B onsai Society of Dallas

Transcription

1 BSD NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 In This Issue Message from the Vice President November program November Bonsai Tips and Advice Beginner Bulletin Board October Program Review Upcoming Events Scroll Making Part III Tip of the Month October To Do List Board of Directors President, Vacant Emily White, Vice President/Program Chair ewhite82@gmail.com Ben Karlson, Secretary bkarlson@gmail.com Bill Muto, Treasurer bmuto@aol.com Chandra Vemulapalli, Membership Chair csvemula@gmail Haiying Huang, Newsletter Editor Haiying_huang@yahoo.com Todd Hang, Webmaster tqhang@gmail.com Luis Alex Lebron, Social Media Chair luislebron78@gmail.com Brian Myers, Member at Large John Borusheski, Member at Large Howard Smith, LSBF Delegate bonsaismiths@tx.rr.com John Miller, President Emeritus bonsaimiller@aol.com Sylvia Smith, Past President sylvia3smith@gmail.com B onsai Society of Dallas Monthly Member Newsletter November 2018 Message from the Vice President Crazy Texas weather! In the middle of this month, we endured too many days of cold rain, which were sandwiched by days that greeted us with sunshine and temperatures. Under such conditions, we, Earthlings, including humans, insects, and trees, are not sure whether to elongate summer or prepare for winter. Besides weather, we began October with our annual fundraiser auction, at which we raised $1,606 for the club. Those funds will be used towards our upcoming programs and traveling guest artists. The auction process was relatively seamless, especially in light of it being many of our first times running an auction, and in light of the large volume of plant material. Thank you to all of you who donated items, to Mark Bynum for leading the auction, to everyone who made purchases materials, and to everyone who volunteered. Membership dues for BSD have remained the same for longer than 10 years. Starting in November 2018, we have modestly increased membership fees by $5 to continue to bring in great guest artists and have good demonstration and workshop material. We will have a Show and Tell mini-program this month before Study Group begins. Some of our membership has already signed up. If you want designated minutes to show off and tell us about your bonsai tree, sign up by sending an to me at ewhite82@gmail.com. Act fast! Calling for 2019 Program Ideas! If you have any ideas that can improve our programs or have skills that you would like to share, please contact me at the monthly meeting or me. Lastly, we are still without a BSD President. If you think you have what it takes and would like to become a leader of the Bonsai Society of Dallas, please let me or one of the other Board members know.

2 BSD NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 November Program Study group with Bonsai Smith 9:00 AM to Noon, November 3 rd - North Haven Gardens It is time again to get some fall work done on your trees before tucking them away for the winter. Join us for a study group this month, along with up to two of your trees, for consultation and work under the guidance of the Bonsai Smiths. We will start the meeting with a short overview of all trees, a discussion of appropriate winter care for our unpredictable Texas weather and the work to be done this time of year. Any species of tree can be brought but keep in mind that there is little work done on tropical and deciduous trees so bring extra trees (limit 3). Junipers and pines can be pre-wired if you d like the Smiths to help you set branches. They will still be growing over the winter so this is a great time for wiring and setting branches. Those of you with trees in nursery containers, poor soil or root bound trees can bring good bonsai soil and bent nose tweezers to do a top soil change (soji). All members should bring sharp scissors, pruners, wire and wire cutters (for conifers only) straight nose tweezers (especially if working on pine) and note taking tools. Bring your trees, tools, and wire and plan to have fun looking at all the material that is brought in. If you don t have trees come anyway and learn by shadowing Sylvia and Howard. It is a great way to learn. To the right is a nice forest planting of winged elms and red cedars showing some autumn color that Dave and Garret put together as a demonstration for the club about 3 years ago. Upcoming Events Saturday, November 3 rd 9am to noon Study group with Bonsai Smith Saturday, November 3 rd BSD Quarterly Board Meeting Saturday, December 1 st 9am to noon Holiday party Saturday, January 5 th 9am to noon Mixed Tree Forest Planting Demo Saturday, February 2 nd 9am to noon Study Group with Bonsai Smiths Saturday, March 2 nd 9am to noon TBD Events Elsewhere November 3-4, 2018, Bonsai Society of Southwest Florida Annual Bonsai Show & Sale, Fort Myers, Florida November 14-24, 2018, Autumn 2018 International Bonsai Exploration, Kyoto, Japan December 1-2, 2018, Winter Silhouette Bonsai Show, Kannapolis, NC, USA December 1, 2018, Fresno Bonsai Society and GSBF Clark Bonsai Collection, Clovis, California February 9-10, 20 th Trophy, Genk, Belgium February 16 17, 2019, GSBF Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt, Oakland, California February , 2019, Bonsai-A-Thon XXIII, San Marino, California April 11-14, 2019 Bonsai on the Bayou, Houston Texas

