Mike Hagedorn. Invited Speaker/ Bonsai Artist. Next Membership Meeting! May 28th. Bring Your Own Tree Workshop May 29 th

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1 Next Membership Meeting! May 28th 7:30pm at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens Auditorium. Invited Speaker/ Bonsai Artist Mike Hagedorn Demonstration and Lecture --Also with Mike Hagedorn-- Bring Your Own Tree Workshop May 29 th 4:00pm 8:00pm in Lab 131 at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens (Please note: Registration required for workshop. Contact the AABS Programming Chair at: ) The Ann Arbor Bonsai Society generally meets on the fourth Wednesday of the month at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens: 1800 N. Dixboro Rd. Ann Arbor. Please join us at 7:00 pm for socializing. The program starts at 7:30 pm. Dues are $25.00 for the year http: // May 2008 Volume 5 Issue 5 For m ore information about Mike Hagedorn see: Upcoming Events --May 28th, 200 8, 7:30p m Monthly AAB S Mee ting Mike Hagedorn Demonstration & Lecture --May 29th, 200 8, 4:00 pm 8:00pm Mike Hagedorn Workshop in Lab 131 Matthaei Botanical Gardens --Ju ne 14 t h, Satu rday, AABS BBQ/picnic at Lois Vorrath s home (details forthcoming) --Ju ne 25 th, 200 8, 7:30p m Monthly AAB S Mee ti ng Air-layering Demonstration - Bill Heston & Jack Wikle --Ju ly 23 rd, 200 8, 7:30p m Monthly AAB S Mee ti ng Focusing on Maples Connie Crancer, Cyril Grum, Bill Heston & Jack Wikle. To register for workshops contact the AABS Programming Chair at bonsai_cho@att.net. In This Issue Not es From the Sidelines A pril Minut es By Paul Kulesa pg. 2 ARTICLES An Aftern oon with Marco Inverni zzi By Alfon so Tercero pg. 4 Mat eri al Recycling in B onsai By Alfon so Tercero pg. 6 1 st Hidden L ake Bon sai Study - Review By Mike Simmon s pg. 7 CORRESPONDENCE AABS B arb eque / Picnic Ann oun cement pg. 9 Four Season s B onsai Show Ann oun cement pg. 9 Bonsai Soil f or Sale! pg Calend ar of E vent s pg. 11 AABS Cont act Information pg. 12 Volume 5 Issue 5 1

2 Notes From the Sidelines April 23 rd, 2008 AABS Meeting Minutes By Paul Kulesa Members of the club began to gather in the auditorium for the April general membership meeting at Matthaei by 6:45 PM. With spring in the air, the talk was about bonsai, what else? President Bill Heston brought the meeting to order at 7:30 PM, welcoming thirty-two members and one new member, Derek Davies, from Dundee, Michigan. The Librarian, Vicki Norfleet, presented recent additions to the club s library. The first is the most recent edition of Jerry Meislik s FICUS. The second book is NORTH AMERICAN BONSAI by Marin Schmalenberg / ABS. These and other publications are available to be lent at monthly meetings. Jack Wikle reminded those in attendance of the upcoming program at Hidden Lake Gardens. On the second Sunday of each month, starting in May 2008, you can come to the garden for a bonsai program; talk about your bonsai and learn from others and their bonsai. There is no fee for this program, but there is a small fee to enter the Gardens. Several members brought in bonsai to share with those members in attendance. Jack Wikle presented an oriental autumn flowering cherry that has been fourteen years in a pot. Louise Newman brought in a Japanese maple wondering how she could induce new roots in this material. Certainly, she had the evening s program in mind. Kurt Smith brought in a flowering bougainvillea, Pixie. Alfonso Tercero introduced the evening program, thread and root grafting, moderated by Jack Wikle and techniques demonstrated by Bill Heston. A number of grafted bonsai were presented as examples of what can be expected from your efforts. Alfonso Tercero showed his approach graft performed more than a year ago on a Chinese elm. Clive Taylor presented a maple on which stainless steel screws were used to secure an approach graft to the trunk. Cyril Grum brought in a Dawn Redwood he acquired in In 2004, Cyril performed a thread graft before the buds swelled. Taking the conservative approach, the threaded branch has yet to be severed from the original whip. Bill Heston demonstrated thread grafting on privet from the Matthaei Collection. Bill drilled a hole through the trunk and pulled a whip, a pre- Volume 5 Issue 5 2

