OCTOBER 26 PINE TECHNIQUES AND OPEN PINE WORKSHOP at VOOHRESVILLE Noon: social and food One pm: meeting and program

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1 Mohawk Hudson Bonsai Society Celebrating 40 years of bonsai October 2008 Volume 40 Number 10 Also on line at OCTOBER 26 PINE TECHNIQUES AND OPEN PINE WORKSHOP at VOOHRESVILLE Noon: social and food One pm: meeting and program Come with pine(s) to work on, tools etc. to our October meeting. Bring some of your pine bonsai for the show table. We will start with a pine lesson from Pauline Muth with your experiences added in and a question and answer period and then proceed to help each other with our pines. Fall and winter are a great time to work on pines. David and Noel Payton are our hosts for the meeting. OCTOBER 11 AND 12 1 ST NATIONAL BONSAI EXHIBIT MONROE COMMUNITY HOSPITAL ROCHESTER NY To learn more from viewing from some of the best bonsai in America, take a drive to Rochester and view 200 bonsai exhibitions plus see Suthin and Cathy Shaner and Alice Chen demonstrations. No cameras allowed. There will also be vendors on site. Go to /NATIONAL_EXHIBITION.htmlfor details.

2 A Message from President David Payton: Dear fellow MHBS members: Our 40 th Anniversary Show and Exhibit is now history. I wish to thank all of you who helped make it such a successful experience for both club members and visitors. We had approximately 50 trees on display, representing a wide variety of styles and varying levels of development. On Sunday we identified the trees that will represent our club at the Mid- Atlantic Bonsai Society Conference in Spring Based upon the voting, the following trees were identified: Shimpaku Juniper (caretaker, Tom Kiskiel) Ponderosa Pine (caretaker, Jon Staples) Jack Pine (caretaker, Tom Kiskiel) The alternates are: Dwarf Chinese Elm (caretaker, Iris Cohen) Mugo Pine (caretaker, Dorothy Raymond) Shimpaku Juniper (caretaker, Sandy Kiskiel) Pyracantha (caretaker, Tom Kiskiel) The club also held a club meeting on Sunday. Notable points made at the meeting were: 1. MID-ATLANTIC BONSAI SOCIETY. The MHBS s share of the disbursements from the 2008 MABS conference is $1,482. Only two other clubs received more than MHBS and they each received $1,584. The 2009 MABS conference will again be held at the old Granite Hotel in Accord (down around Ellenville) in April Among the presenters will be Susan Amoy, Ferrand Bloch, Esao Omachi, and David Easterbrook. (My apologies for any misspellings). The MABS lighting issue discussed at the last MHBS meeting (when we met in August at Adriano and Theresa s) has been resolved the tree exhibit at the 2009 conference will be in a room different from the one used in This new room will have better lighting. For those who like to eat, the hotel restaurant will be open on Sunday of the 2009 conference. Finally, firsttime registrants to the conference will only pay half-price registration. More information to follow. 2. FINANCIAL REPORT. According to our Treasurer, Mike Curthoys, the club had, as of September 26, 2008, an ending fund balance of $2, This does not reflect the MABS disbursement of $1,482 or several annual registrations he received at the show. 3. UPCOMING MHBS MEETINGS. The next several meetings of the club will be: a. Sunday, October 26 th, a BYO Pines Workshop at the Cooperative Extension Center in Voorheesville. The Payton s will provide food. b. Sunday, November 23 rd, a carving demonstration by David Easterbrook also at the Cooperative Extension Center in Voorheesville. David will also be teaching a workshop for six people --- three slots are still open. Contact Pauline (Pauline@pfmbonsai.com or ) if interested. If anyone is interested and willing to provide the food for this meeting, please let David Payton (dpayton@nycap.rr.com or ) know. c. SATURDAY, January 24, 2008, is the annual Holiday Party, Meal, and Auction. It will be held at the Cooperative Extension Center in Voorheesville. More information to follow. 4. GRATITUDE. Finally, a special thanks from me to all of you who brought trees and/or staffed the show last weekend and made it such a success: Iris C., Dorothy R., Alan T., Jon S., John P., Tom K., Sandy K., Bill J., Sally C., Mike C., Betsy C., Adriano M., and Theresa M.

