Page 37 - BSAM 2015 Q4

Before starting to write this, we checked the Internet to see if someone else had written about a Brazilian pepper tree bonsai. We found a few articles on bonsai, but mostly found a lot of curse words aimed at non-
bonsai pepper trees. Going by other names such as Hawaiian Christmas tree (because of its red and green berries), it is condemned as an invasive species that grows to be 30 to 40 feet tall and is hard to kill. In the U. S., the tree is invasive in California, Texas, Ala- bama, and Florida. New trees spring up from roots, new plants grow under the canopy where the seeds fall, and old trees may put out new plants until they are completely killed by chemicals. It is a serious menace in Hawaii where it crowds out the native species.
e Brazilian pepper tree is not to be confused with the California pepper tree, Schinus molle (Peruvian pepper tree from the Andes in South America). It, too, was imported as a decorative tree and also became invasive.
e tree trimmers use the California method of topping, and that just causes the tree to grow more rapidly.
Shown top right is a branch structure that resulted from topping and removing lateral branches. e tree needed to be le alone to develop a mature branch structure that could be very lightly trimmed to re- tain a smaller size. Both of the authors have trimmed well-kept Brazilian peppers without starting them into massive growth spurts. Once the trees start rapid growth, most arborists cannot keep from trimming them long enough for them to slow down and return to a more lateral set of branches. Obviously this tree should not have been planted in that location because there is inadequate room for lateral development. Un- fortunately, land developers want immediate greenery and ignore the long term consequences.
Well developed nebari (exposed roots at the point where tree meets ground) are sought a er as they indi- cate stability of the tree. Old, textured bark is prized by bonsai enthusiasts as an indication of age. is mature tree provides excellent examples of both. Old Brazilian peppers growing on their own may have dead sec- tions, but this must be approached with care in bonsai. In bonsai as well as in full grown trees, old wounds on trunks and branches may die back and rot in the center, creating interesting blemishes.
e nebari are not well developed all around the tree. Nor is that unusual for trees grown in the ground. It takes extra e ort to develop nebari. e bark is evi- dence of its age, at least 35 years as of 2015. ere are a few berries sprinkled on the bark but they do not do justice to the ends of the branches that have full loads of berries.
e trees can grow in poor soil with relatively little water. San Diego, California, is classi ed as a desert, receiving less than nine inches of rain in a year. Its soil is cobble, a mix of sand, small and mid-sized stones, and is watered no more than necessary to keep the grass green. As water becomes scarcer in
Top; The tree trimmers use the California method of topping, and that just causes the tree to grow more rapidly. Here is the branch structure that resulted from topping and removing lateral branches. Obviously this tree should not have been planted in that location because there is inadequate room for lateral development.
Bottom; Old, textured bark is prized by bonsai enthusiasts as an indication of age. This mature tree provides excellent examples of both.
January/February/March 2016 | BCI | 35