Production of French Bonsai
Autumn is fast approaching, the days and nights are getting cooler, encouraging the resumption of growth.
Indeed, this period is similar to a 2nd spring. As temperatures drop, our trees start to grow again and produce root activity.
Maple trees and the vast majority of deciduous species will begin to develop their buds for next year as well as sublimate us with their fall colors.
Depending on the region, the color change can come later or later, but one thing is for sure, all bonsai lovers look forward to this period.
On conifers (mugo pine, Scots pine, black pine, etc.), in the coolest regions you can observe that the old needles may turn yellow in order to fall off in the next few weeks. This is the normal life cycle of needles. Indeed, they have a 3-year cycle and naturally the tree gets rid of them. So don't worry if your favorite softwoods turn yellow inside. With the help of your hand, you can knock them down or wait for the wind or rain to take care of them.
Watering
At this time of year, the days follow one another but are not the same, so watering should be done accordingly. Nighttime temperatures will start to drop significantly. Watering should be done accordingly.
Since trees are resuming root activity, it will be necessary to be vigilant with species such as pines, juniper or oaks not to overwater them. Roots that need mycorrhizae to grow should not be permanently immersed in moist substrate.
Fertilizer
The hot weather has passed and the month of September begins the beginning of autumn fattening to promote a good vegetative and root recovery.
Trees are already starting to stock up to prepare for winter. Here we use a 12-12-17 chemical fertilizer that is very well suited for this season. At home, you can combine it with organic fertilizer or foliar spray of trace elements.
Waist
As a general rule, early spring to late fall are good times to perform a tree training pruning. We cut back the ficus trees or elms on the august branches that have grown a lot.
Repotting
September is a great month to repot trees. In our nursery, we are used to repotting our conifers at this time. We have enough heat here in Lot-et-Garonne for repotted trees to emit new roots before winter.
After this period, the trees will generally be repotted in February/March, but you will have to be careful of heavy frosts so that the new roots do not burn.
Tying and guying
All species can be tied and guyed. The risk of marking the bark with the ligature threads is less important than in the spring, although you will have to be vigilant and check that the wire does not become embedded in the wood.
The winter period is still the best time to carry out ligation work. Since the tree is at rest and not growing, the thread can remain for many months without marking the bark.