3 selected thin branch, through the hole. The hole technique to improve another section of in the trunk was larger than the whip to your bonsai. accommodate passage of the whip with buds through the trunk. Bill chose to wedge the graft Bill Heston had an American Hornbeam from the upward to put it in contact with the active area of collection at Hidden Lake Gardens. This the trunk hole. Bill mentioned that Michael particular tree had been damaged by wildlife and Hagedorn recommends that no cut paste be used the trunk had been cut off at fourteen inches. to seal the hole. The wedge procedure is an To rescue this tree effective mechanism to encourage the wound from the compost healing. Bill recommends that thread grafting be pile, Bill had performed as early in spring. Michael Hagedorn planned to thread is said to be comfortable performing this task three whips following leaf pruning in late spring / early through the trunk summer. at predetermined sites. Using an A number of root graft examples were presented appropriately to demonstrate what you could accomplish. sized drill bit, holes were formed Clive Taylor presented a maple on which through the trunk. he fused smaller trees with a good root The intended system. He wanted to improve the flare of whips were shielded in plastic wrap to protect the trunk base with this technique. their swelling buds and the whip was pulled Cyril Grum showed his root grafting through the technique on a crab apple. He found that trunk. The by wiring the whips he could prevent the threads were breaking of branches. Cyril described this wedged in place exercise as a good experiment. at the top of the Cyril also had performed a root grafting trunk hole. In procedure on a trident maple that came each case, a bud into his collection in In 2002, Cyril was positioned used seedlings to form a new root on the lower side formation improving the root flare. After of the thread, three years in place, the tops were just as it removed. emerged the Bill Heston described a technique in which trunk. seedlings were thread grafted in place to This was to be used as the site of a new limb improve the root mass of a bonsai. This extension after the threaded extension was was an interesting utilization of a removed just beyond the positioned bud. The Volume 5 Issue 5 3

4 subsequent intension of using this bud is meant to offer an option beyond the thread graft itself. If the thread graft is not at the correct angle in relation to the trunk, this bud on the whip just as it emerges from the trunk can latter be used to better direct the extension of the new limb. I want to take this opportunity to thank Alfonso Tercero for the planning the April program. In addition, Bill Heston and Jack Wikle have earned our gratitude for the time and effort they invested in this program. To summarize...(when performing a thread graft) Plan ahead allowing the growth of a thin whip near the site of a thread graft. In spring prior to swelling of the buds, prepare the tree for the threading procedure. Drill a pilot hole through the trunk followed by the appropriately sized hole for the tread graft where needed. Shield the whip by wrapping the leading end with a plastic wrap protecting the tender buds. Position the whip with a bud on the lower side of the limb so this bud sits near the site where it emerges from the trunk. Wedge the whip tight against the upper portion of the trunk hole where bioactivity is greater. No cut paste is necessary to encourage a graft.llow the graft to fuse with the trunk (we are talking years here). In subsequent a year if you are feeling an urge to further experiment, cut the threaded limb just above the bud positioned at the trunk and allow it to extend where needed. * There are many Society members who are capable of sharing their knowledge and experience with club members at monthly meetings. Let us not exhaust the few who do offer their services. Please step up and offer your services. (*an editorial note by pk) An Afternoon with Marco Invernizzi By Alfonso Tercero Once again we were privileged to have among our midst the internationally renowned Italian bonsai artist Marco Invernizzi at our club. THERE IS NO EXCUSE! You have the basic information to plan and perform a thread graft. Experiment! You will be surprised at your satisfaction. Volume 5 Issue 5 4

5 Marco was invited to Ann Arbor to lead a Bring Your Own Tree workshop for our society. 8 members brought in their trees and another 8 came as observers. People arrived a bit early, mostly to ensure they would not miss one minute of Marco s lectures, since they are becoming famous as they are full of energy and bonsai knowledge. It is refreshing to see a bonsai artist with a fun and positive demeanor talking about trees in the same way that he would describe a person. 4 hours passed in the blink of an eye and for some people it was not enough time to complete their project on their tree, (myself included). After a quick introduction he immediately started going around the tables checking our trees. Among those trees there were some impressive bonsai of high quality that in the eyes of the common person could not be improved, as they were already almost perfect. However, Marco quickly identified some minor (and sometimes not so minor) defects that once corrected; would Still, I received enough instructions in how to improve considerably the quality of the tree. further style my bougainvillea that I foresee spending more hours working in wiring and Marco bases his pruning. expertise on Nonetheless, I do not see it as hard work, au hundreds (if not contraire; it is a gratification to spend hours on thousands) of end with one s favorite tree. It lets you become bonsai trees he has more familiar with your bonsai and it is very seen and worked rewarding to see your efforts coming to fruition on in his in a relative short time. professional life. His attitude is in a I, for one, very honest and am direct manner. If he delighted likes your tree, he will praise it; but on the other to have hand, if the tree leaves something to be desired, spent an you will hear about it. In most cases he will afternoon jokingly give you a bit of a hard time, but it is all with Marco part of his charm. At the end of the session, it is Invernizzi ultimately the owner s decision if you want to and I look forward to having our friend the Italian proceed making the changes he is proposing or Stallion coming to Michigan next year. go home and sleep on it. Volume 5 Issue 5 5

