Feb, first month of spring, first month of new growth in a new year. The Snowdrops are flowering and the daffs are pushing through. The snows on my hilly backdrop are clearing, it is still cold outside with that sharp Irish dampness that does its best not to heal your bones.

Irish Bonsai Society

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Bonsai Tasks

By now you have all your pots cleaned and new soils prepared for repotting. This year for a change I am using Akadama, why. Akadama is great for retaining moisture and over time it will break down to suit the roots. Yesterday I repotted a Jack Pine and a Spruce. I always place the repotted trees in the coldframe until the harshest of the frosts has cleared, which is normally around mid-March. These trees can be repotted now as they are a native species tree and very hardy. The more tender varieties can wait till towards the end of the month.

Your Indoor trees, Serissa and Chinese elm can be repotted in late spring.

Tree Seeds

Don’t forget to inspect your tree seeds and plan the next stage, which should be transplanting if in the fridge stratifying.  My Larch seeds (about 60 seeds) were placed in the fridge six week ago and now will be planted in a fine coarse soil mixture. The Blue Jacranda seeds have already sprouted and are approximately 2 cm high. These are indoor trees. They will be kept with bottom heat until the end of March to encourage the roots.

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