Bonsai Society of Dallas

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1 BSD NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 Bonsai Society of Dallas Monthly Member Newsletter June 2015 Message from the President In This Issue Message from the President June Program Upcoming Events Pedro Morales Visit June Bonsai Tips and Advice May Program in Review Learning Opportunities May To Do List Member News Beginner Bulletin Board Having a Sale. Board of Directors Sylvia Smith, President slysmith@tx.rr.com Greg Brewer, Vice President, Program Chair brewer1959@yahoo.com Diane Lowe, Secretary diane_lowe@live.com Jerry Riley, Treasurer jafa625@gmail.com John Miller, President Emeritus bonsaimiller@aol.com Kyle Downing, Membership Chair flattrack75081@yahoo.com Todd Hang, Newsletter Editor tqhang@gmail.com Mary Polk, Member at Large doggiedigs2@att.net Bill Muto, Member at Large bmuto@aol.com Howard Smith, LSBF Delegate bonsaismiths@tx.rr.com May was a difficult month for me. I really appreciated the kind s and support from the membership. It warms my heart to be thought of. Can't say I put much thought into bonsai that month but this is now June and whether I like it or not, weeds like to grow, trees need food and water, and maintenance is way behind schedule! If I learned anything from Dad it's, "You gotta keep moving forward no matter what!" No matter how much time I spent in the hospital he always reminded me that I had a life to live and I needed to get back to it so, it's time. So, what does one do in June besides tidy up the bonsai garden and protect from the sun and heat? Well, this is the perfect time to re-pot your tropical collection and wire out your deciduous trees. The middle to end of June is a great time to clean and wire your junipers (remember NOT to pinch) and the end of June you can decandle your large Japanese Black pine and prune all of your fruiting and flowering trees. You can add sifted sphagnum to everything but your conifers to keep the roots from getting too hot and move your sun sensitive trees to a shadier place in your garden...shall I go on? The other thing you can do this month to up your game is by taking advantage of learning from our guest artist Pedro Morales. He will be in town on June 20 th and will do a demonstration in the morning and a BYOT workshop in the afternoon. Also please remember that we do not have our regular July meeting as it falls on July 4 th. However we do have our LSBF Guest artist on July 11 th. Mark your calendar now so you don t miss out. Hope to see you this month for both of our programs! Sylvia The LSBF seminar planning is all falling into place. Our headliner will be Matt Reel, recently returned from Japan after a seven year apprenticeship under Shinji Suzuki. Matt worked daily on masterpiece bonsai destined for Kokufu and Taikan-ten, as well as setting up displays in the prestigious Taikan Bonsai Museum. Matt will be conducting demos, lectures, a workshop and critique at the Kingwood Community Center in Houston October 9 10, Fliers will be going out in mid June as well as posted on our LSBF Facebook page and our LSBF website. Any inquiries can be forwarded to Howard Smith at bonsaismiths@tx.rr.com.

