florida bonsai - nov 03 - screen

8/19/2019 Florida Bonsai - Nov 03 - Screen

1/44

Flori da Bonsa i November

2 0 0 3

B O N S A I S O C I E T I E SO F F L O R I D A , I N C .

VOL XXXIII NUMBER 4 ISSUE 136 A u t u m

n


2/44

i August 2003

Featuring:

David DeGroot Gary Marchal Ben Oki, and

Florida’s Mike Cartrett, Rob Kempinski, MaryMadison, Ed Trout, Mike Rogers, Jim Smith, andJim Vanlandingham• Demonstrations

• Workshops with many collected trees

• Club night

• Exquisite exhibit, indoor & outdoor

• Great vendorAll at a GREAT location.

Contact Tammy Malin: BSF2004 [email protected]

Or Visit or website http://www.bonsaisocietyofbrevard.org

Hosted by:

Bonsai Society of Brevard/Treasure Coast Bonsai Society.

BSF2004 ConventionAt the Radisson at the Port

Cape Canaveral, Florida

May 27-31, 2004

http://www.bonsaisocietyofbrevard.org/http://www.bonsaisocietyofbrevard.org/


3/44

iiFlorida Bonsai

The Board of Trustees meets

twice a year. Once, at the annual

State Convention. Second, during

the winter at the convenience ofthe BOT. All meetings are open

to the membership. Items to be

placed on the agenda must be sent

to the Corresponding Secretary 45

days prior to the meeting.

OFFICERS:

President George Henderson

1st Vice President George Hutson

2nd Vice President Gene Callahan

Treasurer Ed Lippencott

Assistant Treasurer Dave Bechtold

Corres. Secretary Vladimir Foursa

Recording SecretaryCarol McKinney

Past President Louise Leister

Trustees:

Dist. 1 Lynn Fabian

Dist. 2 Steve Chapman

Dist. 3 Ray Malin

Dist. 4 Stan Orsolek

Dist. 5 Al Harnage

Dist. 6 George HutsonCommittees:

Archive Elyse Van Dyke

Education Ray Malin

Membership Tammy Malin

Publications Editor: Dick Miller

Web Master: Tom Zane

Speakers Rob Kempinski

BSF shall provide, for thevarious Societies, Clubs,

Study Groups, and bonsai

related organizations having

various names, a statewide or-

ganization to deal with com-

mon issues and needs, and to

support their programs.

Individuals acquire BSF mem-

bership as members of a localMember Club.

Other memberships include:

Member-At-Large,

Member Organization At

Large,

Donor Membership, or

Special Life Membership.

For membership information

contact your local club, the BSF

web site, or:

Tammy Malin

Membership Chair905 Heron Ave.

Fort Pierce, FL 34982-6980

Email for information:

[email protected]

BONSAI SOCIETIES OF FLORIDA

TRUSTEES MEETINGS

PURPOSE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

MEMBERSHIP


4/44

November 2003iii

Cover photo by Rob Kempinski:

A Japanese Black Pine in the

collection of Masahiko Kimura

On page iv, the Japanese Black

Pine belongs to, and was photo-

graphed by Rob Kempinski

This black and white printed

version of the magazine is pro-

vided to members of the BonsaiSocieties of Florida.

It is also available to them in

full color by Email. Files vary

from 3 to 6 mega bites. The le

is a PDF. The software, by Adobe

Reader, is available on the BSF

web site on the Publications page.

Try the color version.

FLORIDA BONSAI

444 MUIRFIELD DR.ATLANTIS, FL 33462-1206

Editor:Richard M. [email protected]

President:George Henderson2308 NE 20th St.

Ft. Lauderdale, FL33305-2636Email:

[email protected]

FLORIDA BONSAI is theofcial publication of theBonsai Societies Of Florida.

It is published quarterly, inFeb., May, Aug., and Nov., andis provided to each member.

Be sure to visit our web site at:http://www.bonsai-bsf.com

Web Master:

Tom Zane

[email protected]

ALL ADVERTISING RATESHAVE CHANGED.

Contact the Editor, noted above,

for rates and conditions.

DEADLINES FOR MATERIAL

& ADVERTISEMENTS:Feb. issue . . . . . . . . Dec 15

May issue . . . . . . . . Mar 15Aug issue . . . . . . . . Jun 15

Nov issue . . . . . . . . Sep 15

FLORIDA BONSAI IN COLOR

ADVERTISING

Editorʼs apologies:

I neglected to mention I havebeen getting professional advice,

proof reading, and general recom-

mendations from Alan Gouldthorp,

Mike Sullivan, and Tom Zane.

CREDITS

http://www.bonsai-bsf.com/http://www.bonsai-bsf.com/


5/44

Florida Bonsai iv

Contents

Morikami

Annual Meeting

Convention Overview

Water Your Bonsai When . . .

Gallery

BSF Board Meeting

The King of Bonsai

Editorʼs Comments

Presidentʼs Message

Bonsai Societies of Florida

BSF2004 Convention

31

28

33

22

5

6

13

2

1

ii

i

Interviews

N

Calendar

D

J Ben Oki travelingthe State.

13 Bonsai Round-up

Morikami Museum.

Suthin Sukosolvisit

traveling the State.

1-2 Bonsai Society of

Southwest Florida (Pg. 3)

25 Thanksgiving

ecember:

anuary:

ovember:

34


6/44

November 20031

As I sit down to

write the Presidentʼs

Message we have just

had another anniversary

of “9/11”. It is still a

sad and stressful day

for most Americans and

a day that has forever

changed all of our lives. Lets not

ever forget the gravity of “9/11”and

never let them win.

This weekend I

took a trip to the other

coast of Florida. I

drove along looking

at the ever changing

wonderful Florida Flora(wishing I could collect

some). The species changes was

so dramatic as I moved through

the different agricultural zones and

micro climates which in Florida

change by this slightest difference

in elevation, proximity to the twocoasts or the local water table. I

was constantly reminded of how

lucky we are to pursue the hobby

and art of Bonsai in Florida. I did

some research a while back and

remember that we have over three

hundred species of trees in Florida.Some lend themselves to our hobby

some donʼt but with such a diverse

state there is a large number of

trees available to bonsai artist in all

parts of the state.

Presidentʼs Message

I ask all of you to

communicate with

the BSF Ofcers

and Board and let

us know how you

think we can better

serve you.

All of the above

leads me to this

request. I hope that all

of you will experiment

with different species

of trees. Go into the

woods collecting or if

you see a landscape

renovation in progress collect

some of the bushes and trees they

are removing. Tryexperimenting with

something you and other

people havenʼt been

using. I know you will

have some failures but

you will also have some

great and wonderful

successes.

Well, here we go into the most

wonderful time of year in Florida-

Fall. Itʼs wonderful as the heat of

summer begins to pass. To some of

us it means big temperature changes,

to others itʼs just of few degrees.However, the passage, it still puts

our trees into various stages of

dormancy. First, itʼs time to reduce

the nitrogen levels of your favorite

plant feed. Second, itʼs time to clean

your treeʼs pots, rewire and style.

Third, in some parts of the state

water requirements will be less.

Finally, we still have to be vigilant

for pests and diseases.

Continued on page 3


7/44

Florida Bonsai 2

READ THIS ISSUE carefully.

You may never get an issue with

better information. Put a tab on itand mark it Japanese Black Pine

(JBP). You can get many articles

on JBP that are written for other

climates, but this is the only one

for South Florida.

By shear luck, Alan Gouldthorpʼs

watering article, was posted twomonths before Robʼs and speaks to

the point of watering his JBPs.

Communications:

Included are the highlights of

the Annual Meeting and the Board

Meeting for 2003. I want to call

to your attention the comment onmiscommunication.

Because we mail and/or Email

to every club the same way at

the same time, it is impossible

for a club to not get the informa-

tion–unless–we have the wrong

address! After checking with the

trustees three times before the last

issue, a week after it was mailed

I got a listing from a club of new

ofcers. Florida Bonsai will never

have the correct addresses for that

club–ever!

Your club really needs to report

new ofcers at the end of the year.

They will be sent communications

during the year. Please consider

this as soon as you can.

