Browining of Evergreens in Winter
In Winter many evergreen species such as the Chinese Juniper, Cryptomeria and Yews turn a sickly yellow or brown colour and many inexperienced bonsai people worry themselves silly over this.
But don't panic. This is perfectly normal as all conifers turn thiscolour with the first frost. I call it 'Frost Blush' for want of a better word.

Here is a Chinese Juniper in December which looks a sickly yellow. Nothing wrong with it I can assure you, because this is the effect of frost. By March/April, it will turn bright green again.
If you protect your conifers under shade netting or in an unheated greenhouse, the foliage will remain green, but slight frost will not hurt. In fact frost will harden the tree and make it strong.


Cryptomerias turn reddish brown with the frost and some people like the colour as it is quite attractive.


Japanese Yews also have the habit of turning reddish brown in the Winter when the frost catches the foliage. Look at all these Yews - nothing wrong with them I can assure you. They will turn green again in the Spring.
So just don't panic. All will be well.



Repotting time

February/March and early April are the best months for repotting your bonsai.

Here are a few tips for repotting if you have never done it before -

How do you know when a tree needs repotting?
You have to take the tree out of its pot and see if it is pot bound. Repot only if it is pot bound - if not pot bound - then wait till next year and examine it again. Dont repot just for the sake of repotting.

How frequently should bonsai be reptted?
Younger trees tend to grow more rapidly than older ones and certain species, such as the Maples tend to grow much faster than evergreen ones. The younger trees tend to need repotting once every two to three years while the older ones, once every three to four years - but do check the roots to see if they need it.

When is the best time to repot?
In the UK, the best time is in early Spring ie - from mid February to early April.
With deciduous trees, the optimum time is when the dormant buds are just beginning to swell.

How much root to remove?
Remove about an inch all round the root ball, but not more than 30% of the soil. Dont wash or remove all the soil from the root ball as this can stress the tree un-necessarily.

What soil to use?
A reputable nursery should sell you a decent bonsai compost. Dont rely on garden centre 'bonsai compost'. Most of these are no different from ordinary garden compost. A good bonsai compost should have a good mix of gritting particles to facilitate drainage. We put 20-25% 5mm Akadama in ours along with sand, fine orchid bark and organic material such as co co or peat based compost.

 

About to tacke this massive Trident Maple - one of our very famous bonsai.





We remove only about a couple of inches of the rootball from this large tree.



We put a drainage layer of Hyuga soil, followed by fine Akadama.



It takes half an hour to repot this large tree with three guys! Average size bonsai should only take 10-15 minutes.

If you need any help or advice, just give us a call.
We also have a repotting service - again just ring to arrange an appointment.
If you bought your bonsai from us, we will do it for you for FREE.

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