2 BSD NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 Study Group Bonsai Smiths 9:00 AM to Noon, June 7 th North Haven Gardens This month is our summer seasonal workshop lead by the Bonsai Smiths. Any material is suitable for work at this time of year. This is the time of the year to focus on the tree s structure and refinement. Hopefully it was repotted earlier this year and the new spring growth has emerged and started to harden off. It is time to get/keep it under control and focus on the overall shape and structure. Bringing a fully wired tree to this workshop would be a good way to learn how to set branches and develop pads. Also, if you'd like to develop your trees further, it is suggested that you pick at least one tree to bring to each of the three seasonal workshops so that we can walk you through each stage of development. If you prefer to bring different trees for styling suggestions, then this is fine as well. Remember that these workshops are geared to help you better understand your bonsai material and how to develop it into a beautiful bonsai tree. In case you are new to the club, this is a program where you bring one or two trees in for work, under the guidance of Howard and Sylvia Smith. Bring your tools, wire, and up to two trees. These programs are held three times a year and ideally you should bring the same tree(s) each time so they can assist you in the development of that tree. Before and after photos are a good idea too, so bring your phone or camera and be sure to get a picture before work begins. If you don t yet have a tree to work on, come and observe. Listening to advise given to each person is also a good way to learn. Check out the Book! As mentioned in last month s newsletter, club member David G. took some fantastic photos of each display from the show. He is a professional graphic artist and photography enthusiast. He has also had them printed and bound into a beautiful book which he brought to the May meeting. We can order additional copies. The cost goes down the more we order, but generally it would be in the $65 - $80 price range each. The book will be available for viewing at both programs in June. If you have interest, please let him know by July 31 so he can place a single order. His is david@gouldcreative.com. Upcoming Events Saturday, June 6 th, 9 Noon Study Group Bonsai Smiths June 20 th, 9 Noon, 1:30 Workshop Guest Artist Pedro Morales July 4 th Holiday No program July 11 th LSBF Guest Artist Owen Reich Events Elsewhere June 11 th 14 th ABS Learning Symposium Baltimore/Washington July 18 th 19 th Columbus Bonsai Society Show Columbus, OH August 1 st 2 nd Prairie State Bonsai Society Show Lisle, IL September 18 th 21 st BCI 2015 Convention Guangzhou, China September 23 rd 27 th BonsaiFest at Bowers Museum Santa Ana, CA September 26 th - 28 th Artisans Cup of Portland Portland, Oregon October 9 th -10 th LSBF Educational Seminar Houston, TX October 10 th 11 th Bonsai Europa Manchester, UK October 23 rd 25 th The National Bonsai Convention Christchurch, New Zealand October 29 th - November 1 st GSBF Convention Riverside, CA

3 BSD NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 Guest Artist Pedro Morales June 20 th Pedro J. Morales was born in Chicago, Ill on March 16, His parents, native to Puerto Rico and lovers of plants, moved back there when Pedro was just three months old. In 1980, during his first year at the University of Puerto Rico, his Spanish teacher assigned the subject of bonsai and Pedro was smitten! He became a member of the Bonsai Club of Puerto Rico in Then in 1993, he started Futago Bonsai Jyuku which is now one of the most important Bonsai schools in Latin America! Since then, he has taught bonsai in most of Latin America, Australia, China, Japan, Korea, India, Spain, Germany and has begun three bonsai schools, two of which are in the United States (one of them being right here in Houston, Texas!). Pedro has placed in the World Bonsai Contest 8 times, has been chairman of BCI, FELAB and WBF and has won countless of local awards for his incredible masterpieces! Pedro will be doing a lecture and demonstration at the morning portion of our program and a BYOT (bring your own tree workshop) in the afternoon. We ll take a lunch break in between, so be sure to join us for lunch and get to know Pedro even better. Pedro can work on all types of trees so bring whatever tree you may want to work on with him. If you aren t sure which one to bring, just ask the Smiths during our regular meeting on June 6 th. If you don t have a tree in mind, consider a visit to Ray Hernandez s nursery, Bent Tree Bonsai and select the perfect tree. Tropical, deciduous, conifer...pedro can do it all! The workshop is $45 and is limited to 8 people so if you would like to participate in the workshop, please RSVP to Diane at diane_lowe@live.com. Nea buxafolia Forest Planting Mentoring Update It has been suggested that we give newer members the opportunity to partner with a more knowledgeable member for mentoring. What form that takes would be determined by both parties. We now have one mentoring connection underway and two other members willing to be mentors. Are there any newbies out there who would like a mentor? If you wish to discuss this further, please contact Diane at diane_lowe@live.com. Dave S. shared this photo of Garrett s bougainvillea in flower. Beautiful!