3 BSD NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 November Bonsai Tips and Advice By John Miller Learn to think in terms related to plant characteristics instead of calendar periods (i.e. use when dormant instead of October, candle growth instead of April, etc.). That will enable you to read bonsai articles correctly whether written in Japan, Florida or wherever. Note that some tree cultivars (like the cork bark black pine) are notably weaker than the standards of the species and require different pruning and care. Generalized articles will not be able to cover many details like this, you must learn the foibles of your particular variety. All of this means that you should have your winter quarters ready. Select one for deciduous trees that will be out of the sun. Evergreens will need some sun but some protection from the hotter winter days, a bit of a problem. Air circulation is good but too much wind will desiccate them especially during freezing temperatures. Be sure you can check their individual watering. Clean up all debris. Winter is also a crucial time in control of many insects. Killing them now means the tree will be able to get started in the spring before they develop sufficient numbers to do much damage. Before putting the trees into winter storage, treat them for over-wintering insects and eggs. Dormant oil spray is good on trees with no green. A dilute solution of lime sulfur is an old gardener s dormant spray for insect and fungus control. Use it on very cool days and dilute it per directions, probably 1 part lime sulfur to 20 parts water. Be sure to read the label on your bottle in case there are different strengths available. This solution should also be applied to bench tops, posts and the soil surrounding them (if you have gravel instead of grass) to eliminate hiding eggs and spores. If you have a greenhouse treat it also before the weather gets too cold to put your plants outside or move them to one end while you treat the other end. At this time of the year, deciduous plants do not need fertilizer. Evergreens will continue a slow growth and will benefit for a very light fertilizer feeding. Use one with a lower nitrogen (first number) like and apply at 1/3 the recommended feeding rate. Most important in winter is to keep the soil moisture at a proper level. This sometimes is hard to do because the trees do not use as much water as when they are growing. However, the cold winds will dry out the tops quickly. I believe that most winter damage in Texas is due to lack of water rather than to low temperatures. Mulch helps keep the roots warm and retards evaporation but it makes for difficulty in seeing if the soil is damp enough. Most soils with enough organic material to keep the tree happy in the summer will be too wet if watered daily in the winter and wet cold means root rot. This is another place were the akadama in the APL mix will help. BIG NOTE: If you have a tree that is weak and unhealthy, you should not attempt to style it in any way; just get it happy by adjusting its soil, feeding, and getting rid of any parasites. Styling just adds to its stress and problems. Repotting of hardy trees can be done anytime the trees are dormant. However, it is safer to do that chore in the spring as the buds are swelling. New roots will start forming immediately upon repotting in order for the tree to absorb enough water. If you do repot in the fall, you should protect the new roots from freezing during the winter. Do you need to change the pot? Making notes at this time while getting the trees ready for winter will give you 3-4 months to find the proper pot. When trees go dormant, which indicates a reduced sap flow, they may be pruned, that is having major limbs removed. Trimming may also be done while the leaves are off the trees and you can see what you are doing. Evergreen types will probably still be a bit active. Pruning them should be held until a bit later. By this time, any tropical you have should be under cover; most do not like the temperature below 50 degrees. All tropicals should be checked and treated for any insect problems since any insects will multiply fast when they get into warmer quarters. Spider mites and scale can be especially damaging if

