Sunday, December 30, 2012

Collected Callery Pear Bonsai

Here is another picture of a pear bonsai. I am pretty sure its a wild Callery pear. This type of tree is particularly tough and vigorous. It can outcompete many native plants and trees here in the Ohio River Valley and is a widely invasive species. I often set out on foot in search of good material to extract. The one in this picture is from an area near some railroad tracks. Railroad tracks are often a great place to tree hunt. Check your local laws regarding this activity, if you don't own the land that is, or risk being fined or imprisoned. There are a lot of great wild pear trees out there along with elm, mulberry, hawthorn, and even some catalpa and eastern red cedar. I honestly feel that the pear trees develop much quicker that the others. They have a higher threshold for abuse, including root trauma, which makes them easy to collect if you know what you're doing.

Chamomile herb is a good source of calcium, magnesium, sulfur, iron, and zinc. These are all nutrients that plants need that are usually not included in plant foods. Im currently doing some experiments with chamomile herbs. I became aware of the beneficial effects of chamomile in 2007 when a friend poured some of her chamomile tea into one of my ficus plants and I immediately saw the plant respond positively.