These notes are meant to be a supplement to and not a replacement to watching the videos. They are based on my prescriptions and understanding which are probably incomplete and may not line with yours. Spelling will be an issue. I watch the video on my Tablet and take the boys on my Phone. My fingers no longer work well enough that using a computer would work.
As the add say, Your Mileage will Vary
Time stamps, when present, in notes are approximate
Bonsai Aftercare: Mirai Lecture Series
Late Spring May 6,2023. (2:28:32)
Even as we talk about the Concepts of Bonsai-Everything goes back to the Balance of Water and Oxygen
• Ultimate Health is created by the Balance of Water and Oxygen
○ Resistance-
§ Heat
§ Cold
§ Draught
§ Wetness
§ Actions of Bonsai
□ Repotting, styling,etc
○ The root system is the Epicenter and the source of our trees immunity
§ We can look at the biological microbial highways and their connections with the indo and ecto environment and how they going out and finding resources and how that connection point with the biology of the root mass starts to create that initiation of the enzymatic reaction that allows a tree to compartilize decay, stop an embolism, respond to a pathogen, insects (6:00)
○ Balance of Water and Oxygen gives us the environment in the shallow aggregate soil system which is closer to hydroponics than consistent horticultural development growth in the tree and nursery industries etc.
○ We are starting to talk about a hydroponic Cultivation that gives us the environment that facilitates and creates the opportunity for root growth to occur (6:30)
§ Roots come before needles
○ It’s how we start to build a tree and how we start to form a system
○ As we expand which season comes first
○ For an established tree fall comes first
○ Spring is a response to the vascular productive that we accumulated on the needle mass that was created over the Spring season on the strength of the vascular energy
§ The vascular productivity in the fall determines the needle mass in Spring (8:11)
□ It has to create resources to sustain plus add. The add happens in the fall
® Stored energy, sugar and starches
® Trunk girth
§ To dictate, determine and drive that growth is the most important thing we do in Bonsai
○ If I don’t have a root to take in that nutrition it doesn’t matter what type of nutrition I supply
○ Roots can be generated in poor soil quality, can be generated in abnormal conditions as long as the Balance of Water and Oxygen is O.K.
○ Mr Kimura always used to say , There is no poor soil on Bonsai, only poor Horticulture that can’t accommodate the characteristics of that soil. (9:55)
○ If you can learn how to establish a Balance of Water and Oxygen in the containerized environment, you are already on your way towards creating the backbone and the system to establish that ultimate health
□ We need more Oxygen,
□ We need control of the water that is held for the tree.
□ We need something binding nutrition that can hold it’s structure.
□ This is what gave rise to Pumice-Lava-Akadama
• We are starting to build an understanding of After Care
○ And how we conduct ourselves to help a tree through processes that we perform in Bonsai for no other reason than to execute and explore the asthetic and contractual implications of that visual representation (11:17)
BALANCE OF WATER AND OXYGEN is your Number One Consideration. Constantly Forever Across Every Consideration, Every Season every Reason, Every Application
Nothing else happens. How do I get a tree to grow more, how do I get a tree to back bud, what do I do when my tree is not doing well. BALANCE OF WATER AND OXYGEN. It is the answer to every question
Nothing else happens in the AfterCare of a tree, Care of a tree, cultivation, design, repotting, nutrition of a tree without a Balance of Water and Oxygen. Nothing else matters
If we do not digest this piece of information then we cannot have this Conversation
It is the most complex aspect of what we do in the cultivation of these tiny trees in a confined environment
We have to consider everything, season, species soil, work in tree, foliar mass ... (13:34)
It is the number one way to be culturing the vascular tissue that supplies, supports and cultivating that supplies supports and creates immunity for all recovery, all response, all progression of the Bonsai Model (14:20)
Root Production Gives Rise to Foliar Mass which Feeds Root Production
How do you prepare your tree for any type of activity-Build the foliar mass
Recover-Leave the foliar mass alone, let it photosynthesyze
If we understand the indications that the energy system is rebuilt and the timing of the year and we can pull that tree back into the Bonsai Model advance it on the Bonsai Journey
Most questions, my leaves are burnt, should I cut, pluck, them all off, prune my tree. My tree is unhealthy should I root and trim all my unhealthy roots. Should I do a major action on the tree the answer is NO. Aftercare is not about doing some action to your tree.
