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Sun, Oct 15, 06 at 20:58
| Hello,
This is going to be my first winter as a bonsai gardener ( bonsai-ist?? ). I live in SW Florida. Im wondering if there are any special considerations that I have to take in with the plants I have and the zone Im in. I have a black olive, Brazilian Rain Tree, a few Junipers, a Calamondin orange and a handful of ficus. The one juniper I bought a week ago and planted it a few days ago. I know that is way out of season to be doing that but I was thinking this is Florida, the sunshine state and the plant was huge, some new growth so why not. Now the dry season has started to set in, we only had one rain last week and at the same time we had a cold front knocking the humidity and temp way down. With that I should have to water less but since the rain is not coming I should water more. So Im going to stick to my rule of thumb on that if the soil is dry, water it. Growth slows down in winter anyway, so the demand for dihydrogen monoxide is very low, compared to the summer. So with the plants that I have and the zone Im in does the 'normal' pruning, transplanting and reduced fertilizer go the same? I should do my transplanting starting in late spring, pruning when needed during the summer and cut the fertilizer till I see some new growth in the spring? Can I do any of these during the winter? Or should I just start to buy new plants on sale and wait for spring? Thanks a lot people. Is anyone local, to me, a regular in here? I know there was someone from Naples a few months ago. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Hi, as far as the juniper goes, you're right about winter coming, but to a juniper in Fla., it's still pretty summery and I'd be very careful not only about how much you water ('if the soil is dry, water it' is a bit simplistic considering the 1,000's of species out there in so many different climates, etc.), but also what it's planted in. You've been growing tropicals, or semitropicals, in Fla., but a juniper's a very different thing - it needs to be allowed to get more dry than 'wet' between waterings, and the mix should be very fast draining - mostly grit (many diff. kinds avail.), some pine or fir bark bits, and only a little coarse loam - stay far away from peat, it'll kill it by holding water at the roots way too long. It does like full sun. Pruning is normally done for most plants not in summer (except shearing a hedge!) but in late winter (or late fall, once plants have gone dormant). And why make plants sit up and beg for fertilizer in spring - that's when they need it - you can give it to them before they leaf out, as long as it's not overdone. |
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