A while back, Mike Pfeffer sent me an email asking about the use of Superthrive in his fertilizations scheme and whether it would work or if it was some sort of urban legend. Well I answered Mike with what I knew about its use and benefits – all from a non scientific point of view. Last month, Dr. Ross Clark, a plant physiologist and GLBS member, gave another view.

Mike suggested that an article on urban legends or myths would make an interesting one. I started looking at what was published and started putting together this article. I had remembered that Dave Bogan published a short article in the December 2007 Evansville newsletter and went to that first.
But before we get into the actual myths, what I found on the internet was that some of the so called myths were not really myths but someone trying to be either funny or just downright dumb. As an aside, we all must realize that just because you find something on the internet, doesn’t mean it is true. Perhaps that should be our starting myth. But I stray from the actual topic.

Myths

-Never water a tree mid-day in the scorching sun
The reasoning behind this was that with water sitting on a leaf, it would act as a magnifier and burn the leaf. This is one of my favorites.
-If you know anything about thermodynamics, you know that as the water droplet evaporates the actual temperature around the molecule cools. So if anything, the water droplet on the leaf is a benefit.
-Additionally, when you water in the scorching sun, the pot and the associated roots are cooled and this is a benefit to the health of the plant.

Myth or Urban Legend

-Do not leave wire on a tree in summer
I found this in several locations. The “reasoning” was that the summer sun would heat the wire and in some way would either burn or harm the limb of the tree.
-I have often handled trees that had been wired when the temperature was close to 100 degrees and the tree had been sitting in the full sun. I have never seen the situation where I couldn’t handle the wire. Both aluminum and copper are good conductors of heat, but they both require a heat source much higher than the sun rays to get to a temperature where the metal would get hot enough to burn the tree.
-The only problem with having the wire on the tree at this time of the year is that the limb expands in the summer growing season and the wire of course doesn’t so that it can dig into the branch.

Myth or Urban Legend

-Never cross or overlap wires when wiring your tree
I think the reasoning is that where the wires cross, more pressure will be applied at that point causing a greater chance of scarring of the tree. Or perhaps another reason is the theory of higher heat buildup as mentioned above.

Crossed wires are unsightly but often unavoidable. I would venture to say that anyone who has wired a tree would say they have had crossed wires. Will the juncture of the crossed wires hurt the tree any more than where there is no crossing? Looking at the physics behind the crossed wires, I would have to say that it would depend on how tight both of the wires were in relation to the limb they were on. If they were extremely tight, the expanding branch might be subjected to a higher chance of scarring. However, the areas of the limb that had only one wire on it would be subjected to the same force and would exhibit the same scarring.

Myth or Urban Legend

- Bonsai is cruel to trees
I guess some people believe a plant has feelings.

Sometimes I wish I was a bonsai. Wouldn’t it be nice to be pampered by your owner, watered diligently, and fed on a regular schedule? Wiring is done to direct growth in the way we want it and as long as the wire is put on properly and is taken off at the proper time, it doesn’t do any harm to the tree.

Myth or Urban Legend

-When root or branch pruning, make sure you cut them at an angle

I’m not certain about this one. For roots, I think an angled cut (with application of a rooting hormone) is the way to go since there is a larger surface area for the roots to re sprout; however, I have no scientific evidence. It should be noted that the root tip may in fact rot back to a spot where the plant has partitioned itself. If there is rotting, then cutting the root straight thus giving a lower exposed surface area may be the way to go.

On some materials the roots will not regenerate if the root has been cut back too far. But the angle isn’t the critical factor.

For branches, there also doesn’t seem to be a difference

What is important, when making a cut on either roots or branches, the cutter used must be sharp in order to make a clean cut and not crush the branch or root.

Myth or Urban Legend

-Soil mixtures are very critical
Opinion: Yes & No. Not a real simple question to answer. To start, I typically use the same soil mixture for 95% of my trees. I use a coerce haydite mixture.
A. The tree is deciduous and may need to retain a little more moisture – I add a little humus or long fiber sphagnum,
B. The tree is finished and no longer requires a coerce mixture for rapid growth. Here, I simply switch to a fine particle size.”
-There is a perfect or ideal tree
Many people believe the pine is the perfect tree, while others believe the juniper is, still others believe the maple is.

There is no perfect tree. The way the tree is designed is probably the most important aspect in bonsai. Each plant, whether pine, juniper or any other species, has what I would call an ‘ideal’ design. This is due to where the limbs are (naturally) placed. A pine bush in the informal upright design may look more impressive than a maple in the same design simply because the pine generally has more foliage than a maple and therefore “looks” more impressive. However, the pine, designed in the broom style (if that’s possible) I wouldn’t think would be as impressive as the maple in the broom style.

