FOG CITY BONSAI April Fog City Bonsai

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1 Fog City Bonsai Newsletter of the Bonsai Society of San Francisco San Francisco County Fair Building, Lincoln Avenue Between 9th & 10th President s Message Spring Show The large crowds drawn to the event enthusiastically viewed our bonsai exhibition at the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show. Favorable comments like The bonsai are always the best part of the Garden Show, and This year s bonsai show is even better than last year s, were heard often. Many people reacted to our exhibit as though they were seeing bonsai for the first time while others claim come every year just for the bonsai. A show provides a great opportunity for our club members to see each other s trees in their best condition. One of the best ways to improve one s understanding of bonsai is to view high quality exhibits. Now we can all set our sights on next year s show and start acquiring and preparing bonsai for the 2015 event. Many thanks to all the members and friends who volunteered to help make this show work. Congratulations for a great job to Eric Schrader curator and leader for the exhibit set up. Special thanks to Catherine Wolf for producing information labels for every tree, pleasing our audience immensely. Thanks to Tim and Emma Kong who kept the sales table running and led the way with our hospitality room. Diana Lum made sure the information table was stocked and Marge Casey and Daryl Quijano made sure all was in order with the business end of the sales. Most important always, is the participation of so many members who came in and watched over the trees and helped the audience with answers to questions regarding this unbelievable art. The displays featured a nice variety of trees and style. The shohin and m am e display provided a nice presentation of the truly small bonsai and the suiseke table added one additional, nice element to the art of viewing natural objects. Meeting and Program, April 10 Our April meeting will feature Jonas Dupuich with a program on evaluating bonsai. Jonas ideas can provide valuable information for all of us regarding choosing the best material for purchase as well as knowing what to do next with that tree we are working on. Everyone is invited to bring a tree for Jonas to apply his methods to. The more trees we bring in, the more we can learn from Jonas critiques. Seasonal Work The vernal equinox just passed. This solar event marks the middle of spring on the Japanese farmer s calendar. The time for repotting and heavy root pruning is winding down. The cedars, pines and junipers can be repotted.

2 President s Message Continued Our Spring Show while the cherry blossoms are still on the landscape trees. Most deciduous trees are leafing out now so delay repotting until summer when these trees can be repotted safely if necessary Rapid growth is occurring now. Keep a close eye on wire that might need to be removed and keep foliage under control while allowing the tree to grow and produce food. A special feature of our local climate means little or no rain is likely between now and fall. Water carefully. Bonsai do not consume great quantities of but the must be watered regularly without fail. Fertilize now and keep fertilizing to keep the growth going while the trees produce food. Activities BSSF will work together with other clubs, presenting an exhibit at the San Francisco Cherry Blossom festival April 19 and 20 at the Japanese Cultural Center, Sutter Street. Our members will display a few of the finest bonsai we have available at this exhibit. This is a nice exhibit to attend and see the material from other clubs as well as our own. BSSF member Andrea Burhoe is chairing the show, and coordinating all the clubs with the festival committee. Robert Smith will curate the BSSF portion of the show. Keep an eye on our website and newsletters for announcements about the many shows and sales that will be going on in the spring and summer months. The Redwood Empire Bonsai Society annual show and sale August 24 th and 25 th at the Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial building is one of the best events in northern California to see a fine display and shop for bonsai and all supplies required for our craft. Robert Smith Photos by Scott Piatanesi. More photos in coming issues. Page 2

3 Visual Flow in Bonsai Eric Shrader The appearance of a well-designed bonsai is subject to two competing factors human perception and the natural unmodified form of a mature tree. While the natural tree exists indifferent to a person s approval or interest, a bonsai is a human-created caricature of the natural tree; colored by our perception of right and wrong, space, time, and peace the tidbits of our consciousness. The bonsai is an arrogant but inevitable improvement of the natural tree to fit the ideal that we create inside our minds. Visual flow is the concept of- and result of the process of viewing a tree. The natural tendency of our inspection is to look at the base of the trunk and then follow it upward as it twists and turns and then pause in the mass of foliage at the apex. The eye then travels down the side of the apex and finds the key branch which completes the viewer s journey by moving the eye away from the tree. Figure 1. Tree a has poor flow the apex goes left while the key branch goes right. Tree b has good flow to the right with the apex, trunk and key branch all in agreem ent. Tree c has mild cross-flow because the trunk flows right but not strongly and the key branch and the apex flow to the left. The accent plant in a formal display with this tree would be place on the left. The role of the trunk. The direction of the visual flow starts with the lean of the trunk and continues with the changes in direction of the trunk. On a typical informal upright the trunk gently changes direction rather than twisting. On yamadori or exaggerated style trees the trunk can twist enough that the upper and lower sections of the trunk flow in opposite directions. On a good bonsai the trunk is the center of attention and the foliage acts like a picture frame. The trunk is normally the primary determining factor in the overall flow of the tree. Figure 2a. A slant style tree. The trunk flows to the right while the apex and key branch flow to the left. The accent for this tree would be placed on the right because the flow of the trunk overpowers the flow of the apex and branching. Page 3