This is not an ofcial demand, this

is an editorial warning. Obviously,

you donʼt have to do this-but, it is

your problem.

The same thing goes for all

members. When you are late,

the cost of mailing this magazinegoes from $0.11 an issue to $0.83.

When we order the printing, we

need to know how many members

we have. Not knowing causes

enormous waste. Not including

making your favorite editor take

an extra trip to the post ofce and

standing in line for half an hour.

Interviews:

I cannot say enough about how

much I admire these two men. In a

way two generations of BSF mov-

ers and shakers. It is impossible

to put a value on what they have

done. I think you will nd theirexperiences inspiring.

EPCOT.

Peter Wood is waiting for your

applications for the 2004 EPCOT

show. Take your August Florida

Bonsai and remove the center

fold-that is the form-with instruc-tions. Your time is up-do it now.

Peter wants to have representa-

tive bonsai from all clubs. Plan to

truck pool delivery. Better than a

lottery, and you win a free ticket to

the Magic Kingdom. The selection

committee (Including Disney) stillhas to select quality bonsai-this is

to show the best of Florida bonsai.

You can download this form

from http://www.bonsai-bsf.com.

Dick Miller, editor-in-training.

The Editorʼs Page:

http://www.bonsai-bsf.com/http://www.bonsai-bsf.com/


8/44

November 20033

I just got back from the joint

International Bonsai Symposium

and Bonsai Clubs International

gathering. I was very pleasantlysurprised to see the large number

of BSF members in attendance.

This was my rst trip to Rochester

and let me tell you Bill Valavanis

does a bang up job. It was so well

organized and all the workshops

and demonstrations were real

learning experiences. The topic

of the event was “Collected

Trees” and all of the material was

absolutely wonderful. If you ever

have a chance to attend I highly

recommend it. Each year Bill

selects a different topic-so its never

the same. Itʼs a really great Bonsaiweekend.

Until next time, have a great

Holiday season, and a happy and

peaceful New Year as you work on

your trees.

The Bonsai Society Of SW FLAnnual Bonsai Exhibit and Tree Sale

Sat. & Sun. Nov. 1–2, 200310 am to 4 PM

Demonstrations:Sat. 10 am Ed Trout,

2 PM Ernie Fernandez

Sun. 10 am Merv Greenberg2 PM Mike Cartrett

Garden Council Bldg.2426 Cleveland Ave (US 41)

Fort Myers, FL

Chairman Judy Gore 239/334-0673 [email protected]

Suthin Sukosolvisit –December

$250 per 3 to 4 hour session.

Prefers 2 sessions per dayPrefers hotel

Ben Oki –January

$250 per 3 to 4 hour session

Membersʼ homes OK

Pedro Morales –March

$200 per 3 to 4 hour session

Hotels only

Check with Rob for open days.Private sessions available

SPEAKERS SCHEDULES

Tell Rob the name of the

organization or individual for the

reservation. Indicate the point of

contact phone no., address, and

Email. Rob will schedule the visits.

Thereʼs no guarantee of specicdates due to the tight schedules.

Rob will divide the air fare by

the number of sessions and bill all

participants after the event.

From page 1

G e o r g eEmail Rob at:

[email protected]

A N N U A L E X H I B

I T &

T R E E S A L E


9/44

Florida Bonsai 4

The King of Bonsai By Rob Kempinski

There is a book in Japan called

“52 Ways to Prune a Japanese BlackPine.” Well, we better change the

title to “53 Ways” as the techniques

I will address here are not

mentioned anywhere in that

Japanese book. The reason:

Japan does not have Floridaʼs

virtually non-stop growing

season. Hence the techniques,especially the timing of

activity, do not match the

techniques used in Japan to

develop Japanese Black Pine

trees.

The Japanese Black Pine,

Pinus thunbergii, called theking of bonsai, deserves to be

in everyone s̓ collection. A

rened speci-men with mature

bark and detailed ramication

reects a regal feeling. It is

really the best pine tree to grow in

Florida for bonsai. Getting a largespecimen will normally take many

years of development or a large

bankroll. However, one can take

a nursery grown tree intended for

landscaping, and using Floridaʼs

long growing season, signicantly

reduce the time to get a good

bonsai.

At next years BSF Convention

in Cape Canaveral, I will lead

a workshop that will start large

nursery grown trees on the road

to bonsai-hood. This article can

provide some background for the

workshop attendees or for those

interested in growing Japanese Black

Pine bonsai.

In Florida, we are at the southernrange of Japanese Black Pine heat

tolerance, yet with proper care they

will thrive. Because of our long

growing season, we can get more out

of the Japanese Black Pine growing

cycle than someone up north. If youthink about it, our pines grow nearly

10 to 11 months a year here, barely

slowing down for winter. You can

think of Florida growing years like

dog years – we get two for one. One

caution though; Melbourne, where I

live, is below the 46 degree thermocline. Melbourne has virtually

subtropical conditions with only a

few days near freezing and less than

30 days below 50 F a year. Florida

is a big state, so the techniques I

mention might not work as well in

R o b ’ s J a p a n e s e

B l a c k P i n e ,

P i n u s t h u n b e r

g i i

C i r c a 1 9 7 5 ,

S a r t e d b o n s a i 1 9 9 4

2 3 h / 1 9 w / 5 t


10/44

November 20035

Continued on page 7

the northern tier, while I feel they

would work even better down

south.

Three aspects dominate Japanese

Black Pine development–growingconditions, needle thinning and

pruning.

Growing Conditions - Between

Christmas and the end of January,

my Japanese Black Pine trees

enter what will pass for a dormant

period. While the trees haveslowed down, it is repotting time.

It is safe to do root work on them.

I highly recommend pure sifted

Akadama soil ( a clumpy type of

clay soil from Japan). The trees

grow unbelievably ne root pads in

this medium. The root hairs grow

right into the soil particles. It is

a bit expensive, but one bag can

take care of several bonsai. And

after all, this is the king of bonsai

so you should spoil it. If you donʼt

use Akadama, then use a very fast

draining soil – like a mix of large

particle sandblast sand, Turface,Haydite, or lava rock and a little

pine bark. Japanese Black Pine

like lots of water, but they donʼt

like wet feet. Therefore, when we

have lots of rain, like we did this

August, fast draining soils will

prevent root rot. When repotting,

take it easy, especially on the old

ones. Remove no more than a

third of the roots at a time. Pay

particular attention to how you

handle the trunk as old aky bark

adds character to pines. Rough

handling of the trunk will rub off the

bark and spoil the look of the tree.

Watering a Japanese Black Pine

entails a little more caution than

a typical tropical plant. The treesneed water only when the top level

of soil has dried. A simple way to

check this is to leave a wood dowel

(a broken chop stick works well)

stuck in the soil. Prior to watering

remove the dowel and look at the tip

in the soil. When it is almost dry, it is

time to water the tree. Do not blindly

water every time you water your

cus or buttonwoods. This will kill

a Japanese Black Pine. In the winter

it is my experience their water intake

goes down signicantly. I think

it is due to the lower temperature

and slight reduction in the treeʼsmetabolism. It is not unusual to

water only every 3 or 4 days in the

cooler months

When using an inorganic soil mix,

feeding becomes very important.

Some pine enthusiasts advocate

using organic fertilizer exclusivelyon Japanese Black Pine. I have tried

this for a few years with good results.

However, I have lately migrated to

the same inorganic fertilizer I use

on my other trees for two reasons.

Inorganic, such as Miracle Grow

granular, offer more convenience

and less smell. Second, the organicfertilizer can really clog up soil and

when we get monsoon conditions

lead to root problems.

The key to growing a Japanese


11/44

Florida Bonsai 6

Tom Zane:

Ed: From my

seven years

in BSF, I have

learned to

equate Tom

Zane with

BSF, and viceversa. To

me, you have

been the model member, the guy

who knows all, does all. My hero.

How did you ever get hooked into

bonsai?

