Dec 24, 2013 | General
It’s very refreshing to have some good news, there is more and more of it about if you look in the right places. Today I am pleased to say that Masakuni Bonsai tools are back in stock. Since the dark clouds of gloom gathered over the crash induced by greedy bastard bankers we have been unable to stock these world renowned iconic bonsai tools simply because the price went out of reach. Now the clouds are beginning to part and a few rays of warm sun are making their way to us on planet commerce. And the best bit?
MASAKUNI TOOLS ARE NOW BETWEEN £10-£12 CHEAPER THAN LAST TIME WE HAD THEM IN STOCK.
More patterns will be with us in the new year but for now check out what we have here Masakuni Bonsai Tools.
G.
Dec 22, 2013 | General
I have no idea why but I seem to have gained a reputation for being a grumpy old git. I am sure the irony of this statement will not be lost on those that know me or have been on the receiving end of an unfeeling email. I have a penchant for the truth, what you see is what you get and what I say is what I mean. I am not swayed by public opinion, fashion or populist ideals. In todays parlance I might be called a dinosaur. Personally I believe that honesty, fairness, integrity and probity are essential human characteristics that are abandoned all to quickly in favour of a profit these days. I shall continue to have the courage of my convictions irrespective of what others think. As the Bard wrote in Hamlet (Polonius) “This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.”
Which, in a convoluted manner, brings me to the point of this post, CHRISTMAS.
Christmas has never been of any consequence in the Potter household. I have never owned a Christmas tree or participated in any of the daft hokum that goes on at this time of year. I just don’t get the whole idea of putting yourself and one’s family under the crushing pressure and stress of creating the ‘perfect’ day to celebrate the birthday of someone who, sadly, almost nobody believes in any more. Now it’s nice to have a get together with family and friends and giving a gift to a loved one is always a joy but this whole christmas idea has gotten completely out of hand. 8 weeks of relentless advertising, ridiculous ideas about fat blokes in red suits and outrageous traditions, crap tunes, tons of sickly rich food and credit card crushing expenditure that will see you well into the spring before it’s all paid for, it goes on and on and I just don’t get it. HUMBUG!
As a business owner christmas can be of great advantage. However having done this for over a decade now I find this time of year to be tough. I just do not understand how it works. For instance last year we got everything stocked up before the holiday shopping period, girded our loins and prepared for the onslaught…… which never came, December was the worst month of the year. This year I treated the whole notion with indifference and carried on as normal….. and we have been inundated. It’s just possible we have had our best month ever, everyone is exhausted, Catherine is fast asleep, Rammon went home, the dog is snoring his head off and there’s just me sitting here talking nonsense. We have sold around two hundred trees in the last month alone. Who said bonsai in the UK is not doing well.
Kaizen Bonsai will be closed from December the 24th through to January the 6th. Obviously our web site will be up and running but your orders will not be despatched until we return in January. We work seven days a week here and because we work from home there is NEVER a chance for a break. People like to phone at all hours, especially Americans who call at 2-4am. So as a christmas gift to my family we are closed for the holidays. Please don’t call or visit. You can send emails and I will probably reply to a few.
So, after all there are some advantages to the hokum of christmas!
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your amazing support over the last year. Doing business has been an absolute pleasure this year, your support is VERY much appreciated and I feel privileged to have such a great community of folk around us. Thank you 🙂
Have a great Christmas whatever you are doing. I’ll be building this…
Graham.
Dec 6, 2013 | General
As we approach silly season everyone seems to have a heightened sense of urgency. Here at KB we have already noticed the stress building. This time of year we get lots of frantic phone calls, folk with high pitched voices talking really fast making sure no stone is left unturned in their endeavour to create the ‘perfect day’. We get a lot of frantic, and often very rude, emails about delivery and delays. Considering most carriers are close to melt down at this time of year I guess it’s understandable if you apply a little perverted logic.
So as the world steps up to DEFCON 1 it’s reassuring to know that, here at Kaizen Bonsai, World Towers it’s business as usual. You can trust us to get your order there on time for the big day. Much like the boy scouts we are prepared for every emergency and can certainly handle a few extra parcels and like the old ad’ used to say ‘We won’t make a drama out of a crisis’.
In case you are worrying about missing the boat here are our UK delivery cut off dates for Christmas 2013.
Royal mail – Used for small parcels – Our 1 Kilo Charge £3.00 rate.
Final shipping date for this service is Wednesday 18 December.
Interlink Courier service – Used for all parcels above 1 Kilo – Our 30 Kilo Charge £6.95 rate.
Final shipping date for this service is Monday 23 December.
Because couriers and mail services are inundated at this time of year we recommend giving yourself a little safety margin and ordering early. KB will not be responsible for late delivery where we shipped by the above dates.
DON’T FORGET MANY ITEMS WE SELL ARE AVAILABLE AS ONE OFF ITEMS AND LIMITED STOCK. IF YOU DON’T BUY IT WHEN YOU SEE IT CHANCES ARE IT WILL BE GONE WHEN YOU COME BACK!
Dec 4, 2013 | General
Just had a delivery of these two great tools. They will be live on the site this week.
G.
Condor Fidelis Neck Knife – High Carbon Steel
As it’s name implies a neck knife is a small knife that you can hang around your neck on a chain (supplied). It hangs down vertically and is easily deployed from a safe click lock sheath. When you are busy this is ideal because you always have a knife right there.