4 BSD NEWSLETTER PAGE 4 June Bonsai Tips and Advice By John Miller Hopefully with all this rain this year you have checked your bonsai to be sure they drain properly. Very few plants will survive any length of time in a pot full of water. Even so you must get your trees prepared to take on the Texas summer. Remember that the biggest stress on potted plants comes from the soil being heated, especially by the late afternoon sun slanting in under the shade cloth and foliage. The low humidity in the afternoon does little to stop the heat. You need to provide good shade on the west side. Two waterings are sometimes needed--one about 2pm to cool the soil and provide for evaporative cooling and another later about sundown to get the soil temp back down and to allow the plant to be able to rest at night. Leaf pruning on deciduous trees should not be considered a yearly task. It usually should be done only as needed and only on very healthy trees. Broadleaf evergreens would not get it. I usually consider Memorial Day as the end of leaf pruning. If you think you need to leaf prune, you probably can still do it but need to be careful, it could turn hot in a hurry. The tree needs time to replace the energy used to grow new foliage. I have done it on Shumard oaks successfully. Again never leaf prune the atropurpeum (red leaves in spring) varieties of Japanese maples, they don t rebud very well. When night temperatures stay above 60 degrees you can think about repotting some of the tropicals. I would wait another month though for the buttonwood. However, some tropicals can be leaf pruned all summer. The Ficus nerifolia especially benefits by leaf pruning and can be done more than once each summer. That will develop the heavy twiginess you see in the Ficus bonsai from the Far East. As the summer progresses, the growth of the deciduous trees will sometimes slow also. But you still need to keep an eye out for errant shoots. Keeping a clipper with you when watering would let you take care of most of them. Just like in the spring a shoot too long will thicken the twig too much. The major pruning chore is now transferred to the tropicals. Tip pinching on some flowering species like the crape myrtle will result in fewer flowers but if you let it go they get out of shape. I prefer to try to balance the flower/design question by pinching early. This provides more growing tips to divide the energy and the resulting flower is shorter. It is less showy but more in scale. Also if you have fruiting bonsai, you should reduce the number of fruit on the tree. The number one goal of the tree is to provide seeds for reproduction and it will starve itself in order to do so. Again, most fruit are too large to look good on a bonsai. Some days may be relatively cool to you but the sun can still make the pot pretty hot. Not only does this dry out the soil very fast but the tree roots do not like a hot soil. A temperature I have heard given is that 120 degrees will kill roots on most plants. I cannot give you a precise todo list since your backyard is different from mine but you should be sure that the sun does not hit the pots directly. Notice especially where the hot afternoon sun, from 2pm to sundown, hits your bonsai area. If you use a cover of any kind be sure that the side of the pot is protected also. A loose weave cover is preferable to solid paper or foil. Chopped sphagnum moss spread on the soil surface will reduce evaporation and help keep the soil cooler. Get to know you trees like your children. Which ones use more water and which ones stay moist between waterings. If some are difficult to keep happy you can try moving those to a cooler location (but be sure they get their sunlight). Another trick is to group these together so that you can hit them with a shot of water twice a day and not have to spend the time going thru all your trees. The extended cool and damp weather is good for fungal diseases like black leaf spot. Hot and damp bring other fungals like mildew. Treat with potassium bicarbonate or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda). After the foliage is hardened a bit you can treat with a 1% hydrogen peroxide (1 part 3% peroxide to 2 parts water) weekly Also watch for signs of insect problems. The spider mite will always be near. Others to look for are scale of various forms, aphids, and mealy bugs. For scale you may need to go to a systemic insecticide. I use the organic foliar feed (1 Tablespoon each fish emulsion, liquid kelp, molasses and cider vinegar per gallon water) to control all these. You can use some of the other organic controls or a chemical according to label directions. Always read the label directions carefully and never apply oil based chemicals to buttonwoods. You should do controls on a regular basis. Also remember that most insecticides kill the insect but do not remove the evidence (the scale shells, webs, etc) If ants, or any other creature, are building nests in the soil, the tunnels and cavities will prevent proper watering and result in a loss of roots. After you get rid of the ants, be sure to grab your chopsticks and work the soil down Continued on next page.