Myth or Urban Legend

From Wikipedia
Myth #1. Bonsai are grown from "Bonsai Seeds."
 Description We should at this point clarify that there are no such thing as "bonsai seeds" that when simply planted will yield a beautifully trained bonsai. Bonsai can be developed from seeds, garden plants, nursery stock, and cuttings or specimens collected from the wild. You may find seeds of unusual species or cultivars packaged for bonsai use, but there are no magic bonsai seeds!

Myth #2. A bonsai reaches completion.
It has been said that bonsai is a four-dimensional art form. This is because the passage of time introduces changes in the tree; the cycle of the seasons, the application of bonsai techniques and the advancing age of the tree itself all introduce changes. For this reason, during the life of the tree, the bonsai is never truly "finished" in the sense of a painting or sculpture reaching completion. The tree will continue to develop and grow until it eventually dies. Thankfully, trees are so long lived that they can be enjoyed by your children, and theirs thereafter.

Bonsai, like most art forms involves a series of techniques that can be learned and mastered. There are also bonsai tools specific to these techniques that make their practice more effective. Specialized shears, branch cutters and knives are used to prune and direct growth and pastes and sealants help to encourage rapid healing. Initiates to bonsai will often see dramatic demonstrations in which limbs are bent and twisted with wire, power tools are used to carve and shape wood and large amounts of growth are cut away. This sometimes leads to the impression that the practice of bonsai is a cruel sport, something akin to torture when nothing could be further from the truth.

Myth #3. Bonsai is cruel to trees
Bonsai are in fact pampered by their owners, fertilized frequently and watered dilligently to remain at the peak of health. The practices of wiring is used not to bind the tree and restrict growth, as is sometimes imagined, but to redirect growth. Those who advance this myth respond to beauty of the illusion of a potted tree without the understanding that they are relating to a product of techniques that create the perception of age and beauty. Many of these same folk would not flinch at mowing lawns, pruning hedges or trimming their rosebushes. The beauty of the bonsai illusion has the power to create a sympathetic, emotional response in anyone. Bonsai helps us to understand our own place in the world.

Myth #4. Bonsai are expensive
Without doubt, there exist trees and plants trained as bonsai that are expensive. In Japan it is not unusual to see trees at exhibition that are valued in the millions or even tens of millions of yen. But the quiet beauty of a bonsai can be appreciated on any budget, from trees grown from seed or cutting, or those purchased at the neighborhood garden center for just a few dollars. Many of the most appreciated bonsai were collected from the wild at no significant cost whatsoever. When one purchases a trained bonsai, they are paying for the time and care invested in locating, training and maintaining a bonsai tree.

Myth #5. All Bonsai are ancient trees / I am too old to start Growing bonsai!
Many people are impressed by the age of trees grown as bonsai, which are often collected from the wild or passed down from generation to generation and attain great age. More significant to a true bonsai collector than actual age or provenance of a specimen is how effectively it presents the illusion of an aged tree. A venerable potted plant is a curiosity, but a well maintained and executed bonsai is an art form unto itself, regardless of whether it was created from a thousand-year-old collected juniper in the high desert, or a clump of privet taken from an abandoned hedgerow.

Myth #6. Bonsai are indoor plants
Although Bonsai are frequently displayed and sold in indoor areas, with very few exceptions, bonsai are outdoor plants. Bonsai need sunshine and air circulation just like their outdoor cousins, and they exposure to seasonal changes are required in order to maintain health. More bonsai are killed by being brought indoors and neglected than any other single cause. Certain species of tropical bonsai (such as ficus) can be enjoyed indoors year round. But these are the exceptions.

Myth #7. My Bonsai died/I can't grow bonsai
Anyone can grow bonsai. Many of the bonsai grown and sold in malls or garden centers have lived their entire lives in high humidity greenhouse environments. We call these plants "Mallsai." They are lush green from foliar feedings and have overgrown their containers. Through no fault of the new owner, they cannot adapt easily to their new environment. If you fail the first time, don't give up, but do keep these conditions in mind:

Location - Many newly purchased bonsai are placed indoors without adequate sunlight, or placed on top of a television or in a sunny window without circulation. Bonsai should be placed outdoors in full sun or partial shade depending on the needs of the plant and the climate.
Watered infrequently or erratically. Bonsai need regular watering and the container should not be allowed to dry out. Deep waterings are the rule, but do not keep the soil soggy. Learn to Water.
Over/Underfertilization. Trees manufacture their own food. They do need trace minerals and nitrogen, but more trees are killed by well-intentioned overfertilization than ever died from lack of fertilizer. Learn more about fertilization here.
Overgrowth - A tree's size must be kept in balance with its container. As the tree grows, the root system, which is constrained by the container will be unable to keep pace. If the tree is not repotted or the top growth pruned, it will eventually succumb. Most often, it will dry out and die. If you find your bonsai is drying out rapidly between watering, it may already be too large for its container.
Lack of repotting - Over time the soil will become compacted by watering and the container will fill with older, inefficient roots. The soil needs to be replaced by transplanting the tree, and the roots pruned slightly to encourage the maintenance of healthy feeder roots.
Myth #8. Bonsai is difficult to learn
Bonsai is appreciated throughout the world by people of all ages. Once you have spent a single season as a bonsai grower, you will have learned much of the required practice in caring for a bonsai tree. By visiting bonsai shows and looking at trees in magazines and books or viewing on-line galleries, you can educate yourself in how to appreciate a fine bonsai. Within just a few years it is possible to create and refine a plant taken from a nursery container into a bonsai planting that will bring you pride and enjoyment. You have come to the right place to learn more about these particular aspects of the hobby.

Retrieved from http://wiki.bonsaitalk.com/index.php/Bonsai_myths
Bonsai 4 me.
Bonsai Myths: Part One
WATERING IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT AND MISTING YOUR BONSAI

Bonsai Myths exist are commonplace on the internet, in print and amongst many groups of enthusiasts. Akin to the computer virus, they raise their heads on occasions, are suppressed, disappearing from sight for a few months or years before reappearing again and again and again.
Though all evidence can be put forward to fight the myth, it only takes one popular bonsai title to perpetuate the myth for years; "it must be true, I read it in xxxx xxxx's book".
The bonsai trader has read the book, the club member has read the book, the forum member has read the book and the myth is spread around and around and around.

MISTING INDOOR BONSAI
My first line of attack is aimed at Misting Your Bonsai Daily.
Many beginners in particular are encouraged to mist their trees regularly, primarily to increase the humidity around the tree. No doubt that this does temporarily address the arid indoor atmosphere in which many bonsai are expected to exist. Unfortunately, misting only creates a temporary humid atmosphere.
What does frequently occur is that the excess water from misting or spraying, runs off the leaves into the soil below. A frequently misted tree will in effect have water running onto the surface of the soil on a frequent basis. This can often create a soil structure where the surface of the soil is continually wet and airless; something that often leads to poor vigour and even root rot in trees, particularly in poor draining soils.
The other problem with water run off is whilst the soil surface can be wet and indicate that the tree does not require watering, the underlying mass can be dry because there has not been sufficient run off to penetrate past the upper 1" of the soil mass. Because the enthusiast believes the soil is still damp he or she have failed to water the soil directly. How can you tell whether the soil is wet or dry if the surface is continually misted?
Trees grown indoors do need misting once a week/fortnight. Leaves naturally collect dust and the easiest way of cleaning them is to give the tree a thorough misting or spraying. But that's all.

NEVER WATER YOUR TREES AT MIDDAY

A closely related myth. This myth instructs us not to water a tree in bright sunlight lest the leaves are burnt by the magnifying effect of water droplets.
As a UK resident we rarely (never) experience sunlight strong enough to burn leaves, however well the water droplets might magnify sunlight. I have great doubt that the concave upper surface of a water droplet would be able to focus light onto a leaf in anyway at all.
Anecdotal evidence from enthusiasts who regularly experience Summer temperatures of 100°F or more similarly have no experience of 'water induced leafburn' (!).
My prime reason for disbelieving this myth is that if water droplets caused leafburn why does this event never occur when it rains on a hot day? Surely the myth would lead us believe that the trees around us would be burnt and possibly defoliated every time there was a rain shower during the Summer?
To quote a more authoritative source, Professor Amy Liang in her book the 'Living Art of Bonsai' states that "if sunlight goes through a drop of dew directly, its energy is only 0.2 calories per minute. It is, therefore, incapable of burning leaves..........In addition, 1/4oz of water absorbs approx. 540 calories of heat when it evaporates , it is clear that instead of scorching leaves, water helps lower temperature (of the leaf surface)".

So where does this myth originate? I believe it maybe a result of the old gardeners' advice to never water your garden during the day. Flowers and in particular, the flowers of garden annuals do spoil if they become wet whilst they are fully open during daylight hours. The reason they spoil has much more to do with the impact of heavy water droplets on the delicate, light petals of a flower than of any effect from the Sun.

