Alabama Bonsai Society

Transcription

1 March, 14 th Vice Hello, All First, I want to thank Rick Guilbeau for heading up our plant sale for the. Rick organized our February workshop and everything went very smoothly. We had 15 members attending the workshop and we made excellent progress on our trees which we will offer at the Plant Sale. We have one more workshop prior to the sale and we need your help again. The location of the plant sale will be announced shortly. As of this morning, I have not heard the decision. Karen, Brian and I met at the to work on our spring show. There is a slim possibility we may be able to use the Exhibition Hall after all. While this is good news, it makes additional work for Karen as she must now have plans for two possible situations. Of course, Karen has risen to the challenge exactly as you would expect. Great job, Karen, and I am really excited hearing your thoughts on the show. It is going to be a great show. Akadama is here and it is perfect timing for our repotting season. Brian sent an to everyone who purchased and we will soon have a count of the amount still available for sale. Hearing the prices others across the nation are paying for Akadama, I know we scored big on our purchase. We were privileged to hear an outstanding presentation by Ryan Bell on the history of Chinese and Japanese bonsai pots. We saw firsthand why Ryan is in such demand across the nation. I learned much from Ryan and, yes, I HAD to purchase a couple of his pots. Some of us are suckers for quality pot and Ryan brought a lot of them. I noticed others could not resist the temptation also. It will be interesting to see how these new old treasures will be used to exhibit at the upcoming show. Incidentally, Ryan also has a follow up program to the one we heard. The other program is on selecting the right pot for your tree. This year, the board has established a process for recognizing outstanding members with awards in several categories which are critical for the successful growth and improvement of our club. We are pleased to announce we are beginning this awards process in March! The award categories are as follows: 1. Outstanding Novice (annually) 2. Service Award (Odd years) 3. Artist s Award (Even years) 4. Lifetime Achievement (every 5 years) s Notes The process for selecting the awards committee will be shared at the March meeting. We have made a sincere attempt to remove the potential for politics and popularity.

2 s Notes, continuous: Vice The newsletter is an important part of our club, and really represents us as members. Please send photos, articles, commentaries, links, and announcements to Ron and Tomasz prior to the week of our regular club meeting. Do it while it s still fresh on your mind, and in time to be included with the upcoming month s newsletter. If we want to improve as a club, it s incumbent on each of us to contribute in our own way. To close, we want to share Jane s beautiful azalea with all. This outstanding tree is Waka Ebisu. Jane acquired her tree in 2005 from.drum roll.an ABS swap and shop and paid a staggering amount of $ Some of us don t care about the price when we see what we like. Jane does not know the age of the tree when she bought it but she has been training the tree for 10 years. The initial styling was done with Guy Guidry and since then Jane has consulted with Walter Pall and Joe Day. If Jane plans to show her tree, she will let it bloom but the following year she removes the buds and let the tree rest. If repotting is needed, Jane will do so during the year she is not showing. Jane uses HollyTone after allowing the tree to bloom and fish emulsion the rest of the summer. Hope to see you all on Mon Ron

3 Vice March Bonsai Care With s permission, the following February Care Guide was copied from Brian s Blog, Nebari Bonsai ( Although winter is still fighting back trees have been coming out of dormancy for weeks, tempting us to dig in well, now it s time! It s been easy to find a few warm days this winter to sift soil ingredients and scrub pots, and with the weather staying above freezing (most of these days), it s becoming safe to repot. Repotting is different than typical bonsai styling because the amount of time one gets to see and work on roots is so short and infrequent; quite unlike the rest of the tree that we contemplate each day. However, root work will make or break a bonsai. For that reason, and the fact that I have a horrible memory, I make it a point to photograph my bonsai as I work on the roots. This allows me to make a plan, and (more importantly) helps me remember that plan during the next repotting session! A regular question is what kind of soil should I use? Everyone has a recipe that works for them, and they re all different. This can be confusing for a newcomer without any experience to rely on. Bonsai soil must do 3 basic things: 1. Provide structure for the roots to grow through/around. 2. Allow free exchange of moisture and air. 3. Compliment your watering habits. If you can get a box of marbles to do these three things, feel free to use marbles. Most people find that marbles don t retain enough moisture. Potting soil is at the opposite end of the spectrum, not retaining enough air. Most settle on something in-between. Again, everyone has a recipe, but common ingredients include: - Turface (a baked clay product used for baseball diamonds), - lava rock, - pine bark (Soil Conditioner), - river rock, - coarse sand, and - akadama. A favorite recipe is 1 part lava rock, 1 part Turface, and 2 parts pine bark. It is a very basic, reliable mix.

4 March Bonsai Care s Notes With s permission, the following February Care Guide was copied from Brian s Blog, Nebari Bonsai ( Some additional pointers about repotting: Always secure the tree into the pot with wire or twine, so it s tight enough that the pot can be lifted by the tree s trunk. After transplanting, pay close attention to watering and temperature for the next several weeks. Trees whose roots have been greatly shortened have a diminished reach within the Vice pot. While the soil may not seem dry, water within the pot isn t accessible unless it comes into contact with the roots. Shredded sphagnum moss slows evaporation and may buy an extra day between watering. Freezes are bad for recently-transplanted trees; watch the temperatures and prepare to move trees if a late freeze is predicted. Time to get those hands dirty! Spring is here will it be in like a lamb or lion?

5 Announcements: s Notes March, 14 th Calendar Events: 2015 Monthly Events Calendar January 12 USNBE Presentation February 9 Pots Ryan Bell March 9 Repotting March April 4-5 Plant Sale Rodney Clemons Workshop April 13 Pinching deciduous, Ugly Tree Vice May 11 Show Prep, Display, Accent May ABS Spring Show May 28 Bjorn Bjorholm Workshop June 8 Black Pine Techniques July 13 Barbecue August 10 Pest & Disease Control September 14 Branch Structure, Ramificatio October 12 Seasonal, White Pine, Juni November 9 Winterizing, Selecting trees December 14 Christmas celebration ABS Members

6 Announcements: Announcements Atlanta Bonsai Society (atlantabonsaisociety.com) is going to have this month their spring show. If you are interested you can find all the information on their website. Here is some short summary: ABS SPRING SHOW with Kathy Shaner MARCH 21 Location: Atlanta Botanical Garden Hardin Visitor's center 1345 Piedmont Ave, NE Atlanta, GA ABS SPRING SHOW with Kathy Shaner Vice MARCH 22 Location: Atlanta Botanical Garden Hardin Visitor's center 1345 Piedmont Ave, NE Atlanta, GA 30309

7 s Notes Announcements Vice Announcements: We have an exciting year of bonsai education and discussion topics planned for this year. If you have been away for a while, please join us for a meeting! In March, we'll take a look at repotting and introduce a series of member awards which will be presented at the annual Christmas Party. In April, we'll discuss pinching deciduous trees, and have a little fun with our inaugural Ugly Tree Contest! What's that? Glad you asked. We lifted it directly from Fresno, CA: The rules? Simple: 1. The tree must be alive. 2. The tree must be in a container recognizable as a bonsai pot. Put together your best worst attempt and bring it in April! If you're interested in being one of our two judges, please let Brian know. In case you're interested, this year s winner in Fresno was this ugly duckling: