World of Bonsai and Gardening

How to Grow Japanese Maples from Seed

It looks easier as it is, in fact growing Japanese maples from seed isn't an easy task. It is only possible if you are willing to invest time and some patience. In other words, it's not mission impossible if you follow these steps:

The ASIAN maple species method

1. Vine maple, striped maple, Amur maple, and paperbark maple are all tough to germinate and require extra attention. This applies to most other species native to Asia, as well as mountain maples and rocky mountain maples. All of the seeds in this category drop in autumn or winter. Left alone in the soil, they can take years to germinate.

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2. Treat the outer hull. Many of these species have an extremely hard hull (pericarp). Growers often "scarify" the hull to greatly improve germination rates. You may use any of these methods: Rub the base of the seed (opposite the wing) against a nail file or sandpaper.

Stop as soon as you break through the hull, barely nicking the seed coat underneath.
Soak the seeds in household-strength hydrogen peroxide for several hours, then rinse well.
Soak the seeds in warm water for 24 hours

3. Store in a warm room. The US Forest Service recommends keeping the seeds at 20–30ºC (68–86ºF) for 30–60 days. These seeds have not been studied as thoroughly as those of other species, so exact guidelines for each species are not available.

Now, if you've been waiting 60 days, it's half the way to success. Don't give up at this point and follow the remaining steps.

4. Cold stratify for 90–180 days. Transfer the seeds to a plastic, zip-locked bag in the refrigerator, with a small handful of peat moss or other growing material. Check back every couple of weeks to look for signs of mold, drying, or sprouting.

Rocky mountain seeds (Acer glabrum) usually take the full 180 days to germinate. Other species can take as few as 90, but they are unpredictable. Don't expect every seed to sprout. Germination rates as low as 20% are common for these species.

5. Plant the seeds. You may start the germinated seeds on an indoor seedling tray, or plant them outside if the last frost has passed. Plant them 0.6 to 2.5cm (¼ to 1 inch) beneath the soil surface.

Water occasionally but deeply, not letting the soil stay dry for long. For more specific information, look up your exact maple species.

If this method doesn't work for you. You may want to try a different method which is the direct germinating in the soil method. These are the five steps:

The direct planting (germinating) in the soil method

1. Collect seeds in late spring or early summer. Silver maples and some red maples (but not Japanese red maples) will drop their seeds early in the growing season. These species do not go dormant, and there is no need for any special treatments.

2. Plant immediately. Seeds of this type will die if they dry out in storage. Plant shortly after you collect them. They should germinate quickly.

3. Plant on moist ground. Place the seeds on the moist ground with plenty of leaf litter and other organic material. As long as the soil doesn't dry out, the seeds will require no maintenance.

4. Plant in sun or partial shade. Silver maples grow poorly in the shade. Red maples can handle shade for 3–5 years but may have trouble growing if they remain under the canopy past that point.

5. Leave bare seedbeds undisturbed (optional). If some of the seeds fail to germinate, they will often sprout the following year. These are usually a minority of the seeds, but if you haven't had much success it could be worth leaving the area untended for a second season.

If very few of the seeds germinate, and the climate has been fairly typical, the seeds most likely died in storage. Plant a new batch next year rather than wait.

The most common method is stratification

1. Try this for most maple seeds. Sugar maples, bigleaf maples, boxelder maples, Japanese maples, Norway maples, and some red maples lie dormant over the winter, then germinate as soon as temperatures warm. The cold stratification approach produces very high germination rates in these species.

All of these species drop their seeds in autumn or early winter. If your red maple trees drop their seeds in spring or early summer, try germinating them in the soil instead.

If you're going to plant the seeds outdoors, start this method 90–120 days before the last winter frost.

2. Fill a plastic bag with growing material. Place a handful of peat moss, vermiculite, or germination paper in a small, plastic, zip-locked bag. For best results, use sterile material and handle it with disposable gloves to avoid introducing fungus.

Tiny "snack-sized" bags work best. Larger bags trap more air with the seeds, which can lead to fungal problems.

Red maple seeds are sensitive to acidity. For this species, choose vermiculite (a neutral or basic substance) rather than peat moss (acidic).

3. Add a little water. Add a couple drops of water to the growing material to dampen the material slightly. If you see standing water, or if you can squeeze out water from the material, it is too wet.