Spraying the leaves of outdoor bonsai with water can useful for reducing the effects of high summer temperatures and cleans the dust from the leaf surface but with reference to the first part of this article, it is not necessary on a daily basis and should only be carried out at the same time as watering a tree whose soil actively requires water*.
*There are occasions when an outdoor tree needs regular misting but this is limited to specific cases such as yamadori/collected trees and healthy trees that have had recent major work carried out.

  Bonsai Myths Part Two
OVERPOTTING

It is well known amongst the bonsai fraternity that young trees require growing on to develop trunks with the characteristics necessary for use a bonsai.
Accelerating the growth of young trees helps build thick trunks and good root spread (nebari) prior to planting the tree into a bonsai pot for refinement.
The simplest and most commonly used method of trunk thickening is to plant the tree in the ground for a number of years. Unrestricted rootgrowth in a large area of soil helps promote the strong and vigorous top growth that in turn thickens the trunk.

There are times that growing on in the ground cannot be carried out for a number of reasons.
Available land is not always available and some species require frost protection during the Winter and there is a need to be able to move them from their Summer position.

The simple solution would seem to be to develop the tree in a pot. Though speed of growth is reduced in comparison to field growing; good results can still be achieved this way.
However, the size of the pot used for growing on has a major influence that determines the speed at which the tree grows.

Underpotting

A severely rootbound tree is one that's roots have filled the pot to the extent that it has little or no soil for new roots to grow into; it will survive and issue new leaves in Spring but barely develop new shoots.
This lack of growth will make trunk development and thickening non-existent. This situation is remedied and can be avoided by ensuring the plant is in a pot with sufficient room to extend its roots. (A developed bonsai will of course be rootpruned so it can be kept in a small pot whilst still having fresh soil introduced).

Overpotting

The fear that growth will be slowed in a small pot leads many bonsai enthusiasts to overpot and advise overpotting.
Many times I have seen and heard a well-meaning enthusiast advise planting a young tree into as large a pot as possible "to speed growth".
Unfortunately planting a tree into too large a pot/overpotting is as detrimental to vigorous growth as underpotting and leaving a tree rootbound.
It has to be understood that planting a tree into a large pot is not the same as planting into the ground.

The following is an excerpt from a thread on the The BonsaiSite forums and is the best explanation of under/over potting issues I have seen. Nurseryman Brent Walston of Evergreen Gardenworks explains some of the reasons for regular potting on as opposed to overpotting.

"Back to the physics for a moment. Water will drain from a pot until the lowest level of saturated soil (that can be supported) is reached. At this point drainage stops and this saturated layer remains saturated, no more water will drain out (ever). The height of this column of soil depends on the nature of the mix. A coarser soil will have a lower (shallow) column or layer of saturated soil than a finer mix. The total retained amount of water is less for a coarser soil.

Water can be removed from this saturated layer. It can be removed by evaporation (the water will be wicked upward as water evaporates from the surface), or it can be wicked out by the absorption of water by the roots (powered by foliage transpiration)."

"If the plant is not root established, it cannot remove very much water by transpiration. This leaves too much water in the lower levels of the soil. In the short run, this is not much of a problem."

"However, and this is where the problem is, IF the pot is so large that the saturated level cannot be removed by normal root colonization, then problems begin."

"What happens if the limits are exceeded? If you are using an organic amendment such as bark, you will experience accelerated soil composting. This means that you will lose your effective soil particle size more quickly than if you used a smaller pot which is wicked dry daily. This is the most common effect. You use a pot that is too large and stays too wet. The organic amendment quickly decays in this wet environment, particle size decreases, soil collapses, saturated level increases, even more water is retained, roots eventually remain in standing water, root failure occurs with or without the presence of a pathogen."

"Even if the above doesn't occur, what kind of root growth occurs in a volume that is not wicked dry daily? When you water properly, a new charge of air is pulled into the pot by the volume of water draining from the drain holes. CO2 and other gases are purged from the soil. The longer you leave these gases in the soil, and the longer you wait to introduce a fresh charge of oxygen, the poorer the roots will be. If you create a situation such as over potting that doesn't require daily watering, then you don't obtain optimal soil growing environment.

The BEST environment is a soil that dries out daily. The best potting practice is to shift to the next larger size pot after each time the plant becomes root established as evidenced by forming an intact rootball. UC Davis studies have proven this, and I have conducted my own studies with Acer palmatum which have verified it to my own satisfaction. It is not a marginal effect, the resulting growth improvement is significant."

"The best way to achieve fastest growth is to shift (repot) just as soon as the plant produces an intact rootball. This is standard nursery practice and a well established principle. If you do this, you don't have to disturb the rootball or prune the top, thus there is little or no shock and it can be done at any time of the year. Bonsai practices somewhat complicate this, since we want specific root configurations, but for plants in training it still holds.

