Heart of Dixie Bonsai
Growing Bonsai in South Alabama
Welcome to The Heart of Dixie Bonsai
Would You Like To Learn More About Bonsai?
I hope to fill these pages with bonsai, tips, and techniques; but there really is no substitute for the "hands on" type of experience that you get from working with people in your area. I recommend that you seek out a local bonsai club. I live in Mobile, Alabama and our club is the Azalea City Bonsai Society. We meet the first Tuesday of the month, except for July, at 6:30 PM in the Garden Center. The address is 4690 Springhill Avenue, Mobile, Alabama 36608. I would like to personally invite you to join us.
Site Updates
Updated the Magnolia Stellata Page - 1-10-2019
Updated the Bald Cypress II Page - 1-10-2019
Created the Kyohime Japanese Maple Page - 1-10-2019
Updated the Japanese Maple "Arakawa" Progression Page - 1.20.2019
Latest News, Articles, and Additions
ANOTHER BALD CYPRESS REPOT
I haven’t had time to update the website lately so I am trying to catch up on a few posts. The repotting work was actually done on March 11 of this year. I know it is a little late for repotting season now, but maybe there might be some nuggets...
Category: Blog Post
IT'S ALL ABOUT BALANCE, ANOTHER BALD CYPRESS ARTICLE
I am still catching up on my posts on the work that I did earlier this year, this tree was actually trimmed in May, a couple of months ago. This is a short post on managing apex growth on bald cypress. Bald cypress (BC) are very apical dominant, no...
Category: Blog Post
THE BEE'S KNEES
This repot was do done about a month ago, but i thought i would share it. Thee tree is much more than I have seen anywhere on the 'net and deserves a some recognition, IMHO. So here it is: My Dad ask me if I would help him repot one of his bald...
Category: Blog Post
SHOHIN SIZE CHINESE ELM REPOT
Well, up until tonight (1-30-2019), it has been a pretty balmy winter in the Heart of Dixie and a few of my trees have been waking up kinda early. This small elm was one of them. To be fair, it had a position on the bench where it caught a lot of...
Category: Blog Post
IKEA FINDS
Since bonsai is my main hobby and passion, I seem to always have my eyes peeled for everyday items that would lend themselves to bonsai. Recently, Favorite Minion and I went on a little excursion to Jacksonville, Florida and while there visited...
Category: Tips and Tricks
USING A BOARD TO IMPROVE NEBARI AND ROOTS
This isn’t anything new and not my idea or innovation, but it is, however a great way to improve the nebari and roots on your bonsai. What is “nebari”, you ask. Well for those who aren’t familiar with the term, it is a Japanese term, and simply...
Category: Tips and Tricks
WHAT ABOUT NAPA FLOOR DRY?
If you read the post on Optisorb (if not, read it here), you know that I have been shopping around for a replacement for pumice in my soil mix. I have read in various places on the net that a lot of people are using Napa Floor Dry so I found some...
Category: Tips and Tricks
A LOOK A OPTISORB
Since I am having a difficult time sourcing pumice in the Heart of Dixie, I have been looking at alternatives. I read about Optisorb on my favorite bonsai forum, www.bonsainut.com, and found out that it was available a Oriley's for $16.99 for a 25...
Category: Tips and Tricks
RED FISH CATCH AND COOK
Bonsai is one of my passions, but I also love to fish. Like most in the South, I grew up fishing. My grandparents had a house on Fowl River, another at Orange Beach, and another had a camp in Mississippi. My parents also took us on vacations at...
Category: Everything Else
GOODBYE BETSY, HELLO FANNY
I haven't mentioned it here, at the Heart of Dixie Bonsai, but in September of this year, I was involved in an automobile accident that resulted in me having a broken knee cap and also the totaling-out my beloved 2000 Jeep Cherokee.
Category: Everything Else
A BLAST FROM THE PAST
For supper a few nights ago, my wife prepared a surprise side dish for us--pear salad. Pear salad my sound kinda mundane to you, but this just wasn't any pear salad, it was pear salad, Heart of Dixie style. If you are a child of the late sixties...
Category: Everything Else
THE SECRET LIVES OF APHIDS, PART II
If you liked this article, The Secret Lives of Aphids, You might find this one interesting as a follow-up. There is something about bugs...I don't know, maybe it is just the kid in me--poor mom, I was always bringing something home in a jar to...
Category: Everything Else