September 2011 Newsletter

Transcription

1 September 2011 Newsletter President Zack Clayton Tree Curator Dan Binder Director Emeritus José Cueto 1 st Vice President Ken Schultz 2 nd Vice President Denny Sackett 1 year Director Tom Holcomb 2 year Director Jack Smith 3 year Directors Ben William Past President Mark Passerello Treasurer Richard Gurevitz Secretary Sandy Schoenfeld Librarian John Young Web Master Ed McCracken Newsletter Editor Richard Uhrick A Pinch of this....let s call it a day. Term of the month: GEOTROPISM Geotropism: The inclination for a plants roots to grow downward (toward the center of the earth s gravity). An obstacle to non-prostrate plants as cascade style. NOW THAT THE PARTY IS OVER. Well, the big party is over both for CBS 2011 and the Maennerchor club. We had another amazing show at the Maennerchor, but now as you have probably heard it will be torn down to make more room for Stewart Elementary behind it. So, once again our quest will begin. We go in search of a sq ft hall with parking to hold next years CBS 2012 while we celebrate 40 years of CBS existence. But for now we carry on, with our annual Picnic and Member Sale. So, join us at Oakland Nursery in Columbus and bring any extra plant stock, pots, tools, and bonsai miscellanea that you are looking to sell or trade with other members. See the event description on page 2 for more information, and remember it starts early at 1 pm. Bonsai=Perseverance Inside this issue: Program Info 2 President s Message 3 Tree of the Month 4 Book of the Month 6 CBS Librarian 10 Calendar of Events 11 Rich Uhrick Join us at Oakland Nursery on Sunday the 18th for our picnic and member sale. Columbus Bonsai Society PO Box 1981 Columbus OH ColumbusBonsai@hotmail.com Columbus Bonsai is a proud member of the American Bonsai Society and Bonsai Clubs International.

2 2 COLUMBUS BONSAI SOCIETY SEPTEMBER 2011 This Month s Program Picnic and Member Sale O ur meeting on September 18 will be held at Oakland Nursery and will start earlier than normal at 1pm. The program part of the meeting is the Member's Sale, 10% of the proceeds are to be donated to the Club. You should plan to bring a dish to share and your own plates and silverware. The Club will provide a selection of soft drinks, iced tea and coffee. You are responsible for your meat item, there is a BBQ available. We are responsible for cleaning up the house and patio after we're done. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we can use their beautiful patio for eating and sales. Last year, members displayed their items for sale on the wall surrounding the patio, it was very nice if you missed it. Please put a price and name on your items so that if you're eating or shopping a fellow club member can help you with a sale. Also, if you know the common name or scientific name a popsicle stick or some sort of label would help. So bring your pots, tools, trees, books and related bonsai items to sell or swap with your fellow Club members. The Columbus Bonsai Society receives meeting space and other support and assistance from Franklin Park Conservatory and Oakland Nurseries DISCLAIMER The Columbus Bonsai Society Newsletter, is the intellectual property of the Columbus Bonsai Society. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without permission in writing from the Editor. UPCOMING PROGRAMS: OCTOBER: MAINTENANCE WORK ON PINES NEEDLING, PRUNING, AND WIRING. NOVEMBER: STANDS, AND DISPLAYS DECEMBER: HOLIDAY DINNER AT LEE GARDENS Rich Uhrick, Editor ruhrick@otterbein.edu

