Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu The downside to not dealing with root issues last repot is that you have to deal with them now and it will be much harder to sort out. Bonsai that haven't been repotted frequently enough or were not repotted correctly last time means you may be dealing with a brick this time. Let's chat about how to resolve that issue. Root rot is real and I'll discuss how to identify it, what are some common causes and how you can avoid it in the future. Freedmen's affairs radio ...
Jul 20, 2025•33 min•Season 7Ep. 28
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu Welcome to Repotting Season! It's officially started and we need to talk about it. Firstly, not all soil mixes are created equally and I have proof. I'll tell you a story about a recent repotting adventure that proves my point. Repotting is all about technique and being absolutely perfect. You need to practice and ensure your bonsai gets stronger as a result. And drainage layers, should you always have one? Freedmen's affairs radio This program will focus on polit...
Jul 13, 2025•33 min•Season 7Ep. 27
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu Do you need to adapt your bonsai care to allow for changing weather patterns and extremes? This isn't a podcast on climate change, it is more to consider how we need to adjust our care regime and timing of processes for our trees to be able to continue to thrive. What if your growing period is shorter? What if it's longer? What does that mean for fertilising? We have always had weather extremes and now they seem to be popping up a lot more frequently so we need to...
Jul 06, 2025•38 min•Season 7Ep. 26
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu I have found that your mindset when working on 'small' bonsai needs to be very different as to when you work on the larger species. A little foliage extension can make a big difference when the bonsai is only 20cm wide but if it's 70cm wide you will barely notice. So you need to approach the work on the smaller bonsai with a few key thoughts in mind. How do you create separations and not simply work it as a blob, is there too much back budding, is it too crowded. ...
Jun 29, 2025•31 min•Season 7Ep. 25
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu Deciduous bonsai look their best in their winter silhouette, there is no where to hide! Use this opportunity to identify areas for improvement before the foliage returns in the near future. And if you have over worked a bonsai, what should you do? How do you adjust your care to help the tree heal and move on from the shock of what you have done. Yamadori is always a hot topic and I have a little delve into responsible sourcing and how consumers and bonsai lovers n...
Jun 22, 2025•33 min•Season 7Ep. 24
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu We all have scars from our past, it makes us human and our bonsai history is scattered with ‘things I wouldn’t do again’. You can learn from these scars but don’t let them hold you back from achieving something pretty fantastic. Winter is upon us and the thoughts about winter protection for your sensitive species need to become a priority before something happens to your bonsai. I chat about classifying your bonsai and also working within the constraints of your b...
Jun 15, 2025•31 min•Season 7Ep. 23
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu We are all busy! But your bonsai need you. How and where do you allocate your time for them? You need to look at what is most important right now and prioritise that task, whether it's weeding or pruning, repotting or fertilising. By using your limited time wisely you and your bonsai will feel great. Japanese White Pines are a little misunderstood and I find they are unique in our care approach, as well as simple once you know the formula. I'll break it down so it...
Jun 08, 2025•40 min•Season 7Ep. 22
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu Seeing the end target for your bonsai in the developmental stage can be challenging. Breaking the development of your bonsai into bite size chunks can be so helpful in keeping everything on track. Perspective in any form of design is so important. When reviewing your bonsai, your perspective will allow you to see completely different designs and ultimately make the best decision for the future path you will take with your bonsai. Angle, tilt, height, distance are ...
Jun 01, 2025•30 min•Season 7Ep. 21
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu After recently visiting a bonsai show and seeing some amazing bonsai that were collected trees or yamadori, I think it is important to chat about expectations when comparing these nature impacted trees with nursery or 'man grown' stock. Can we compete with Mother Nature?? Terminal issues like wilt can and do occur and the end result can be heartbreaking. While we may not be able to treat these issues we can slow the clock and do everything in our power to try and ...
May 25, 2025•33 min•Season 7Ep. 20
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu Right now is a very important time for your bonsai, they are heading towards dormancy and how you manage their needs is critical to their future development. It is also a time to be neck deep in needles while styling your conifers. I have a styling consideration checklist for you to consider that I find a valuable tool. And moss on your bonsai. Love or hate it there are a few things to be mindful of as to how it can be detrimental to your bonsai. Freedmen's affair...