6 Material Recycling in Bonsai By Alfonso Tercero Recycling? With Bonsai?? Many people will wonder what recycling has to do with bonsai. Even though there may be many points of view about this topic, I would like to speak about re-using some of the material that goes on cultivating, styling and maintaining our bonsai year around. Especially nowadays, when everything is Go Green this and Go Green that, if we want to do our share of full recycling we need to think in some other innovative and creative ways to reuse materials that otherwise would go to waste. Let s talk about one of the most obvious and most common material in bonsai styling: aluminum wire. We use wire in bonsai to further design and style branches and trunks into a set position, which will improve the visual effect of creating an old tree. Most wire will accomplish its objective in 2-3 months, sometimes sooner depending of the tree and the time of the year, but in general, after the wire is no longer needed, we proceed to cut it off in small sections being careful to not damage the bark of the tree. This is sometimes a long and tedious stage, but a necessary process, since leaving the wire for too long will cause it to dig in into the bark causing unsightly wire marks. Most of us will not think twice when removing wire and will just toss it to the trash bin. But here comes the idea of recycling. If you keep a small container nearby, you can collect the discarded pieces of aluminum, no matter how small/big they are. After some short time you will be surprised in how much can be collected and saved. When the container is full, simply empty it into a clear plastic bag and put it in your recycle bin for the city to collect or take it to your local recycle center along old newspapers and plastic bottles. In most cases, there is a special bin for metal/tin cans. Keeping the discarded wire in clear plastic bags will allow the recycling people to see what is inside and separate it accordingly. One more tip for recycling wire is that sometimes you can easily unwind wire from small branches without actually damaging them. Even though the wire is all twisted and deformed, you can bring it to its former glory by using two pliers and holding each wire s end close together, then with a swift, fast motion you pull them apart. This action will stretch the wire to a straight line that can be reused again for future wiring. I have been able to reuse wire up to 6 mm, but it takes some strength to do so. If you find it difficult to do and you prefer to cut it off the branches, don t forget to place the discarded pieces into your collecting container. In early spring, I tend to do all my repotting in a short period of time. I have all my trees firmly tied down to the pot and to extract the tree, I have to cut off these tie down wires from the bottom of the pot. If I cut them close to the drain holes that will leave me with prime wire that can also be used Volume 5 Issue 5 6

7 for latter wiring or to secure plastic mesh to the drain holes. With merchandise prices going higher and higher, it takes a bit of adjustment to do things a little different, but it is worth it. You will not need to buy wire as often as you used to and you will have the satisfaction of helping our environment. wish, but as a result, benefited from the variety of trees and many opportunities to acquire a lot of good advice from everyone. Having good attendance is one key to success. Last but not least, I would like to mention that we can also recycle unwanted trees, old pots, tools, magazines or books during our yearly bonsai auction. The idea is that what is trash for some, could be treasure for others. So, I would encourage you to start thinking about some other ways to recycle material and share your ideas in this newsletter. The more you participate, the better our club will be. First Hidden Lake Gardens Bonsai Study A Review By Mike Simmons In his typically gracious style Jack Wikle has once again made himself available for teaching about bonsai. Jack has established the Hidden Lake Gardens Bonsai Study Clinic and Mini-show on the 2 nd Sunday of each month, (May through October), beginning at 1:00 pm in the HLG Bonsai Studio. You know how sometimes you really do not want to share a good thing? For instance, that special place where you go morel mushroom picking, trout fishing, or perhaps where you found a good deal and supply is limited. At times we have all wanted to keep knowledge of those good things to ourselves. Perhaps selfishly, that is how Rob Flanders, fellow AABS member, and I felt on the way to Hidden Lake Gardens on May 11, Initially, we would have been happy to have Jack Wikle all to ourselves! With over a dozen attendees we did not get our selfish This first clinic turned out to be a wonderful success and very much worth the drive for those who came from Ohio or Lansing. Although there were occasional showers, neither the trees, nor, the humans seemed to mind. Those that brought Volume 5 Issue 5 7

