General Rules of Thumb-

• Learn the individual horticultural requirements for each tree in your collection
• Be aware of your yard's microclimate and alter this guide accordingly
• There are no hard fast rules for all trees of a species, i.e., not all pines respond to the same treatment or care
• Always water until water runs from drain holes. If water does not drain readily, something is wrong with your soil or drainage. More plants die from poor drainage than from over-watering. Try to water in the early morning or late afternoon. Spraying the foliage with water will discourage insects and mites.
• On extremely hot or windy days make an extra check and water your plants and/or the area around the plants for added humidity
• Inspect your tree daily for problems, such as insects, or stress (leaf burn, die back, wilting, etc.).
• Turn tree at least once a month for even growth. Avoid overcrowding, as trees need air circulation, ample sunlight, etc.
• Always keep new growth pinched for compact form
• Do not let moss cover exposed roots or grow on or around the trunk.
• Give conifers full sun year around
• Give deciduous tree full sun in winter, but most do best if given only full morning sun and filtered afternoon sun in summer.
• Trees need to be repotted when the root mass impeded drainage or if they become less vigorous.
• The best time for repotting any tree is when new growth is just starting. The plant has most growth hormones at this time and is better able to overcome shock.
• After transplanting, DO NOT feed a tree for at least four weeks.
• Most important, be aware that EVERYONE loses trees. Do not be frustrated by failure but try to learn from it.

• Monthly Tasks for Sacramento-

January

Apply dormant spray (i.e., dormant disease control) to deciduous trees. Lime Sulfur is best.

Prepare soil ingredients and mix soils

Trim back twigs to refine structure on deciduous trees.

Remove old wire that has started to cut in. Detail wiring may be done with care, but avoid heavy wiring, as damage heals too slowly in cold weather. Always protect newly wired trees from frost.

Graft pines.

Watch watering carefully. Do not rely entirely on rain. Make sure trees are well watered if hard frost is expected.

Cut and store scions for grafting of deciduous trees.

Photograph and study deciduous trees to enjoy and improve branch structure while leaves are absent.

February

Apply final application of dormant spray if buds are not moving.

Prune umes, flowering quince, and other flowering trees that have finished blooming.

Start to repot deciduous trees that have started bud movement. If buds have not started to swell yet, WAIT!

Top dress maple and acid loving plant with gypsum

Feed conifers (except five-needle pines) with slow release fertilizer, such as rape seed meal or cake (80% cottonseed meal; 20%bone meal), or Osmocote.

Put slug and sow bug baits under your pots. Repeat monthly if necessary but use caution.

March

Continue repotting deciduous trees and repot evergreen trees. Azaleas may be repotted if you disturb roots minimally.

Feed conifers with slow release food if they were not transplanted this year. Foliar feed conifers(especially cascades) with soluble fertilizer every two weeks. Start feeding five-needle pine when needles open from candles. Feed azaleas once with soluble fertilizer, i.e. Miracid. DO NOT fertilize for four to six weeks after transplanting.

Move your trees to get as much full sun as possible.

Watch water requirements carefully as tree's water use is now increasing. On windy days be prepared to water an extra time.

Check new growth in deciduous trees every day. Cut back new growth to two leaves, except on branches that you want to elongate.

Watch for insects, especially aphids and caterpillars, and spray with insecticide.

Avoid wiring this month as you can damage or break buds and tender new growth.

This is a good time to start grafting deciduous trees.

April

Deciduous and evergreen trees may still be carefully repotted.

IF weather is warm repot pomegranate and crepe myrtle. DO NOT trim them heavily because they bloom on this years new growth.

Feed conifers with slow release food. Foliar feed conifers with soluble fertilizer every two weeks. Feed azaleas with 0-10-10. Apply bone meal to summer blooming plants such as crepe myrtle and pomegranate.

Remove new growth on azaleas or trim to two leaves. Be careful -- avoid removing flower buds.

Keep a close watch on junipers, spruce, cedars, fir, etc., and pinch new growth to keep foliage compact. Very vigorous candles on black pines may be broken in half to even up the growth.

Watch for insect and spray if necessary. Spray azaleas with benomyl to prevent leaf spot and bayleton to prevent flower blight. Pull weeds as they appear.

This is a good time to put up shade cloth or lath for trees that cannot take full sun.

May

Feed with slow release food. Foliar feed conifers with soluble fertilizer every two weeks. DO NOT FEED SHOW azaleas this month, but young azaleas that need growth may be fed with soluble food, such as Miracid.

Remove or shorten shoots that hide or cover flower buds on satsuki azaleas. DO NOT remove flower buds.

Keep a close watch on junipers, spruce, cedars, fir, etc., and pinch new growth to keep foliage compact.

When needles have opened up on new candles of 5-needle pines you can shorten them (taking as much as 2/3 off) to the desired length.

Remove weeds from pots before they become established. Remember, scotch moss and baby tears, although pretty, are weeds. Also, livewort is especially bad because it interferes with water penetration.

This is good time to propagate by air layering.