4. Optionally, you can apply a little fungicide. Fungicide can prevent mold from destroying your seeds, but it is not always necessary and may damage the plant if overused. Add only in tiny quantities, following the manufacturer's instructions. Some growers rinse the seeds in very diluted bleach solutions instead.

5. Add the seeds and close the bag. Place your seeds in the bag. Starting from the base, roll the bag to expel most of the air. Zip it closed.

6. Store in the refrigerator. Now it's time to "stratify" the seeds, or expose them to temperatures that trigger germination. For most species, the ideal temperature is usually around 1–5ºC (33.8–41ºF). The crisper drawer of a refrigerator is usually about this temperature.

Ideally, use a thermometer to confirm the correct temperature. Some seeds may fail to germinate if the temperature is just a couple degrees off.

If possible, keep boxelder and Norway maple seeds at exactly 5ºC (41ºF), and red maple seeds at exactly 3ºC (37.4ºF). Other species are not as picky.

7. Leave them for 40–120 days, checking every week or 2. Most of these species take 90–120 days to germinate, but the bigleaf maple and a few others can sprout in as few as 40. Every week or 2, check on the bag and make adjustments as needed: If you notice condensation, pick up the bag and gently tap it to knock the water droplets off. Lay the bag back down on the opposite side, so the wet seeds have a chance to dry off.

If the growing material has dried out, add a drop or 2 of water.
If you notice any mold or black spots, remove the affected seed and throw it away. (If the whole batch is molding, try a little fungicide.)
If the seeds have begun to sprout, remove them from the refrigerator.

8. Plant the seeds. Once the seeds have germinated, plant them 0.6–1.2cm (¼–½ inch) under moist soil. Most maples do well in partial shade but look up the exact species if possible for more info on planting.

To increase the odds of survival, start the seedlings in an indoor seed tray instead. Fill the tray with 7.6–10 cm (3–4 inches) of well-draining potting soil, or an even mix of peat moss, rotted compost, vermiculite, and coarse sand. Water whenever the soil becomes completely dry. Transfer to planter pots once the second set of leaves appears.

World of Pumpkin

pumpkins are great winter crops. pumpkings are more than halloween

Isn't it amazing, pumpkin is such an incredible cultivar of winter squash that has impressed generations since it originated from Mexico. Pumpkins are one of the oldest domesticated plants, having been used as early as 7,500 to 5,000 BC. Pumpkins are a warm-weather crop that is usually planted in early July. The specific conditions necessary for growing pumpkins require that soil temperatures 8 centimeters (3 in) deep are at least 15.5 °C (60 °F) and that the soil holds water well. Pumpkin crops may suffer if there is a lack of water or because of cold temperatures (in this case, below 18 °C or 65 °F). Soil that is sandy with poor water retention or poorly drained soils that become waterlogged after heavy rain are both detrimental. Pumpkins are, however, rather hardy, and even if many leaves and portions of the vine

are removed or damaged, the plant can very quickly re-grow secondary vines to replace what was removed. Pumpkins produce both a male and female flower, with fertilization usually effected by bees. In America, pumpkins have historically been pollinated by the native squash bee, Peponapis pruinosa, but that bee has declined, probably partly due to pesticide sensitivity. Ground-based bees, such as squash bees and the eastern bumblebee, are better suited to manage the larger pollen particles that pumpkins create, but today most commercial plantings are pollinated by hives of honeybees, which also allows the production and sale of honey that the bees produce from the pumpkin pollen.

Fall is officially underway which means that perfect round, bright orange pumpkins are available for picking from the pumpkin patch. Picking out the perfect pumpkin (or pumpkins!) for your family is a fun event in itself. But what do you plan to do with them once you get them home? Here are some fun ideas and facts for ways you can use your freshly picked pumpkins!

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Decorate your home

If you’re feeling festive, pumpkins make great fall decorations both inside and outside of the home. Outside, people will often pair them with scarecrows, haystacks, and decorative corn stalks to create that perfect fall look. Pumpkins also make great centerpieces and they also look great when displayed throughout the home.

Make beautiful place settings

Mini-pumpkins make a great place-setting accessory at fall events and attendees can take them home to enjoy! Pumpkins can also be used instead of a seating card at a fall-inspired event, such as a wedding. Simply write each guest’s name on a pumpkin with their table number. You can also paint the pumpkins to make them stand out, or use them as-is since pumpkins are gorgeous on their own.