May 18, 2025•34 min•Season 7Ep. 19
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu What an experience! I was fortunate enough to spend some one on one time with the Italian bonsai master Salvatore Liporace in Milan in the north of Italy at his property. Salvatore, who originally studied under Mr Kimura in Japan, has travelled the world extensively demonstrating and presenting and is renowned for his work on conifers. While the visit focussed on advanced grafting techniques it offered me so much more. We were just two bonsai professionals chewing...
May 11, 2025•32 min•Season 7Ep. 18
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu Is too much of a good thing bad for you? Maybe if it’s chocolate, but does that apply if it’s bonsai?? I don’t think so…and there’s a good reason for that too. Every tree provides you with the opportunity to learn and develop both personally and for your approach to future bonsai. We always have so much to learn from trees. It’s also late autumn/fall and that means it is time for pine work! Finally!!!! I’ve got a short checklist for you to use and some of the work...
May 04, 2025•29 min•Season 7Ep. 17
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu How do you overcome the fear of working on your bonsai? One backward step can shatter your confidence but you must get back on the horse and keep moving forward. Bonsai confidence comes with experience and seeing the results of your hard work over long periods of time. Only you can change you! You remember the old saying that if it sounds too good to be true it probably is? Well that certainly applies to bonsai. Those good old short cuts will take you and your bon...
Apr 27, 2025•29 min•Season 7Ep. 16
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu Your bonsai are only as good as the tools you use and the maintenance you undertake. Over time your tools will deteriorate and you can feel it as it happens. I run through the maintenance of my tool kit and how to ‘test’ your tools for wear and tear. It might be time for an upgrade! Bonsai for me is everything and I reflect where I think I would be without bonsai in my life. We are all bonsai tragics and lovers in the one breath so I am sure you will relate. Freed...
Apr 20, 2025•32 min•Season 7Ep. 15
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu It’s time for a mid Autumn or Fall check in. There are lots of jobs that need to be done at this time of the year and plenty to keep an eye on too. I like to run through a final checklist before it’s too late to make a difference. Cedars as bonsai are just brilliant, with so many variations on styling and colour of the foliage, they truly are one of my favourites. To get the most out of their appearance and development there are certain tasks I undertake now which...
Apr 13, 2025•30 min•Season 7Ep. 14
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu Understanding when to commence the Autumn/Winter work on your pines as well as the work to undertake is extremely important if you are going to manage their needs correctly. There are also considerations to make if you plan on showing your pine at a later point in time. Different species of pine need different techniques and you must know what they are and master the techniques to continue their development. Freedmen's affairs radio This program will focus on poli...
Apr 06, 2025•31 min•Season 7Ep. 13
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu There is nothing I enjoy more than letting my creative bonsai juices flow! It is never at the expense of the tree in front of me but it’s nice to think outside of the square every now and then. What is the story behind your bonsai? Does it have one? Is it important? What if there is no story? Every great story has a start and you can be part of history. Freedmen's affairs radio This program will focus on political, social and cultural concerns for descendants of.....
Mar 30, 2025•29 min•Season 7Ep. 12
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu Branch cutters are an essential tool when it comes to bonsai but they are commonly abused and misused. I love them and have them in a range of different sizes and shapes. I want to run through how I use them to get the best results. And the old saying of ‘Practice makes Perfect’ isn’t necessarily correct. It should be ‘Perfect Practise makes Perfect’. The apex on your bonsai can make or break your design and I have a few ‘guidelines’ that may help. As I always say...
Mar 23, 2025•32 min•Season 7Ep. 11
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu Bonsai wire and bonsai go together like Vegemite and hot buttered toast! We use wire for design and horticultural requirements for our bonsai and quite honestly I believe we would be lost without it. In this podcast I chat about all things wire, wire removal, reusing, copper versus aluminium, bending, time frames, storage and the dreaded 1mm wire roll. Our bonsai community is beautiful in every way, just like our trees. I’ve got a story on how mosh pits and bonsai...
Mar 16, 2025•34 min•Season 7Ep. 10
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu Autumn is a brilliant time for your trees. They may be starting to show some colour or they may not but they are already working very hard to become a better version of themselves and they need your care and assistance. Understanding the process they go through will help you become a better practitioner. Feeding, pest management, and most importantly pruning are important tasks you need to undertake. When working a new tree or reworking one that you might be a lit...
