Slowbranch Bonsai practice notes, kept one tree at a time

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AtlasAtlas

Style form glossary

Formal upright 1
Informal upright 1
Slanting 1
Cascade 1
Semi-cascade 1
Literati 1
Windswept 1
Double trunk 1
Clump 1
Exposed root 1
Root over rock 1
Forest planting 1

Calendar5 entries

Seasonal calendar — bonsai work windows by solar term

The seasonal calendar: the dated windows this diary actually works to. Each note names the solar term it hangs on, the season it falls in, and what has to be finished before the window shuts.

冬WinterStructure, deadwood, protection

Lichun — start of spring (around 4 February)

Lichun: the late-winter window that decides the year's structure

In the traditional calendar Lichun marks the start of spring, but on the bench it is still the depths of dormancy — and that is exactly why it is the most productive fortnight of the year for anyone w…

  • Lichun to early March is the year's best structural window for deciduous trees.
  • Work in order: dead and crossing, then vertical shoots, then framework selection, then wiring.

春SpringBud swell to hardened first flush

Jingzhe — awakening of insects (around 5 March)

Jingzhe: the first real inspection of the year

Jingzhe is the point where the growing season becomes visible. Buds have swollen enough to show colour, the first insects are moving, and any damage the winter did becomes obvious. An hour spent inspe…

  • Compare pot weights by hand as the fastest check on drainage and drying.
  • A branch whose buds stay tight while its neighbours swell has a problem below it.

Qingming — clear and bright (around 5 April)

Qingming: the repotting deadline, and what happens if you miss it

By Qingming most temperate deciduous trees are in leaf and the repotting window has closed. Trees repotted after this point do not die immediately — they stall, and the stall costs a season that you n…

  • Finish deciduous repotting by the time the tree is in full leaf; the stall costs a full season.
  • If repotting late, remove only a fifth of the roots and shade the tree for two weeks.

Guyu — grain rain (around 20 April)

Guyu: full feeding begins, and the season's first hard shoot selection

Guyu is when the growing season stops being fragile. Roots are working, the first flush has hardened, and the tree can take a full feed. It is also the moment when the season's shoot selection has to …

  • Ramp to full strength over four weeks; full strength on an unfed tree burns new root tips.
  • Do shoot selection by hand in mid April, keeping outward, evenly spaced, strong shoots.

夏SummerCandle work, wiring checks, shade

Lixia — start of summer (around 5 May)

Lixia: reading pine candles and the beginning of shade management

Lixia is a watching term rather than a doing term. Pine candles are extending and need to be measured every few days so that the June cut lands in the right window; broadleaf trees need shade before t…

  • Measure candles every four days; cut at 4 to 6 cm, not on a calendar date.
  • Remove shoot-moth-damaged candles and destroy them; the larva pupates in the soil.