Bonsai top dressing – Bonsai Tonight

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It’s customary, for bonsai displayed indoors, to cover the surface of the soil with moss. Moss, however, isn’t always readily available. What can a bonsai artist do? Here are some solutions from the East Bay Bonsai Society’s 50th Anniversary Show.

Top dressing

Moss – nice when you can get it

Top dressing

Scotch moss

Top dressing

Lava rock

Top dressing

Bonsai soil with patches of moss

Top dressing

More moss

Top dressing

Patches of moss with lava

Top dressing

Bonsai soil

Top dressing

Patches of moss, lichen, and fine soil particles

Moss growth accelerates in fall in the Bay Area. It’s around this time of year when Bay Island Bonsai members start scoping out moss collection locations ahead of the January exhibit. If the supply falls short, we’ll be sure to employ some of the above techniques.

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