure system well seated abov