4 Flow Continued... Figure 2b. The sam e slant style trunk, with the branching and apex flowing to the right. Understanding the Key Branch. The Key branch is usually the largest directional branch on the left or right side of the plant, the key branch is rarely (perhaps never) a back branch. Under-developed material will require that a key branch be developed to a larger size to improve the flow of the tree. Select a branch based on its position relative to the direction of the apex and the movement of the trunk. Typically the key branch is also the lowest branch, however this is not always true. Understanding the apex. The apex of an upright tree is the part of the foliage near the front of the top of the tree. It should be generally leaning at least slightly toward the viewer. Similarly, the apex of a cascade or semi-cascade style is either the top of the tree or the bottom depending on the specifics of the style; it should still be inclined toward the viewer regardless of position. In multiple trunk arrangements the apex is typically the top of the tallest tree the tops of the shorter trees frequently serve as the key branch or the side branching and back branching. The flow of the apex is controlled by the direction that the base of the apex takes and by the relative mass to the left and right of the woody part of the upper trunk and apex. The shape of the apex can also determine the direction of flow generally the longer and more gently-sloped side of the apex is the direction that the eye naturally travels when viewing. The branching of a poorly-formed apex will rob the tree of good flow. The branching should be even, small and generally slightly longer on the side that agrees with the overall flow of the trunk and key branch. Figure 3. Tree a has good flow and a key branch that is not on the bottom. Tree b has good flow and the key branch is an extension of the apex. Tree c has poor flow, the key branch is the lowest branch on the left and flows strongly opposite the flow of the apex. Strong, weak, neutral, poor and cross flow. Whether the foliage or the trunk are a more powerful part of the overall composition determines their influence over the overall flow. Trees with foliage and trunk flowing in the same direction and the trunk slanting strongly have an overall flow that is strong. Trees with foliage and trunk flowing in the same direction but with little or no inclination in the trunk have weak (which is not the same as poor!) or neutral flow. Tress with trunk and foliage that flow in opposite directions have crossflow. Trees with foliage masses in the Page 4

5 Flow Continued key branch and apex that flow in different directions, regardless of the trunk flow, typically have poor design and poor flow. To correct problems with the flow within the apex consider wiring and/or removing any large branches that are headed opposite to the direction of the overall flow. Figure 4. Tree a has neutral flow. Tree b has weak flow to the left, tree c has weak flow to the right. Tree d has poor flow because the large branch on the lower left needs to be reduced. Tree e has cross flow the apex and key branch flow to the left while the flow of the primary and secondary trunk is to the right. Tree f has strong flow to the right. Enhancing visual flow. To enhance the visual flow of a tree or correct cases of poor flow, make a plan to shorten some branches and simultaneously elongate sections of the key branch and apex over time. In Figure 1a the right low branch could be eliminated while also growing out the branch on the left in a fashion similar to figure 1c. Figure 3c could be corrected by reducing the right side of the apex while growing out the left side, the result being similar to 2a. The flow of figure 4d could be corrected by simply shortening the lower left branch and reducing the mass of the foliage so that the secondary trunk acts as the key branch instead. Page 5