Condor make solid no nonsense tools that do what they need to. This is a great little high spec’ knife that you can keep at hand at all times and is invaluable. Great in the workshop whether you are carving wood or taking cuttings and just as usefull around the home and garden or out on a hike. This little knife is a serious tool and not a cheap piece of Chinese rubbish like so many similar tools we have seen. Here at Kaizen we extensively test and use all of our tools so you can be sure you are getting the best value for money when you buy from us. A legal U.K carry knife you won’t want to be without.
BLADE MATERIAL: 2 mm thick 1075 HIGH CARBON STEEL
German 1075 High Carbon Steel heat treated and annealed to about 56-58 Rockwell. Every edge is hand finished and polished to razor sharpness.
BLADE LENGTH : 2 3/16″ – 50mm
BLADE FINISH: Epoxy Black Powder Coating
A heavy black paint finish done by powder coating.
HANDLE: PARACORD WRAP
Paracord Wrapped Handles are made with real 500 lb test parachute cord that has seven inner strands for further use in a situation, where 1 piece of rope might not be enough. One of the strands inside can also be teased apart further, providing fishing line, sewing thread, or help in any situation where a fine, sturdy line is needed.
SHEATH:Kydex and Ball Chain.
Price £21.95
“The Condor Claw” Folding Shovel / Pick
You can trust Kaizen Bonsai to come up with the latest and most innovative products. Condor are a manufacturer that makes superb no-nonsense tools that do what they should. The Claw is an innovative new tool that is taking the survival and bushcraft worlds by storm. There never has been such a usefull folding digging implement. The Claw works on so many levels and will move soft rock, loose scree, stony clay soil on sand. In fact there isn’t much this hefty tool can’t deal with. Perfect for field trips digging bonsai fron craggy spots and just as useful in the garden too. A great gift item for any gardener and a powerful tool for the yamadori collector.
Leaves all others in it’s wake, we predict a VERY bright future for this incredible tool. Built like the proverbial brick out house the Claw features a forged high carbon steel blade of exceptional thickness and an innovative shape so it won’t bend. The screw collar locking mechanism looks like it could survive being run over by a truck. The 40mm thick hardwood handle is a little overkill too. If you manage to break one of these we think you need to get some help!
Overall Blade dimensions 310mm x 180mm
Overall length when assembled as a pick 600mm
Total weight 1.7Kg
Price £28.95
Dec 1, 2013 | General
Trees may be going dormant but here at Kaizen Bonsai we never sleep. It’s before first light Sunday morning and having done me emails this morning (about an hour) here I am messing with a blog post. They say ‘the early bird gets the worm’ but I hate worms, leave that to silly arse, Bear Grills. However you do have to be up pretty early to get better trees than we have had in this week. Firstly we closed a deal with a good friend and long time customer of mine to help reduce his collection. The result was a whole bunch of very unusual bonsai trees. Secondly we took delivery of some very excellent yamadori we bought a few weeks ago. This shipment includes some nice compact scots pines that have spent FIVE years in their pots since collecting, that’s pretty much unheard of in yamadori circles. Super compact trees ready for styling right out of the box. All of these will be listed on the web site in the next couple of weeks.
Also this week we listed for sale a whole bunch of small sized imports including junipers and Japanese pines along with a very special specimen quality Japanese black pine. Check out our New Products page for details.
We have a LOT of deals in the pipeline and some spectacular trees coming our way in the months ahead, stay tuned.
Here’s a taster of what we will be offering for sale very soon……
G.
Nov 18, 2013 | General
Here in the U.K autumn is rapidly giving way to winter and it’s now time to complete some very important work to ensure your bonsai have a good dormant season. Neglect this work at your peril.
When keeping bonsai it is important to follow good nursery practice. It’s good for your bonsai and it’s good discipline for you too. It’s important to have respect for our bonsai and a little winter care can make a BIG difference to how well our plants perform next spring and summer.
Now that leaves have fallen it’s time to have a good clean up. Keeping your bonsai garden clean is vital if you are to keep healthy trees. In general we do not recommend pruning at this time, pruning scruffy trees now can result in die back and some other problems. If your trees need a prune leave the work until next year just before you see signs of life.
Following these simple steps will make your bonsai look good and will improve your overwintering success.
1. Remove the remains of shed leaves of deciduous trees. Sweep the soil surface clean and remove coverings of moss, weeds and any liverwort. This improves air circulation through the soil and will help prevent root rot. Make sure drainage holes are clear and clean, slugs in particular love those little nooks and crannies. Also remove any fruit still remaining. This will prevent it rotting and harbouring pests. It will also stop pigeons breaking ramification from the upper part of trees as they perch on top and try to pull the fruit off.
2. Trees that have become green with algae should be sprayed with our Algae Cleaner. Remove sphagnum moss that may have formed around the base of the tree with a brass brush. Deadwood areas should be scrubbed clean inside and out and preserved with appropriate products – Bonsai Deadwood Preservers. For more information on preserving deadwood see our article Preserving Bonsai Deadwood. This work will prevent fungal infection and will rid the tree of many overwintering pests. It will also ensure craggy bark survives the winter.
3. Benches should be scrubbed or pressure washed and then disinfected with a product like Jeyes Fluid. Spray down the underside too. A lot of pests can spend winter hidden in your benches, particularly if they are wooden, just waiting to crawl all over your lovely bonsai in early spring.
4. Clean up and dispose of leaves and other detritus. This material is a MAJOR carrier of pests and fungal disease. If you have ground cover such as concrete, Mypex or even gravel give that a good soak with Jeyes Fluid too.
These few simple steps are just good nursery practice and if followed will prevent a whole host of summer problems that are common to all bonsai. A little work now will prevent a lot of problems next year and your bonsai will look a lot better too.
To read more about winter care of bonsai see our Guide to Overwintering Outdoor Bonsai
G.