5 BSD NEWSLETTER PAGE 5 June Bonsai Continued to eliminate any holes. You will probably need to add a little more soil on top. The best way to fertilize bonsai is by using fertilizer cakes. The cakes provide a slow constant feeding each time you water. Cakes made with a cottonseed base will provide as acid ph when they break down which we need in any city Organic Foliar Spray To one gallon of water add one tablespoon each of: Fish Emulsion Liquid Kelp Molasses Apple Cider Vinegar water system I know of. Making your own is easy and much cheaper than buying them. I use chemical fertilizers such as Miracid or Peters a couple of times a month also. My main problem with chemicals is not knowing how many bad salts they have that may accumulate in the soil and also I know that each time I water I am washing the chemical fertilizers out on the ground. Tip of the Month Got Fungus?...Think Sterile Pruning Sterile pruning is necessary to prevent the spread of an infection when you are removing diseased parts of a plant. Considering the record rains we have had in May, your bonsai may have gotten a fungal infection. Know the signs and begin to wipe all your pruning tools with rubbing alcohol in between each cut. Sterile pruning also should include the removal of plant material beneath the plant, which often harbors the infection and allows for re-entry into the plant. You may have to repeat the process multiple times to make sure that you have gotten all of the problem areas. So add a small towel and a bottle of Rubbing Alcohol to your tool bag. It also comes in handy for removing sticky residue from your hands.

6 BSD NEWSLETTER PAGE 6 Bonsai Smiths Upcoming Classes Full Day Workshops - $75 February 8, 2015 Japanese Black Pine Session 1 (Spring Work) February 14, 2015 Deciduous/Maple Workshop Session 1 (Root Refinement & Grafting) February 21, 2015 Juniper Workshop Session 1 (Healthy Root Systems on Collected & Nursery Stock Junipers) May 16, 2015 Maple/Deciduous Workshop Session 2 (Ramification & Defoliation) June 27, 2015 Japanese Black Pine Workshop Session 2 (Summer Decandling) July 18, 2015 Juniper Workshop Session 2 (Wiring & Styling) October 17, 2015 Juniper Workshop Session 3 (Branch & Deadwood Refinement) November 21, 2015 Japanese Black Pine Workshop Session 3 (Winter Work) We also offer soil mixes. Our APL mix is now available! Soil Prices (tax not included) APL Mix - 5 gal. - $59, 1 gal. - $15 Akadama - $35 per 20 liter bag, Pumice - $4 per gal., Lava - $3 per gal 2015 Kathy Shaner Seminar October 16 th 18 th Buda, TX * Seminar * * Home-cooked Dinner * * Bring-your-own-tree Workshop * Registration available in July. To be notified when registration is open, Colin at ckmurphy2000@gmail.com. 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: Jerry Riley jafa625@gmail.com

7 BSD NEWSLETTER PAGE 7 May Program in Review Finding the Tree Within There is an old expression that necessity is the mother of invention. That was the case last month when our originally planned program needed to change quickly. However our program chair, Greg Brewer came through with flying colors as he came up with a new program idea and even donated the material for us to use. Thanks Greg! He brought in two large nursery grown junipers and our challenge was to come up with a style design for each of them. The plan was to divide the group in half, work as teams to discuss options for the styling, agree on an overall design or approach, create a diagram of the finished tree, and present our thought process to the other group. We divided into two teams and got to work. The result was an interesting learning opportunity for all. The trees quickly came out of their pots and we began to look for the possible fronts by digging down below the soil line in search of the best nebari or trunk flare. The discussion soon included dialog about trunk and branch taper, incorporating the traditional bonsai styles and the variations we see most often. Through the discussion, one team came up with six possible design ideas for their tree. A vote was taken and the decision was made as to which one to go with. The other team took a longer view of the project and agreed to make the design decisions over time, ultimately working their tree down in size but leaving options open as it developed. That is always a prudent approach. One person from each team won their raffle and got to take the tree home. We are hoping to see these trees in the future to follow their development. Perhaps we will see them again in an upcoming study group and ultimately in a future club exhibit. Photos courtesy of Lance Williamson As a footnote, we also had several members bring trees in for Show and Tell at the beginning of the meeting which is always fun. Keep those coming!