3 COLUMBUS BONSAI SOCIETY SEPTEMBER AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR PRESIDENT. Random Thotz - now from the President T he break in the weather has been wonderful. It came just in time for my maples. They were starting to look a little crisp around the leaf margins. Everything is a little less stressed and perking up. I have new growth on my tropicals and the cuttings I struck from them. All my offerings should be looking real good for the member sale at the picnic at Oakland Park for this month. For the Seiju Elm cuttings that I took last year, they suddenly decided to put on a growth spurt; I have new growth all over those things. And the F. microcarpa cuttings I took at the July meeting? I just potted those into their training pots. All of them have vigorous root growth and top growth to go with it. Were you inspired by the show? I was. One of the things I decided was to get a black threefold poster board from Staples for a photo background. It will help me as I play with pictures of my trees to decide styling. It will also show off my trees in the best way for archive and bragging photos. I have a lot of clutter in the background of most of my class pictures and this should help clean that up. Speaking of the show, next year will be in a new location since the Maennerchor is being demolished. If you find out about an affordable venue with parking and square feet of interior space, let a board member know about it. The possible dates are August or September. Jeff Carr has offered to split the cost of a bonsai class with the club. CBS will be raffling this space to all members at $10 a ticket. Beginning classes are 6 times a year every other month. In addition, Jeff will be offering an advanced class next year of 6 monthly classes starting in March or April and is looking to bring in visiting masters for up to three of the classes. The Advanced class will cost a bit more than the Beginning class, but the raffled class can be used as a $400 payment toward the advanced class fee if desired. The exact fee for the advanced class will depend on whether Jeff can arrange two or three visiting masters. Jeff is also going to be getting a second order of the HydRocksTM together later this month or early October. If you are interested in getting a supply for next spring repotting, this is a good time to let him know you want some. I am getting 90 gallons this time. For the December dinner program the Board is putting out a call for pictures you have taken of your bonsai, bonsai that have inspired you, trees in nature that should be bonsai or serve as an inspiration for you, or any other bonsai related photos. A few to a dozen would be about right, and electronic is preferred, although there is the possibility of digitizing your slide or image. You can talk about the pictures or give us a write up of what you want to say. This is your chance to contribute to the December program. See you on the 18th. Zack

4 4 COLUMBUS BONSAI SOCIETY SEPTEMBER 2011 TREE OF THE MONTH: Eugenia myrtifolia Brush Cherry I decided to write about this plant because I have one that needs to be repotted. I d bought a small pre-bonsai Bush Cherry more than a decade ago and through overwatering, low winter indoor lighting and other hostile indoor factors: I d killed it. To avoid repeated mistakes I decided to do some research. My first discovery is that some scientists have reclassified this plant to Syzygium paniculatum a large group of plants, many native to Australia. In fact, my first plant had a nametag that said Australian Bush Cherry. My new Eugenia (most likely myrtifolia as there are 3 or 4 varieties used for bonsai- Compacta and Teenie Genie which is very dwarf and low growing) came from Home Depot s after Christmas sale of I have no clue as to why they had Eugenia as well as Christmas tree shaped Rosemary. The Bush Cherries were three ball topiaries, as Bush Cherry is sold in Florida and California as a Topiary yard plant. Before Christmas it had been $39.99 but after Christmas it was marked Clearance - $ Since the Bush Cherries still looked healthy, I bought one. When I got it home I placed it next to my basement plant rack, as it was too tall to fit under. As leaves began to drop, I took emergency steps. The first step was to replace the soggy peat that it was planted in with my tropical mix. The second step was to lop off the top two balls of the topiary. I ve never seen a bonsai styled into three balls, have you? (I tried to start some cuttings, but January was not the time. However, cuttings taken this spring seem to be thriving.) Eugenia Myrtifolia leaves are similar in shape to Ficus Benjamina. Leaves are Separate in shape, up to 3 long though my bonsai plant s are smaller. When healthy the leaves are dark green and very shiny with new growth emerging red and the immature leaves a lighter green. With bright sun light the leaves are trimmed in red. The overall effect is very attractive. The leaves grow in pairs like a maple. If you are able to provide your Bush Cherry with enough light, it will produce white puffy flowers that look like those of a common Myrtle. More light also means smaller and more compact growth and leaves. The lower ones appear in small clusters (five I think), which produce 1 rose-purple berries that are edible, though I ve never tried to eat one. One source says that the flowers are fragrant. Flowering should start in June and continue, though less, until September. Since mine was not blooming, I moved it to a brighter spot in the yard; I have got my fingers crossed. According to several references, these plants are sold for hedges but untrimmed can reach 35 tall. It says that this plant can handle temperatures down to 30 degrees with root protection, but to prevent leave damage it should be brought in in Ohio when temperatures fall below 50 degrees. They are native to Zone 9, we re Zone 5. Expect leaf drop when you bring it inside for the winter. Two references say they are native to Florida, but more said they are native to the east coast tropical rain forests of Australia, including Bill Valvanis. So while there may be varieties native to Florida, I am thinking Australia is right. Watering needs are described as regular ; mine get watered with the rest of my trees while outside and seems to be able to handle my Delaware County (DelCo) water. Valvanis says he waters his specimen Eugenia twice a day on hot windy days. There were several articles that warn that Eugenia are salt intolerant and encourage the use of distilled water. If you have a softener you may heed this warning. Experience says they don t like wet feet, but will suffer if they are allowed to dry out. One site said use a moisture gage. Bonsai Gardener says to keep it consistently moist, as Bush Cherry does not like variations in moisture. The more sun you give it, the more water it will need. Like most tropicals, they appreciate misting when they are indoors for the winter. Pests mentioned include; red spider mite, scale and mealy bug. If you have problems with these pests use Sevin or another pesticide of choice. Fertilize outdoors every two weeks with Miracid, monthly when they re indoors. Valvanis was the only one who said he fertilized weekly and the photos of his tree were loaded with flowers but even he said developed bonsai need fertilized less often. Because Eugenia are for topiary, it should be obvious that you train them into any bonsai style. Severe pruning should occur in spring when you can take your plants out doors. Initial styling to determine the trunk line can include foliage removal (Not on a newly repotted or less than healthy plant). Wiring reportedly takes a set within six weeks. The wood is not flexible, so when it comes time to take the wire off, cut it, don t try to unwind it as you might break a branch. I ve done mostly selective pruning since the initial styling, much to my satisfaction, several references say that clip and grow is the way to maintain your Bush Cherry bonsai. Prune new growth when there are 6-8 new leave pairs; cut them to one or two pairs. Cut the stems, not the leaves. Younger trees may need repotted every two years; older trees every 3 or 4. Some references said regular bonsai mix, some said use an azalea mix as they have fibrous roots and one said use peat and pumice in the mix. Two references said that Bush Cherry are tolerant to root pruning and that up to 2/3rds of their roots if the plant is healthy. Bill Valvanis said that he initially used a red pot to compliment the white flowers. I was planning to use a white pot, maybe a bad idea? (Someplace along the way his 27-year in training bonsai ended up in a purplish grey pot that was custom made. Between his 1977 and in his 2004 photo the bark had developed a craggy texture and a splendid nebari. And my question was answered, repotting is done in the spring after the tree is taken outdoors and is actively growing. Ken Schultz Image from Art of Bonsai.