1. Aftercare is About manipulating the environment with intention and a productive thought of heading off the things that can detracct from the acceleration of the health of your tree. (Root growth, foliar production)
2. Vascular productivity is what gives rise to the foliar mass
3. The foliar mass is what captures the suns energy and photosynthesizes and produces sugars and starches that cause the cellular division that gives rise to zylem, pholem that gives rise to terminal buds, more needle mass that gives rise to root growth. Balance of a Water and Oxygen drives this whole process and makes it happen.
a. Without this Balance that last little bit of that sugar and starches that goes down into that root system will never create a root, it will sit at the end of that root and stockpile and stir up and cause abnormal thickening until that initial that root can germinate (17:16)
Factors that go into aftercare
1. Watering
2. Nutrition
3. Temp
4. Season
a. Sun exposure
b. Wind exposure
5. Foliar Mass
6. Species
7. Physiology
8. Then we can determine the Facility
Repotting
• We interfere with the root system far more intimately than any other endeavor in the horticultural model.
○ We are taking off the surface
○ We are invading the Shin
○ We are replacing the soil
○ We are breaking up the fine matted roots that are hydrating that tree
• And I’m the fat instance we are looking at Spring. Spring equals
○ Shorter days
○ Cooler temperatures
○ We might have a piggybacking production of new roots in the white tips we see when we Repot in the Spring theater are the vascular product of the vascular activity that has been taking place with the momentum of the fall season across the Winter we recognize that tree are consistently accumulating, with species specific tolerances, trees start moving those sugar and starches up the trunk after the Winter Solstice
§ The tree starts loading those sugar and starches up the trunk, branches and terminal buds to begin that long migration of that lopsided sugar starch loading in the vacule with limited to no water so that it doesn’t freeze in the colder temperatures
□ Water moves in, delivers the sugars and starches to the tips and low and behold, when we start spending that energy, and we reduce our Winter tolerance, and we start foliar production. We start to recognize that route growth pass the product of the tail end of Fall and over the Winter and the accumulation of these resources and their tissue and all of that abundant storage.
○ I realize that if I spend that energy in Spring, I realize that Spring is all about foliar production, producing those photosynthetic panels
§ When the days are getting longer and the temperatures are getting higher ramping up increasing metabolic activity
• When we look at the kids model in terms of the philosophical justification of this theory. The he tree rings show a minor amount of vascular activity in the Spring and a major amount of vascular activity in the Fall (25:00)
○ This is what shows the identifiable thickening of the tree ring
• What does this mean about try your threshold for success when repotting in the Spring
○ It means you have to save enough roots on the tree to deliver those sugar and starches to the foliar mass and continue to hydrate that is produced upon those roots
○ When we do a repot where
§ we see a tree stop growing
§ foliar production does not exist,
§ foliage is lost
○ These are all physiological indications of your aftercare
§ The tree is telling you I don’t have enough to sustain and add
§ If it is not losing anything it is saying I only have enough to sustain
§ If it starts to lose things, I don’t have enough to sustain
□ To what degree and how do we fix it
□ Only path to recovery, foliar mass providing sugar and starches, providing correct aftercare and Justin till we get to the time of the year where we can create new root mass through the
BALANCE OF WATER AND OXYGEN (26:40)
○ If we don’t understand that this cycle takes place in the fall than we can really misinterpret what is physically happening in the tree that is driving the presence of that productivity and the way we handle that tree afterwards (27:35)
• Post repotting, the most important of aftercare, Balance of Water And Oxygen
○ You have impaired the tree
§ You have taken a system the last had set up a vascular system to support an expansion leaf mass because the tree continually wants to bigger (if your not growing, you’re dying)
§ We know it’s fine to get bigger,
§ We want accept it to get bigger.
