Tree Tips
May 2025
Thank You for a Successful Cherry Blossom Festival
We just completed the Cherry Blossom Festival, and I want to thank everyone who contributed their time, trees, and enthusiasm to the event. I worked on three large boxwoods and spoke with many interested potential bonsai enthusiasts. We had two full sheets of signups and hope most will make it to our meeting on Thursday.
I also want to thank Drew Tucker for picking up and storing our backdrops, tables, and other show necessities at his warehouse. Additionally, thanks to Gerry and Cort Fields for housing them at their home for years. There are so many ways that members can help the club, and these members really stepped up. Bravo!
Preparing for the Growing Season
The days are getting longer and warmer, and the sun angle has been increasing, so we need to get into watering mode now, as the growing season is in full swing. My shade cloth is up and operating!
May is a big time in bonsai. For all but the refined trees, we want to wire the first few inches of the new shoots once they have hardened off. This is the area we will cut back to in the fall. This is the beginning or continuation of ramification for the branches, which will pay big dividends later on if we do the work now. Don’t cut back and pinch these shoots yet. (The exception is if the longest shoots extend beyond where you want them; pinch the terminal shoot but not the inner shoots behind it. We need those to fill our branches with secondary and tertiary branches and twigs.) This will help thicken and set the movement of the branch. Watch the wire to ensure it doesn’t cut in. You may need to remove the wire and rewire with a larger size to maintain the shape. If you didn’t cut back to where you need the branch to start, do so now, and then when a new shoot appears and hardens, wire it and follow the above procedure.
For trees that have the shape you want, let the shoot extend to four or five leaves and then cut back to about two. When there are shoots extended, cut back beyond the beginning of the shoot and into the woody branch, and wire any new shoots that emerge into the new branch tips. Many times we need to do this to regain control of taper.
On developing trees that need thickening of the trunk or branches, loosely wire and shape the beginning of the branch and let the tips grow freely. This should give you a section of branch that you can cut back later, which will have shape and girth. But watch out for the wire digging in; it may only take a matter of weeks for this to happen.
Black Pine: Don’t worry about overly long candles. We will cut the candles from the end of this month through June, depending on when the needles extend about half an inch and pull away from their sheaths. Feed up to the time you cut the candles.
White Pine: Pinch off all but four sets of needles on healthy, succulent candles, and leave them intact on weaker ones. We will not cut the candles entirely off as we do with Black Pines.
Spruces, Cedars, Redwoods, and the Like: Pinch off two-thirds of the succulent new shoot as it emerges using the fleshy parts of your fingertips (not your nails).
Azaleas: If you wish to enjoy the flowers, wait until about three-quarters of the blooms have finished before stripping all the buds off and cutting back to two shoots and two leaves.
I have noticed that sometimes on the same branch, there are shoots with short internodes and some with longer internodes. If the shorter ones don’t extend, don’t bother to pinch them. But if they are elongating, do pinch them short. Shoots are elastic. The buds contain all the new leaves when they first push out, but as they grow into a shoot, the internodal distances between the leaves stretch out like a rubber band. Before the internodes get too long, you can pinch them. This will stop the elongation process and start the hardening process of lignification (wood formation). After they have elongated, they form wood and can no longer be pinched; they must be cut with scissors.
Pest and Weed Management Strategies
This is a critical time for pest and weed control, so be prepared to battle everything from aphids to snails, and dandelions to oxalis. Spray and bait for those critters. I would suggest something with Merit (imidacloprid) in it, like Bayer’s 12 Month Tree and Shrub or Bayer’s Merit 0.5g granular insecticide. While pinching, examine your tree for any signs of stress, disease, or insects. Remember to look on the underside of the leaves, as many sneaky pests hide there. Mealybugs, spider mites, moths, and beetles—a small number of bugs can wreak havoc and ruin the foliage before you know it. Scale, aphids, beetles, etc., are best dealt with now before they burrow in and suck your tree dry. When watering, spray from the bottom and all around the tree to wash away as many pests as possible. Pick off those that are stubborn. If you still see signs of their presence, spray with a solution of Malathion®. On healthy trees in pots, fertilize continuously with organic fertilizers like Dr. Earth 5-5-5, with an intermittent shot of Dyna-Grow, Miracle-Gro, or some other water-soluble, full-spectrum fertilizer. 🌳