5 COLUMBUS BONSAI SOCIETY SEPTEMBER Reprinted from the Akron Canton Bonsai Society Newsletter

6 6 COLUMBUS BONSAI SOCIETY SEPTEMBER 2011 Book of the Month: practical BONSAI for beginners By Kenji Murata I have other books by Kenji Murata, so when I spotted this one on the shelf at the Half Price bookstore on North High Street I looked it over for a long time and decided that this was a book I didn t have. Besides the $3.98 price tag made it an interesting buy. This book is from the 11 th printing of a book copyrighted in It is 120 pages, is 7 tall by 9, and has a 300-year-old white pine on the cover. Other than the cover, there are no color pictures or drawings in this book, which explains its original bargain price of $5.95. The text is organized into four chapters: 1) How to Raise Bonsai, 2) Transplantation, 3) Training and 4) Maintenance and Control. Before the chapters, there is a short section on bonsai appreciation that explains the components of a good bonsai and then there are 16 black and white plates of various bonsai styles. Chapter 1 starts out with how to collect trees from the wild and how to care for it once you collect it. I don t recall any other of the books that I ve read going into such detail. I found it interesting that he says to protect the newly collected plant from the sun with a reed screen. After collecting, he says to wait until the following March or April to transplant the tree again. Kenji cautions that it takes two or tree years to develop yamadori into bonsai. The next section is on air layering. He lists six species that air layer including maples and elms. Air layering is done in May or June in Japan when the humidity is higher. Next, a technique he calls Kabuware tells about plants from which you can use root cuttings. Azaleas were listed, which surprised me; others included quince, magnolia. Fourth is cuttings. Elms, Cryptomeria and Azaleas are listed as easiest. He says they do this the last two weeks of March in Tokyo, here I d guess a month later. He says cuttings should be 1.5 to 6 in length. Grafting is the next method listed, which he says to do mid February to mid March. The same holds true here to. I took a grafting workshop and it was held in February. He uses raffia to tie the scion in the cut. The final method he describes is sowing seeds. Chapter 2 covers Transplanting. He says that a well kept bonsai lasts for hundreds of years in the same pot. He says that conifers need to be repotted every 3 to 4 years but deciduous trees may fill their pots with roots every year. He notes that the choice of pots besides shape is Japanese or Chinese. He also suggests color based on species. He then spends 6 pages discussing soil, a frequent topic for discussion. He covers a variety of ingredients and where to find them, such as 3 feet down near a river. He sieves the soil sizes and places the largest on the bottom of the pot. The then suggest the blends for types of trees. Sparing no detail the next section in this chapter covers the tools used in transplanting. This includes a watering can with a fine rose to provide a soft spay. The fifth section in the chapter covers the transplanting process. He says never transplant in the direct sunlight. When he gets done, he sprinkles the fine soil that went through the sieve on top. Chapter 3 covers training. Kenji says to learn aesthetics looking at trees is necessary, including going to bonsai shows. To train a tree he says select the style then wire branches and the trunk to fit the style, straighter for formal, or more curved for curved styles. He covers several measures on which branches to select. To make the tree look older he says the branches on the lower quarter need to be removed. I ve read in several other (Continued on page 7)