8 BSD NEWSLETTER PAGE 8 June s To-Do List Link of the Month 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 Fertilize trees dependent on species needs Protect from extreme heat Check wire requirements Treat for insects as needed Deciduous Cut back shoots and re-wire branches Feed moderately throughout summer months Do not let shoots become too strong, unless you are thickening a branch Evergreen/Conifer Decandling begins at the end on the month for medium to large Japanese Black Pine only. Other pines are treated according to species and cork bark black pines are decandled ever other year. Wiring can be done within one week after decandling. Junipers can be thinned and wired as needed, "pinching" on refined trees to maintain shape Flowering/Fruit Cut long shoots and wire trees at the end of the month to set flowers for the following year Azaleas should be thinned to two leaf buds on strong areas and three leaf buds otherwise; whirls should be trimmed to two side branches. No more pruning until late June Tropical Continue repotting through first week in June The role of the Fibonacci sequence in the growth of plants is an intriguing example of the unifying order behind all creation. Check out the link below to see how it affects the growth of trees. There are some beautiful photographs used as examples. plants-that-teach-us-sacred-geometry/ Member News Got news to share? Let us know.. It is with sadness we share that former club member, board member, and editor of this newsletter, Hiram A. Quinones passed away on May 19th. His sister shared, via a post on Facebook, that he had cardiac and other health issues. He had moved to Houston a couple of years ago. May he rest in peace among all the many plants that he loved so much. 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 Diane at diane_lowe@live.com for an individual response. Your question may also appear anonymously here in a future issue so that others can learn. Question: I have noticed that some of the foliage on my junipers has developed a dull or grayish green color. Otherwise they look OK. Should I fertilize them more? Answer: That is typically a sign that spider mites have invaded. All pests are attracted to a tree in stress and our recent continual rains may have put your trees in stress. They will likely kill the tree unless treated immediately. Horticultural oil like Neem or All Season s, diluted according to label instructions, should be applied immediately and repeated every 5 to 7 days for several weeks to kill the mites and their offspring. It also works on aphids as it kills insects by smothering them.

9 BSD NEWSLETTER PAGE 9 Having a Sale.. Ever get the idea you are running out of back yard space? Club member Alvaro A. has and as a result is having a sale of some bonsai material he has either collected or propagated. His sale will be June 13 th at his home in Murphy from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. He also has sifted pumice, bagged black lava rock, and ground bags for sale. If you would like to attend, please send Alvaro (arciniegas.sin@gmail.com) an and he will send you his address and any further details. Prebonsai Mikawa japanese black pine: 3-6 year seedlings (small to large sizes) in growing ground-bags. (quantity: 20-30) Mikawa japanese black pine:1-3 years rooted cuttings in collanders and little plastic pots. (quantity: ~20) Trident Maples: Medium-size maples (8 years) in flats. The roots have been worked and they have nice nebari (quantity: 6) Japanese Maple: 3 year old cuttings. (quantity: 3) Japanese Maple: Medium-size air layer done 2 years ago and growing in an Anderson flat (quantity: 1) Alligator juniper: 4-6 year old rooted cuttings in growing ground-bags. They already have some twists. Shimpaku junipers whips: Kishu, itoigawa 3-5 years old rooted cuts (quantity: 8). Arizona cypress: 3 year old rooted cuttings (quantity: 2) Loblolly pine: Yamadori in different sizes (quantity: 4) Southwestern white pine: Collected seedlings in Growing very strong in our weather (quantity: 6) Scott pine: 8 year-old cuttings (quantity: 3) Chinese elm: 4 year-old rooted cuttings (quantity: 3) Bald cypress: 4 year-old rooted cutting (quantity: 1) Japanese Zelkova: 8 year-old rooted cutting (quantity: 1) Bonsai Ash juniper: Small yamadori, very nice, strong and bushy collected in 2009 (quantity: 2). One in a very nice rounded pot. Box wood. nice little ones already in pots. Ready for structural work (quantity: 2) Southwestern white pine: small yamadori with a lot of deadwood. Collected in 2014 in NM. Growing very strong. (quantity: 2) Gray Oak: Evergreen oak that has a lot of deadwood. (quantity: 3) American hornbeam: Nice small collected (2006) trees from Maryland. (quantity: 2) Ponderosa Pine: small, medium and large collected trees. All the trees are growing very strong. (quantity: 10 or more). Sage brush: Small, old collected trees from Utah in Very strong growth. (quantity: 1)

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