WHAT TO DO IN FEBRUARY

Final Notice - Get Ready For Spring!!

The official date of Spring is March 21 - the date when we start to take our bonsai out of winter storage, and to gradually introduce them to our display areas. But, you have to be very careful if your bonsai start to leaf out in February or early March. Sometimes your bonsai are in full leaf in early spring, and then we have a sudden cold snap. The cold will kill not only the new leaf growth, but also the tender new root growth. Many bonsai are lost by such a sudden change in temperature.

If your bonsai are in leaf and we have a sudden cold snap, make sure your trees are protected. If the forecast is for just a light frost, a tarp or plastic sheeting should provide adequate protection. But, if the temperature is expected to plunge into the teens, you should be prepared to bring your trees inside for the evening, even if the calendar date still reads mid-February. Remember, that once a tree breaks dormancy there is no way to reverse the process. (With our mild winter, the possibility of premature leafing this year is very high. The forsythia in my neighborhood bloomed in December! Watch all your garden plants—the overall message may be more important than the appearance of any one plant. The weather for the next week or so is supposed to be relatively mild, which would suggest that many plants may really start budding, blooming and leafing out soon—in the next two weeks, even. And, with March not even here yet, I would hazard a guess that at least one very cold spell in the next six weeks is highly likely—Ed.)

March is a great time to style and wire your evergreens. Think about repotting your trees, perhaps at another angle. Remove bar branches, branches on the inside of a curve, and branches that are too thick especially near the top of the tree. Remove downward growth, growth in the crotches of branches, small yellow foliage, and on pines all needles more than one year old. Start wiring your tree at the lower limbs and gradually work towards the apex..

(Here’s another item to look into. Check your indoor trees for pests. Again, with the mild winter, the little critters will be hungry earlier than ever. I swear that spider mites must spontaneously generate out of thin air. But, check all your indoor plants, not just your bonsai, for signs of infestation. One week of neglect could spell the end for a prized tropical. How to treat infested indoor plants is a topic of great debate , but at least hose them down regularly until you can get them outside and treat them. The ole laundry sink is a good place for that.—Ed)

Wait until next month before rewiring your deciduous trees. However, there are two times a year when you can make major cuts in your deciduous trees without having major problems with bleeding. One time is the day of repotting when root pruning reduces the flow of fluids from the roots. The other time is while trees are still dormant.

Are you ready from spring? Do you have your repotting soils ready? Spring is coming!

-Jim Hagan/Jim Turney