7 COLUMBUS BONSAI SOCIETY SEPTEMBER (Continued from page 6) places, the lower third. Nevertheless, resist that guidance. The next section is how to nip sprouts. He notes that black pines sprouts can be removed, but not white or 5 needle pines. He notes that with Sargent Juniper and Hinoki Cypress remove Y shaped sprouts no matter how many times they emerge. Be careful to remove only the sprout he says, to deep and they wither. Section 3 is leaf cutting, used for elms and maples. He says fertilize before leaf cutting and should not be done on a weak tree. In section 4, he says that when cutting off branches a stub should be left at their base to prevent new sprouts from growing from the trunk. When pruning roots take care not to let the hair roots dry out. When it comes to wiring, because of the age of this boot only copper wire is mentioned. Before using a lever or a jack he says to wrap the area with hemp rope. Now we use raffia. He says the best time to do this is in February before the sap begins to flow. After such treatment, the tree should be shaded for 3 or 4 days as the bark develops invisible spits. The fourth and final chapter is Maintenance and Control. He starts by discussing selecting the site where you will keep your bonsai. He includes easily accessible for watering and pruning but not accessible to dogs and cats. Next, he warns not to place bonsai directly on the ground or on stone or concrete. The topic of watering is covered at length- a skill I am still learning. I have a tendency to overwater some plants because if some are thirsty they all get watered. Newly repotted and pot bound plants need to be watered more often. My problem is the ones in between. Section 4 of the 4 th chapter is fertilizing. He says conifers need fertilizing throughout the year, fruiting or flowering trees before and after and deciduous trees when they are in bud until they drop their leaves. A little bonus is a guide to 50 popular species of bonsai trees found on pages 113 through 118. Each species listed has 8 care tips listed. 1) Common English name, 2) watering 3) fertilization 4) pruning/sprout nipping 5) wiring 6) transplantation 7) pot soil and 8) special notes. There were interesting. Five needle pine note was to pack the soil quite firmly when transplanting. Chinese Hackberry says that excess fertilizer hardens branches. Azaleas it says to leaf water for sometime after transplanting. Ken Schultz Pictures from CBS 2011, see pages 8-9 for more.

8 8 COLUMBUS BONSAI SOCIETY SEPTEMBER 2011 THEY SAVED THE LAST John Hill dazzled everyone with his trees. Taking home Member s choice, People s Choice and Staselwood choice for his various trees. At left, here he is with the Member s choice winning Tree. Clockwise from upper right: J. Hill, Peoples choice 1st place,; J. Hill, Peoples choice 2nd place; Jose Cueto, Peoples choice 3rd place. BUT ALL THE TREES WERE NOTEWORTHY.

9 COLUMBUS BONSAI SOCIETY SEPTEMBER 2011 DANCE FOR US. STASELWOOD BONSAI The vendors all did big business. KEN S WORLD OF BONSAI THE DEMONSTRATIONS WERE WELL ATTENDED! BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER KEN S BIG ELM.

