Nothing! Absolutely Nothing(with added in-mind commentary)!

• Nothing! Absolutely Nothing(with added in-mind commentary)! 

  I wasn't really feeling the bonsai after my last post (Nov 2016). We had just moved to a new house, the winter blues (a real threat in the Pacific Northwest) set in, and I couldn't shake the cobwebs. Then summer hit - a very dry summer. Still wasn't feeling the whole bonsai thing and I allowed the weather to 'clean my claws' as it were. I allowed my trees to simply just die off. They're all mostly gone now. Yep, almost all outdoor bonsai are gone. A few managed to stick around. I don't know how, but they did.

  
  The crabapples I grew for so long(they were getting thick), the dwarf rhodies, the azaleas, my zelkova (and all its little cuttings), the pines and juniper, all gone(almost, but not quite). I also gave up the ghost on my dream of doing ceramic pottery from my own gas kiln, allowing my kiln to rot away in the damp weather. Even my twisty little ficus is gone(was especially attached to that one). I just had to clean my claws. I wasn't feeling it and had to allow it to take its course. Then last year Brandon hurt his leg. Suddenly I didn't have any time for bonsai (more like I didn't have the energy for caring for bonsai). My spare time was spent helping him recover. Had I not allowed the trees to die off the previous year, they wouldn't have made it anyways. 

  
  It's not like I completely abandoned the hobby (pretty much did). I wanted to try growing some banyan style scheffleras, so last year  I bought two 5 gallon scheffleras (they were on clearance for $5 each). I performed some severe pruning, cutting them down to about 2 inch stubs and leaving a bunch of cuttings that I placed in a bucket of water. I then separated the stubs into a bunch of little clumps and performed some drastic root pruning. Seriously butchered them! I have about 8 or 9 schefflera clumps that are growing very well indoors. I meant to try to start the cuttings in water, but it was late in the season, I left them outside and it was getting cold. Only one cutting made it, and it was the one that I gave to Aaron; he started it indoors in a glass of water. They've been growing really well and the cat started eating them, making him slightly ill. To prevent this, I sprinkled them with cayenne pepper. Looks like this did the trick; the cat still hurls all over the house, but at least I know its not from my scheffleras. 

  
  So this spring Aaron was looking through his growing area. He found two crabapples, still growing (matchstick size). Then to both our surprise, he found three or four shimpaku juniper cuttings that were still alive and growing (Hi! Remember me? No? Too bad, I'm still here!). In the back of his bench, he found a possible Japanese maple seed that sprouted. The only logical explanation is that a random Japanese maple seed must have been blown in from the wind. After almost two years of neglect, I still had some trees that were clinging to life, wanting to go on. Seems like the hobby didn't completely abandon me, neither.

  So here it is, mid May. The weather is warming up and once again I'm thinking of starting up bonsai all over again (and again and again....). The years have taught me (that I'm a gypsy at heart, and my attention comes and goes; neither my heart nor attention ever happy to linger in one place for too long) that doing it right takes time; time happens whether you plan for it or allow it to pass you by. I've also figured out that I'm partial to small bonsai (perhaps because they don't take that long to grow and aren't too difficult to move en masse). I think I'll order some plain Japanese maple seeds and some trident maple seeds in the fall. 

  
  This blog keeps repeating something: beware the summer. I did well in Phoenix during summer; that was with shade cloth and automated waterings 2x's a day. Maybe that's too much water for this area, but put up some shade cloth as a minimum. 

  
  

  Step-by-Step on How to Train a Dwarf Schefflera Bonsai

  https://homeguides.sfgate.com/stepbystep-train-dwarf-schefflera-bonsai-23557.html

  
  

  Dwarf schefflera bonsai, also known as Schefflera arboricola, is a bonsai tree with a non-woody stem and compound leaf structure, setting it apart from traditional bonsai trees. Dwarf schefflera may be trained through pruning, defoliation and gentle wiring. Some specimens may be trained to produce impressive aerial roots. This tree does well in tropical climates and must be protected in outdoor temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. It makes an excellent houseplant, withstanding a variety of light and humidity conditions.

  
  

  Wiring

  Wrap wire around the branch or stem that you wish to manipulate. 

  Wrap the wire gently starting around the thicker part of the stem or branch, and then twine it around the thinner part of the stem or branch. 

  Gently bend the wire to influence the direction of the leaf or branch. 

  Do not bend the dwarf schefflera stem drastically as you would with other species of bonsai, because this may cause permanent damage to the stem.

  Wait one day and bend the wire slightly more. 

  Bend the wire daily over the course of a week.

  Remove the wire after one full month.

  
  

  Defoliating

  Use sterile clippers to remove all leaves on a healthy dwarf schefflera bonsai. 

  Leave the growing stalk in place.

  Prune larger leaves from the bonsai over a year to keep the leaf size as small as desired.

  Repeat defoliation every spring as desired.

  
  

  Aerial Roots

  Place the dwarf schefflera bonsai in a humid environment such as a climate-controlled greenhouse or aquarium. Alternatively, the trunk may be wrapped in plastic wrap and the interior kept moist to promote the growth of aerial roots.

  Mist the bonsai with tepid water daily, and water the plant generously two times per week.

  Fertilize the dwarf schefflera tree with half-strength liquid plant food once every two weeks. Aerial roots will begin to grow from the trunk and stems.

  Prune unwanted smaller roots from the plant with sterilized clippers to promote the growth of stronger, thicker, more attractive aerial roots.

  
  

  Tips

  Attempting to wire a branch that is very young may scar the branch, but attempting to wire a branch that is mature may prove difficult. To compromise, wire branches that are half green and half woody.

  Some plants are genetically disposed to aerial roots, while others are not. Plants grown from the seeds of a bonsai with aerial roots are more likely to grow aerial roots themselves.

  Place the bonsai in a room with adequate light. Although dwarf schefflera trees can survive in low or even artificial lighting conditions, growth may slow or stop, making training difficult or impossible.