Cook delicious pumpkin treats

Fall also means delicious pumpkin recipes! There’s pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup, and more. Yum! Why not bake something from scratch this year? Pumpkin tastes delicious in a variety of recipes, both savory and sweet. In addition to beta carotene, pumpkins offer vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, and folate, all of which strengthen your immune system. More pumpkin in your diet can help your immune cells work better to ward off germs and speed healing when you get a wound.

The benefits of pumpkin skin

Pumpkin skin is specifically high in beta-carotene which converts into Vitamin A in the body. This powerful antioxidant can help prevent sun damage when consumed regularly so you can keep that skin glowing all day long.

Carve your pumpkin

A favorite family Halloween activity is turning a pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern. Create your own designs or if you aren’t too artistic, you can buy pumpkin carving kits. You can also use cookie cutters as a guide to cut different shapes into the pumpkin. Don’t be afraid to use your creativity, but if small children are involved with the project, it is best to have an adult do the cutting.

Pumpkin seed oil and its health benefits

You may think of pumpkin as a festive fall decoration or the ingredient for the perfect pie, but pumpkin has other uses. Pumpkin seed oil, for example, has certain health benefits. Pumpkin seed oil is said to help promote urinary health and heart health. It’s full of vitamins and anti-inflammatory agents, along with linoleic and oleic acid. Here’s what you need to know about this fruit’s potential health benefits.

Pumpkin seed oil has been linked to positive effects on hair growth, especially in men. The link to study can be found here. The study found that men who took 400 milligrams of pumpkin seed oil every day for 24 weeks actually had 40 percent more hair growth than men in the placebo group. No adverse effects were found.

You may know that saturated fats aren’t good for healthy hearts. But it can still be confusing to know which fats are OK to eat. Pumpkin seed oil is actually an unsaturated fat, meaning it’s the “good” kind of fat. Unsaturated fats like pumpkin seed oil can actually promote a healthy heart.

Pumpkin seed oil, along with palmetto oil, has shown promising results as an alternative therapy for benign prostate hypertrophy (BPH). BPH is a common condition where the prostate becomes enlarged. This can be extremely painful and block the flow of urine. A study of Korean men with BPH found that pumpkin seed oil may act as an effective alternative medicine with no adverse reactions. Participants in the study saw an improvement in symptoms, including better urinary flow. Researchers found that optimal results occurred when pumpkin seed oil was paired with palmetto oil. The study can be found here.

Lastly, pumpkin seed oil was found to help relieve some of the symptoms of menopause. This included a decrease in hot flashes, joint pain, and headaches. The women taking pumpkin seed oil also had an increase in their HDL levels, which is the “good” cholesterol.

pumpkin sales of halloween items and costumes

Grow your giant pumpkin

Pumpkins can reach truly massive proportions. The Guinness World Record for the heaviest pumpkin of all time belongs to a German specimen that weighed 2644.6 pounds in 2016. If you're looking for a gourd that rivals the world's biggest, you won't find it at the supermarket. The best way to get your hands on a giant pumpkin is by growing it yourself and if you start now, it may be ready by Halloween 2022.

A monster pumpkin starts with a tiny seed, but it can't be any pumpkin seed. Modern Farmer recommends planting Dill's Atlantic Giant the variety that has produced nearly all the record-smashing pumpkins of recent decades. If grown under ideal conditions, these seeds can produce pumpkins between 300 and 500 pounds.

Start preparing to grow your giant pumpkin in the fall. In your garden, till a 10-foot-diameter bed that receives at least eight hours of sunlight per day. Spread six inches of composted manure over the soil and shape it into a low, wide mound. Cover the bed with straw mulch or a cover crop until you're ready to plant your pumpkins in a few months.

In late winter or early spring, roughly a month before the last frost of winter germinate your pumpkin seeds in indoor pots. Air temperatures should fall between 65°F to 75°F and soil temperatures should be 70°F to 90°F. Once your seedling has sprouted a few leaves, plant it in the prepared bed in your garden. If you have more than one seedling, space them out at least 10 feet apart. Covering the area around the sprout with plastic in the early spring can protect it from cold weather and encourage early growth.

Moisture, sun, and nutrients are essential to cultivating large pumpkins. The soil should always be moist, and the patch should be located in a bright, sunny spot without any shade. A weekly feeding of nutrients will help it gain a lot of bulk in a short amount of time. Wind, pests, and weeds pose a threat to pumpkins, so monitor the conditions around the plot and install a fence or use insecticides and fungicides if necessary.