Mar 09, 2025•35 min•Season 7Ep. 9
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu Autumn or Fall is an extremely important time for your bonsai and you have a key responsibility to ensure you do your bit. Fertilising is really important and now is the time to get started. The why, how and my strategy for fertilising is really simply and easily replicated. When I design or work on bonsai, one of the final steps I take is a top down view of the tree. A very common mistake is flattening the structure so your bonsai 'looks good' from the front view...
Mar 02, 2025•31 min
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu As we head towards the end of the southern hemisphere Summer period, it is a great time to pat yourself on the back for helping your bonsai make it through another tough period. Have a look at what has done well and accept the satisfaction as to why. Where trees have not faired quite so well it is time to review why and take steps to correct it for next Summer. Formal upright bonsai are very difficult to develop and I have a range of consideration for the tree bef...
Feb 23, 2025•33 min•Season 7Ep. 7
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu Carving and bonsai seem to go hand in hand. I think everyone I have ever spoken to about bonsai over the years has mentioned carving at one time or another. And carving, good carving, takes skill and technique. Texture, the need to appear 'natural' and staying safe are all very important! How you work with an electric carving tool is crucial to your success and I'll let you know how I work with them to help minimise collateral damage to the rest of the bonsai. Fre...
Feb 16, 2025•47 min•Season 7Ep. 6
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu So what got you into bonsai initially? I bet it's not what keeps you in bonsai now. I find it is important to reflect back on the start of your journey as you can sometimes lose sight of what make you happy. Do the maintenance! And do it first!! Big decisions can wait and the maintenance work will clear the path for your decision making process. Remove the unnecessary, then into the structural decisions. Late Summer is a time to review your collection and see what...
Feb 09, 2025•37 min•Season 7Ep. 5
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu We are in the last month of Summer and while there are certain trees I will fertilise, there are also trees I will not. I run through my program right now and how it could apply to your bonsai garden. I also have a tale of a poor pomegranate that almost made it to the green waste bin but didn't thank goodness! The lesson of sometimes you just need to wait a little longer was learnt. It's always worth waiting. Freedmen's affairs radio This program will focus on pol...
Feb 02, 2025•32 min•Season 7Ep. 4
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu One of the most iconic Australian species of tree is the grand Banksia and there are 173 different species (according to natureaustralia.org.au). They make the most magnificent bonsai and there are 'rules' to their successful care and I think everyone should have at least one in their collection. The Banksia has so much to offer. We all have trees in our collection that just don't develop the way we have expected or that you just cannot see the future bonsai in. W...
Jan 26, 2025•36 min•Season 7Ep. 3
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu When you are working on any of your bonsai, at any stage of their journey, you need to have focus. There are some key areas of my work I give particular attention to and they make all the difference. Remember it's the 1% that can have a massive impact. You need to respect the bonsai that is in front of you here and now. Be thorough, be focused, be accurate and be respectful. Simple. Freedmen's affairs radio This program will focus on political, social and cultural...
Jan 19, 2025•36 min•Season 7Ep. 2
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu Welcome to Season 7 of the Bonsai Stuff podcast! 2025 is going to be a brilliant year for bonsai and to kick things off I'll let you know my 3 step simple plan for the year and my bonsai commitment. Post holidays it is time to dust off the cobwebs and get back to bonsai. This is my time to work on my junipers too and I have a check list I work through to make sure I am thorough and don't have a need to rework the trees. I'll share this list with you as it may help...
Jan 12, 2025•40 min•Season 7Ep. 1
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu Well 2024 is done and there has been so many highlights for me personally as well as with my bonsai. I chat about a few of my podcast favourites and how small incremental improvements with my bonsai make me happy. During the year I travelled for bonsai, I travelled a lot! From one corner of Australia to the other as well as a trip to New Zealand and I loved it all. So many shiny, happy, bonsai people and so much bonsai love. It's nice to know we're not alone. Brin...
Dec 29, 2024•31 min•Season 6Ep. 51
Contact Scott from Bonsai Matsu With the holiday season upon us, now is the time to devote some special attention to our bonsai. I run through my pre-Christmas checklist of jobs that I look to have completed before the Summer break. With decandling now being completed, well for me anyway, I talk about sacrifice branches and how I looked at my Japanese Black Pines a little differently this year. How can I harness the strength of a new Spring candle to improve my bonsai? That was a question I aske...
Dec 22, 2024•32 min•Season 6Ep. 50