4 BSD NEWSLETTER PAGE 4 November Bonsai (cont d) the plant is moved in the house where the humidity is low. The semi-tropical plants like crape myrtle, pomegranate and pyracantha need to go dormant to stay healthy over a long time but they cannot take much cold on the roots. The roots will be killed by temperatures somewhere between 25 and 30 degrees. I set these trees down on the ground and mulch for light freezes and then bring them into a protected area for the colder winter. Sometimes I will let them go dormant for a month and then take into the greenhouse to start early and I can enjoy their new foliage in January. Plan your spring repotting tasks so you will have the necessary pots and other supplies. Take advantage of low prices when nurseries are clearing out space for Christmas tree sales. You can sometimes find some bargains there especially if you remember that a tree with broken/dead tops may make nice bonsai starter material. October Program in Review Club Auction We had another successful auction, thanks to all of our wonderful members who brought in so many good items. We had many interesting trees in early pre-bonsai stages ready for further refinement. We also had our recently worked on demonstration bonsai, a one-seed juniper from the Tyler Sherrod workshop that fetched a nice reasonable price. The dormant season is also a very good time to study your deciduous bonsai. You can see clearly the structure and where improvements should be made. Remove any wire that is tight or where it has done its work and the branch stays in position. Work can be done more leisurely over the winter. Take care not to damage the small buds. November is when I consider the start of the fiscal year for two needle pines which include the Japanese black pine, Scots pine, and others. This process is needed to develop the twiginess and to get the needles short and keep them that way. Junipers and most other conifers (not the bald cypress) may be included. However, I question the desirability of keeping them on the benches over winter because of the possibility of the sun heating the roots too much and causing them to break dormancy or get their roots active. That would cause problem if the temperature later falls to 10 degrees. Thanks to this year s auctioneer, Mark Bynum, who kept things moving along with his brand of comedy and commentary and to the support teams that brought items forward (John & Greg), moved them off and organized them for pick-up (Luis and Brian), and accounted for all the registrants and tabulations (Jerry, Chandra, Rodrigo, Erica, Bill, and Emily). Once all the numbers were reconciled, the club was able to realize a profit of just over $1,600 to add to our treasury! That was a great result and it will go a long way to helping us bring interesting programs and guest artists to visit us in the coming year. A special thanks to all those who brought items to sell, and especially the many of you who donated their items. We could not have done it without you!

5 BSD NEWSLETTER PAGE 5 Beginner s Bulletin Board There are no dumb questions when you are a beginner at any new endeavor. However sometimes beginners are reluctant to ask a question in a monthly meeting. Got a question? Send it to Haiying at haiying_huang@yahoo. com for an individual response. Your question may also appear anonymously here in a future issue so that others can learn. Question: I frequently hear people say that a branch needs to be cut off because it violates the 'rule'. What are the basic rules for branch selection and positioning. Answer by Diane: This question is quite broad and could become a very extensive branch structure discussion. However, let me try to simplify the answer by providing some general guidelines you may wish to incorporate into your thought process. Please consider these as guidelines, rather than rules, as each tree species is unique and its overall design may dictate deviation from these generally accepted norms. Keep in mind that with any bonsai design, we are trying to achieve balance, harmony, and contrast in the composition. For purposes of these guidelines, we will assume it is a deciduous tree and both the front and apex have been selected. Generally: Primary branches positioned lower on the trunk should be thicker than branches above them as the eye moves up toward the apex of the tree. Remove upper branches that are already too thick to achieve the desired tapering of branches (unless that thick branch is being considered as a future apex). Primary branches that visually cross the trunk, rather than growing outward, should be removed. Primary branches should emerge from different locations on the trunk in a radial pattern as the eye moves up the tree. Branch shoots emerging from the same spot should be thinned to just one. Branches that emerge from opposite sides of the trunk at the same point (sometimes referred to as 'bar' branches because they create a horizontal line) are not desirable. Remove one (or both depending on the surrounding branch structure). Primary branches pointing directly at the viewer at eye level should be adjusted or removed. Secondary branches growing straight up, straight down, or back toward the trunk, which cannot be wired successfully into a better position should be removed. Shoots/branches growing close to the soil surface, typically emanating from the nebari/roots should be removed. Branches crossing other branches, that cannot be wired successfully into a better position, should be removed. Again, these are just generally accepted guidelines that may help you decide which branches to remove. If you still aren't sure about a branch, bring your tree into one our meetings for discussion in our monthly Show and Tell. Also, our Study Groups with the Smiths that happen three times a year are a great way to get input on which branches stay or go.

