Present From Mickey

[DrSmith]

The digital camera Mickey sent to me has arrived. Of course, it's highly appreciated and very generous on his part. I now have to figure it all out and read the instructions.
I was having major problems with my computer monitor before as my screen was dark, especially when booting up. I now have a new screen and can see images again. I will have to find the plugs for the camera and all will be well.
One more item of news: Last week I went to a bonsai section in the garden centre but they had no ficus. They did have Elms and Serissas but no ficus trees. My ficus have all been doing well so I would like to try more when I can get some.
As for my Elms it still looks pretty bad. I continue to water then and hope they will bud. I do think there is some life still there as I see some of the twigs are not totally hardened. If I can get them back or part of them back they will go outside in future. It will be a matter of building them up outdoors but first I need a few buds.

[mikey012076]

February is the time of the year when Elms lose there leaves indoor, this i found out at a bonsai meeting last night, this happens because it is getting ready for budding and all the energy goes to the buds that start one month latter, most times not all the leaves will fall off you mite have about 70% of them fall and some turn yellow.

[DrSmith]

I messed up with the trees so I owe it to them to be patient. Maybe they will come back. I changed to a far more free-flowing compost so the roots can get oxygen and I try to keep the root base moist. But if they do come back I will always in future allow deciduous trees to properly go dormant. I had them dormant but in a centrally heated home and this goes against nature. It's better to let them go cold and drop all their leaves, I think.
By the way we have a large Japanese Maple in the garden I can photograph for you. It's not a bonsai but I'm thinking of air-layering a branch. I have my sphagnum moss, root hormone solution and March is now almost here.

mikey012076 wrote:

February is the time of the year when Elms lose there leaves indoor, this i found out at a bonsai meeting last night, this happens because it is getting ready for budding and all the energy goes to the buds that start one month latter, most times not all the leaves will fall off you mite have about 70% of them fall and some turn yellow.

[mikey012076]

That would be nice to see your maple, Elms do bounce back from most of any thing you can do to them, but do have a hard time with root cutting and over leaf clipping.

[DrSmith]

The maple is in a rockery. It's not my own. It's been there a few years. I would love to have a bonsai version of the same tree. I figure I can choose a reasonably stocky branch and air layer it. Then it will be a matter of patience and waiting it out.
There are quite a few Japanese maples in peoples' gardens.

mikey012076 wrote:

That would be nice to see your maple, Elms do bounce back from most of any thing you can do to them, but do have a hard time with root cutting and over leaf clipping.