Though it may seem counterintuitive, it's important to pluck flower buds from your vine when it's first starting to grow. This allows the leaves to grow big enough to collect energy for one, giant pumpkin instead of several tiny ones. When your vine is about 10 feet long, leave any budding flowers alone for a few weeks. The biggest fruit at the end of this period will be your giant pumpkin, and the rest can be pruned.

Giant pumpkins have unique needs to keep in mind. They're prone to rot, and a bed of sand or a sheet of wood or cardboard beneath them offers protection from moisture and insects. The skin of a 300-pound pumpkin is stretched to its limit, and erecting a shade cloth over the fruit keeps its exterior flexible as it expands. Also, make sure to prune any rootlets preventing the vine near the pumpkin from lifting off the ground as it grows larger. Branching vines that produce leaves promote growth, but vines that are longer than eight feet may consume more energy than they harness for the pumpkin and should be removed.

With some luck and hard work, your giant pumpkin should be ready to harvest by the end of fall. The crop won't make very good pumpkin pie, but it might win you a blue ribbon at your local fair. Here are more uses for pumpkins of any size this Halloween season. Good Luck!

Some exciting pumpkin products such as caps, sleeveless shirts, trousers, blankets etc. can be found in this link. Pumpkin products

Pumpkin types and varieties of pumpkin in the world

The Juniper Bonsai

The Juniper Bonsai also known as Juniperus is one of the most popular Bonsai trees. Junipers can be found in all shape and sizes around throughout the world of Bonsai. Juniper Bonsai trees sold at large stores, including Walmart and Home Depot, are often Japanese Garden Junipers, also called Green Mound Junipers (Juniperus procumbens nana). Other popular species are the Chinese juniper (Juniperus chinensis), the Japanese Shimpaku (Juniperus sargentii), the Japanese needle juniper (Juniperus rigida), two central European species: the savin (Juniperus sabina) and the common juniper (Juniperus communis), and three American species: the California Juniper (Juniperus californica), the Rocky mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) and the Sierra Juniper (Juniperus occidentalis). The foliage colors range from dark blue-greens to light greens and the foliage can either be scale-like or needle-like. Scale junipers usually have needle-like foliage when they are young (called juvenile foliage), the typical scale-like foliage appears later. After heavy pruning or bending, overwatering or other stress often juvenile foliage will grow again. It can last a few years until enough normal scale-like foliage has grown and all the needle-like foliage can be removed.

Bonsai Tree Soil Potting Mix Blend

The berry-like cones are round or oval, depending on the species they measure between 3 mm and 2 cm and they need a year or two to ripen. The seeds are round or edged. The cones are often eaten by birds who spread the germinable seeds later with their droppings.

Junipers are very suitable for creating deadwood (jin and shari). This is due to the fact that live veins below a broken or for other reasons dying branch will dry out and die. This results in natural deadwood which is peeled, polished and bleached by climatic conditions and is very durable in case of the juniper. The triad of green foliage, reddish-brown or yellowish-brown bark and silvery white deadwood is very appealing.

Position: Place the tree outside, year-round, on a bright spot with lots of sunlight. The Juniper cannot live indoors. During the winter protect the tree once temperatures drop below -10 degrees C (14F). Some species change their foliage color during frosty periods to a purplish brown which is connected with their frost protection mechanism. In spring they will turn green again.

Watering: Be careful not to water too much, as the juniper roots don't like soil wetness. Before you water, the soil should dry well. Misting the tree can be done regularly, especially after the tree has been repotted because it benefits from air humidity. Continue reading about watering Bonsai trees.

Feeding: Use normal organic fertilizer pellets or balls every month during the growth season or a liquid fertilizer each week. If strong growth is desired some higher nitrogen levels can be applied in spring.

Pruning: To develop the foliage pads, long shoots which stick out of the silhouette can be pinched or cut at the base with sharp scissors throughout the growth season. Do not trim the juniper like a hedge because the removal of all growing tips will weaken the tree and the cut will turn the needles brown. When the foliage pads become too dense they must be thinned out with sharp scissors at the base. The Juniper Bonsai is generally a strong tree that also withstands aggressive pruning quite well. But it cannot bud again from bare tree parts, so take care that there is some foliage left on every branch you want to keep alive. Continue reading about pruning Bonsai trees.