Both deciduous and evergreen trees may still be CAREFULLY repotted.

June

Feed trees with slow release food. Foliar feed all trees every two weeks with soluble fertilizer.

As satsuki flower start to fade remove all flowers, buds and flower stems to prevent seed pods from forming. Cut all new shoot to two leaves. Remove all shoots pointing inward or downward to produce layered branches.

Wire and repot azaleas. This is also the best time for heavy root pruning of azaleas.

Start removing black pine candles in mid-month. Remove the smallest 1/3 of the candles first; remove the middle-sized candles a week later; and a week after that remove the largest remaining candles.

Defoliate maples and other deciduous trees to reduce leaf size and increase twigging(DEFOLIATE HEALTHY TREES ONLY) The ideal location for newly defoliated tree is in warm morning sun with high humidity and NO WIND.

Water thoroughly and carefully. DO NOT over water(especially newly transplanted trees) or roots may rot.

Healthy deciduous trees may be transplanted after defoliation. (Do not over water).

July

WATCH OUT FOR HOT WEATHER! Make sure trees are well watered in the morning and water again in the afternoon on very hot, dry or windy days. Pan of water under benches will increase humidity around your trees.

IF maples show sign if edge burn, top dress soil with gypsum. If center of leaves are burning move under shade cloth or allow morning sun only.

Trimming azaleas after the first week of July will remove next years flower buds

Defoliation and/or drastic pruning may still be done on healthy deciduous trees.

TRANSPLANT TREES NOW ONLY IF ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. Deciduous trees should be defoliated first if transplanted now.

This is a good time for making jin and shari on conifers.

Feed all tree except black pines with slow release food. Foliar feed all trees every two weeks with soluble fertilizer.

August

It's important to insure your trees get sufficient nutrition, as they are storing energy for next spring. Feed with slow release food and foliar feed every two weeks with suitable fertilizer. Feed azaleas with 0-10-10. Any tree that is NOT deep green should be given a chelated iron supplement.

Spray with insecticides often as needed for aphids, mealy bugs, scale, leafhopper and the zillion other pests that attack in warm weather. Spray with water to discourage infestation.

Watch for red spider mites, especially on junipers. Heavy spraying of foliage while watering will discourage mites. If they appear (yellow foliage, tiny webbing under foliage) spray with insecticide.

Trim new growth on deciduous trees to two leaves per twig. Remember, flower buds are forming on azaleas, so trimming reduces next year's bloom.

On black pine new candles should now be forming in a ring around the scar where you cut the candles off. When these buds are about 1/4 long, thin them to three candles on strong branched and two candles on weaker branches.

Remove all OLD needles from five-needle pines.

Trees are expanding rapidly in girth now. Keep a close eye on wire and remove it when needed.

DO NOT EXCEPT IN EXTREME EMERGENCY, REPOT NOW

September

Temperatures can fluctuate now so watch watering carefully.

Feed all non-flowering trees with slow release food. Foliar feed all conifers every two weeks with soluble fertilizer. Feed flowering trees once with soluble fertilizer followed two weeks later with 0-10-10. Azaleas that need more growth may be given a final feeding of an acidic soluble fertilizer.

This is a good time for wiring most trees.

On black pines remove the strongest of the three new buds from each branch that was left earlier.

Most deciduous fruiting and flowering trees can now be repotted. DO NOT repot trees such as crabapple of persimmon if you want to retain fruit.

October

THIS IS THE SECOND BEST SEASON FOR REPOTTING, but disturb or trim roots little as possible.

Watch for pests, especially if weather is warm, and spray with insecticide when necessary.

Feed conifers with slow release food.

Apply 0-10-10 or bone meal to azaleas and deciduous trees to slow down growth, encourage good fall color, and store nutrients for spring.

This is a good time for wiring conifers and azaleas.

Remove old wore that is cutting in.

Photograph trees that have fall color.

November

Water cautiously because water requirements are decreasing as growth slows, but DO NOT let plants dry out.

Move trees into full sun.

Apply slow release fertilizer at 1/2 strength to evergreens.

Remove all old needles from black pines, leaving only those that emerged this year.

Do detail wiring on secondary and smaller branches. Do not wire or bend very heavy branches now as healing is very slow in cold weather, but if you damage a branch now it might die.

Apply dormant spray(after trees are dormant). Ortho Dormant Disease Control(Lime-sulfur) works well. Be careful not to the soak soil. Shake trees after thoroughly spraying to remove accumulation from small twigs. Repeat every 4-5 weeks through the first week in February.

December

Protect trees from very hard frosts, especially citrus, cycads, serissa, and most shohin bonsai.

Keep an eye on water requirements. DO NOT rely totally on rain to water your trees. Be sure trees are well watered if frost is expected. Remember, freezing is more harmful to dry trees.

Trim back twigs to refine structure on deciduous trees.

Prepare soil ingredients and mix soils.

Study the branch structure of deciduous trees growing in nature with an eye toward refining your bonsai.

Online References

• Species Guides
• Supplies