Bonsai Bruce's Blog

Spam.

Bonsai Bruce — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:33:00 GMT

It's very frustrating to host a small hobbyist site like this sometimes! I admit that my enthusiasm has waned a bit, and that I haven't spent as much time here as I should, but that's no excuse for the HOURS I've just spent removing hundreds...(read more)

2009 Epcot Flower & Garden Festival

Bonsai Bruce — Wed, 06 May 2009 19:46:00 GMT

I attended this year's festival on Sunday, May3rd, 2009. It was 93 degrees, and the sun was a scorcher. I was extremely disappointed by this year's dinky little bonsai exhibit! In previous years there were a number of trees near Japan, and then...(read more)

Vacation!!!

Bonsai Bruce — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 19:47:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Happy New Year!

Bonsai Bruce — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 22:20:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Happy Holidays!

Bonsai Bruce — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 22:31:00 GMT

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,...(read more)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bonsai Bruce — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 16:22:00 GMT

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

Bonsai Birthday

Bonsai Bruce — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 15:50:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Bonsai TV...

Bonsai Bruce — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 17:44:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Bonsai Bruce In The News!

Bonsai Bruce — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 17:17:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Neem Oil and Dinosaurs...

Bonsai Bruce — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 13:22:00 GMT

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...

Bonsai Bruce — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 16:09:00 GMT

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.