Journal · Miami Bonsai Specialist
Notes from the bench
Pruning, wiring and repotting, written in the Redland between jobs.
Jul 2026Pruning tropical bonsai through a Miami summerSpecies that grow year-round need a different pruning rhythm from temperate trees. When to pinch, when to cut hard, and what the wet season does to a fresh wound.Read →
Jun 2026Keeping bonsai tools from rusting in FloridaHumidity here is a maintenance problem, not a background condition. A five-minute routine after each session, and what to do about rust that has already started.Read →
May 2026A first bonsai tool set: what you actually needSets run from four pieces to twenty-two. Which tools you will use in the first year, which will sit in the roll, and how to compare two sets honestly.Read →
Apr 2026Repotting a bonsai in a sub-tropical climateSouth Florida does not have the winter dormancy most repotting advice assumes. When to repot here, how much root to take, and the tools the job needs.Read →
Mar 2026Choosing bonsai wire: gauge and materialAluminium or copper, which millimetre for which branch, the one-third rule, and how long to leave wire on before it bites in.Read →
Mar 2026Why a concave cutter is worth the moneyThe single tool that separates bonsai pruning from ordinary pruning, what the hollow blade actually does to a wound, and how to use one without tearing bark.Read →