6 April Care Calendar By April you should have completed all of your repotting. It is better to wait until summer defoliation time or fall to repot rather than risk killing the new growth on a plant by repotting after buds have opened. Pine repotting can be undertaken after candles have begun to elongate, but this should only be done in emergency cases and should be done with much caution. The onset of the growing season means that bugs have become active as well. Keep an eye out for ants which bring in scale and aphids to suck the life out of your trees. Control the ants with bait around the base of your stands. Aphids can be killed with a mild soap or almost any insecticide. Scale, mealy bugs and many other pests might require systemic insecticide like Malathion or Orthonex. However, before resorting to these highly toxic compounds try using spurt of water to remove the pests; this will have to be done multiple times over a few days, but can give you the same results as the nasty smelling toxic chemicals. Keep your eyes on the plant afterward for signs of continued infestation. Since your plants are now growing you should be fertilizing them. It is generally agreed that the fastest growth in bonsai can be attained by using a combination of slowrelease fertilizer and fast-acting liquid fertilizer. The slow-release, either something like Osmacote or an organic balanced fertilizer like rapeseed cakes or powdered fertilizer, provides the plants with a constant source of nutrients which are not available in the soil since it is composed of almost all inorganic material. The liquid fertilizer gives the plant a boost of nutrients, but only for a short period of time right after it is applied. Most liquid fertilizer will be completely washed out of the soil the next time that you water your plant. Use Miracle grow or other brands in 1/2 strength once per week for fast growth. If you want slower growth use only the organic slow release fertilizer applied once per month or less. This type of feeding should be used on refined trees, especially deciduous, and trees that you want to remain slender. Pines should start off the season with 2-4 cakes of fertilizer or 2-4 teaspoons of powder buried in the top of the soil in pockets depending on the size of the container. Larger containers require more fertilizer. Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt How lucky for all of us bonsai enthusiasts to live in an area that rivals the beautiful Marin trees, mountains, and streams, and is located only a few miles away in the Lakeshore Garden Center in Oakland, CA. Yes, you've all guessed it - the area I'm speaking about is the Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt (the Garden) with its many bonsai trees, suisekis (stones), and Japanese style streams and bridges set in a place of peace and quiet. If you haven't visited the Garden yet, you're in for a wonderful experience. The first thing you'll notice is the wooden Gate at the entrance to the Garden -- gateway to a world of bonsai that is familiar and yet different, with trees that are beautiful, set in an appropriate setting, and that change appearance as the seasons change. Not only are there many US visitors to this delightful Garden, but many come from Canada and even Europe. Reading their many comments written in the guest book gives you a Page 6

7 Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt Continued... BSSF Meetings and Workshops feeling of pride to be a part of this Garden which is considered to be one of the most beautiful Bonsai Gardens in the US. Kathy Shaner, a Bonsai Master who studied in Japan with Mr. Mitsuya, is the Curator at the Garden. She willingly shares her knowledge of bonsai with any one of us who volunteers time to the upkeep of the Garden and maintenance of the bonsai trees. In addition to Northern California volunteers who work and study under Kathy's tutelage, many of her students come from across the US to acquire proper bonsai techniques. Some are Michigan bonsai club members, Texas club members, in addition to the assistant curator at the Arboretum in Washington, DC. They come at different times of the year and usually stay from a few days to a week. One Michigan club member combines his visit with his son to his study at the Garden. With such a great bonsai exhibit so close to home and a teacher of so much bonsai knowledge, we should all get to know the Garden and our curator well. April 10, General Meeting, Jonas Dupuich on Judging Bonsai. Meeting starts at 7:30. April 17, Third Thursday Members Free Workshop. Stop by the Free Third Thursday Workshop. It begins at 7PM and is always an opportunity to learn something new for your trees. Bring a couple trees by the San Francisco County Fair Building and get free advice from advanced members of the club. May 8, 2014 General Meeting, Activity TBA. Meeting starts at 7:30. May 15, Third Thursday Members Free Workshop. Stop by the Free Third Thursday Workshop. It begins at 7PM and is always an opportunity to learn something new for your trees. Bring a couple trees by the San Francisco County Fair Building and get free advice from advanced members of the club. Frances Noles Page 7