8 trees put their names on a slip of paper that was as you go, and only after there is some then drawn from a pail. The selected individual discussion from the whole group. This creates an would then discuss the tree that they brought open forum for an exchange of ideas and an providing some history and design ideas. The exploration of the guidelines in the art of bonsai. attendees were then asked what they thought and what would they do if the tree were theirs. June 8 th, 2008 is the next HLG Bonsai Study and This made for a very positive learning while it might be nice to have personalized study environment. with Jack Wikle, it quickly became apparent at the 1 st clinic that having the diversity of opinions One example of this from so many who attended is what really added was with the tree to the value of this event. I hope that many more that I took to the can attend in the future! Clinic. I had recently purchased Here again are some details of the clinic: a 3-foot tall Display your own bonsai Metasequoia Interact with other active bonsai growers glyptostroboides Bring your bonsai or material for handson consultation focused on your tree(s) (Dawn Redwood) from Gee Farms. It and your questions (No charge; had been cut back donations to the Hidden Lake Gardens but had lots of Bonsai Fund accepted. There is a $3.00 luscious growth and a nice trunk. Many of the fee to enter the Gardens) branches were too heavy, but after discussion by Observers welcome (Bringing your own those in attendance a general consensus was seating is recommended) reached that some necessary trimming was in Hosted by Hidden Lake Gardens Bonsai order. Curator, Jack Wikle, and some of his bonsai-growing friends. Jack prefers giving a student the opportunity to work on his or her own tree. He makes sure you have a solid understanding of what you are doing and why, offering advice Volume 5 Issue 5 8

9 AABS Barbeque / Picnic, June 14, 2:00pm, Lois Vorrath s Home Last year s AABS BBQ/Picnic at Robert Bishop s home was a lot of fun. This year Lois Vorrath has graciously offered to host the 2008 picnic. Lois has asked that those planning to attend to please read the following. Those attending should bring a dish to pass. Please contact Lois to inform her of what you are planning to bring. Lois will provide Kentucky Fried Chicken for all! Dress casually as the picnic will be served outdoors. Directions will be provided at the next AABS meeting as a hard copy. (Lois will provide the maps). We will have a sign up sheet at the next meeting to give Lois an idea how many people will attend. People can bring some of their own small bonsai to the picnic to view and comment. Attendees are free to bring alcoholic beverages if they so desire. Lois will provide only soda. Hope to see many of you at the picnic this year! 36th Annual Four Seasons Bonsai Show, June Correspondence received by Bill Heston Telly's Greenhouse and Four Seasons Bonsai Club of Michigan present Bonsai Master Roy Nagatoshi from California. Roy is the creator of the bonsai trees from the movie Karate Kid III and headlining speaker at numerous national and international bonsai events. See Roy shape a raw tree into a styled bonsai during his Saturday demonstration. Don't miss the bonsai exhibit and beginner-friendly presentations on growing your own bonsai. Bonsai, pots, tools and accessories for sale. Enter bonsai raffles. One lucky winner will take home the Nagatoshi-styled demonstration bonsai. The show and demonstrations are free and open to the public. Show Hours: Saturday, June 21, 9 am-9 pm Beginner-friendly demonstration at 11 am. Nagatoshi demonstration at 2 pm. Sunday, June 22, 9 am-5 pm Beginner-friendly demonstration at 1 pm Nagatoshi workshop times, species and costs T.B.D. Show Location: Telly's Greenhouse - Metro Detroit area. Half-hour North of Detroit, near I John R., between Big Beaver and Wattles, Troy, Michigan. Telly's phone: For more information on the show, visit the Four Seasons website: Volume 5 Issue 5 9

