Follow me, and I'll guide you on a detailed photo tour of the recent changes occurring in my backyard hobby bonsai collection.
There has been a lot of work to do recently. As soon as the trees stop growing new leaves, the trees begin to change very quickly by the day.
Leaves are changing color. The air is cooler, and the ground temperature is less warm. Trees are beginning to shut down the production of green chlorophyll, and seem to be storing energy back into the roots.
Important decisions have to be made.
Take for instance these goji berries.
One of them is showing signs of going into dormancy. The old leaves look weak like they want to fall off. No signs of new growth appearing.
Last year these trees were grown indoors. The taller one is actually a cutting of the older one. Should I bring them back indoors, or let them acclimate to the outdoor winter climate?
Bringing them indoors will allow for less stress on the trees to endure. Keeping them outside, if they survive, will allow them to undergo a natural dormancy to store up energy for a better year. Keeping them outside might help them to naturalize into the climate so it can continue to better survive all weather conditions and fight off diseases better.
I've got trees growing in pots, like this Ginkgo tree.
It's clearly never been repotted. It's growing in the same pot full of wood chips and compost from when it was given to me. The soil looks like a wreck, but the tree looks healthy. My only concern is that the soil may be a bit too wet for the winter.
It's a tough decision, but I think I'm going to leave it alone because the tree looks well and it did fine last year. Let's hope the tree roots do not rot in the decomposed wood chips and cause the tree to desiccate.
This month I mostly worked on repotting trees and scratching off the thick layers of moss that were growing on the surface of the soil. The exposed surface roots are then replenished with a new clean soil layer of pumice and lava rocks, and soaked in fresh water.
Many of my pots were overflowing with moss, and it was causing the water to spill over the edges when I water them, instead of allowing the water to go into the soil.
Moss does retain a lot of moisture, which is beneficial to the top feeder roots that thrive in the top inch of the soil. However, moss also does not drain very well. It has a strange ability to shed fresh rainwater off the surface, while retaining the old mucky water underneath. Sunlight and air cannot purify the water concealed by the thick moss. Moss blocks the natural irrigation cycle plants need.
This is not very healthy for some trees because it can block oxygen from reaching the roots, water, and soil. Access to fresh air helps fight off bad bacteria and disease that can rot roots.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. It's a blessing to be able to look after these trees. I have so many now, and I would be hard pressed if anyone asked me to get rid of any of them. Some people do not see any value in the way I spend my time here.
Some people like to own pets after their kids grow up, so they can have someone to share their love with.
My trees are my pets, and I get a little bit jealous when others attempt to look after them, because I enjoy the the activities of watering, pruning, shaping, and getting my hands dirty in the soil.
There isn't a whole lot of colorful leaves in my collection this year, but there are a few.
Namely the pussywillows seem to have the boldest, brightest colors this year. Lots of showy yellow. In a week or two these leaves will be gone.
This one I posed to showcase the brilliance of the yellows. The shape of the trunk and branches are more visible when the leaves are in full color.
And the hydrangea leaves are also putting together an interesting spread of color stains.
The Curly Willows are reminding me how delicate and unpredictable they are. Not ideal candidates for bonsai, because the bark will curl and fall off of branches it no longer needs. Still, it can lead to some interesting tree shapes if the deadwood is preserved. You can get some spooky scars on the trunks as well, which is great for Halloween season coming up this week.
Some of the branches are wrinkling, turning grey, and dying. Other younger, newer branches are greening up.
As far as I know, this is a natural cycle the tree goes through. It has to allow old branches to fall off in order to create space for new green wood to grow. In nature they will live in marshes and near ponds, and if the main tree dies, new shoots will spring up from the old stump or roots. They do not usually grow very super tall, and sometimes develop a weeping shape.
Can you find the apple tree here?
Yes, I recently gave this tree a new pot, new soil, and wired it into a curvy trunk shape. The leaves are becoming a mixture of colors. Plum, red wine, and green.
Below the apple tree seedling, the Trumpet Vine is preparing for Winter in its own way. The stems and leaves have turned yellow, and the base of the vine is becoming woody.
Not sure what will happen, because this the first winter for this plant, but it looks like the entire yellow area is preparing to be discarded from the plant.
The Citrus trees are almost ready to come indoors.
It is really strange that they did not grow new leaves all Summer, but in September they started growing like crazy. Now that the leaves in are full growth production mode, it is a shame they will have to be brought into a the darker indoor area.
Before bringing them indoors, I usually let them spend a few days in the garage where I soak the soil with neem oil to kill off all the bugs inside. After the neem smell goes away, I'll bring them into one of my rooms and cover them with plastic to increase the humidity.
Air indoors can spell death for these trees, as it is very dry, and can cause them quite a bit of stress when moving them suddenly into a new area. Citrus trees grow best in the tropical rainforest regions of the world, so it is important to consider how to replicate these conditions indoors if possible.
The Trident Maple is one of the rare orange leaves in my collection. Maples are more interesting, in that they will have the leaves ripen faster in areas exposed to the full sun, and areas hidden in shadows will stay green.
This is perhaps a good way to re-examine how much sunlight the tree is receiving on a daily basis. If it is full of color early in the fall it is receiving lots of sun energy, and if it is still green late in Autumn, then it probably isn't receiving as much light as it prefers.
That's about it for my tour today.
Tomorrow I'm getting ready for a Halloween event at the grange. It's a ballroom dance costume party, so maybe I'll get some photos of our costumes and decorations to share. I'm planning to dress up as a zombie, and I'm also whipping up a batch of Dirt Pudding to share as a dessert. Should be a fun time.
Photos in this post are all #originalworks by 
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