§ We want to use the mechanisms of Bonsai to manage, balance and achieve an asthetic result while accepting it must get bigger
• After you have put a tree in a pot, chopsticked it, anchored it in the pot and saturated it and washed out the fines, what is the next step
○ Let it dry out too let the Oxygen back in at
○ Oxygen getting back into that system allows compartmentalization of those
§ Breaks
§ Tears
§ Cuts
§ Scratches
§ And wounds in that root system
○ Compartmentalizarion of the damage creates a callus from the sugars and starches that are starting to be produced because we recognize that by the time we are repotting sugars and starches are simulating the presence of foliar potential as well as phootosynthetic conductivity of that water conductivity that allows us to heal those wounds
○ That first watering (Balance of Water and Oxygen) could be that stimuli for that minimal production of Spring Vascular production of new roots, that helps your tree recover from that repotting (29:29)
• Keeping a repotted tree too wet
• The tree will not produce new roots
• The tree will not compartmentalize cuts breaks years and damage
• The cuts, breaks years and damage will atrophy more
• We have a root system in recession
• What happens with a root mass in recession
○ We start to lose leaves, not enough energy to sustain
○ Establish Balance of Water and Oxygen (38:45)
We also say Repot Aftercare is about changing a condition where the tree is staying to wet or we supplement the trees capacity to compartmentalize and supplement those roots
Good watering
Change the pot angle to remove excess water (75-80 degrees F)
80 degrees best for root growth
90 degrees starts to be to high (shade to cool)
If we can speed up metabolism to drive compartmentalization and encourage root growth we can help that tree
Heat Mat
If a tree doesn’t need bottom heat don’t give it
Pulls energy from foliar mass
If needed can be the best solution
Water Tension Theory-see watering 101
Once you have pushed past the boundary of root reduction that tree has
Find the sweet spot, that line
When you are putting a tree into a small pot you are walking that line (Bonsai asthetics)
After repotting we avoid
1. Intense sun
2. Heavy Wind
a. Foliar Misting stops the evapetation so that the intense amount of tension or on that water chain can be erased
b. This slows down but does not stop the tension
c. Could be the thing that hydrates the foliar mass enough to create enough sugar and starches to compartmentalize the wound and allow that Balance of Water and Oxygen to produce the new roots that allow the tree over normal conditions in time to hydrate itself
d. Misting if understood correctly and applied can have a major effect on a tree on the extreme edge of that line
e. Misting is not done in a continum it is something we can do soon after repotting to ease the tension after severe root trimming to ease the tension
3. How do we know if it doesn’t need Misting
i. Do we have a healthy root Mass
1) Did we leave a portion untouched, not bare rooted
ii. Is the tree stable in the environment
iii. Did not over chopstick
Fine do not mist
Depending, can be less cautious
- The more aggressive we are the more we up the ante of Aftercare post Repot (39:25)
- Most 7-10 days. That is how long it takes for me roots to develop
- Missing can be the thing that destroys a Repot by keeping the soil saturated
Repotting Aftercare of all about limiting the stress and the Rapid Loss Of Water In The Foliar Mass
Any Bonsai practitioner in the Repotting season benefits on the repotting season from the use of a Greenhouse (40:40)
1. To cut the Wind
2. To control the Sun
3. And to reduce the loss of Water after an impediment to the roots after repotting till the tree gets it’s feet back under it
What does it mean to recover from repotting
Start repoting restritions
Buds swelling, stop caring about the Balance of Water and Oxygen. NEVER. (42;10)
Light Repot
1. Buds Elongate
a. Yes
b. Maybe don't need to see buds elongate
Moderate Repot
2. Buds Elongate
a. Move into external environment
i. Maybe. Protection from wind
Severe Repot
3. Buds Elongate
a. Move to external environment
i. No. i and going to wait till they start to open
ii. Wait till see dependent Belle mass
iii. Leaves just beginning to open
AFTERCARE-
1. We need to look at every point of the energy system
2. Every point of the Species Nuance
3. Every point of the severity of the Repor
a. What Repot was it
b. What was done
c. How did we handle it
Then we can start to judge (43:00)
7-10 days good health next step
1. More exposed environment, morning sun
7-10 days for response
1. Move to Sun and wind
7-10 days things get funky
1. I can mist
You can Deduce the Technique and the Action Appropriate for your tree (45:30)
Post repot, when can I fertilize.
Can I do that-NO
IF YOU REALLY WANT TO DESTROY A TREE THAT YOU REPOTTED-FERTILIZE IT
The tree is feeding itself through photosynthesis
Can Kimura fertilize a Black Pine after a repot, Yes
Are you a Bonsai master with 40 years experience in the same environment?