Ok, what's an intact rootball? An intact rootball is when you can knock the nursery can or pot off the root ball and it won't fall apart."

"Even after a plant 'apparently' occupies all the soil spaces with roots, it may still grow normally for some period of time. This is probably due to two factors that I can think of. One is that tiny hair roots are still growing, exchanging gases, absorbing nutrients, etc. Secondly, the somewhat larger roots are not yet 'lignified', or woody, and thus are still also fairly active.

I think it is better to determine 'rootbound' by both the symptoms of growth (or lack thereof) and the physical density of the roots. For our purposes (bonsai), trees should be rootpruned and repotted LONG before they reach rootbound conditions. This doesn't happen overnight. There is a long gradual procession of slowing growth over time, usually several years before all new growth stops. It is clearly evident what is happening if you stop to look."

As a conclusion; I would strongly advise regularly potting on trees into larger and larger pots as and when the root mass demands it.
Whilst it is good practice to find the right size pot for a particular tree the exact size is not absolutely essential; just don't be fooled into using greatly oversized containers and occasionally check that your trees in development (potentsai) have not become rootbound.

Bonsai Myths Part Three
Continually Trimming Your Bonsai

Bonsai are pruned on a regular basis so they keep their diminutive size. Without pruning, their natural apically dominant growth habit will take over; the upper and outer branches and shoots will extend strongly at the expense of the inner and lower growth, that could eventually dieback.
Without the restriction at the roots in the confines of a bonsai pot, the tree would theoretically grow to a natural height.

It is therefore important that growth is restrained. Unpruned upper branches can quickly lose their taper and delicacy, and in time, can become coarse and too thick for their position at the top of the trunk.

However, there is a balance that must be struck. A bonsai must be allowed to grow. New growth is not only a sign of a healthy plant (and therefore a healthy bonsai) but in turn it generates a refreshing of the tree's structure, new root growth and vitality. Therefore a bonsai must be allowed periods of growth, periods of time where it is allowed to grow; enough to revitalise its energy but not so much that growth becomes coarse or the shape of the tree is completely lost and apical dominance is allowed to take over.
A bonsai that is continually trimmed without respite will be continually regenerating new buds and shoots; the repeated production of these new buds deplete the energy reserves of a tree when it is unable to recoup its lost energy levels by means of photosynthesis.

It must be realised that it is a myth to think that bonsai should and must be trimmed on a daily or weekly basis. It is also a myth to think that great bonsai look perfect all year round. Most bonsai are exhibited, photographed and displayed in perfect condition but this state is only temporary.
These same trees are allowed (or should be allowed) periods of the necessary free growth to allow shoot extension and therefore re-energise the tree; the perfect image is temporarily lost.

A balance must be struck. Free, unrestricted growth will result in the loss of refinement, shape and taper but this only happens after a certain amount of time (largely dependant on the vigour of individual tree species and individual trees). Allowing new growth does no damage to the bonsai, its shape or refinement. Any well-developed bonsai can easily be trimmed back to shape even after 3 or 4 months (or in many cases even longer) free growth, whichever tree species they are.

The practicalities of allowing growth or not continually pruning your bonsai

It is very easy to fall into the trap of continually trimming and pinching new growth throughout the growing season; particularly for enthusiastic beginners with smaller collections. However, it is far better to get into a habit of allowing new shoots to extend before trimming back the new shoots after they have hardened off. (The shoot becomes woody).
As a failsafe, it is worth trimming back any new vigorous a shoot in the upper branches before this time to ensure that there is no over-thickening in this area but otherwise, middle and lower branches can be left to extend.

As well as keeping the tree in good health and vigour, when the new growth is finally pruned back, the branches will create new buds and shoots along the length of the branch rather than just clusters of leaves that would otherwise be prompted at the very tips of regularly trimmed branches.

During dormancy in the Winter, don't just trim the tree to your ideal shape/silhouette. Any further growth the following year will need removing to bring the branches back to within your ideal silhouette.
Instead during the late Winter, prune the branching back hard so that the new growth can grow outwards, toward the silhouette of the tree. Again, removing the necessity to remove so much of the new, fine growth of the following season.

Knowing exactly how much new growth to allow, how hard to prune back in the Winter to allow new shoots to extend the following year and exactly how often to prune during the Spring and Summer is difficult to anticipate for the beginner and for experienced enthusiasts using an unfamiliar species. Much of this knowledge is gained from experience. However, the most important point is to understand the need for you to allow your bonsai to grow.

