By We bonsai folk know how important it is to rotate your collection to ensure that sun and air exposure is balanced for growth and development. Today was one of those days I approached the benches with the intent to change locations, turn trees, and clean up trees needing some refinement.
My Daiymo Oak needed more space on the bench and rotation to improve budding on the back side. For me, that means moving trees everywhere to create new space and getting trees up on the top shelves that need more sun exposure. This time of year, not everything gets the blasting sun on it. In my location that blast of heat and light hits in summer and it is very intense. So getting trees in a Spring location helps them develop better before the heat hits.
On the Daiymo and Pepper tree, moss removal was required at their base. That is done by careful use of a toothbrush and chop stick.. Both trees cleaned up well.
The Peruvian Pepper, aka California Pepper, tree needed lots of work. It was lost in a corning during the winter hibernation period. We pulled it up and gave it a look. I was almost ready to put on the sale list but after wiring branches, I have changed my mind. I will get it out in the sun soon to back-bud and develop new branches. In the above photo: the Daiymo is in the center. Beside it (left) sits a shohin Olive to be worked on during a demonstration this month. To the right side is the Brazilian rain tree finally coming back into leaf. In my location is a difficult tree to keep grown. Next winter I will have it under a grow light for 14 hours a day.
The Peruvian Pepper tree is difficult to work with by nature of its fiery hot sap and a growth patter more suited for larger trees. This short powerful stump and I have been working for years to get tighter foliage and and more branching. I have wired the branches with copper wire. I will have to watch it carefully. Scars do not seem to matter to much to this tree but the wire get very got and can cause damage to branches, even to the point of killing them.
artsofjc 