Bonsai Stuff

Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu We it's official! Summer is just around the corner and being prepared is the best approach to caring for your bonsai during a period of extended extreme heat. Planning now for that time is the only way. I also have a final word on bonsai design and to clarify it's up to you and absolutely no one else. The only real consideration I am concerned with is tree...

Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu So let's talk about defoliation, it's a great technique but needs to be used with extreme caution. I discuss the various types of defoliation, the reason for the timing as well as most importantly, why. And that term Bud Conveyor gets a work out again. What should you do if you lose your bonsai spark? This is really common and happens to us all. I have a f...

Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu I don't like windswept bonsai. It's nothing personal and I want to chat about why. But more importantly I want to propose an alternative. While we manipulate trees to our will, nature is more often than not a great influencer of design and what 'looks right'. So stick with me and hear me out. Also, mid Spring has a few gentle reminders of what mu...

Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu As we head towards the middle of the Spring period, it's time to think about what's next. Planning for what you need to do in 3-4 weeks now allows you to take steps to ensure your bonsai continues to take steps forward. There's nothing worse than getting to a time when you need to take action but have missed the boat because of what you didn't do...

Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu While there are lots of size classifications I prefer small, medium and large for my bonsai. Each size has its benefits but also a down side. Large bonsai always seem to take the chocolates at shows, why? Are they really better? Is bigger better? I have lots of bonsai and lots of various sizes and I want to explain where they are better and worse than each other. An...

Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu Spring has well and truly sprung and with that comes a morning faceful of spider webs as I walk through the yard. Can spiders damage our bonsai? No and yes. I talk about my approach and what they are a trigger for me to do and check. In an age of AI generated information and images, I talk about what we should do to 'keep it real'. Misinformation seems to...

Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu I have been fortunate to travel recently again and this time up to Far North Queensland to Cairns and to Brisbane with a fantastic club called Bimer Bonsai Club. I not only enjoyed myself but learnt quite a lot about growing different species in a completely different environment to what I am used to. I love learning and these trips did not disappoint. Also, now is...

Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu Fertilising your bonsai is a must but how much and how frequent? As there are different stages of development which affect the fertilising of your bonsai so too does the period since the tree was repotted. It is a complex situation and being close to your bonsai is the key. The arrival of Spring comes with a list of responsibilities for us Bonsai Lovers, including g...

Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu Flowers on a prunus variety bonsai are just incredible! And to achieve these flowers I prune them in a very specific way. I discuss the method I use to successful help have my prunus flower yearly. And it's that time again where repotting has finished, the sun is shining and it's time to actively fertilise your bonsai. I chat about fertilising raw stock sp...

Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu Is it wrong to use an automated watering system? You must decide what is best for you and your bonsai. Here's a bit of a chat about living with bonsai. The nebari on your trees is one of the most beautiful features and it is developed over a very long period of time. You must work it and make it happen. When removing either a large branch or root, you must be c...

Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu As the main repotting season comes to a close it is time to reflect upon my learnings. Developing stock and the soil mix you use, does it make a difference? What if you don't repot but are worried, what should you do? There is a procedure you can use the may help. After repotting, there are times you need to be careful and protect your bonsai. I have a few tips...

Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu What started as a laugh and a chat over a meal turned into The Great Olive Dig which included 1600km round trip, some blood loss, loads of laughs and tales as well as some pretty spectacular olives being harvested to become magnificent bonsai in the future. What a weekend it was! Listen in for this adventure before the dig, the dig itself (or the hunt) and after the...

Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu When undertaking significant procedures with your bonsai, planning is the key to success as is the expectation of the outcome. I tell a story about an informal upright juniper that was made into a cascade with some serious bends. In order to improve the structure of your bonsai sometimes you need to take drastic steps and I did recently. I had to hit the reset butto...

Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu Over the years of 'doing' bonsai or more like being obsessed by them, I must say I have had my fair share of 'love related' injuries. From the old finger slice numbers 1, 2 and 3 through to high speed injuries. This podcast has something I think everyone can relate to. I hope you enjoy and more importantly learn from some of these misfortunes......

Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu Why must there be a compromise when it comes to the design of your bonsai? Is it better to live with it or start again? Can you split the difference? Should you? All questions I ask myself and sometimes I ignore my own advice. Australian natives are increasing in popularity and I want to chat about some styling considerations for them... according to me ...not inten...

Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu With bonsai repotting season well under way the pot or container you use for your bonsai is a serious consideration and I have some thoughts on sizing and design of the pot. And when you repot, in order to avoid damage or wasting the tree's resources, you really should securely fasten your bonsai to the pot. There are repercussions if done incorrectly and I run...

Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu With repotting season officially kicking off I want to start with talking about removing old soil and an experience I had recently. Wiring your bonsai to style them takes time and skill and I have a little tip that will help you do it once only. Don't wire light as you'll pay the price. I recently went along to a bonsai demonstration and there was talk abo...

Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu Marcela is seriously one of the nicest bonsai people you will ever meet and her passion for Australian Native trees being used as bonsai is unmatched. I have a chat with her about the Victorian Native Bonsai Club, its inception and growth as well as what it offers to members around the country (and world).  They are also hosting the  10th Symposium on Australian Pla...

Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu When you're pruning it is very common that you will need to make a split decision based on the branching structure you are working through. The angle of the bud is very important as is the strength of the growth but you need to consider what is horticulturally the best choice. And in a world full of noise, it's important that you do you. Look at what'...

Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu When wire is left on too long (and it will be), what is the best way to remove it? I discuss a few tricks and techniques I use which help minimise the damage to your bonsai. Important decisions shouldn't be rushed either, you need to buy yourself some time. I have a range of different things that I do to help take the urgency of the decision away from me and it...

Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu Beauty is such an individual thing and it's fantastic that we all see beauty differently. Imagine how boring it would be if we all thought the same way?? But care and respect needs to be shown as well as some special bonsai love. I chat about a recent post that created a lot of discussion. When you are looking at a serious removal of a part of your bonsai, it&a...

Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu The impact of the trunk on a bonsai cannot be underestimated and there are things  we can do to make them appear more powerful or dynamic. In this podcast I'm talking about height reduction. There are two techniques I use and I discuss the factors you need to consider when using either of them. All of our bonsai have a plan and sometimes they do not develop as...

Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu When you are working with a living form, that changes and grows, sometimes fixing one problem can create a second problem. Having the foresight to pick this up before taking irreversible action can be difficult. Ever heard the saying check twice, cut once? And I discuss a bending technique that I use quite a lot especially at this time of the year. Azaleas are a bea...

Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu While this podcast grew from my current work on a large number of pines, it applies to all work you do on your bonsai regardless of the species. I have made a checklist of things to look out for, how to do certain tasks as well as a mindset I use when working on my pines in this late Autumn/early winter period. And watering at this time of the year can be very trick...

Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu There is one major consideration you must take when working on young stock for the future. I chat about my approach  and offer a few tips to make it a little easier in the long run. Also bonsai isn't always about world class trees being on display, most times it's the mundane tasks we must undertake that really make the difference. Things can and do go wro...