Bonsai Myths: Part Four
Bonsai and Lime Sulphur

Over the years I have seen, heard and read so many myths about Lime Sulphur (sometimes spelt as Lime Sulfur). Why there is so much invention, misinformation and almost mystique surrounding this chemical I am not sure, but it seems to stem from less-informed bonsai literature of yesteryear.

What is Lime Sulphur?

Lime Sulphur is a foul-smelling liquid that bonsai enthusiasts brush onto deadwood in order to produce a distinctive white colour. It does not paint a coat of colour onto the wood, but rather as the lime sulphur dries, it 'bleaches' or 'stains' the wood with a white, chalky colour.

Lime Sulphur was originally developed as a winter wash (fungicide and insecticide) and used to spray trees during the Winter to kill any residual moulds, fungi and overwintering insects or eggs. It was first developed during the mid 19th century to control mildews on grapevines in French vineyards. From the early 1900's to the 1940's, lime sulphur was used widely and produced on a commercial basis until it was superceded by newer, more efficient chemicals.

How does Lime Sulphur stain the wood of a tree? The Lime Sulphur mixture produces a certain amount of Sulphur dioxide (SO2) as it dries (dependent on the ambient temperature, the warmer Lime Sulphur solution is as it dries, the greater the volume of Sulphur Dioxide that is produced). Sulphur dioxide is a known preservative still used in the wine-making and dried-fruits industries where it is used for its ability to kill microbes and bacteria.

Sulphur dioxide is also known as a reductant; that is, in the presence of water, it is able to 'decolourise'/remove the colours of permeable materials that it comes into contact with (Sulphur dioxide is still used in some industries to bleach paper and delicate fabrics such as clothes).

The bleaching effect of Sulphur dioxide is not permanent however, after exposure to oxygen (in the air), the bleached material is slowly oxidised and the natural, original colour or pigment of the stained material returns.

This is one of the reasons why Lime Sulphur must be repeatedly applied to the deadwood of bonsai to ensure it stays white.
 

Lime-sulphur isn't a pleasant liquid. Without doubt it should be treated with respect. Wear gloves when applying it. Store it out of reach of children. Wear a face mask if you use it as a spray. If you swallow any solution or get any in your eyes, seek medical assistance.

Where do you obtain Lime Sulphur?

Lime sulphur is virtually impossible to obtain at general horticultural outlets as it has long been superceded by other insecticides, fungicides and winter washes. These days, the only place you will find Lime Sulphur liquid is at Bonsai nurseries or online through Bonsai mail order companies. It is a relatively cheap product and a small bottle will last a long time.

I have only ever seen one authoritative guide to producing your own Lime Sulphur that involves boiling calcium hydroxide and sulphur and allowing it to simmer for a few hours .Given the cost of obtaining the ingredients, the danger of this process and the fact that it is extremely smelly, it is not worth trying to produce your own lime sulphur!

Materials Required for applying Lime Sulphur to Bonsai Deadwood

Together with your lime-sulphur, you will require a separate dish. Pour a small amount of the lime-sulphur solution into the dish or container. Do not apply the lime sulphur directly from the bottle as it will spoil the mixture.

You need to use a covered or old surface to work on as the lime sulphur can splash and flick as you apply it to the deadwood.The lime sulphur will stain almost anything that it comes into contact with.

You must work outside. Lime sulphur is very pungent until it dries, do not apply it indoors!

Use a paintbrush to apply the lime sulphur to the deadwood. The exact size of brush you require will depend on the size and intricacy of the deadwood but generally an old paintbrush of 1cm or less is required. It is worth finding some old artist's paintbrushes if possible; I find that the bristles of cheap brushes tend to disintegrate quickly with the combined effects of the rough deadwood surface and the effect of the lime sulphur on the glue used to attach the bristles. Otherwise you can spend a lot of time carefully removing bristles from the deadwood!

The brush can be cleaned with soapy water if done so immediately after use. However, if allowed to dry, the lime sulphur will render the brush unusable.

Lastly, have some absorbent paper cloth (kitchen roll/tissue) at hand to absorb spills and excess Lime sulphur on the deadwood.

A Practical Guide to Applying Lime Sulphur to Bonsai to Whiten Deadwood

This is a Juniper trunk that has recently had its bark removed to create a shari. The live vein of growth is on the right hand side of the trunk and its edge has been sealed with wound sealant for the purposes of helping the edge of the live wood heal. It is not necessary to protect the live wood, bark or cambium (even when green) against the lime sulphur. The tree will not be damaged even if the live green cambium layer is exposed to lime sulphur.

It does not matter whether the deadwood is fresh and has just been created (from live wood) or has been 'allowed to dry for a while'. You will find that new deadwood is slightly sappy and the lime sulphur will not take quite as well as when the deadwood is older, but again, it is not necessary to wait after creating deadwood before applying lime sulphur.

