Please direct me to a website that provides

Often, I find that I am unable to glean the information I need from the internet. I am sure most of this is there……..finding and accessing it seems to sometimes be problematic. Do you think we should add a section on our webpage or maybe just start a blog, where we can develop a species specific care/maintenance calendar for Ag Zone 9a. Obviously, Alan does a calendar section for our webpage but I’m wondering if we could provide more detail. Please refer me to your resource…. if I’m trying to reinvent the wheel. I would love to have all this info available without doing a bunch of research (although finding this info on my own would probably help with my retention). I’m really hoping we could create something built on our experience. Having someone from New York telling me when I can hard style and wire trident maples is not the info I think we need. I need Adam to confirm that “collecting ilex shilling can be successful into the first week of May” or Paul confirming that “blue alps juniper can flourish inside a pool enclosure provided the sunlight they receive is only shaded by the screen and nothing else” or Mike Rogers telling me anything………….as I would believe him. If we could get Mike on line, he would be editing all the misinformation. Paul could develop the site “Bonsaipedia” where only trusted bonsai folks from say zone 8 thru 10 could post.
I would hope to include the following information but I’m sure there are other tidbits of info that some of you would want. This would be a work in progress.

Repotting/hard root pruning……….(this would probably include collecting)
This would include best times and “never” times, how much?, corresponding
foliage removal and after care. ex.- Don’t fertilize until you see new growth, place in the shade for two weeks…etc.

Hard pruning/styling…………best times, worse times, never times

Wiring – best times….. “bending characteristics” (ex. Bougainvillea – once limbs have
hardened up they become fairly rigid and can easily be broken)

Defoliating – best times, never times………..how much at one time?

Pests – specific problem pests and different ways of eradication.
Ex.- natural – lady bugs, picking, water stream
contact insecticide – proven safe for species
systemic insecticide – safe for species

Disease – tendencies and prevention/care (ex. Root rot, fungus, sooty mold….etc)
Root rot – immediately remove soft, damaged roots and repot with well draining
Fungicide – baking soda, garlic, safer, neem, benemyl
Preferred Soil – well draining – maybe on a scale of 1 to 10
Ex. (natal plum/juniper is a 2 – cypress is an
Maybe a couple of mixes that work in different micro-climates and specific irrigation techniques.
ex. 1/3 turface, 1/3 sifted pine bark, 1/3 colorado red lava rock
1/3 pumice, 2/3 colorado red lava rock
½ lava rock, 1/8 pumice, 1/8 Texas grit, 1/8 haydite, 1/8 blasting sand

Preferred sunlight intensity

Temperature range

Thanks, Rick J

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