TZ: In 1972, my rst year inJapan, my family and I were

stationed at Camp Zama near

Tokyo. During a courtesy call on

a Japanese ofcial, with whom I

worked, I saw my rst bonsai. A

few days later he presented me

with my rst bonsai, a ve-needle

Chuck Eschenburg:

Ed: I have

learned so

much about

the many

things you

have done

for bonsai, Ialmost donʼt

know where

to start. So, when did you start

with your rst bonsai?

CE: 1969, and like everyone else,

it grew

and grewuntil I

had to

simply

cut back.

Ironically, I

didnʼt stop

until I retired,when many take it up.

Ed: Knowing my case, that is when

I took it up-why?

CE: I found that, with my busy

schedule, working on my bonsai

was very therapeutic. Likewise,

when I closed my medical practicewe planned to travel-a lot. As you

know, travel and bonsai do not go

together.

Ed: For sure.

At the 2003 BSF Annual Convention, President Louise Leister

sellected two men for the Presidentʼs Award, recognizing them for

many years of outstanding service to BSF and the community. The

following are interviews with these two remarkable men.

Doing bonsai in

the good old days.

Continued on page 20Continued on page 16


12/44

November 20037

Black Pine bonsai is to encourage

growth on some branches and

back budding on others. On

tropical trees a hard pruning anddefoliation accomplish this. On

pine trees, the approach differs

with needle thinning and pruning at

the right time. But before you get

to that, the rst point to consider

is where the tree is in its design

cycle. Seedlings, or recently

pruned nursery stock have differentdevelopment approaches than a

nished bonsai.

For instance, needle

reduction should

not be practiced

while striving to

grow branches.Also, as with all

trees, only work on

healthy specimens.

Ignoring this

advice in our

zone could be

fatal to a weak

Japanese Black Pine.

Needle Thinning: In my garden,

by Christmas, the Japanese Black

Pines have nished with the last

batch of needles. So they need

to be removed; to make room for

more needles, to get sun on the

branches, to let interior shootsgrow, and to encourage back

budding, to get air circulation

inside the tree to prevent fungal

attacks. I prefer the Christmas

break for needle thinning. I use the

Red Maples next to my yard as my

guide. When their leaves are falling

off, it time to remove last yearʼs pine

needles. With a healthy tree, I will

do needle thinning again in August.The theory being the tree still has

almost 4 months to grow that year.

This is equal to the total growing

season in more temperate areas.

I also remove damaged needles

(broken while wiring, by insect

chewing or by fungus) throughout

the year.

By the way, most people think

of pine trees as

evergreen, but they

are still deciduous.

They lose needles

each year, they just

donʼt lose them allat one time like soft-

leafed trees. Needle

thinning merely

helps nature drop

the old needles so

they donʼt become a

detractor to the tree.

Removing needles to get the

inside branches to grow represents

one aspect of energy balancing.

Many authors mention this in

mysterious ritualistic sounding

techniques – but it is really simple.

If a needle gets shadowed by

another needle, it wonʼt do its job ofphotosynthesis. It will eventually

fail and whither. Similarly interior

buds will not develop. A Japanese

Black Pine, as many other trees,

strives for maximum sunlight so

Japanese Black Pine, Pinus thunbergii

Circa 1985, Started bonsai 2000

18 h/14 w/2 t Handmade pot (by Rob)

From page 5


13/44

Florida Bonsai 8

it will divert its nutrients to the

branches getting the most sun.

Hence the top of the tree will grow

more than the bottom. And, outside

branches will grow more than theinside. The goal in bonsai is to

control this growth and to help the

tree balance its vigor between the

exterior and the interior of the tree

and between the upper branches and

the lower branches of the tree.

Needles make food for the tree.

The more needles on any given

branch the stronger and faster that

branch will grow. By reducing

the number of needles on strong

branches, you slow down that

branchʼs ability to produce food and

hence slow its growth. This gives the

weaker branches a chance to gainstrength as they grow.

In doing needle thinning, think

of the rule of opposites. Strong

branches have less needles after

pruning. Weak branches have more

needles. Leave at least 2 pairs of

needles on all the vigorous branches.On weak branches you can leave

as many as 5 to 7 pairs of needles.

The older needles are the ones that

are on the woody stems of the tree.

However, if you have been diligent

in prior yearʼs needle thinning, then

the old needles will be the ones

closer to the nexus of the branch.Often, new buds pop at the site of a

plucked needle. Exactly how many

needles to leave depends on what

you want to accomplish with each

branch. Hard fast rules really donʼt

apply, especially in Florida with

our long growing season.

Pruning Branches–When

pruning branches you will be

mostly cutting shoots, sometimescalled candles. Occasionally, if

restyling a tree you may need to

cut a woody branch. Carefully

consider this as it takes signicant

effort to regrow a branch on

a Japanese Black Pine. For

balancing energy, keep in mind

the state of the tree. For recently

styled nursery stock, you may

need a vigorous shoot to grow a

tapering apex or to cover a chop

scar. For sacrice branches, let

them grow with only a slight

needle thinning and slight pruning.

Depending on the developmentalstate of the tree, some of the very

vigorous shoots may need to be

pruned, especially at the apex

and periphery of the tree. Needle

thinning may not be enough. The

goal is to balance the vigor among

the shoots. After pruning, it maybe necessary to remove some

current needles from the very

vigorous shoots.

When pruning, general bonsai

rules apply. Always prune to a

bifurcated node. That is have only

two branches emanate from anode. The reason is that Japanese

Black Pine branches will swell

more quickly if there are 3 or 4

sub-branches emanating from a

node. Avoid bar branches as they

cause ugly localized swelling.


14/44

November 20039

On nursery stock though, it may

be difcult to totally eliminate a

bar branch as young pines tend to

grow branches at nodes. If you

absolutely canʼt eliminate a barbranch – donʼt. Use wire to move

the mass of the foliage to either

different levels or to hide the bar

joint.

Never prune a branch so that

no green remains. As with most

pines, these will hardly

ever bud from a branch

with no needles. (Notice

I said hardly ever

– I have seen it happen,

but it is rare and not

something to depend on.)

Always cover a woody

cut with some sealer.Dark brown cut paste

works well.

Candle pruning

encompasses an area

of extreme variation

in technique. For

simplicity, trim candles when theyare just starting to show needles.

Trim them as far back as you can

consistent with the development

needs of the tree. That is, for

example, on a branch needing

length, you can leave the trimmed

candle several inches long. For a

nished tree, trim the candles toabout inch. On a healthy tree, I

prune twice a year- when repotting

in January and during the second

cycle in August. A few weeks

after pruning, new buds will pop

at the cut sites. Go in with tweezers

and remove all but two of the buds

to permit bifurcation from the start.

If a branch is weak, you can leave

one or two extra buds for a fewmonths but never more than a year.

Always wire after needle thinning

and pruning. Invariably you will

break some needles while rewiring,

so donʼt totally nish the needle

plucking until after you have wired.

Otherwise, you could end up with

no needles (not good).

There is one extra pruning

technique aimed at needle length

reduction. Only strive to reduce

needle length on established and

healthy trees. Also keep in mindthat needle length reduction is

temporary. The wonderful trees

you see in the magazines or at the

major shows have had their training

regimens planned to have the short

This Regal JBP - Mr.Daizo Iwasaki’s

Garden, Eiheme, Japan (2003)


15/44

Florida Bonsai 10

Mr. Kimura’s Black Pine

Omia, Japan (2003)

needles for the shows. In Japan,

the major artists show their pines

about every 10 years as making

shorter needles does stress a tree.

Needle length reduction will alsoslow down development. The key to

short needles is to time the pruning

so that the needles have less time

to fully grow in the remainder of

the season and to cause the tree to

expend its resources growing those

shorter needles. This is a problemin Florida as our trees hardly stop

growing. The twice a season needle

thinning and pruning technique will

reduce the needle length somewhat.

But, for extremely short needles, let

the candles fully extend and then cut

them hard. In Florida, it works best

if you skip the January pruning, letthe candles extend and then prune

hard in August. It seems counter

intuitive, but cut the weak candles

rst and then about two weeks later

cut the strong candles. This gives the

weak candles more time to make

the new shorter needles. You will

have very short needles for the

rest of the year. However, by next

January, get back to the regularpruning regimen or the tree could

lose shape.

