watching some old forum Q&As i would like to see how the Mirai members used the input from Ryan and execute them. We all can learn to see the progress of threes over time.
So why not reopen the Topics after the stream is online. So those members who are willing to share there work can do it.
So we can find the recommendations to a three and the execution backward and forward…
regards from Germany
Günther
Hey Guenther! That’s an awesome idea. I think reopening the old topics may be confusing for some (I can imagine lots of questions getting posted in the wrong place rather than the most current thread) so it may be best to do this as a separate thread. Feel free to create that thread–I think lots of folks would jump on and you’re right, it’s great to see progress!
Hey Sam. As summer is here how about a stream on heat protection for our trees. Things like which trees are more sensitive, what temperatures we need to start thinking of shade cloth, best type of shade cloth, how long it needs to be up for etc. There is some discrepancy between members about most of this with some panicking when it’s too cool (me!) and others waiting for the temperature to get red hot. Thanks…just an idea.
Hey Keith! We have a short piece of feature content on this - https://live.bonsaimirai.com/library/video/heat-spell-protection - but I’ll see if Ryan would like to add something longer to the docket. Thanks!!
@eve, the label is wrong for this last live Q&A. I believe it’s supposed to be 147. It’s marked 17.
@Bonsai_Bentley thanks for the tip! Much appreciated 
No problem.
My friend and colleague John Wiessinger and I published a piece in the Journal of the American Bonsai Society on effective heat protection (see the link below). Bottom line: after moving to shade, and/or use of shade cloth, and/or frequent watering, covering the soil surface and container with white, cotton t-shirt material is most effective.
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Help with identifying proper water/oxygen balance and horticultural issues like under/over watering, too much/not enough sun, wind damage, etc. I can’t refine them if I can’t keep them alive. LOL
Hi Brian, thank you for the info. Would the temperatures not be affected with a trees in the pots? Does it make a difference in temperatures when the tree hasn’t been repotted for a number off years versus a freshly repotted one? Any difference between conifer and deciduous? Just a thought and not trying to be facetious…
Keith,
I think we have to retreat to thought experiments and “common sense” here as you present too many variables to test experimentally. No one wants to fry a tree, even in the name of science.
I am not an expert so take my musings with a grain of salt.
A freshly repotted tree is always going to be more sensitive to stresses like heat compared to one with a full complement of roots. I always try to keep newly repotted trees in shade or part shade for the first month or two after repotting, watching the development of new foliage as one indicator of health. A completely root-bound tree may also be somewhat at risk if water cannot penetrate the dense root mass. The presence of water helps mitigate heat in (at least) two ways, first to provide heat capacity to reduce the temperature rise per unit of heat absorbed just by being present at all, and second, to actually supply the tree with water that can rise from the roots through the foliage to cool via evaporation.
As to deciduous vs conifers, I’m not certain that any generalization is helpful. The bonsai container removes the connection with the infinite heat sink/source of the earth, raising the risk of overheating or freezing the root mass. Individual trees may have natural adaptive responses to the containerized environment (that would rarely be invoked in nature), but one would need vast bonsai experience to isolate which species in which circumstances can tolerate more heat compared to others.
My personal observation is that smaller pots need more protection than larger ones, repotted trees need extra care, and that by the time you see a problem with wilting or burnt foliage it is usually too late.
Best regards,
Brian
Hi Brian, I think my musings may have been too general. Sorry! I merely wondered if you had tried taking temperatures with say for example, two junipers, repotted possibly 1 - 4 yrs apart. Then the same with deciduous but I guess you haven’t otherwise your informative paper would have stated. So I apologise if I upset you in any way.
Ps. Did having moss on the soil make any difference 
Hi Keith,
No, I am absolutely NOT upset! We kept our studies simple in order to reduce the number of variables to account for. Obviously there are more variables that we did not test. We only answered the question: “how can I keep my tree cooler in a brief hotspell without moving it to shade or watering it more frequently, in a simple manner” (i.e. without erecting shade cloth holders, etc.). I believed we reached a definitive conclusion on that narrow question. That is a problem that many of us tend to have, at least not when in a pandemic when we are away at work during the heat of the day.
One of the things I discovered a few years ago is that controlled tests with actual live trees are extremely difficult. In particular, even two trees of the same species, maybe even cuttings off the same parent, will have a natural variation just to random chance on how they develop. This natural variation on nearly identical trees means that dozens or hundreds of trees would be needed for many experiments just to not be fooled by the inherent natural variations from tree to tree. So the proposal that you make to compare a freshly repotted tree with a more mature one, while naively one that makes complete sense, could end up being meaningless with a single pair of trees just due to natural variations.
For the record, my (completely non-expert) belief is that yes, live moss might keep roots cooler for several hours by keeping the root mass wetter by reducing evaporation from the soil. However, that effect may only last for a certain number hours until the moss dries out. Dried moss may in fact worsen heating by adding an insulating layer (reducing convective cooling). The thermodynamics of what happens is almost as complex as the horticulture.
All this is why the first priority is keeping the root mass damp by extra watering during dry/windy periods, and the easiest solution (if one can be present at the start of a hot day) is to move to shade or part-shade. Removing the direct heat source (sunlight) from the situation is most effective.
Best regards,
Brian
Hi Brian, maybe this would be a good subject to pass on to a horticultural college as a paper the students could do. Although it would have to be based on trees in ordinary plant pots, I mean who would be brave enough to lend them their bonsai trees?
I would like to see more on abies. Second and third pinching, post flush pruning and transition development into refinement, not necessarily in that order .
Watching the abies mini stream we are told about dead tips but if we get to third pinching how do we have any buds left to transition back to? If everything grows with equal vigour outside of the silhouette again we have potential for nothing left but dead tips?
@Eve, I love the new timestamp feature in the Forum Q&A and Live Q&A “progress bar”! That’s super awesome. Makes it really easy to jump around.
Hi Brian,
I need your input on all things cherry blossom Kojou-no-maru. Cant get info or lack of info anywhere ( 3 Year Sapling) Not potted yet.
Hi Mirai Team,
Would it be possible to do a stream on fruiting Bonsai and how to develop the fruit? Whether it fruit like the berries on Hawthorne or pyracantha or soft fruit like apples, pear or kaki. I don’t know if there’s a difference!
Thanks again for fantastic Streams!
Dear Mirai Team,
a stream about nursery stock - mugo pine would be magical
And thank you for this awesome platform!
Best,
Florian
I would love love love a stream about Juniperus Communis. It is such a mystery - how to style, how to care for them, and if possible how to collect them. For a good part of Europe it is our only native juniper.