3 TO STORE OR NOT TO STORE.THAT IS THE QUESTION From the experiences of Pauline Muth As days shorten and temperatures drop, bonsai artists in the great Northeast begin to think about winter and protecting their bonsai from the harshness of the season. Should you rush and put all your trees away at the first signs of frost? Here are experienced guidelines from my 30+ years of experience in Zone 4. Those of you in other zones can adapt these for your areas. I divide my bonsai storage into 4 groups for Zone 4: Tropicals: All bonsai that would be killed by frost. These trees must be put in a greenhouse, under lights or other indoor storage with good light and above 45 degree F temperatures. Examples: Ficus, bougainvillea, Serissa, citrus. Puncia., Natal plum These are already in their winter homes. I greenhouse them when the nights hit in the 40s. Semi Hardy: All bonsai that can be harmed by the severe cold weather in my Zone 4 but can be put into normal winter storage in Zone 6. These are left out side late into fall. They are put into very protected storage when the night temperatures stay in the 30s F. I store these on the floor of my greenhouse or on the greenhouse benches. Some people use their basement or a garage that is cold but does not freeze hard. Examples: Azalea, Maples, Pyracantha, Ivies. I also store most of my shohin. mame, and kusomono with this group. Care must be taken as these

4 species will bud out early in this type of storage if they get warm or light. So I prefer to use the greenhouse for them. Hardy: Most of the species that can be grown year round in the ground in my climate. These are stored near the time of the first real snow-fall. This can occur between late November and the end of December. These trees are stored in unlighted cold storage like a dark cold frame, unheated shed or garage here in cold country. Examples are most pines, hornbeams,hardy fruit trees, and junipers. Extremely Hardy: These bonsai are hardy in zones colder than mine. I store these trees outside and just protect from wind. Examples are Larch and Eastern White Cedar. I place these under my grove of spruce trees on the ground for winter. Here they are protected from wind but can be watered by melting snow. All in all, each of us must take time to learn what works best with each species in our climate. Often I see people storing their bonsai much too early in the fall. Consider the following when setting up storage for a species: The temperature ranges that allow the species to grow with health. If there is a need for winter light or not. How you can assure that the trees will not dry out. Protection from wind desiccation. Find the best place for each species for winter and keep your trees in storage only as long as absolutely necessary. Rely on your experience and remember that each year our climate seems to be changing and we must adjust our storage to it. Keep growing.pauline

5 . BONSAI HERE AND BEYOND 2008 CHECK OVER THE WORKSHOPS OFFERED IN 2008 AND OR CALL ADRIANO (518) TO REGISTER. CALENDAR 2008 for MHBS and beyond green are non mhbs events DATE PROGRAM HOST October st National Bonsai Exhibition e08/ October 26 Pine BYO Workshops Voorheesville Dave and Noel November 23 December Carving Techniques; Easterbrook; 6 people work... we watch and learn 3 OPENINGS Voohreesville NO MEETING-----DINNER MOVED TO JANUARY Bonsai Links of Interest American Bonsai Society Boise June 2009 Bonsai Clubs International New Orleans June 2009 MABS Hudson Valley Resort and Spa in Kerhonkson, NY April , 2009 National Bonsai Federation none?? President David Payton Vice President Adriano Manocchia Secretary Joann Ryan Treasurer Mike Curthoys Officers MHBS dpayton@nycap.rr.com (518) adriano@tsmandco.com (518) jryan022@nycap.rr.com curthoys@hotmail.com Items for publication in The Twig may be sent to Pauline@pfmbonsai.com