I've got a Schefflera in my office. It's thriving really well in the low light and humidity. The thing is that it leaks tiny drops of a sticky residue everywhere. It's gotten all over my windows, a bit on my desk, and on the back of my bike (which I...
When I go to work tomorrow, I'm going to take with me a ziploc baggie full of dirt. You may recall that I have plants now. I repotted two of them a few weeks ago and since then the soil has settled into the pots considerably. Since I'm riding my...
I had the immense pleasure of visiting the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection at the Weyerhaeuser headquaters down in Federal Way this last weekend. One of my colleagues recommended this collection after he saw my struggling little tree in my office a few weeks ago, and I happened to have some...
I got around to photoing the tree now that it's alive again. Growth! It's amazing stuff. P.S. bonsai buddy, not BonziBUDDY....
Rogaine for the tree? Or hair plugs, maybe? Moving the tree away from the window helped immensely, and it also helped keep the soil much moister. Unlike the last two weeks—where I've watered the plant daily and still struggled to keep it wet enough—the last week I've hardly had to...
My bonsai is losing more leaves than it should. I think the problem is that I'm keeping it right up against my office window. It certainly gets the most sun sitting right next to the glass, but it's also subject to the heat loss through the (reasonably thin) pane. Since...
I got my window office today and celebrated with plants! Here I've got a big schefflera, some manner of leafy agave thing that apparently grows great with practically no light, and a teeny tiny bonsai of a variety that I can't recall at the moment. All three are stuff into...
In the latest much-overdue installment of my bonsai series, I'm glad to announce that I've finally picked up a tray and some seeds. In fact, I've got a whole bonsai kit—mostly because it was on sale at Barnes & Noble and because Layla and I still had an unused gift...
Much like the ADD kid down the street who runs in circles in his front yard just long enough to get distracted by his bike and ride off into the middle of the street, I've completely forgotten about the whole bonsai thing. Well, I've remembered again, so I think this...
I've decided to crank up my interest and involvement in bonsai. I really enjoy growing things, and I think that bonsai is a great way to grow something that's a bit more interesting than a typical houseplant. I've had houseplants before—I used to have three of them in my room....
I've liked the idea behind bonsai for as long as I can remember. I'm not sure if the first time I thought about it was when I watched The Karate Kid, but the earliest memory I have of someone delicately tending to a small plant in a clay tray involves...