Fertilization does not need to begin post repot until we see the growth of our trees start to harden off
A light application probably late Summer early Fall after Spring Repot
STYLING
definitely season specific
Spring-structural
Big bend
Risking big breaks
Possibly reducing vascular tissue
This is when we need to be very very concrete in our understanding
Peak energy positive before growth
1. Early Spring
2. Early Fall
1) Yes that are structural styled in early Spring far outpace those styled in early Fall
2) Mirai has done bat amount of Structural work in early Fall
1. But then comes Winter
Early Spring I have tissue damage what is the AfterCare
Heat of Summer
Early fall what is the AfterCare
Cold of Winter
What would lead me want to do a structural styling
A tree that is growing with tremendous Vigor
I am going to pull in it’s energy system
I am going to reduce 40-60% of the branches to make the structural decisions that create the space that allows me to set those primary pieces coming off the trunk or maybe even the tree itself
NOT A TREE I REPOTTED (57:20)
It’s a tree that’s been prepared post collection
Nursery stock poured and recovered it strength through the year including Fall. Do next Spring. If it’s still not vigorous wait till the Fall
Make Sure The Energy System is stocked
Technique is constantly being hooked to push these timeframes. If you give yourself a healthy tree that's prepared for the operation, you can fudge on technique and capacity.
This is where a beginner with a healthy tree horticulturally and appropriate timing can get away with a lesser degree of technique
After first watering we need to establishe is the Balance of Water and Oxygen
After removing foliar mass soil will remain wetter
If you are not changing water habits post styling this is why Post Styling AfterCare has already failed
This is why developing multi flush pines mid summer causes damage to Bonsai
Every aspect of success post styling is proactively heading off the issues that come with the season you’re approaching and adjusting you Water and Oxygen Balance in the containerized environment to compensate for that loss of follow mass and draw water through that system
(1:03:30) Ryan discusses in detail concepts on Styling and the issues caused already discussed above. WATCH
We can do a structural styling 6 weeks prior to first anticipated freeze
○ . Allows compartmenalize the damage
○ Allows tree to readjust it’s navigation system in the form is Hormones
○ Larger Foliar Mass you need to protect in the cold don’t allow it to freeze
How do we handle a break (still connected)
We have to apply liquid cut paste
You have a break
Never bend it back
You lose the bend you just made
Cause greater tissues damage
Use liquid cut paste on the entire area followed by parafilm
We want to stop the loss of water from the bark that still exists
That tissue in that constricted space needs support
It will never heal, it will be a break for the rest of the trees life
You have to stop the dehydration of the tissue that still exists so that water can flow to the that foliar mass
Two most important thing to do
1. Seal the break to allow for new cellular division
2. And protect that that vascular tissue that still exists from excessively transpiring so that you give that bud at the tip of the branch the best chance of success
Do not need to mist in the Fall
Broadleaf Deciduous
leaf drop best Time to style
This is the one exception
When we are styling and have a major breakage just prior to m major flush of growth (foliar or vascular), .Since we are working with a tree that is very strong, We can fertilize
In fact in this operation some of AfterCare is to provide supplements nutrition to provide the tree with the philosophical resources to maximize metabolic activity
This is where thinking about supplemental nutrition that feeds cellular productivity could be the next level of AfterCare for post styling for major failures, operations, breaks, tears and reduction of vascular tissue to mend and repair that damage (1:15:41)
Circulation as the major backbone of new cellular production is also one of the things in our Bonsai cultivation that is deficient
How do I repair damage, calcium is s big one
Has to be plant available calcium (see nutrition)
It is not available on d basic alkaline PH
Is available with a sightly more acidic PH
Bio Gold has 13% useable calcium, see nutrition stream for more complete analysis
Is Biogold a good AfterCare solution if you need calcium, yes
DAMAGE (1:18:30)
is a catchall for everything that happened that we did not intend to happen
1? Temperature Damage
High vs low
2. Nutrition
3. Toxicity vs Deficiency
4. Chemical/Mechanical
5. Insects/Disease
1. So many of our responses to dealing with damage is should we trying the damage
1. ABSOLUTELY NOT
2. 99% OF THE TIME FEW EXCEPTIONS
2. Do not touch the tree after it experienced damage. Two exceptions
1. Blows of the bench and your out shatters
i. Put it back in a slightly larger container
ii. Chopstick in the soil