Only work on making short

needles every other year, and

longer if the tree is old or overly

stressed from the last cycle. Much

more could

be said about

making short

needles, such as

reducing water

and feed, or

allowing the tree

to get pot bound

but those aretechniques that

individuals have

to learn based

on their own

soil, watering,

weather and other

circumstances.

Grafting; when developing

Japanese Black Pine trees from

nursery stock, especially bigger

trunk ones, it is often necessary

to replace a thick branch with a

thinner one or add a new branch

for the design. Since they hardly

ever bud on the old wood, graftingremains the only option. Grafting

can be learned with some practice.

Thread grafts are not that reliable

for the Black Pine. If you thread

graft, it is best to drill a hole


16/44

November 200311

slightly larger than a candle (the

scion) and slide the candle through

the hole when the needles have not

yet appeared. Then

wait 2 to 4 yearsfor the cambium

to swell and fully

mesh into one

another.

The most

reliable graft is

the approach

graft where a

living branch still

connected to its parent is partially

thinned and fastened to the host

tree. This will produce a graft in

about 2 years.

The most difcult graft but

best cosmetically is the veneer

graft where a detached scion gets

inserted into a slit in the host site.

It takes

lots ofpractice and

after-care

to work.

Always

use caution

when

wiring

graftedbranches.

The mechanical union does not

have the same strength as a normal

branch. At the workshop next year,

we will try grafting where it seems

appropriate for the design of the

big pines we will work on.Japanese Black Pines might

seem too fussy, especially

compared to tropical bonsai. But

there is a feeling of satisfaction

when you can see one develop and

mature into a ne specimen. Well

developed Japanese Black Pine

bonsai might out-perform your

mutual funds and really appreciate

in value.

Rob Kempinski, a mechanical engineerworking at the Kennedy Space Center,won the ABS 2002 New Talentcompetition. He also had a Buttonwoodselected for the BCI 2003 Ben Oki Awardof Merit. One of his Japanese Black Pines,of which he discusses in this article, wasselected as a Top 100 Bonsai by the Japanese Bonsai Society in 2002. Hemanages the BSF Visiting Artist program.When not doing all this he spends timewith his wife Terry and daughter Jennifer.

Small candles appear in Sept.,onemonth after the Aug. pruning

ORIENTAL ORIENTATION

GROWING:BONSAI, PRE-BONSAI

JAPANESE MAPLES

RARE & UNUSUAL

DWARF CONIFERS

SOURCE:GRANITE LANTERNS &

STATUARY, IMPORTED

TOOLS, SUPPLIES

POTTERY & BOOKS

1451 PLEASANT HILL ROAD

HARRISBURG, PA 17112

717-545-4555 PHONE OR FAX

http://www.natureswaybonsai.com

http://www.natureswaybonsai.com/http://www.natureswaybonsai.com/


17/44

Florida Bonsai 12

ACTUAL SIZEWith an orange

The following ten bonsai are

samples of Robʼs collection. Truely

demonstrating his capabilities.

Satsuki AzaleaRhododendron indicum

Age unknown Started bonsai 2000

5 h/6 w/3 t over rock Tokonome pot

Imported from Japan. Makes beautiful

white owers with a touch of pink. Ex-

tremely small leaves. Tightly clasping a

Japanese volcanic rock.


18/44

November 200313

Juniperus chinesis sargenti kishi Circa 1995 Started bonsai 1995

8 h/6 w/1 t Japanese pot.

Kishi Juniper grafted to San Jose juniper

root stock by Mas Iishi, styled by Rob.

Buttonwood

Conocarpus erectus

Circa 1930 Started bonsai1998

26 h/24 w/6 t High quality Japa-

nese Pot

Named Tsunami for the curving drift-wood that looks like a breaking wave

(actually a double breaking wave.)

Selected as runner up in the

2003 BCI Ben Oki Design Award.

Ficus benjimina

45 h/41 w/12 t Tokonome pot

Collected Urban yamadori

from a hedge.

Shown on display at EPCOT.

Ficus

Chinese Juniper orShimpaku juniper

Tsunami


19/44

Florida Bonsai 14

Bougainvillea glabra

Cutting 1998 Started bonsai 1998

24 h/38 w/3.5 t Chinese pot

Was a gift from my friend

Luis Fountainils, in Miami,who rooted a large

branch cutting.

Ficus salicifoliaCirca 1998 Started bonsai 1997

8 h/6 w/1.75 t

Cutting from Jim Smith. Had two trunks

emanting like a “v”. Chopped one to make

a Formal Upright Shohin. Has practically

perfect branching for a upright style.

Celtis koraiensis(Imported), Started bonsai 1999

6 h/6 w/2 t Hand made Japanese pot

Air layered and chopped to be made

into a shohin tree.

Willowleaf Ficus

Korean Hackberry

Bougainvillea


20/44

November 200315

Ulmus americana var. oridana

Collected 1971 Started bonsai 2000

28 h/22 w/4 t

When collecting in 2000 my buddiesthought I was lost - in reality I was taking

my time digging this beauty from a farm

near Lake Okeechobee.

Chinese Tallowtree

Sapium sebiferum

Circa 1980 Started bonsai 1998

42 h/33 w/8 t Chinese pot

Uncommon as a bonsai, thisspecies is considered invasive. It

can undergo severe leaf reduction

and makes a little fall color. Prolic

small roots like knotted ropes.

Bald Cypress, Taxodium distichum

Circa 1978 Started bonsai 1999

29 h/20 w/5 t Korean ceramic pot

White Lightening got its name from the white

shari and the circumstances of its collection.

After spending a day in the swamp digging

bald cypress, my brother and I emerged

looking very grubby. After one look at us thevendor at a roadside van closed the van and

moved on. We gured he thought we were

running moonshine or escaping from prison or

something. The root spread is over 10 inches.

I collected it solely for the nice quickly aring

roots. The tree had no taper. With the large

shari I carved articial taper. After 5 years the

tree has the illusion of an old gnarly tree.

Florida Elm

Tallow tree

White Lightning


21/44

Florida Bonsai 16

pine. The Service Club offered a 10

part course on beginning bonsai. I

took it, and fell in love with bonsai.

For the next two plus years severalof us from the class traveled to the

instructorʼs home and nursery for

lessons.

Ed: How can I not say it–“The

Zanes of Zama.” So how many have

you got now?

TZ: About 60. I learned my lessonearly, none of that “4 man” kind.

Mine are in the miniature, shohin or

mame, category.

Ed: Stats?

TZ: Born in Daytona Beach, FL, 26

Nov 1933. Met Sena in 1953 at the

University of Florida where we wereboth students. Married in 1957, and

have three children,

one son, two

daughters, and 10

grandchildren.

Ed: A real native

Floridian. What did you do in yourearly life?

TZ: US Army, Military Police

Corps, 1955–1977. Served at:

Fort Gordon, GA several times,

Fort Devens, MA,

Fort Bliss, TX,

Providence, RI,3 years in southern Germany,

2 years in the Panama Canal Zone,

and

3 years in Japan.

Retired as a Lieutenant Colonel.

Ed: Wow, Iʼll bet Sena was 6 foot

tall before you dragged her around

the world like that. Then what?

TZ: Instructor, Daytona Beach

Community College, 1977 – 1993.I taught various criminal justice

subjects, academic as well as

practical. Last several years was

the lead instructor for the conduct

of high liability instruction which

included, emergency vehicle

operation and unarmed defense

and rearms training.

Ed: I imagine you didn t̓ stop there-

what came next?

TZ: Volunteer: Since my second

retirement, in 1993, I have a

variety of volunteer activities, one

of the most rewarding of whichis at the local Halifax Historical

Museum where

I work a couple

of days a week

doing research,

managing access

to the archives and creating

PowerPoint computer educational

programs.

Ed: Any future plans?

TZ: Ease up a little on

From page 6

On a butteryʼs path

He seeds and collects pollen

New creations mature


22/44

November 200317

volunteering, stay healthy, enjoy

my family, my bonsai and reading

books in my extensive home

library.

