In this video Eric cleans up the logo tree of the Bonsai Society of San Francisco.
00:00:44 – A first look at the tree and some of the history of the tree. Eric discusses how the tree is growing slowly.
00:02:20 – Eric starts to think about how to thin the tree without slowing down the growth. The tree has been growing slower than he wants.
00:03:05 – The tree has been trimmed incorrectly. Eric demonstrates how to remove weak foliage while keeping the stronger tips. Does pulling off old foliage actually help the plant? Eric ponders that hypothesis. The goal of todays work is to enhance the health of the tree, not to style it or make major changes.
00:05:54 – Eric cleans up the bottom of a couple foliage pads as a demonstration of the process. It’s not just interior growth, but weaker and shaded foliage that isn’t going to benefit the tree.
00:07:28 – After and hour or more of thinning, the structure and interior of the tree is much more visible. Eric discusses how the branching is nearing the point where it could be wired.
00:08:36 – Eric discusses minute cypress scale that he is seeing on the tree – how to recognize it and how to treat it. this is an ongoing problem for our area due to their prevalence in the local environment.
00:09:39 – Eric removes the BioGold fertilizer pellets which we’re selling on Bonsaify.com. One of the main benefits is that animals don’t steal it from the trees.
00:10:40 – Eric uses a tweezer and vacuum to remove the top soil to enhance air penetration into the rootball for the winter season.
00:11:20 – Rubbing alcohol (isopropyl) is a good way to kill algae that is growing on the bark. Protect any moss that you want to keep before doing this.
00:12:10 – Spraying the trunk. It will take a day or so for the bark to change color completely. Eric uses a wire brush, and then a wire brush tip on a Foredom tool to clean the dirt and algae off the deadwood portions.
00:13:15 – Cleaning the deadwood is important, it prevents rot as much as treating it with lime sulfur.
00:14:02 – Eric re-tops the soil using Aoki shohin mix which is too moist for the bottom of a large root ball, but works well on the top.
Eric will drench it with insecticide for the scale (Safari works well) and then add some fertilizer since the winters in SF are mild.
