Even when it rains we continue recording the videos for the next release of tutorials. To a certain point. When water drops too heavy we have to withdraw for a moment. Autumn is a bit unpredictable around here. We never know if it will be wonderful and warm September and October days, or rainy and cold.

There also is a special mood when rain silently drips and adds a totally different mood to the bonsai garden.

Something that influences the recording of videos but also how the colours turn out at the deciduous bonsai when temperatures shifts. We do like those red and yellow leaves shining before they drop.

A mixture of shorter days and cooler temperatures is the recipe for a great show of colourful leaves. The shorter days will be part of the solution, but the cooler temps will make the difference. Then there are the pre-autumn conditions that we take a look at in the seasonal tutorial when all is released Friday 1st.

Show season

When we leave the growing season we enter the show season. Already a lot of exhibitions are taking place, and the winter season will add more. Luckily one of the largest traditional European bonsai exhibitions seems to be back on track. The Trophy in Genk, Belgium, has just announced it is taking place. Preparing bonsai for an exhibition is part of the tutorials this month. No matter if you are exhibiting your bonsai yourself, it is meaningful to know how a bonsai is refined before entering the stage. The devil is in the detail.

Tutorials coming up Friday 1st

The monthly package of tutorials is something I put my heart in, and I hope you will feel the commitment to share the knowledge gained from more than 30 years of dedicated work with bonsai.

The great thing with bonsai is that you never stop learning. No matter how much you think (and I think) is learned, there always is some new knowledge revealed. It can be small technical stuff. It can be an eye-opening experience. Besides the friendship between bonsai enthusiasts, this is what I love the most. Constantly we all build upon what we already know.

Now you can take another step on the ladder. Hopefully, you find the new lessons informative and inspirational on your bonsai journey.

What we look into this month is: 

• Seasonal approach ( fertilizing, humidity and watering, fungus).
• Scots pine needle pinching.
• Wire on – wire off. Wire marks and how to overcome them.
• Preparing bonsai for exhibitions.
• Species of the month: Cotoneaster.