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Wiring: Junipers which are produced for Bonsai purposes are already wired quite heavily in most cases when they are still very young. Dramatically twisted shapes are very popular and correspond with the natural shapes that used to grow in the Japanese mountains in former times. Junipers can be strongly bent, if necessary wrapped with raffia or tape as a protection, but you must be careful with parts that possess deadwood. Those parts break easily. If they are large and old, you can split the deadwood off in order to bend the more flexible living parts. The foliage pads should be wired and fanned out after thinning when necessary, to let light and air get in. Otherwise, the inner parts of the foliage pads will die. In addition to this, the danger of pest infestation is increased if the pads are too dense. From the aesthetic point of view, we also want to achieve unobstructed structures and want to prevent the juniper from looking like broccoli.

Re-potting: Once every two years, very old trees at longer intervals, using a basic (or somewhat more draining) soil mixture. Don't prune the roots too aggressively. I'd suggest the Bonsai potting soil mixture, click here for customer review details on Amazon.

Propagation: Use seeds or cuttings.

Acquisition of juniper Bonsai: Many well-suited juniper species in different sizes are offered in most nurseries. You can often find good Bonsai raw material there. In gardens, concrete pots and on cemeteries on old graves that will be cleared there are often quite old junipers and if you are lucky the owner will allow you to dig one out for little money or a new plant. Specialized Bonsai traders offer everything from young plants, pre-Bonsai and pre-styled juniper trees up to high-value Bonsai, in various styles and shapes.

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Pests/diseases: If junipers are well cared for and placed in an ideal position they are quite resistantwebworms for example. Customary insecticide/miticide sprays will help but you should also find the reason why the tree was prone to infestation. A big problem is fungal rust diseases. The diverse juniper species and cultivars have very different levels of susceptibility to rust fungus, there are also some which are regarded as resistant. As a rule of thumb, the blue-green junipers are more resistant than those with yellowish-green foliage. The Japanese junipers are also not infested very often. In the internet, you can find files which list many juniper species and cultivars and their susceptibility/resistance level to rust fungus. The rust fungus infests the junipers permanently and causes swellings from which hard, brown galls emerge. In spring, during rainy weather, the galls produce large, orange, gelatin-like tendrils, full of spores, which infest the leaves of pear trees (but there are also types of rust fungus which use hawthorn or crabapples as a second host instead of the pear). The fungus causes orange spots on the pear leaves. In late summer brownish proliferation's grow from the bottom-sides of the leaves which release spores that infest junipers again. While the pear trees in most cases are not fatally affected – they are newly infested each year again and they can even be treated successfully with a fungicide, an infested juniper normally cannot be cured. (You may want to refer to my previous blogpost on Cure and Prevention for Bonsai Tree diseases) The visibly infested branches die in most cases and the fungus can emerge on other tree parts. Removing the parts with the swellings and galls is no guarantee at all that the fungus will not reappear. Although some people have a different opinion, it is best to immediately burn up a rust-infested juniper or put it into the garbage instead of your compost heap. It is important though not to let the foliage pads get too dense, because otherwise pests can settle in them more easily. During winter the junipers must be kept in a place with enough light and they must be checked for pests regularly because pests can even occur in winter. Junipers can sometimes get infested with spider mites, juniper scale, juniper aphids and juniper needle miners as well as juniper.

juniper bonsai from the botanical garden in shanghai china on display

Interesting Books on Bonsai can be found here:

The Complete Book of Bonsai --> I've been into bonsai for 25 years and this is the basic Bible for beginner and intermediate bonsai enthusiasts. It has an excellent section on techniques, including pruning, wiring and whatnot, and it has a large species-specific tree guide. If you're into bonsai and want only one book, this is it.

Indoor Bonsai The Great Selection --> Creating beautiful, healthy bonsai is a wonderful skill that anyone can learn, with a little time, patience, and this all-inclusive manual. With color photos and drawings to illustrate the points, it introduces all the cultivation techniques; offers expert advice on location, soil types, watering, and pest control; and provides intricate instruction on training the bonsai--including pruning, wiring, and stretching it.

The Secret Techniques of Bonsai --> In The Secret Techniques of Bonsai, the author of the groundbreaking Bonsai With American Trees teams up with his son to offer not only the basics for creating perfect bonsai, but also secret techniques they’ve developed over years of careful work and observation.

Bonsai Survival Manual --> Problem solving when your Bonsai get sick. Expand your gardening repertoire as you create a captivating and exquisite miniature world. In this introductory guide, Colin Lewis covers everything you need to know to design, grow, and successfully maintain attractive bonsai.