Ed: Any other hobbies?TZ: Reading. Photography. Stamp

collecting which has been rened

and is now mostly limited to

identifying and collecting forgeries

of Japanese postage stamps.

Several years ago this led me into

co-authoring a CD-ROM (nowin its 2nd edition) identifying and

cataloging forged Japanese postage

stamps.

Ed: So between all that, what else-

you wrote a bonsai training course

didnʼt you?

TZ: In the late 1970s I startedteaching bonsai classes.

Being a college instructor,

I had lesson plans for

each segment. I searched

the eld of publications

for one that could be

used as a syllabus for the

students. Finding none,

I wrote my own. It has

gone through various

revisions.

I quickly learned that

there were a lot of people in the

1980s who wanted to teach bonsai

and while they might know the

subject, did not know the teaching

process. So I wrote and published

the Instructorʼs Manual for

“Introduction to Bonsai – A

Course Syllabus.”

I also wrote an Intermediate

Syllabus, which is out of print,

but, is now on the BSF website for

downloading. For years I did all

the writing, setup, design, printing,collating, binding, advertising, and

shipping. That part of it ceased to

be fun so I offered the copyrights

on the material to both the BCI and

ABS. BCI declined the offer and

ABS accepted. Since then ABS has

been doing all the work and getting

all the prots.

I subsequently created for ABS

the rst bonsai correspondence

course in the Western World,

“Introduction to Bonsai– A

Correspondence Course,” and

donated that copyright to ABS.

Each of the publications is stillavailable from

ABS.

Ed: That didnʼt

seem to be

enough, so

you become

webmaster for BSF?

TZ: Jack

Douthitt began

the BCI website

and after several years he wanted

to shed the job. I had never done

anything like it but was convincedto try it and for several years I was

the webmaster for the BCI website.

Last year I convinced another

person to pick up its editorship.

Continued on page 19


23/44

Florida Bonsai 18

9401 Northwest 42nd. Street, Coral Springs, FL 33065 (954) 752-8229 Fax (954) 227-2647

Trop ica l Bonsa i , Inc .We Sell everything:

Exhibit Class

Pre-Bonsai to

Welcome to Our

Tropical Bonsai Page

We are open to the public Saturday from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm,

and by appointment. We love having clubs or groups for special

events-call to set a date. Give us a call or Email: [email protected].

At Tropical, we sell every-

thing, wholesale and retail.

We are the only source of

materials within an hour or

more drive in all directions

from our Coral Springs

nursery.

Save time and money,

use our web site for shopping and

buying materials:

HTTP://WWW.TROPICALBONSAIINC.COM

http://http//WWW.TROPICALBONSAIINC.COMhttp://http//WWW.TROPICALBONSAIINC.COM


24/44

November 200319

Several years ago I began the BSF

website and continue to be its

editor.

ED: You gave up a couple positions in BSF that you probably

held longer than any one in its

history.

Please donʼt

give up the

webmaster.

Likewise, BSF has

beneted

by your

Convention

Guide for

years.

TZ: Yes, when I became 2nd VP

back around 1990, responsible

for conventions, I knew I did not

know enough to do the job without

a guide. I put together BSF Con-

vention Procedural Guide and

maintained for many years.

Ed: Thanks goodness you did, I

lived off it in ʻ99. Not to let any

moss grow under you, you were

involved with the By-Laws and

the Guidelines and Procedures

Manual too.

TZ: I worked on various revisions

of the By-Laws, and wrote the

BSF Guidelines and ProceduresManual.

Ed: You served all over BSF.

TZ: In 1977, after retiring from

the military and returning to my

home town of Daytona Beach, I

joined the nearest club, the Central

Florida Bonsai Club in Orlando.

A year later I started the Kawa

Bonsai Society in Daytona Beach.Ed: What ofces have you held?

TZ: Kawa: Founding President

and, then Secretary

and News Letter

Editor for past 20

years.

BSF: Member, 20plus years ago began

serving on the Board

and,

1st and 2nd Vice

President, and

President in 1994-95

Many other ofces, some ofcesmore than once.

Education Chair for many years.

Membership Chair for over 8

years.

Archives Chair for BSF

BCI: Member, Board of Directors,for two years.

BCI: Manager of the audio-visual

rental program for 15 years.

ABS: Member, Board of Directors,

for two years.

Ed: I have to say, Board meetingswill not be the same without your

total knowledge of BSF. You are

the man who knows. Live long and

prosper.

From page 17


25/44

Florida Bonsai 20

Ed: You had a medical practice for

many years.

CE: Yes, I started a pediatrics

practice in Delray Beach in 1961. Ihad a partner for most of that time,

but worked alone for the last couple

years. I closed shop in 1998 and

we began to travel.

Ed: We who?

CE: My bride of 48 years, Carole,

who I met while in Med School

in Denver Colorado. We met

while attending the University of

Colorado. I was studying to be a

doctor and she a nurse. We are a

couple of Colorado immigrants who

led the move to Florida way back

then.Ed: Family?

CE: We have two daughters.

Margot Sadler lives with her two

children in Palm City. Mimi

Eschenburg lives with one of our

grandchildren in Newport News, VA.

Ed: You were breaking ground in

Florida bonsai when travel wasnʼt

as easy as it is today.

CE: Yes, but we had a lot of fun.

The only way to learn more was to

meet with others and work together.

Ed: That wasaround 1972?

CE: Ed Potter

and I were

sitting at a table at a convention

in Atlanta, when we got to talking

about having a State organization.

Ed Potter simply announces a

meeting of Florida attendees to see

about the possibility of a statewide

organization to host a nationalconvention. This was greeted

by much

enthu-

siasm,

and off

we went.

It was the

impetusto start

the South Palm Club. Many other

areas soon followed suit. The

folks in the panhandle and Tampa

were the sparkplugs along with

the Dade and Broward. It was an

exciting time with really wonderfulfriendships formed

By 1973, we had an organizational

meeting, and in Oct. had our rst

convention in Tampa.

Ed: Let s̓ see you were:

1973 President South Palm club

1974 Chairman of SpecialEvents Miami Convention

1976 Many years on the

Editorial Board of FB

1977/78 Convention committee.

1978/79 BSF 2nd Vice President

1980/81 BSF 1st Vice President

1982/83 BSF Pres.

1982/83 BCI Sec.A couple jobs in

between.

Ed: Then there was the Morikami . . .

CE: That was a real labor of love.

Young star burns brightlySeeds a path--and moves on

New creations mature

From page 6


26/44

November 200321

Likewise, we created the Hatsume

Fair, which is still celebrated today.

Ed: Having written the Morikami

articles for 6 years, I got to read the

many years of articles you did.

CE: You have my sympathy, it is one

more chore.

Ed: Your biggest joy

CE: Helping others, traveling, and

helping to start the Morikami.

Ed: Biggest frustration?CE: Medical malpractice litigation

and disillusionment.

Ed: You had a lot to do with the Haiku

in the Florida Bonsai.

CE: Yes, I love that art form. It has

brought me great joy. I learned a

lot from Vaughn Banting of New

Orleans, he has written a couple

books on it and we trade poems

frequently. You should try it.

ED: I will. Thanks for our time and

sharing this with us.

After living in Delray Beach for42 years, Chuck has a new address-

closer to his grandchildren:

8332 S.E. Angelina Court

Hobe Sound, FL 33455

772/546-4537

BSF made a decision to make a

statement with a bonsai collection

the world could see at this new

Japanese Museum and Garden.

Ed: There are many old articlesabout you and the Morikami

exhibit. You got the exhibit started

and built while creating the private

element the Morikami, Inc., not to

mention xing children.

CE: No one person did that exhibit.

A lot of people spent many

many hours and sweat building it

with there bare hands. From Jim

Smith in Vero

to Joe Samuels

in Homestead,

including the

members in

between, they put

in a lot of effort.

Likewise, thedonations of bonsai. It was a great

time, and BSF really did a great

job.

As far as the Museum, that was

tough. The County turned it down

three times, and it was hard to get

a commitment. Then we had toengage the community, and people

with money. To enhance our

credibility we linked up with the

Japanese city of Miazu as a sister

city. That was the home town of

George Morikami.

Old Friends

Oh, itʼs hot! Hiaku class


27/44

Florida Bonsai 22

by Alan Gouldthorp

Watering; when is dry dry

Watering; when is dry wet

Watering; when and whyDo you know when–yet?

A few months ago I hosted the

annual picnic for my club. It was a

great time with tons of food, great

people, and an auction that helped

raise money for the club. I also

got to show my collection to manypeople who hadnʼt seen it before.

During the party a number of

people commented on how dry

my bonsai were. I found that

interesting because I looked around

and didnʼt see one dry plant. Yes,

the surface of the soil was dry on

almost all my trees mainly because

I had neglected to water them that

day in the hustle and bustle of

getting ready for the party. Were

the trees dry though? Absolutely

not. After everyone had left I

started probing into the soil on anumber of trees

and, sure enough,

there was plenty

of moisture just

below the surface

of every tree that

I tested.

This got me to thinking; just

how dry is dry (or how wet is

wet)? Is it dangerous to keep our

bonsai on the dry side or is it

better to just water regardless of

the actual conditions of the plant?

This thinking prompted me to

write this article. Itʼs based on my

knowledge of soil structure and

dynamics plus my own personalexperience and philosophy on

watering. Some of this may be

very basic and mundane to some

of you; I realize Iʼm not breaking

any new ground here. Hopefully

it will give some of you some

information you can use.

Soil has three components,

the physical, the chemical, and

biological. While the pH, fertility,

and organisms in the soil certainly

effect growth I want to focus on

the physical properties of the soil

in this article.

The physical component of the

soil is concerned with the “stuff”

that the soil is made of. It is further

broken down into inorganic matter

and organic matter. The inorganic

portion of the soil is classied as

clay, silt or sand according to grain

size. Clay is the nest of the soil

particles.

Particles larger than 6.0 mm aretermed gravel.

The inorganic component deals

with the minerals that make up

the soil. This is the rocky, gravely

portion of the soil. These particles

Soil Classication/Grain size:

Clay .... less than .002 mm

Silt ...... between .002 and .05 mm

Sand .... between .05 and 2.0 mm

Sand, coarse, very coarse, larger than 2.0 to 6.0 mm

Water your bonsai when . . .


28/44

November 200323

are usually, though not always,

inert with no effect on the chemical

nature of the soil.

The source of the organic portion

of the soil is usually plant matter,mainly leaves that fall to the

surface and are incorporated into

the soil over time.

Soil that is very

high in organic

matter is labeled

“rich” while soillow in organic

matter is “poor”.

Thereʼs one more component of

the soil that I have not mentioned

and that is what is NOT there,

mainly the space between the soil

particles. At any one time thisspace is lled with one of two

things, either air or water.

Of all the properties of soil the

interplay between airspace and

water is by far the most dynamic.

The other parts of any given

soil sample are fairly constant.Organic matter is added very

slowly over time, pH is usually

steady and although an infestation

of pests may show up suddenly

the number and type of organisms

in the soil is also usually quite

stable. The amount of water inthe soil, however, is changing

CONSTANTLY. It is never the

same from one hour to the next and

on a microscopic level can even

be said to change from second to

second.

Of these same soil properties

watering is also the most important

for plant health. While itʼs true,

for instance, that an acid loving

plant will not do well in high pHsoil. The amount of water, either

too much or too little, is the single

biggest cause of death to our

bonsai.

Water is said to

exist in the soil

in three differentforms. First, after a

very heavy rain or irrigation almost

all the air space is lled with water.

Most of this water drains away and

is not available to the plant. This

is termed gravitational water since

the force of gravity removes it.

Even though the plant cannot usethis water it is very benecial in

that as it drains away it pulls fresh

air into the soil spaces providing

the oxygen to the roots that they

need for good health.

Once the gravitational water has

drained away there is still some

water left around each soil particle.

This is called capillary water. This

is the water that is actually taken

up by the plant and utilized for

growth. Capillary water forms

from the unique property of water

to form hydrogen bonds. Thishydrogen bonding is responsible

for the meniscus on a glass of

water lled to the brim. In the soil

it acts to insure that almost every

soil particle will have a thin lm of

Of all the properties of

soil, the interplay between air

space and water is by far the

most dynamic.


29/44

Florida Bonsai 24

water surrounding it.

If no additional water enters the

soil the capillary water will be used

up to the point where the plant

cannot pull any more water out ofthe soil. Even though the soil may

be what we term “bone dry” some

water usually exists. It is so tightly

bound to the soil particles to

be of no use to the plant. This

is called hygroscopic water. A

plant growing in soil this drywill surely be wilting.

One more factor inuences

the dynamics of water and

air in the soil and that is the

plantʼs roots. As roots grow

into the soil they begin to take

up air space. This then diminishes

not only the amount of water

that can penetrate the soil but theavailable fresh air that can get to

the roots as well.

So what does all this have to do

with bonsai? I think itʼs important

here to remember that bonsai are

usually grown in at least two or

possibly three phases. There arethe training phases and the nished

phase. Training may be in a pot

or the plant may be grown in the

ground for a period of time. At

some point the plant is ready to

be displayed and potted into a

decorative bonsai container.

Training in the ground is great

because the unrestricted root

growth means thick trunks in ashorter period of time. Collecting

wild specimens is akin to ground

training; itʼs just that Mother

Nature planted it instead of you.

If you read articles on collected

trees almost every single one of

them will tell you to remove allthe native soil before potting it up.

Very simply native soil is way

too ne. In pot conditions

the water will not drain fast

enough, very little fresh air

will be getting to the roots and

invariably rot will set in and we

all know what happens next.

Some plants are trained in

pots without being planted in the

ground. Plants trained in pots are

almost never put into sifted bonsai

soil; itʼs just too expensive. They

are usually grown in what I call

landscape soil that is a mix of peat,

bark and sand, usually a ratio of

about 60-30-10. This will work

ne for a while but over time the

peat (and for that matter the bark,

too) will break down, the soil will

loose its structure and, once again,

it will begin to hold too muchwater to the detriment of the plant.

I donʼt know how many trees I

have killed by leaving them in

training pots too long without any

repotting.

B o n e d

r y

C a p i l l a r y w a t e r

G r a v i t y w a t e r

Soil Cross Section


30/44

November 200325

So now we get to the soil used

in nished bonsai. Regardless of

what components you use they

MUST be sifted to remove the ne

particles. If not these ne particleswill clog air space, reduce water

movement, etc., etc.

I buy a commercial bonsai mix.

Many folks in my club make

their own with basically the same

ingredients, one part very to

extremely coarse sand, one partcalcined clay, and one part pine

bark. This mix drains very well

but it also has the capacity to hold

a tremendous amount of capillary

water. Calcined clay (most of us

use the trade name Turface) has

been heated and then pulverized.

This forms a particle that is veryangular but also very porous.

Thereʼs plenty of air space between

particles but each particle acts like

a miniature sponge. Pine bark has

very similar properties. In fact the

product that most of us use who

make his or her own has the slogan“The water keeper” right on the

bag.

Some folks like to use different

ingredients, Haydite is one that

comes to mind, but the result is

the same. Bonsai need a very well

drained soil that also holds a goodamount of capillary water.

So if weʼve got the right soil

just how often do we need to

water? Well that depends. Besides

soil thereʼs still any number

of different variables that will

effect how quickly a plant dries

(I almost typed dies!). Anyway,

sun exposure, size of the plant/

pot, length of time in the pot, thespecies of plant, amount of rain

and wind all have an effect.

Obviously plants in full sun

will need water more often than

those in shade. The sun not only

dries the water in the soil but the

plant will be utilizing the availablewater faster due to increased

photosynthesis. One of the single

largest consumers of water is

transpiration. The leaves give off

excess water to the air which cools

them and transports minerals.

This far exceeds the needs of

photosynthesis.

Small plants need water more

often than large ones and plants

that are well rooted usually need

more water than those that have

been recently repotted. I make it

a point to really check my small

mame and shohin regularly.

Different species of plants also

require different amounts of water.

Succulents like dwarf jade or cus

can store water in their tissues and

can take drier soil conditions than

species like elms and junipers.Then thereʼs the water loving

plants that naturally live in moist

conditions. Bald cypress, Ti Ti,

hornbeam and red maple need very

regular watering to do well.Continued on page 27


31/44

Florida Bonsai 26

or Allan, and

didnʼt get a

picture of thenished tree

I worked on.

But, we did

have

fun,

even

if you can-

not tell.

Looks like KAWA had a great

event. Nice crowd with a great

exhibit, and good demonstrations.Do

you think

these two

guys look like

they had fun?

Could you

have more joy

than with Guy

and Mike?

At the 2003

Convention

will get that chance.

All in all, a good name for the event!

On the same day, unfortunately,

Jupiter Bonsai had a 3 ring demo

of phoenix grafting, Kanuki, asRon Martin called it. Relating to a

Japanese legend

about legendary

animals having

the power to

deceive.

Here are the

results of the

three major

dead stumps

with trees

blended from

behind. Didnʼt get pictures of Ron

Ron Martin put a

juniper behind an

old dead bonsai.

Allan Carver put a ti ti on an

old grape tree root.

Dick Miller

put a triple

trunk juniper

behind an

enormous

pine root.

(JOB & Jupiter Bonsai events were advertised in our last issue.)

JOY IN BONSAI

BONSAI IN JUPITER


32/44

November 200327

Obviously rain can keep you

from watering yourself but rain

can be tricky. Sometimes what

may seem like a nice rain that isperfectly adequate for the lawn and

shrubs may not be sufcient for

your bonsai plants. Unless it really

comes thundering down I check my

trees even after it rains.

Last but not least is wind. All

other things being equal I thinkwind is one of the hardest factors

to deal with. Exposed to wind even

a plant that has been newly potted

and placed in some shade can dry

out too fast. Wind can also be very

tricky even on a cloudy day. My

experience has been that wind on acloudy day can pull more water out

of my trees than full sun on a calm

day. If itʼs been windy all day itʼs

almost a foregone conclusion that

all my trees will need water.

Youʼll notice that Iʼve mentioned

that I check my trees. That isbecause I water by hand. My whole

collection every time I water. It

usually takes about thirty to forty-

ve minutes. I really believe in

hand watering rather than timed

irrigation. Timed irrigation is

certainly more convenient but I get

a better handle on the state of eachtree if I water each individually.

Even in the middle of summer

with no rain Iʼve waited over two

days between watering with no

ill effects to my trees. I do not use

soil surface dryness as an indicator

because I realize that although the

surface may be dry thereʼs plenty

of capillary water remaining in thelower portions of the pot. I also

believe that the air space in the soil

is just as important for good health

as water. If the roots cannot breath

because of too much water the

plants will surely suffer. Watering

less often assures that the roots get a

good dose of fresh air regularly.

I will tell you that I CHECK for

water every day. What I look for are

signs of dryness in my plants. I have

what I call indicator plants. These

are ones (fukien tea, for example)

that because of their nature or their

small size, or because they have notbeen repotted in a while, dry out

just a little more quickly. If these

trees show signs of dryness then itʼs

a good bet that all my trees need at

least some water.

So the bottom line… how often

do I water? When the tree needs it!

Alan, a landscaper for the past twenty years,

owned a wholesale woody ornamental

plant nursery for eight years, hosted “The

Garden Spot” radio talk show for over two

years, taught adult education in “Florida Landscaping” for ten years, wrote the article

“Space Coast Gardening” which appeared

in the Florida Today newspaper for ten years,

practiced bonsai for twenty years, a founding

member and rst president of The Bonsai

Society of Brevard in 1987, and presently is

Convention General Chair for BSF2004.

From page 25


33/44

Florida Bonsai 28

From The Morikami

The exhibit continues

to ourish. Sorry about

the stands. They are ordered, but,the contractor has not been back,

and they donʼt seem to know exactly

when he will start. I suspect, since

it is county government, it will be

soon after October-their scal year.

The contractor will be there, he has a

contract to reconstruct the water falls

next to the

Yamato Kan.

It takes a lot

of equipment

to place a

4 foot high

rock!

Beginners bonsai classes begin in

October and run through April.

We have

the bonsai

to put out,

just waiting

for newstands. We

have a new Bottle Brush that was

donated in honor of Ron Kessler.

Bob Horvath donated his Catlin Elm

penjing landscape. Larry Kunken

donated a magnicent Fukien Tea.

Our Escambrion

that was delivered

one year agoSeptember,

is really

growing fast.

We repotted it

and cut off all

the beautiful

branches. Unfortunately, the most

beautiful branches were

at the top and a few very

poorly located up the trunk.

This is a challenge-no one

knows anything about it. It

sprouts like a Raintree or

Ebony, and

grows rapidly-thank goodness.

There will be a

“Discover Bonsai”

day December 13,

all day Saturday.

Ed Trout will be the featured

master. We will have vendors,possibly a workshop or two and

a clinic for amateurs who have

bonsai and need help. This is the

follow-up to the retreat we tried

last January.

We will have Ben Oki doing a

program in January.


34/44

November 200329

Edw. M. Meehan & Sons

We ecialize in

QUALITY SAI SUPPLIESTools, Bonsai o l Kits Bonsai Wire in Tools Potting To s Potting S ies

Write or call for Catalog 1 - 800 - 747-7134

Write, [email protected], or call for Catalog 1 - 800 - 747-7134

666 Leslie Avenue, Wood River, IL 62095

Visit our website at http://www.bonsaiking.com

Order by Email, Fax, or Phone - 800.747.7134Shipping At cost MC/VC accepted

L I M I T E D

SUPPLIES & ACCESSORIESQUALITY BONSAI TOOLS,

Visit us at your next convention.

F o un d e r s

Start small,buy a few goodtools, then build a full set with high

quality tools, as your skill develops. We have four grades of tools, for all your needs.

Start with Meehan, we have it all. We can provide for all skill levels,interests, always–with quality.

We are the authorizeddealer for Joshua Roth,the best in bonsai tools, .

Go to our web site, below, and watch

for our “Tool of the Month.

Great Gifts

Tool pins for him or her. ($10ea.)Get one free with $60 purchase.

http://www.bonsaiking.com/http://www.bonsaiking.com/


35/44

Florida Bonsai 30

MECHANICAL COORDINATORS LLCEmail: [email protected]

http://www.mechanicalcoordinators.com

C l i c k

h e r e

Workstands for Bonsai.Created by a bonsai enthusiast for

bonsai enthusiasts.Efcient, comfortable, and adjustable,

they not only provide a practical work area, but are artful display stands*

in their own right. Whatever model you choose, you willget a dependable device that will give

you years of bonsai enjoyment. Ask about our wire caddy, shown above.

*Not intended for outdoor use as stands.

De luxe Mode l Sh ow n

These workstands will foreverchange the way you work on yourbonsai.They provide a stable andadjustable work platform toincrease your bonsai enjoyment.

Three models to choose from: • The Deluxe workstand • The affordable LC Workstand • The traditional Table top

Workstand.In Florida call 561/746-5074, orCall 717/871-7900 for assistance.

A BetterWorkstand

Can Mean ABetter Bonsai

Mail to: Allen Roach, Bonsai-Mart

721 N. T Street, Pensacola, Florida 32505Email: [email protected]

or, call 1-850-432-8238

Bonsai products under roof. All size trees and pots, with supplies to

keep your bonsai healthy. (Ever seen an “Air Layer Kit?”)

A growing inventory from our large Warehouse to YOU!

Convenient from four States! Open 9-5, Closed Sun.

Our “web-mart” is your link to bonsai.

Anyone can quickly buy anything. Save time and money.

See the variety of materials displayed at:

http://bonsai-mart.com

Plan a visit – weather is no problem.

Bringing the

Super-Market Conceptto Quality Bonsai B O

N S A I -

M A RT

http://www.mechanicalcoordinators.com/http://bonsai-mart.com/http://bonsai-mart.com/http://www.mechanicalcoordinators.com/


36/44

November 200331

Confession of a Conventioneer,

or:

How the Chairman Sees It. by Alan Gouldthrop

I love conventions!