6 BSD NEWSLETTER PAGE 6 Announcements In Memoriam Most of you are familiar with the name Fred Meyer, owner of Dallas Bonsai and long time founding club member of BSD. Some of you have had the privilege of meeting him but most people never met his wife Elizabeth. Elizabeth Meyer passed away early last July. The family wanted to keep her services private so there were no big announcements made until much later to give the family time to grieve. Howard and I met Elizabeth Meyer in 1993 just before her health made it difficult for her to come to work and help Fred pack orders. She was a very sweet, charming woman with a passion for bonsai. From the start of Dallas Bonsai back in 1965 she was instrumental in making many of the contacts in Japan and China that grew Dallas Bonsai into one of the premier suppliers of bonsai tools, pottery and even trees in the USA. Even though her health began to decline and make it difficult for her to come to work, her tenacious spirit and love for life kept her going enabling the Meyer s to enjoy fifty-three loving years of marriage. Our hearts go out to Fred and their family members. Happy News! Join us in welcoming the newest member of the club, Luciano Gamboa the brand new son of Christian and Ahni Gamboa! Born October 26, 2018 at 7:53pm and weighing in at 7lbs, 1oz. Congratulations to both of you and big sister Valentina!

7 BSD NEWSLETTER PAGE 7 Scroll-making Instruction Part 3 of 3 By John B.

8 BSD NEWSLETTER PAGE 8 Scroll-making instruction - part 3 (cont d)

9 BSD NEWSLETTER PAGE 9 November s To-Do List s This is a simple monthly checklist for those enthusiasts who have the knowledge and skill required to perform the tasks listed. It is intended to tell you what to do, not how and why to do it. Want to know more? Send in any questions you might have or come to any monthly program to discuss further. All Species Water as needed and keep from freezing Deciduous Remove all wire When 50% of the foliage changes color - remove the foliage Remove fertilizer Evergreen/Conifer Keep recently wired trees from cold temperatures for at least a week Slow fertilization down; use one like a Perform winter black pine care Work junipers prior to freezing temperatures Member News Got news to share? Let us know.. The club needs your help, please consider: Give a lecture: share your bonsai experience or bonsai related expertise Bring a tree to the club meeting for the show & tell program Write something for the newsletter: any articles, long or short, is welcome. Have a Bonsai question? Submit it and you will get the answer. Link of the Month The link below discusses black pine winter care. Flowering/Fruit Stop fertilization Restrict flowering to every other year to improve ramification; remove flower buds now Tropical Place in greenhouse or bring indoors for the winter Adjust fertilization depending on how warm you keep your greenhouse; little fertilization if placed inside Tip of the Month Use Lime Sulphur + Wood Hardener to Treat Deadwood Deadwood in a Bonsai tree can create the illusion of age. To preserve the deadwood, first remove all of the very soft, crumbly wood that is difficult to preserve. Next, apply a mixture of Lime Sulphur to bleach the wood into a white color. For some deciduous species, you may add black Indian ink or acrylic art paint to achieve grey tones or add coffee granules to create brown tones. Finally, the wood needs to be sealed against moisture to prevent it from rotting. This can be done by applying a wood hardener over the entire area. You can find wood hardener in home depot or any hardware store. Apply the wood hardener until it is no longer absorbed into the wood. If the surface appears shiny after drying, gently sand the surface to remove the sheen. The wood hardener will seal the color permanently; so make sure that the color is suitable for the tree before applying the wood hardener.

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11 BSD NEWSLETTER PAGE 11 Place Your Ad Here! Business card size is $5.00 per month Half page size is $20.00 per month Full page size is $35.00 per month For more details contact: Bill Muto