10 10 COLUMBUS BONSAI SOCIETY SEPTEMBER 2011 From the Circulation Desk of the C.B.S. Library In an effort to make the C.B.S. library more available to all of our members (since the library cabinet is being stored at Oakland Nursery and since we aren't meeting there every month), I will do my best to fill any requests that you may have to borrow any of the items that we currently have in our collection. I have a complete list of all of the books, magazines and videos that we have in our library; so, no later than the Friday before our monthly meeting, either send me an at jyoungjfy@sbcglobal.net or give me a call at and let me know what items you would like to borrow from our library. I will let you know if we have that particular item in our library or, if it has already been checked out by another one of our members, when it should be available for you to borrow. However, if you are interested in a particular article or topic in one of our bonsai magazines, I will need to know the specific issue you would like to borrow, since I don't have a master index for all of the magazines that we have. And to be as fair as possible to all of our members, you may check out only two books, magazines, CD's or videos at one time for a two month period. Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions about these new procedures. After all, it is your library, too! John Young, Librarian (614) jyoungjfy@sbcglobal.net The library will be open in September. Renewal Memberships may be paid for more than one year at a time.

11 COLUMBUS BONSAI SOCIETY SEPTEMBER Bonsai Here and Beyond the Outer belt Unless otherwise noted, The Columbus Bonsai Society meets the third Sunday of every month at 1:45 pm. Board Meetings are the first Tuesday of the month at 6:30 pm. The board meetings are open to members. 18 SEP 2011 PICNIC AND MEMBER SALE OAKLAND SEP 2011 BONSAI SOCIETY KALAMAZOO S SHOW KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN 8-9 OCT 2011 GREATER CINCINNATTI BONSAI SHOW KROHN CONSERVATORY 16 OCT 2011 BUD PRUNING, NEEDLING, AND WIRING PINES FPC 20 NOV 2011 DORMANCY AND STANDS: SELECTION OR CREATION OAKLAND 11 DEC 2011 HOLIDAY DINNER LEE GARDENS JAN 2012 CBS MEETING OAKLAND 3 FEB 2012 KOKUFU TEN JAPAN 19 FEB 2O12 CBS MEETING OAKLAND 18 MAR 2012 CBS MEETING FPC 15 APR 2012 CBS MEETING FPC 20 MAY 2012 CBS MEETING FPC 26-8 MAY 2012 BRUSSELS RENDEVOUS MISSISSIPPI 9-10 JUN 2012 US NATIONAL SHOW ROCHESTER, NY 17 JUN 2012 CBS MEETING OAKLAND 21-4 JUN 2012 ABS/BCI DENVER 15 JUL 2012 CBS MEETING FPC JUL 2012 MABA BUCKEYE BONSAI, A FAMILY AFFAIR KINGS ISLAND 17-8 AUG 2012 MID-AMERICA CHICAGO 19 AUG 2012 CBS MEETING OAKLAND 16 SEP 2012 CBS MEETING OR ANNUAL SHOW 7-8 OCT 2012 BONSAI EXPO ASHEVILLE, NC 21 OCT 2012 CBS MEETING FPC 18 NOV 2012 CBS MEETING OAKLAND DEC 2012 CBS HOLIDAY DINNER FPC= FRANKLIN PARK CONSERVATORY OAKLAND= OAKLAND NURSERY, COLUM- Care Notes from the Columbus Bonsai Society Website September - Early Autumn - 77/54 This is an ideal time to start root over rock plantings and other root development projects. The tree is starting to concentrate growth in the roots and use less energy on the foliage. Lower the nitrogen content of your fertilizer this month. Switch to a fertilizer. The lack of nitrogen slows foliar growth, which will force the branches to toughen up to deal with winter's wrath. This is the second best time for repotting. Once the leaves turn color, the tree is dormant. You may transplant deciduous after this. This is better done in the beginning of the month. This is a good time to collect wild trees. Bring tropicals back indoors towards the end of the month, or when temperatures consistently drop below 50 F at night. Spray your tropicals with pesticide before you bring them indoors. This may take multiple applications over a few weeks. Watch out for fall pests. Squirrels are especially harmful, as they are digging and foraging for winter.

12 Columbus Bonsai Society PO Box 1981 Columbus, OH Questions to: Regular Club meetings on 3 rd Sunday of the month Meetings Start at 1:45 pm All are welcome to attend CBS Board meets 1 st Tuesday of the month at 6:30 pm PICNIC AND SALE- OAKLAND NURSERY