Trees kept in the ground will not need watering. Trees stored in garages or other areas should be inspected weekly and watered if the soil is dry.

Prepare to use a dormant oil spray on your pines. Most pines have a problem with white scale. A dormancy spray at this time is very effective in controlling scale. The temperature must be above 32 degrees when making the application - be sure to follow directions.

Jerry Stowell in "The Beginner's Guide to American Bonsai" lists the following plants that should be repotted before new buds appear in the spring: gardenia, ilex, hornbeam, ivy, beech, crabapple, cherry, cotoneaster, hawthorn, crepe myrtle, service berry, larch, elm, and Chinese quince. Hardy deciduous trees can be repotted towards the end of February if the root tips are white. After repotting protect your trees from strong winds and hard frosts until the buds begin to open. Don't feed until spring. Check your bonsai tools - oil and sharpen them.

A good soil provides air circulation and moisture retention. The soil must drain well. You do not want a heavy, compact, wet soil. After you have developed your formula, proceed to purchase all the items needed. Prepare enough soil to meet your spring potting and repotting needs. Jose Cueto is a bonsai master, and a long-time friend and instructor of our club. His basic formulas are:

Turface is clay that has been fired at a high temperature, won’t disintegrate, and absorbs water.

Orchid bark are chunks of fir bark that have been sifted to about 1/2 inch size. Granite can be found as chicken grit or you can use course sand in its place. You start with the above formulas. As you gain experience in bonsai you will probably make some adjustments to these basic formulas. Every experienced club member has their own soil that works best for them. But, remember, all good soils have one common element - good drainage. (Editor’s Note:: I swear by turface. I got an 80-lb. Bag from

If you scratch the surface of a live branch you will see a green layer under the outer bark. The green layer is a layer of living, growing and dividing cells. As the cambium layer grows some cells are pushed outward and form the phloem which eventually becomes the bark. The cells that are pushed inward form the xylem. The xylem cells eventually die and become what we know as wood and adds thickness to the trunk. The layers of xylem cells form rings which can be counted to determine the age of the tree.

For all its mass, a tree is both remarkable and delicate. The life and health of a tree depends on these three paper thin layers of tissue - the phloem, cambium, and xylem. These cells lift massive volumes of water from a tree’s roots to its leaves and regulates all of it’s life functions.

The Appalachians lost four billion American chestnut trees in just thirty five years - a quarter of its forests. A blight (Endothelia parasitica) attacked and devoured the cambium of the chestnut. The mortality rate was 100 percent.