8 Northern California Bonsai Events April 5 6, 2014 Sacramento, California. Bonsai Sekiyu Kai: 37th Annual Bonsai Show at the Sacramento Betsuin Buddhist Church, 2401 Riverside Blvd. Show hours are Saturday Noon 5 PM and Sunday 10 AM 4 PM. Demonstrations at 2 PM on both days. Amenities include refreshments, light snacks, door prizes, raffles, and a silent auction. Member and vendor sales of plants and bonsairelated items will also be available. For more information go to bonsaisekiyukai.wordpress.com. April 12 13, 2014, Sacramento, California American Bonsai Association of Sacramento (ABAS): Annual Spring Show will be held at the Shepherd Garden and Arts Center, 3330 McKinley Blvd. Hours: Saturday 10 AM 5 PM and Sunday 10 AM 4 PM; demonstration both days by Kathy Shaner at 1PM. For further information Paul Holtzen at pbholtzen@sbcglobal.net. April 26 27, 2014, Palo Alto, California Kusamura Bonsai Club: 54th Annual Show. Location is Lucie Stern Community Center, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, CA Show hours are Saturday, Noon-5PM and Sunday, 11AM-5PM. Demonstration each day at 1:00PM, with special guest demonstrator Saturday. Club member sales available. For more information contact Mark O Brien at , mobrientrees@hotmail.com. Pl ease see for more details. May 3 4, 2014, Sacramento, California Sacramento Bonsai Club: 68th Annual Bonsai Show at the Sacramento Buddhist Church, 2401 Riverside Blvd. Noon 5 PM Saturday and 11 AM 4 PM Sunday with demonstrations on both days at 2 PM by Sam Adina. Benefit drawings, Plant & tree sales. For more information, contact Lucy Sakaishi-Judd at juddbonsai@att.net or visit sacramentobonsaiclub.com. May 3 4, 2014, San Jose, California San Jose Betsuin Bonsai Club: 44th Annual Bonsai Exhibition and Demonstration at the San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin, 640 North Fifth Street. Noon 5 PM Saturday and 11 AM 4 PM Sunday with demonstrations on both days at 1 PM by Mr. California Juniper Harry Hirao. Styled and pre-styled trees will be offered for sale on both days. For more information, contact Ken Azuma at kennethazuma@sbcglobal.net or visit May 4, 2014, Watsonville, California Watsonville Bonsai Club: 41st Annual Bonsai Exhibit at the Watsonville Buddhist Temple, 423 Bridge St. Over 50 outstanding bonsai, large and small, young and old, will be on display from 10 AM to 4 PM. An afternoon demonstration by Don White will be held at 1:30 PM. A raffle of bonsai items, plants and the demo tree will follow. Tea & cookies will be served. Plenty of parking for vehicles of all sizes. Even for group outings. A vendor will be available to sate your plant appetite for bonsai or otherwise. For more information please call Don White, or E- mail: whiteslib@aol.com. Fog City Bonsai Newsletter Deadline The deadline for the Fog City Bonsai Newsletter is the 3rd Saturday of the month. You can submit articles, photos to: spiatanesi@att.net. Page 8

9 BSSF Announcements 2014 Board Members and Officers President: Robert Smith Vice President: Treasurer: Secretary: Webmaster: Newsletter Editor: Librarian: James Frank Marge Casey Diana Lum Eric Shrader Scott Piatanesi Bernard Marque Board Members at Large: Tim Kong, Gerard Lespinette, Dan Casey, Eric Schrader, Catherine Wolf, Cheryle Kawamoto, Harlan Kawamoto. Past President: John Edwards. BSSF General meetings are on the 2nd Thursday of the month at 7:30PM. The members workshop is the following Thursday ( 3rd Thursday of the month) at 7:00PM. BSSF Board Meetings are held on the 4th Monday at 7:00PM. All of the meetings occur at the San Francisco County Fair Building, on Lincoln Way, between Ninth Ave and Tenth Ave. Enter through the parking lot at Tenth Ave and Lincoln and walk along sidewalk behind the building to the doorway to the garden club meeting room. Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt The GSBF collection in Oakland needs volunteers to be docents on every 3rd Saturday afternoon in each month. It is a fun and educational opportunity for all bonsai hobbyists. No matter your skill level, you can help care for these wonderful trees and educate the public about the art of bonsai. Please sign up at a meeting, check the docent calendar at bonsai.org/lake-merritt/ NewDocent.htm or call Kay Hardy at (952) Membership Dues 2014 membership fees are $30 for individuals, $50 for families and $20 for seniors. Bonsai Sales at Monthly Meetings Please remember that any time during the year you wish to sell bonsai trees, the BSSF welcomes you to bring the trees to our monthly meetings or workshops. The club will receive 20% of the purchase price. BSSF Bonsai Library The BSSF has on hand a large assortment of books, magazines, and other literature about our favorite hobby. To access the library, arrive early at either the monthly meeting or the monthly workshop and speak to Bernard Marque. Checking out materials requires a $5 deposit per item. Page 9