Bonsai Bruce's Blog

Vacation!!!

2007-03-24T20:47:00Z

I'm finally taking a "real" vacation, and heading off to Las Vegas for a week. So anybody registering on the site will have to be patient until I return. April will be spring cleaning month for my bonsai, so I promise to write more and add some new pictures. For those of you who have registered... it would be awfully nice for me to come back from vacation to find some activity in the forums, a comment on a blog or a picture or something. I've been a little frustrated that nobody...(read more)

Happy New Year!

2007-01-02T23:20:00Z

2007 is upon us already... wow! I guess it's true when they say that time goes by faster the older you get!!! I received a beautiful little Serrissa for Christmas from Bonsai Brainiac . I was all excited a few days later when I spotted a bunch of small white flowers... only to find that they belonged to the chives a level lower! Oh well. I'll snap some pictures as soon as I have a chance and post them here. I've decided not to renew my membership in the local bonsai club. Nothing against...(read more)

Happy Holidays!

2006-12-08T23:31:00Z

Well, the holiday season is definitely upon us.... I spent several hours today writing out my Christmas cards! There's just a little over two weeks left before Santa arrives, so the cards need to get out this weekend. I decided to decorate the site, too! If you'll notice on the Home page, I decorated a bonsai for your viewing pleasure. I got the hint from the folks at Bonsai Talk who seem to actually decorate their bonsai and take pictures of them. I guess these must be the same people who...(read more)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-22T17:22:00Z

I just wanted to take a moment and wish everyone a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving!!!...(read more)

Bonsai Birthday

2006-10-31T15:50:00Z

Yesterday was my birthday, and as a special treat, I indulged myself all day long in some of my favorite things... one of which is, of course, bonsai! The last several months have seen me getting a little lazy with my trees... watering as needed, but not doing much (okay... ANYthing) by way of weeding, trimming etc. Yesterday was a wonderful day of communion with my trees, repotting two, trimming several, weeding, taking pictures, etc. It was exhausting, but fun! [For the record, I have several more...(read more)

Bonsai TV...

2006-10-12T18:44:00Z

Yes, you read that right! Well, I guess it's not REALLY television if you have to click a link on a website to see the show, but I was very impressed nonetheless. The site is http://www.bonsaifarm.tv/ - based in Australia - and features all sorts of videos on bonsai care as well as actual shows that they have produced about bonsai. I spent a bit of time this morning enjoying the first two episodes (a visit to the Omiya Bonsai Festival) and was hooked! I sent an email to the site owners asking...(read more)

Bonsai Bruce In The News!

2006-10-06T18:17:00Z

While this is of absolutely NO interest to those of you interested only in bonsai, it may be of passing interest to others! The software used for this site is Community Server, and one of their gurus by the name of Dave Burke is responsible for writing the Daily News about Community Server. Well, it must have been a slow news day or something, because Bonsai Bruce is featured in News of the Day! Here's the link: http://communityserver.org/blogs/dailynews/archive/2006/10/05/551115.aspx...(read more)

Neem Oil and Dinosaurs...

2006-09-26T14:22:00Z

I've been fascinated with the idea of using Neem Oil as an insecticide, having read about it in a few places, and finally ordered some Dyna-Grow Neem Oil, Dyna-Grow Bloom (for the orchids) and Dyna-Grow Grow from a seller on eBay. They recently arrived, and I haven't tried the fertilizers yet, but yesterday I tried the Neem Oil.

Neem Oil is a broad spectrum botanical insecticide, miticide and fungicide treatment derived from the seeds of the neem tree (Azadirachta indica). Neem trees are native to Southeast Asia, and are grown in many countries throughout the world, including India, Burma (Myanmar) and Australia. The neem tree is a botanical relative of mahogany. The best thing about Neem Oil is that it is non-toxic to humans and pets!

The instructions indicate that you should use about a teaspoonful in a quart-sized spray bottle with warm water and two drops of dish soap, and then spray your plants being sure to spray under the leaves as well. Runoff into the soil is a good thing. Yesterday I did that, and sprayed not only the bonsai, but the orchids as well - some are getting very chewed up by something - I suspect the dinosaurs that run rampany around here! They're actually a small lizard - like an anole or gecko or something - with a curly tail, and there's a family that have taken residence in and around the bonsai bench. There's no way of telling the effect on bugs at this point, but there was one advantage, especially with the orchids... the leaves look beautiful with their light coating of oil!

The temperature has dropped, indicating that we're approaching autumn, which means that my trees aren't demanding as much water as during the summer. I need to make some time very soon to do some trimming, and to repot the ficus kingman into a beautiful pot that I purchased some time ago.

Close Calls and Fatalities...

2006-09-11T17:09:00Z

Since this was my first summer as a bonsai hobbyist in the new place, I expected it to be a summer of new experiences, and I was absolutely right!

First of all, that whole Hurricane threat proved to be quite the labor of love. It took lots of work to get my trees, orchids and herbs indoors before the storm was scheduled to hit! And then, of course, they all have to get back outdoors again just as quickly as possible. This is something one really needs to consider before accumulating a number of trees!

Secondly, earlier this summer I found two rather large white bugs on my hackberry. They were on a leaf/branch that I was trimming, and I never thought about them again... until about two days later when the hackberry lost every leaf! The tree looked dead. Did those two bugs kill the tree? Did I trim too much? I don't know. All I know is that for several weeks I had a rather sad looking tree on the bench, totall naked while all her friends were in summer outfits. I am pleased to be able to report that whatever caused the sudden and complete leaf drop, the tree is apparently healthy, as it has come back and is growing new leaves and branches everywhere.

Thirdly, I am saddened to report that the remaining Ilex has gone to the great forest in the sky. It appeared to be doing very well, it's in a location where it gets ample sun, we've had daily rain for weeks... and the other day I went to look, and the whole thing is crunchy brown. While I'd like to think it's an early hibernation, I think the reality is that it just didn't like being out back instead of out front with all the other bonsai. We'll leave it in place and keep watering it, in hopes that it comes back from the dead, but I think it's gone.

Ernie - Part II

2006-08-30T15:16:00Z

Well, Ernie is here... some gusty winds and some rain, but we've seen worse in a normal summer thunderstorm! Schools are closed for the second day, and most businesses have declared it a "snow day." Since we didn't lose power, I think we'll sit around and watch some movies today. Tomorrow, things will be back to Business As Usual.

The herbs, bonsai, and orchids were brought indoors, but I don't think I'll have the time for a photo shoot or a trimming party, as I need to be ready to depart early Friday morning. I'll take the camera on vacation in case there's anything really interesting to share! Looks like the Jazz Fest is a "Go!"

Ernesto...

2006-08-29T12:41:00Z

One of the advantages of living in south Florida is the weather.

One of the disadvantages of living in south Florida is the weather.

Here's the storm track as of this morning:

We have lived here for just over two years, and have already survived three fairly major hurricanes.

But this Ernesto is making me crazy. This coming weekend is Labor Day weekend, and we made plans to take a little vacation trip up to Daytona Beach. They are having their first Jazz Fest featuring Jean Luc Ponty. Since I've never been to that part of the state before, we researched all of the cultural, touristy, and culinary things to do, and made plans to experience what we felt to be the best of the best. And now, Ernesto's roadmap looks surprisingly like ours.

Granted, they never really know where a hurricane is going when it's several days away... but prudence dictates that you prepare. That means making sure you have enough supplies in the event you lose power for a couple of days. Of primary importance is an adequate supply of liquor and ice. In addition, bottled water is important as we have birds to think of.... Of course, any and all vehicles must have a full tank of gasoline (for us, specifically, it means the van needs to be ready to roll in case we have to evacuate with the birds - they won't all fit in the car!). We do live on an island, so a mandatory evacuation is indeed possible. Fresh batteries must be purchased for the battery powered fan, the radio, and flashlilghts, and other electronics need to be charged up so they can be used too! When you're good at this, you can sometimes get through a storm with a certain degree of comfort... we've watched DVD's on a portable DVD player in the middle of a hurricane, with cocktails and a steak dinner by candlelight!

Now, I don't want to ignore the fact that hurricanes can cut a swath of tragedy, death and destruction like Katrina last year did to the New Orleans area, but I do want to point out that folks can get a little carried away. I think the media plays into our fears and makes it worse. Right now, it's another beautiful day in paradise here... blue sky, 84 degrees and sunny - yet schools were closed, there are lines like you wouldn't believe at the gasoline stations and supermarket shelves are being rapidly emptied of things like water and batteries. Let's put it in perspective... at the moment, Ernesto is only a Tropical Storm, with the possibility of turning into a Category 1 hurricane. Amazing.

But even though I don't believe we're in any serious danger from Ernie, we still need to take those basic precautions, which brings me around to the bonsai portion of this rant! When severe weather threatens, it is prudent to protect your trees somehow - I will bring mine indoors. I will be moving them into the garage later today, as well as the bricks and timbers that make up my bonsai bench. We must have water for the bonsai as well, so I'll fill a bathtub in case we lose the water. In addition to the bonsai, we have a number of herbs that need to be brought indoors. This becomes quite the exercise!

However, on the positive side, it's a great opportunity to take a closer look at your trees, and maybe do some trimming or styling while you have them indoors! If I have the time, I may even stage a photo shoot. They love all the attention!

Will I get to the Jazz Fest? Who knows!