NORTHERN SUBURBS BONSAI CLUB OCTOBER 2018

Transcription

1 NORTHERN SUBURBS BONSAI CLUB OCTOBER 2018 Hi all and welcome to the November newsletter. How great was last months club meet with Quentin providing us all with some fantastic tips for our trees. Quentin did a terrific job of critiquing members trees in a supportive way. Everyone found it interesting and a lot of work was done on trees. Even two new members, arriving for the first time, benefited and had valuable styling help from him. From minor changes to major cuts and bending, it was all happening. Big thank you to Quentin, and I'm looking forward to seeing these trees develop further, hope they come back to future meetings to show the progress. At this months meeting, Bernie will be demonstrating for us on Nov 8th, and raffle tickets will be on sale for the ash landscape Mark did for us, which is looking great. The raffle for it will be drawn in the December meeting. As some club members wanted some info on potting mixes, Val has had to dig deep and she has found the info she had from various demonstrators, so theres a write up on paying mixes based on ingredients you can source locally. And there s a great small article again by Val on how to make 'muck' too for those that want try and make a forrest on a slab. Again ingredients can be sourced locally and you re on your way. Don t forget that there are a couple of great shows coming up, particularly Ballarat, Goldfields and the one in Geelong Editor Black Pine - Pinus thunbergii Care Light Requirements Pines in general and Japanese Black Pine in particular are sun loving trees. They should be given full exposure to as much sun as possible each day. Black Pines not only tolerate lots of sun, they actually thrive on it. This has the advantage of producing shorter and denser needle growth and reducing the internodal space. In the fall, excessive needle growth should be thinned to allow the sun to penetrate through the entire plant. Good air circulation and strong sunlight are keys in promoting good health and resistance to insects and fungi and for stimulating the plant to set new buds. Soil and Potting Requirements Black Pines should be transplanted in the early spring just as the buds (candles) are beginning to swell. This may occur anywhere from late February to mid- April depending upon where you live. Trees should be protected from freezing after transplanting. Soil mixtures may be of a variety of materials, but should provide for excellent drainage. Soil mixes used by the Bonsai Learning Centre include turface, pine bark chips, fragmented granite and haidite (expanded shale). The composition is 75% aggregate materials with the pine bark making up the final 25% and acting as the organic component. Pines are slow to react. Consider the amount of time your Christmas tree stays green without the benefit of a root system. Therefore, when root pruning any type of pine tree, proceed carefully. Young trees can be re-potted every two or three years at most. Older, more mature pines should go 4 to 6 years between pottings. Unlike many other varieties of bonsai, pines generally will not tolerate constantly having their root systems tampered with. This doesn't mean you can't transplant them... just don't get too enthusiastic. The good news is that black pine root systems are much more tolerant of root pruning than most others. Just bear in mind that pine root systems are slower to grow and will not fill up a pot nearly as rapidly as other varieties of bonsai. Hence they will not require transplanting as often.

2 Standard bonsai potting techniques apply to black pines. Generally speaking you can remove up to a third of the plants root system in any one springtime. Chopstick soil carefully, fill air pockets. Soak in a rooting stimulant and place in shade for about a week. Keep the root mass moist, but not soggy and mist the foliage frequently until new roots have had a chance to establish themselves. Watering Requirement One of the best aspects of black pine is its tolerance for water. Most bonsaists have a bad habit of watering too frequently. Black pines actually prefer to have their root systems a little on the moist side. This is in sharp contrast to most other pines (especially Japanese Five Needle White Pine) which do not tolerate being constantly wet. Try to keep the moisture level in the pot constant and to avoid bouncing back and forth between bone dry and soaking wet. The black pine has a considerable tolerance to overwatering, but you can drown it if you apply yourself. If you have planted it in a coarse, well draining soil mixture and keep it in full sun, your chances for success are excellent. Fertilisers There is a relationship between the amount of water and fertiliser you give a tree and the amount of internodal space and needle size which occur. For young trees where growth is needed a general purpose fertiliser (chemical) which is high in nitrogen should be used. This promotes rampant green growth. For older, mature trees an slow release organic fertiliser which is low in nitrogen may be better. I fertilise all bonsai twice per month during the regular growing season. Note: During fall months a fertiliser which is high in phosphorus and low in nitrogen will help the plant to harden off and store up energy for the coming winter months. Wiring & Shaping Japanese Black Pine are very flexible. You may use annealed copper or aluminium as you choose. For pines with heavy or corking bark, it is advisable to wrap the wire in raffia or nursery tape to prevent bark damage. Pines can be wired in the wintertime, but a careful eye is necessary to insure that you do not get wire marks during the spring growth spurt. Because they are so flexible, wire may have to be left longer on pine trees than would normally be the case with other species. Needle Reduction The number and size of needles on a black pine can be controlled through a process generally referred to as "needle picking." Although the needles on all variety of pine trees must periodically thinned, the protocols for thinning black pine needles is much more complex and extreme and should not be applied to varieties other than Pinus thunbergii. Briefly stated the process involves gradual elimination of almost 75 percent of the plants green foliage over a three week period in the late springtime. When applied correctly on healthy plant material, the technique will result in vigorous back budding and production of remarkably smaller needles. Space does not allow a complete description of the protocol here. You are well advised to seek out personalised instruction on this technique and/or do more extensive reading before attempting anything other than general maintenance needle reduction on black pines. Insects and Disease Japanese Black Pine are susceptible to the usual run of insects that infest your other bonsai. You should take measures accordingly. Aphids, borers, saw flies and mealy bugs will attack pines. The most common pine infection, however, is Needle Cast. This is a fungal disease which causes the tips of the needles to turn brown. Benomyl, Zyban and other fungicides will solve the problem, but it will not restore needle colour. It is recommended that you put your bonsai on a regular spraying program. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Varieties of Black Pine Black pines basically fall into three categories. Nishiki, meaning those which have a cork bark appearance; Yatsubusa, meaning varieties with dwarf, small needled or multi-budding varieties; and Seedling varieties meaning those which are cultivated entirely from seed. Nishiki and Yatsubusa they are almost always produced through grafting or cuttings One of the best seedling varieties being produced in this country is the Mikawa variety. This pine is noted for its deeply fissured and flaking, deep bluish coloured bark. In some cases the bark begins to crack and show ridges in about four years. This makes it particularly desirable for bonsai because it can take on an aged appearance in a very short time. Good Nishiki varieties include Gekka Yatsubusa which buds back extremely well, but is not fond of colder climates and Katsuga which trunks quickly and has dark green needles. Yatsabusa varieties include Ban-Sho-Ho with its short thick needles and Koto-Buki which is cultivated widely in Japan With permission and Thanks from Bonsai Learning Centre Charlotte NC

