from the blog

How Hard Water Can Limit Plant Growth

How Hard Water Can Limit Plant Growth

June 19, 2026

Do you have white buildup on your faucets? If so, you have hard water, which can cause yellowish foliage, few blooms, and lack of vigor in your bonsai. If you see whitish stains on sinks and leaves, the problem is hard water from dissolved salts. This isn’t table salt, sodium chloride, but rather calcium and […]

“Beavering” A Large Low Branch

“Beavering” A Large Low Branch

June 12, 2026

When I was a kid we lived in Amherst, Massachusetts, and on the weekends would run up to the Berkshires, in the foothills of the Appalachians, to fill a few gallons with fresh spring water. It’s a beautiful wet and wild area. I caught my first brook trout (12”) up there, and saw my first […]

A Deeper Dive Into Decandling

A Deeper Dive Into Decandling

June 5, 2026

It’s Japanese Black Pine decandling time again. Or it might be, depending on where you are. It is where I am, the Pacific Northwest, where we’re finishing up decandling this week. The decandling date will differ according to where you live, which is determined by latitude. Here in Portland, Oregon we cut end of May […]

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