Bonsai and the art of Penjing --> Bonsai & Penjing, Ambassadors of Beauty and Peace describes how Chinese penjing and North American bonsai were later added to the Museum, making its collection the most comprehensive in the world. Stories of individual trees and forest plantings are featured, as are the roles played by the skilled and talented creators of these living art forms people such as John Naka, Saburo Kato, Yuji Yoshimura, Harry Hirao, and Dr. Yee-Sun Wu.

Bonsai with Japanese Maples --> With their delicate foliage, seasonal color changes, and intricate pattern of branching, Japanese maples are among the most popular and suitable plants for bonsai design. In this long-awaited book, internationally renowned expert Peter Adams discusses both the specific horticultural needs of Japanese maples as bonsai subjects and illustrates proven techniques for creating and maintaining beautiful specimens.

The Modern Bonsai Practice --> The most current, useful information on growing Bonsai. Fresh, practical, definitive, comprehensive reference guide to the finest art of horticulture: growing miniature trees. Common sense bonsai answers separating myth from fact with depth and detail. Appropriate for both bonsai hobbyists and experienced practitioners.

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Korean Garden Landscaping and Design

Most of Korean gardens have one thing in common which is the balance of forces. The Korean garden approach is pretty philosophical and pragmatic at the same time. The design of the Korean Garden was influenced by three different pillars of thought: Buddhism, the teachings of Confucius and popular shamanic belief. The latter teaches us the balance of male and female forces in nature. Only together can the male figure ("Knight of the Sky") and the female figure ("Knight of the Earth") unfold their full power as a guardian spirit. You will find the pair at the entrance and at the exit of the village. The Korean Garden is authentic garden art in the Korean tradition. Special features of the garden are the abstract wooden figures and totem poles, which refer to the partly shamanic culture of Korea. Koreans appeal to them for protection and help.

The varied landscape is an authentic reflection of Korean nature. Surrounded by rocky landscapes, you’ll find the tree species typical of Korea: pine, bamboo, oak and Japanese maple. In addition, four courtyards with lavishly designed gates and masonry invite you to linger. Built on rocks, the central structure of the complex is "Kye Zeong" (pavilion on the water), and, as its name suggests, it is located directly on the water. In it you will find some typical Korean living rooms.

The crucial elements of a typical Korean garden

A typical Korean garden complex consists of three different sections: open spaces and courtyards, called “Ma-Dang”, a pavilion, and a landscape like Korea’s real natural rocky landscape with its typical Korean vegetation. Pine trees, bamboo, oaks, and Japanese maples are among the trees planted. Usually three to four-walled courtyards, each with differently designed gates, and a pavilion built on rocks at the water’s edge. Like for example the “Kye Zeong” (pavilion at the water’s edge) contains living spaces once typical in Korea.

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Zang Sung, Buk Su and Sot Da - Korean shamanism

The various wooden figures and totem poles are testimonies of Korea’s shamanic culture. Totem poles called "Zang Sung" and large wooden figures are used to address the wishes of the people; the smaller figures are to protect against natural disasters such as fire or flood and epidemics. They are called "Buk Su". Birds are given a special role in communication with the spirit world: The so-called "Sot Da" sit at the head of the shamanic spirit poles and are said to act as messengers, carrying the prayers of the people to the spirits in the upper worlds.

Dol hareubang garden statues

Dol hareubangs, also called tol harubangs, hareubangs, or harubangs, are large rock statues found on Jeju Island off the southern tip of South Korea. They are considered to be gods offering both protection and fertility and were placed outside of gates for protection against demons traveling between realities.

Description

Dol hareubangs are carved from porous basalt (volcanic rock) and can be up to three metres high. The statues' faces feature grinning expressions, bulging eyes without pupils, a long, broad nose, and slight smile, and their hands rest on their bellies, one slightly above the other. In sets of two, one has a higher left hand, and the other a higher right hand. The hat is commonly described as phallic or mushroom-like.

Etymology

The name dol hareubang derives from the Korean word for "stone" (dol 돌), plus the Jeju dialect word hareubang (하르방), meaning "grandfather" or "senior" (harabeoji [할아버지] in Standard Korean), and was coined in the mid-20th century. Other earlier names for the statues include beoksumeori, museongmok, and useongmok. Beoksumeori, meaning shaman head, is used in the former area of Jeongui Hyeon (county), museongmok in Daejeong Hyeon and Jeongui Hyeon, and useongmok only in Jeju Hyeon. Historically, the Tamna Chronicles called them ongjungseok (옹중석/翁仲石), but this usage is unknown today.