3 Photo s from the October Club Meeting with Quentin Valentine

4 Potting Mix for bonsai Firstly, let me explain that there is nothing wrong with commercial mixes. Sashi Eda and Debco are both available from Orient Bonsai. Mark Ludlow uses Sashi Eda all the time. The mix I learnt from Marcela is: 1 part coir (coco peat or coconut fibre) 2 parts diatomite 1 part small orchid bark But since then some people have not been happy with the change awhile back to the quality of the diatomite. It becomes sludge and prevents drainage these days, unless a better quality has become available again. The mix I use now is very gravelly, and I usually add coir. I buy it from Dirt Bags or from Bonsai Northwest club (that he s supplied it to.) It does not have diatomite, it does have scoria, perlite, some other stone, small orchid bark. I m not sure it s cheaper to mix your own unless you can buy and store in bulk like Dirt Bags can. I believe it s possible to pot bonsai in cacti and succulent mix. Or to mix that with sieved home-made compost. Experiment if you are brave. From Bonsai Sensation (Narre Warren) you can buy actual akadama if you want. I expect it s expensive, being imported from Japan. For Australian native plants I sometimes use native potting mix, from Bunnings. However, if you start young natives in whatever mix you are already using, and normal fertiliser, they ll be ok. It s only older, established plants with proteoid roots that can react poorly to regular fertiliser. Val

5 Trees from the October Club Meeting

6 Bonsai Show s & Events coming up Ballarat Bonsai Society Inc. Exhibition 3-4 November 2018 Robert Clarke Centre, Ballarat Botanical Gardens Goldfields Bonsai Society Exhibition 3-4 November 2018 Botanical Gardens, Froomes Road, Castlemaine Geelong Bonsai Show November 2018, Saturday 9am-6pm, Sunday 10am-4pm. Geelong Masonic Centre, Regent St, Belmont Adults $5, Concession $3, Children accompanied by adult FREE Other up-coming bonsai shows, Events & News The 2019 Convention Early Bird Registration closes on November 1, don't miss out on registering on possibly the last convention being held in Victoria for some time to come. With Ryan Neil as headliner the interest in registrations has been high from Interstate delegates but Victorians have been quiet, where are you Victorians? We look forward to meeting more of you in May 2019 so click on the link below and get in touch to register.

7 A Couple of messages from our President.. Regarding membership renewal. Membership renewal was due in September. Renewal fees are $30 from 1st of September 2018 to 31st August 2019 If you intend to direct deposit the renewal fee, use the details below: Direct Deposit info: Northern Suburbs Bonsai Club Inc Bendigo BSB Acct No# If paying by Direct Deposit, please identify your payment with your name and advise the club of the date paid. This form and cash or cheque if applicable is to be given to the Secretary or Treasurer at a meeting, sent to the Secretary at P O Box 1200, Bundoora, Vic 3083 or to secnsbc@gmail.com And for those wanting the recipe for making Muck For members wanting to make muck for building a forest on a slab, Mark's recipe was: 3 parts clay 2 parts cow manure 1 part either sphagnum moss or peat moss or coir (coconut fibre sieved to use just the fines.) The clay needs to be dry and powdered. (You can buy a cheap clay called 'Heinz' at Northcote pottery (potter's supplies) in Brunswick. Cow manure in the bag from places like Bunnings. Rub it through a sieve too. In fact it all needs sieving. If you use the coir some of it will not go through the sieve and can be put in your potting mix instead. Once it is all sieved and combined, add water bit by bit, mixing and kneading to get a "plastic" product. Like plasticine. A gritty or lumpy mix will not succeed. Val Garth

8 November 8 th Demonstration by Bernie Furness December 13 th Christmas break-up, auction, special tree raffle, supper NSBC Club Contacts Northern Suburbs Bonsai Club meets in the Lalor Library Meeting Room, May Rd Lalor, Melways 8K6 on the 2 nd Thursday of each month with the exception of January from 7:30pm to 9:30pm Club Contacts: presnsbc@gmail.com & secnsbc@gmail.com or Phone Val Check the Webpage or on Facebook Northern Suburbs Bonsai Club or send something via Snail Mail PO Box 1200, Bundoora, 3083 Next NSBC CLUB MEETING Demonstration By Bernie Furness