If lime sulphur is painted onto dry wood it tends to run off the wood rather than be absorbed into the wood. Lime sulphur is also unable to penetrate as deeply when the wood is dry. For the lime sulphur to have any preserving effect on the wood (however slight) it must be absorbed as deeply as possible; by ensuring that the wood is damp, the lime sulphur is able to penetrate much better.

Secondly, as mentioned previously, moisture (water) is necessary for the Sulphur dioxide to have a bleaching or staining effect. Dry wood takes much longer to whiten and in some cases can retain some of the original yellow/red colour of the lime sulphur mixture.

If the wood is not already wet from being outside in rainy weather, spray it thoroughly with water.

Any excess water on the surface of the wood will cause the lime sulphur to run down the wood and bleach areas of the tree that you do not require to be whitened. Use an absorbent cloth to remove excess water from the deadwood itself and try to dry the bark as much as possible.

Apply the lime sulphur, starting at the highest point of the deadwood. It is better to apply several thin coats over the course of a few hours than try to apply a thick coat all at once. Any excess lime sulphur will run down the deadwood. Be prepared to mop up any excess lime sulphur that collects at the base of the deadwood you are painting.

It is necessary to mop up the excess lime sulphur before it runs into the soil or surrounding areas of live wood and bark. This is because the lime sulphur will also bleach the soil and the bark. It is not because the lime sulphur will 'kill' the tree or 'damage the roots' of the tree.

Obviously, a large amount of lime-sulphur in the soil is not a good thing for the health of the tree but this must be kept in perspective. A small amount of run-off will not poison the tree. On many occasions I have lime sulphured deadwood roots (as shown in these images) and lime sulphur has run into the soil with absolutely no detriment to the health of the tree. If you worried that too much lime sulphur has entered the soil, simply flush the lime sulphur out with water.

If any lime sulphur gets onto the bark of the tree, as can be seen on the base of the tree in the above image, simply use some wet cloth to wipe away the excess lime sulphur.

Do this as soon as possible so the lime sulphur does not have a chance of whitening the bark. If the bark still appears white when the lime sulphur has dried, just use an old toothbrush or similar to clean the bark.

The lime sulphur will dry and whiten the wood over the course of the next hours or days depending on how moist the wood is (the more moisture, the quicker the whitening takes effect) and the ambient temperature (the warmer the weather, the faster the lime sulphur will dry). Avoid placing the tree where the lime sulphur will be exposed to rain as this will cause the lime sulphur to run off the deadwood before it has had the necessary bleaching effect.

The newly lime sulphured deadwood of the tree above is shown just hours after the lime sulphur was applied. As can be seen, the wood is not as white as can be achieved and this is normal for a first application of lime sulphur on freshly stripped deadwood. Additional applications will ensure that the wood takes on a much more even stark-white finish that contrasts well with the adjoining live wood and bark.

Colouring Lime Sulphur

By its nature, Lime Sulphur produces a white finish to deadwood. While a stark white colour is suitable for coniferous species such as pine and juniper, on other tree species such as boxwood, hawthorn, privet and the majority of deciduous and broadleaf trees, lime sulphur is often coloured to produce a more appropriate variety of tones and colours.

Additionally, b because lime sulphur produces such a flat white colour with no tone or variety, it can make deadwood look very flat and 2 dimensional. Being able to darken and colour lime sulphur allows the artist to produce an appearance of depth and a third dimension to lime sulphured wood.

The hollow trunk of this Thuja was lime sulphured but rather than allow the lime sulphur to produce uniform white finish, the lime sulphur was carefully tinted with black ink to produce a variety of greys and black to increase the feeling of depth in the finish.

The outer edges of this trunk were painted with pure lime sulphur and then as I painted deeper and deeper into the hollow, I added a few drops of black ink to the lime-sulphur mixture to produce a steadily darker colour.

Lime sulphur can be coloured with a variety of ingredients and some experimentation is required. All water-based inks and paints will work well but avoid using anything oil-based as it will not mix with the lime-sulphur. Generally only a very small amount of black ink or paint is required for the finish to become a grey colour. For a more natural 'wood' colour, try ochres or burnt umber paints.

For a more 'natural' approach to colouring, you can use diluted (in boiling water) tea leaves, instant coffee granules or grinds to produce softened white to ochre tones. For grey tones you can use wood or cigarette ash either mixed into the lime sulphur or applied to the wood after the lime sulphur has dried.

Due to the nature of lime sulphur, it is not possible to advise of exact mixtures or recipes and experimentation is necessary. Always allow the lime sulphur to dry to its 'final' colour before judging the results of your work!