iii. Shelter sun, wind strike Balance of Water and Oxygen
iv. Borer damage
1) You’ve got to go in and find the borer, they will continue to feed
3. Temperature
1. Species tolerance
2. Foolish mass
3. Container size
4. Condition of roots
Obtain ultimate health
Do not subject a weak tree to extreme heart
Do not subject a weak tree to intense cold
Shelter these trees
As always focus on the Balance of Water and Oxygen
4. No nutrition on a super weak tree
Fertilizer is not a fix, it is a supplement to not a solution, can hurt
5. You can not always identify a tree that lacks Ultimate Health
Our of 500 juniper a biological pest control was administered 5 suffered these had an inherent lack of Ultimate Health
There was a root related issue not aware of (1:25:15)
New foliage can occur on damaged branches, Don’t Remove
Solution; Balance of Water and Oxygen
6. If we don't know we have a weak tree and take in damage
1. Change Environment
2. Tilt tree on Angle
3. Apply Silaca as a foliar spray (1:27:15)
i. Silica is a magic spray in Horticulture the way picture dust is a magic solution
ii. No one really knows why it works
1) Silica is the fortifying agent in the plants system
2) Silica cannot be over applied
iii. It can soak up a tremendous amount of toxicity in the foliar mass
iv. It can reinforce the cellular walls that have broken down and degraded
v. It can sustain in needles that were damaged
4. Silica as a backbone of emergency respond is Bonsai related damage is one of the best tools in your arsenal
i. Eden Blue Gold (https://edenbluegold.com/product/blue-gold-silica-omri-listed/)
1) Best as reported by Apical Solutions
Should we mist
Depends
Do we still have life in the foliage
There only way a plant fixes itself is the trough photosynthesis
Misting starts to shut down the stomata and gaseous exchange. Probably not
Could it have prevented the damage
If not destroying the Balance of Water and Oxygen
Probably
How long should we apply
Tool we see new growth (1:31:10)
Nutrition-Toxicity and Deficiency
If we are using a general broad spectrum fertilizer
Miracle Groe, BioGold, Dr Earth …
Some of the nutrition within can become toxic as it builds up
See Nutrition Lecture
If you apply everything all at once, over time, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, trace elements, one of these over the he course of time will build up and become an impediment
You’re ingredients response to knowing what is going on is tested
Mirai used Aplical Soil Solutions
1. Test water
2. soil
3. You will keep records of what was applied and when
One of these three things will be there cause
Mirai found Apical after trying many consultants to be the best
CHEMICAL/MECHANICAL
if you have a Chemical/Mechanical issue flush the system
1. Soil, foliage
2. Establish Balance of Water and Oxygen
Tilt pot on Angle
3. Apply Silica
Get the tree out of the sun, full shade
Remove from wind
Fortify with Silica
Recovery protocol
Exception protocol: nothing stupid Roundup
INSECTS AND DISEASE
Don’t remove damaged folder
Bonsai shirts spray from Horticultural practice
Mostly a Hydroponic environment (7-10% organic)
You do have to test the issue
1. Treat and eradicate the pressure
2. Alter the environment
i. Move it to a different part of the garden
ii. treat the foliar mass to decrease the conditions that allow spider mites to exist
iii. Scale-shift it’s environment change it’s circumstances slightly
3. Adjust Nutrition/Water
4. Have to establish Balance of Oxygen and Water (1:44:50)
Insects and Disease
They are helping the tree
The tree is calling them to relieve it off some type of stress
Insects attracted to high salts
Pathogens to metals
See properties of Akadama in should
Akadama subjected to environmental factors can build up metals
Akadama is the best thing we use at Mirai- AkAdy is the biggest problem at Mirai
Why do we keep using it
Shallow environment, shallow soil column, water retention and necessity, with these old trees inside of that between repotting, it is the only option that will do what it does at that level of asthetic
How do we adress that you've the problem of heavy Salts
Use Silica Calcium, Phosphorus, Carbon
No set regime yet (1:49:20)
Insects are a symptom, disease is a symptom, of a greater issue inside the vascular system inside your tree tree, you have to change the core problem or it will continue to exist XD to
QUESTIONS
• Most of the questions just clarification or expansion on concepts above. If you have the time to listen to the half hour+ then do. I did not have the energy to write up
Mail order tree, start recovery protocol
This is the answer to most questions so far
Tropicals from indoor winter grow lights to Outdoor
Need to grow new Foliar Mass. When you moved them out, minimal amount of even morning sun
Minimal wind
Minimal Sun
Then Recovery Protocol
Existing leaves are an energy suck
(2:02:30)
Some plant and situation specific information
Apicale Soil Solutions testing critical
The grey supply the solutions, Mirai can provide dosage if not one to one of testing done be then (2:25:00)