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11 Bonsai Soil for Sale By Alfonso Tercero ( correspondence) Hello there! I am sending you this because after this past Saturday's workshop, I received an overwhelming amount of requests for more bonsai soil. Given the fact that some nurseries are selling "bonsai soil" that I would not consider using in my own trees and that the limited soil sold at the Larch Forest workshop was a one time thing provided by AABS, I am taking the initiative of preparing and selling bonsai soil on my own. After carefully checking our AABS rules and with our president, I have been given the green light to be able to do so. You can buy the soil with confidence as I will prepare it according to Jack and Bill's "magic formula" to ensure you get the best quality possible. Also, you will be able to further help the club, as 10% of the proceeds will be donated to AABS. The bonsai soil will be available in a one gallon bags with two options: fine or coarse mix. If you are interested in ordering, simply Alfonso Tercero at bonsai_cho@att.net and let me know how many bags you need and the type of mix. The price per bag is $10. I can bring the bags of soil to AABS meetings or if you need it sooner, we can meet at Matthaei on Tuesdays between 12 and 4 pm. (greenhouse #5). Thank you in advance for your continued support CALENDAR OF EVENTS (Only forthcoming events listed) May Meeting....May 28 th Mike Hagedorn Demonstration & Lecture. May Workshop....May 29 th Mike Hagedorn Workshop Mid-America Bonsai Alliance Convention and Exhibition June 12 th 15th Marten House Hotel & Lilly Conference Center, Indianapolis, IN June Get Together....June 14th 2008 AABS Barbecue-picnic/Bonsai Gathering Lois Vorrath s home June Meeting.....June 25th Tropical Air-Layering, Improving Ramification on Deciduous Trees Bill Heston and Jack Wikle July Meeting...July 23 rd Focusing on Maples Connie Crancer, Cyril Grum, Bill Heston, Jack Wikle August Meeting.Aug. 27 th Pedro Morales Demonstration and Lecture on Ficus August Workshop.Aug. 28 th Pedro Morales Workshop AABS Club Auction Sept. 24th Matthaei Botanical Gardens Auditorium AABS Bonsai Show Oct. 4 th 5 th Saturday Sunday Matthaei Botanical Gardens. Concurrent with the Flora & Fauna Show October Meeting Oct. 22 nd Problem Tree Review and Critique Connie Crancer, Cyril Grum, Bill Heston, & Jack Wikle AABS Banquet & Mini-Exhibit Nov. 10 th Monday Matthaei Botanical Gardens Auditorium December NO MEETINGS Happy Holidays! NOTE: Always check the AABS website for changes and added details to this calendar. Volume 5 Issue 5 11

12 2008 AABS EXECUTIVE BOARD President: Bill Heston (734) Vice-President: Alfonso Tercero (734) Program Chair: Alfonso Tercero (734) Corresponding Secretary: Mike Simmons (517) Recording Secretary: Paul Kulesa Publicity Chair: Bill Cavers (248) Treasurer: Joan Wheeler (734) Librarian: Vicki Norfleet Past President: Roger Gaede (517) Director for 2006: Arnold Wingblad (313) Director 2006 & Larry Hall (248) Show Chairs: Hugh Danville (313) & Pete Douglas (313) AABS AD-HOC COMMITTEES The AABS President is exofficio member of all committees with the exception of the Nomination Committee. Auction Chair: TBD Membership Chair: TBD Show Staging: Paul Kulesa Demonstrations: John Parks Ways and Means Chair: John Parks Web Administration: Mike Simmons The Ann Arbor Bonsai Society is affiliated with the American Bonsai Society ( and the Mid American Bonsai Alliance. Contact AABS at: aabsnewsletter@yahoo.com. Society Membership is for the calendar year. Use the membership form on the Web and bring it to the next AABS meeting or mail it to: Joan Wheeler 2295 North Harris Ypsilanti, MI (734) FOR SALE OR WANTED 10% of all sales go to the Ann Arbor Bonsai Society. AABS Society Members ads are free to publish in the Newsletter. Send the information of your items for sale or wanted to aabsnewsletter@yahoo.com include a small digital file if available. Wanted. If you have a tree, bonsai pot, tool or anything else bonsai related that you don t need anymore and it is still in good condition, consider donating it to the Society. Donations to the Society are always accepted. In most cases many donated trees or other materials have been raffled among the attending members during our monthly meetings. Please note: All Society members are required to give 10% of the total sales for any items that are sold at AABS monthly meetings to the Society. The 10% fee will apply to all sales at AABS Meetings or through the AABS Newsletter. Deadline for submissions to the Newsletter is the 5th of the month. Please send your comments or documents to aabsnewsletter@yahoo.com. Acknowledgements: MANY THANKS to Paul Kulesa, Alfonso Tercero, and those who contributed correspondence, Bill Heston and Lois Vorrath, to this month s issue of the AABS Newsletter. It is very much appreciated. Special thanks to Carlos Diaz for his photos of the Marco Invernizzi workshop. owheeler5@hotmail.com Please make your check payable to AABS for $ Volume 5 Issue 5 12

13 Ann Arbor Bonsai Society 1800 North Dixboro Road ~ Ann Arbor, MI Place Stamp Here The Ann Arbor Bonsai Society is affiliated with the American Bonsai Society and the Mid-American Bonsai Alliance. Send Visit us on the Web: Next AABS Club Meeting is Wednesday May 28 th, 2008 ~ Invited Speaker / Bonsai Artist Mike Hagedorn at 7:30 pm ~ Matthaei Botanic Gardens Auditorium (Socializing begins at 7:00pm) Support our AABS Vendors: Volume 5 Issue 5 13