Hanok style interior with garden at the centre

An other interesting aspect beside Hanok village landscapes, gardens is KNF (Korean Natural Farming) which can be used for the benefit of any type of plants or tree.

Korean Organic Natural Farming explained

Korean natural farming is a self-sufficient farming system that involves the culturing of indigenous microorganisms (IMO) – bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and protozoa – in place of inorganic fertilizers to produce fertile soil. Soil plays a vital role in our ecosystem; without it, life for many multicellular organisms would cease to exist. In addition, food shortages are driven by soil degradation, as poor farming practices lead to loss of nutrients through erosion and leaching. To maximize crop yield, it is imperative that farmers maintain a healthy environment for plants to grow, as the quality of the soil can change the outcome of the harvest. The most common way to replenish the soil is by adding fertilizer to it. However, the maintenance of fertile soil does not come cheap. Fertilizers and other soil additives can be expensive, especially in Hawai‘i, due to the higher costs of shipping. Korean natural farming (KNF) has been proposed as an attractive alternative for farmers and gardeners who wish to become less dependent on external inputs.

The famous korean natural farming book Jadam shows you how to make natural pesticides that can replace chemical ones. He started organic farming and raised animals himself from 1991 in Asan, Chungnam province. He went on to establish "Jadam Organic Farming" and started to promote this farming system through books and website (www.jadam.kr). He established "Jadam Natural Pesticide Institute" in 2002 from where he continued his research while integrating knowledge from many experienced farmers which led to the completion of the system of ultra-low cost Jadam organic farming. He invented and developed many technologies for a natural pesticide which he voluntarily did not patent but rather shared through books and website. His "Natural Pesticide Workshops" teaches the essence of ultra-low-cost Jadam organic farming.

KNF is a sustainable farming system developed by Master Han Kyu Cho from Janong Natural Farming Institute in South Korea. It has been practiced for over 40 years throughout Asia. KNF is a self-sufficient system that involves culturing indigenous microorganisms (IMO) – fungi, bacteria, and protozoa – and reintroducing them into nutrient-depleted soil, thus enhancing soil microbial activity and fertility (Essoyan 2011). There is a symbiotic relationship that occurs between plants and beneficial IMOs; the microorganisms convert nutrients into a form that the plant is able to absorb. In turn, the plants provide food to these microorganisms. This type of closed-loop farming system maximizes the use of on-farm resources and recycles farm waste while at the same time minimizing external inputs.

Natural inputs used to make the IMO (Cho 2010) Very important graph explains the principles of IMO. Details and crucial steps can be found in the PDF document published by the university of Hawaii Manoa.

Interesting Books on Bonsai can be found here:

The World's most famous Bonsai

The art of planting trees in containers is called Bonsai and it comes from Japan. But it is more than an art; it demands your patience. Bonsai as an art form emerged solely to charm the viewers and to show the skill and expertise of the grower. When we are talking about this art form, let us take a look at the world’s most beautiful bonsai trees. The ranking of the world's most beautiful Bonsai trees has not changed for at least one decade. This valuable ranking tells us that their Bonsai carekeepers were truly unbeatable masters. Some of these Bonsai can be admired in various museums around the world. One of the most interesting museums is the Omiya bonsai art museum which offers hundreds of different master pieces on display.

The Bonsai universe is vast and almost endless, however countless and beautiful Bonsai masterpieces exist that are still unknown to us. Unknown does not mean that they would not fit into this ranking. Some of these beautiful Bonsai are easily over 100 years old and passed on from generation to generation by numerous Bonsai artists around the world. In fact, Bonsai passion has no borders, and a lot of Bonsai artists are exchanging knowledge through social media like Facebook and YouTube which is a good thing for Bonsai in general. Some of the beautiful Bonsais like the Shunka-en Bonsai are displayed at Museums in Japan. One of the most famous museums for Bonsai is the Omiya Museum (see my other blog post Omiya Bonsai village). Bonsai museums are not only in Japan, if you travel to Germany, Korea, Eastern Europe, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, and China, you will be impressed too. These marvelous Bonsai masterpieces are certainly not the only famous ones, there are countless Bonsai trees in other parts of the world that have not been mentioned in this blog.