Using Lime Sulphur as a Winter Wash for Bonsai

Lime Sulphur still has its uses as a winter wash for (outdoor) bonsai. Mix Lime Sulphur with water at a rate of approx 1:25 to 1:50 and spray over the trunk and bare branches to kill any overwintering insects, bacteria or fungi. Rinse off the soil surface and bonsai pot with water afterwards to remove any temporary staining that the diluted lime sulphur may cause (This is purely for aesthetic reasons). I use a lime sulphur winter wash only on my deciduous trees however I understand that some enthusiasts also spray their coniferous evergreens; the needles may however have a temporary white colour that disappears by Spring.

A lower rate of dilution (approx 1:25) with water is useful for cleaning and brightening the trunk of trees with smooth bark such as Hornbeams, Beech and Chinese Elms. Simply spray the solution onto the bark, allow to dry and the bark becomes a subtly lighter and brighter colour. Again, for aesthetic reasons rinse away any excess solution that lands on the soil surface or the pot.

Mixing Lime Sulphur with water at a rate of between 1:25 to 1:50

Add between 4 to 8 teaspoons of lime sulphur to 1 litre of water.

OR

Add between 2 to 4 teaspoons of lime sulphur to 1/2 litre of water.

One teaspoon holds 5ml of lime sulphur.
 

Lime Sulphur as a Bird Deterrent

As with many enthusiasts, I have great problems with birds (in particular blackbirds) in late Winter and early Spring using the soil surface of my trees as a dust bath and making a mess while foraging for food.

By accident I have found that spraying my trees with a diluted lime sulphur winter wash is an excellent way of reducing the attraction of my bonsai to birds. Birds have a good sense of smell too! I have since found that if the lime sulphur solution is sprayed as soon as the first birds come to feed in and around your bonsai in Winter, they immediately 'learn' that your bonsai do not smell appetizing and will not return to feed or take a bath for the remainder of Winter and Spring.

And please, before I receive e-mails condemning this advice, the smell of the lime sulphur dissuades any feeding long before a bird would consider ingesting it.

Finally. Does Lime Sulphur Actually Preserve Deadwood?

Yes and No.

Lime Sulphur kills all (or at least most) bacteria that cause the breakdown and deterioration of wood that we know as 'rot'. It also produces a temporarily hostile environment against bacteria. However, the anti-bacterial or anti-fungal effect of the lime sulphur is relatively short-lived in comparison to its bleaching effect. Most enthusiasts will have seen lime-sulphured wood begin to turn green and support bacteria within a relatively short period of time.

This short term protection requires that the lime sulphur be applied on an annual or even 6 monthly basis to ensure that all of the wood remains stark white (if this is required) and to keep the majority of bacteria and fungi at bay.

Not only is the anti-bacterial effect of the lime sulphur relatively short-lived, but it only has an effect on the parts of the deadwood that it is able to access. As has already been discussed, lime sulphur is only able to permeate the wood of a tree to a certain depth (depending on the density and condition of the deadwood). Whilst lime sulphur is able to kill bacteria on the surface of the wood and possibly to a depth of a few millimetres on a soft wood), the underlying layers of wood will remain unprotected.

If bacteria is able to access the underlying layers of wood that the lime sulphur cannot (for instance though fissures or breaks in the integrity of the wood or through deadwood exposed only to the soil), rotting will continue unabated.

In summary; lime sulphur cannot and should not be regarded as a preservative that will protect deadwood from rotting or breaking down. While it is able to preserve shallow or thin areas of deadwood for a period of time, it is not a reliable method of rot-prevention.

For the dense and hard wood of Yews, Junipers and Pines, lime sulphur is probably going to be sufficient as these woods are naturally resistant to rotting. Bonsai Myths: Part Four

http://www.bonsaihunk.us/Fallacies.html
Some good starting points

Bonsai Talk
Just to add another myth that I often hear when people look at my trees.

They sometimes seem to think that a bonsai is a miniature genetic version of the tree and seem shocked to learn that a bonsai placed back in the ground will reach the same size as its fully grown brethren if left unchecked.

I am a perpetual learner. It is nice to see that I am not the only one. I have just read this thread all the good information and then some. Your analogy of people and there lawns and rose bushes was sweet.
My wife and I used to do shopping centre displays, to make money to supplement our pension.
We would often get that argument about cruelty. It stopped and they would walk away when asked the question.
Although one smart#*!s said she did not. She lived in the bush. So my only retort was when were your plants watered and fed she Blushed and walked off in a huff.
Just thought I would thank you and pass on my little bitof info.

Go to Bonsai Talk a number of myths.