You get to meet other bonsai

enthusiasts from across the state.

You get to view an exhibit of trees

from the local host clubs that you

probably have never seen before.You get to watch demonstrations

and take workshops from

masters from across the country.

Convention vendor areas give

you the chance to purchase new

treasures with more choices than

you could ever nd anywhere else.

You also get to vie for rafe itemsand take home your winnings at a

fraction of the cost of to buy them.

Last, but not least, you get to stay

in some pretty impressive hotels.

Next yearʼs BSF 2004 convention

is no exception.

Next yearʼs convention will beat the Radisson

Resort at the

Port in Cape

Canaveral, Fl.

As convention

chairperson

I traveled to

a number of

different hotels

to check out

their suitability

as a convention

venue. Once I arrived at the

Radisson my search was over. This

place is awesome!

The Radisson is perfect for a

bonsai convention. Itʼs got the

space, itʼs got the amenities, itʼs

got the luxury, and itʼs got the

value that weʼre all looking for in a

convention site.

Have youʼve ever felt cramped

at a convention walking through

the vendor area, watching a

demo or taking a workshop? You

wonʼt this time! The area of the

convention center and breakout

rooms totals over 18,000 square

feet. The vendor area will be

over 5000 sq.ft. Thatʼs enough

for over 100 vendor tables. Atthis point in time over 80 are

already sold. (If youʼd like to be a

vendor you can get information on

buying tables by contacting Billy

Rhodes at (321) 267-3488 or at

[email protected]).

The demonstration room thatdoubles as the dining

room can comfortably

seat over 200. Thatʼs

with a stage set up for

the masters to work.

The workshop rooms

are also very spacious

with enough room forabout 50 people each.

With ten workshop

participants that leaves

plenty of space for

observers. Also all three workshop

THE BONSAI SOCIETIES OF FLORIDA


37/44

Florida Bonsai 32

rooms are in very close proximity

so observers will be able to enjoy

the progress in all the workshops

that are going on simultaneouslyby simply walking a few feet. The

exhibit room is over 1400 sq. ft.

The preliminary exhibit design has

space for about 60 trees.

When it comes to amenities the

Radisson is top notch. They have

a fantastic restaurant and cateringfacility. I have personally eaten

there and

the meals

will all be

gourmet

delights.

They

have an

awesome

(and

huge) swimming pool with

cascading waterfalls and a Jacuzzi.

They also offer an exercise room,

lighted competition tennis court,

a pool side Tiki bar and theFlamingoʼs Lounge to whet you

whistle, valet laundry, on site Avis

car rental, the list goes on and on.

The Radisson is also very close

to other area attractions. Theyʼre

only a few minutes from world

famous Cocoa Beach. Youʼll alsobe only a short distance from

the Port Canaveral Cruise Line

Terminals, Kennedy Space Center,

Spaceport USA and about an

hours drive from Disney World,

Universal Studies and Sea World.

Thereʼs even complimentary

transportation

to the beach

and CruiseTerminals.

Then thereʼs

the rooms. Thereʼs 212 single and

72 one and two-bedroom whirlpool

suites. When I rst contacted the

hotel I took a tour of the place and

when I walked into the rooms therst word out of my mouth was

“WOW”. They are nice! In their

brochure the Radisson describes

the rooms as “luxury class”

and that is right on the money.

Speaking of money, get this; the

room rates are only $4.00 more

than the Stouffer Orlando charged

way back at the 1992 convention.

Thatʼs right, only a $4.00 increase

in eleven years!

As convention chairperson, I

would like to personally invite you

to next yearʼs BSF convention at

the Radisson Resort at the Port.

I am condent that the luxury,

amenities, spaciousness, and value

that the Radisson offers will make

for an unforgettable convention

experience. See you there!

PS. To check out the Radisson

online go to:

BSF2004 32nd ANNUAL CONVENTION

Http://radissonresortattheport.com

http://http//radissonresortattheport.comhttp://http//radissonresortattheport.com


38/44

November 200333

ANNUAL MEETING

BONSAI SOCIETY OF FLORIDA

The Annual Meeting was held at

the Ramada Inn Hotel, Fort Myers,

Florida, on May 23, 2003.

Treasurer Ed Lippincott reported

that we have $24,029.80 in money

market accounts, CDʼs, and

checking accounts, and $6000.00

will be reimbursed to BSF from the

2003 and 2004 Conventions.

George Henderson, 1st Vice

President summarized the Trusteesʼ

reports. All clubs are doing very

well with the exception of one

club that has asked the Board for

assistance in gaining membership.

BSF has instituted new awards for

its members.Dick said that he is taking the

magazine in a new direction. He is

hoping to add a gallery of pictures

of bonsai, a styling or sustaining

article in every issue, and offer

an online version available in

color. He is selling ads to offsetthe magazine cost. He requests

pictures and articles as well as

suggestions and criticism.

Dick also 2nd Vice President

responsible for BSF Conventions

said, the next convention is being

co-hosted by Brevard and TreasureCoast Bonsai and will be held in

Port Canaveral on May 27 – 31,

2004. No club has offered to host

the 2005 Convention. The new 2nd

Vice President, Gene Callahan, is

willing to come to your club and

speak about what is involved in

hosting a convention.

Louise announced that Ray

Malin is the new chairman of the

Education Committee.Tammy Malin reported that BSF

has 739 members, compared

with 831 for 2002; this is an

89% renewal rate. She said that

communication with members

is made difcult by the large

number of incorrect addresses.She encouraged all of the clubs to

check the information sent to BSF

and correct where necessary.

Louise announced the new ofcers

for 2003-2004.

President George Henderson

1st

VP George Hutson2nd VP Gene Callahan

Treasurer Ed Lippincott

Asst. Treas. Dave Bechtold

Record. Sec. Carol McKinney

Corresp. Sec. Vlad Foursa

Trustees

District 1 Lynn Fabian

District 2 Steve ChapmanDistrict 3 Ray Malin

District 4 Stanley Orsolek

District 5 Al Harnage

District 6 George Hutson

Louise announced the inception

of a new BSF Award. These are

volunteers, whose names weresubmitted by their club ofcers,

and who have worked hard on

behalf of their club.

Since this was the rst year for

this award, not all club ofcers


39/44

Florida Bonsai 34

received or responded to the

request for nominations. It

is expected that there will be

recipients from all districts next

year.This yearʼs winners of the

Volunteer Award are:

David Baruch

Mary Madison

Robert BenaimKen McIntyre

Randy BrooksCarol McKinney

Mike Cartrett

Charles MichaelsonChichigawa Study Group

Mary Miller

Myrna Diaz

Bud Shafer

Toby Diaz

Mike Sullivan

Frank Harris

Ed Trout

Lee Vanderpool

A BSF member reminded the

group about the World Bonsai

Convention in 2005 in Washington

D.C. It will be held on Memorial

Day weekend and could be a

potential conict with the BSF

Convention. Louise responded

that BSF would support the World

Convention and would hold its

convention at a time not to conict.

The meeting adjourned at 1:45 pm.

BOARD MEETING

BONSAI SOCIETY OF FLORIDA

The Board meeting was held at the

Ramada Inn, Fort Meyers, Florida,

on May 22 and 26, 2003.

The treasurerʼs report was as noted

in the Annual Meeting.

Ofcersʼ Reports:

1st VP, George Hutson

introduced the new trustees:

Lynn Fabian–District 1,Steve Chapman–District 2,

Ray Malin–District 3,

Stan Orsolek–District 4,

Al Harnage–District 5,

George Hutson–District 6.

Ray Malin announced that

2 families and 4 individuals

registered for the 2004 Convention

as well as 69 vendors.

Lynn Smith reported that Dave

Cuddington is in the hospital.

Appointment of Committee Chairs:

George Henderson enumerated theCommittee Chairs:

Elyse Van Dyke–Archives,

Ray Malin–Education,

Tammy Malin–Membership,

Dick Miller–Publications and

Morikami,

Rob Kempinski–Speakerʼs Bureau.Unnished Business:

Louise Leister said that the Board

needs a form for the various

award nominations. She received

a hodge-podge of emails, which


40/44

November 200335

were difcult to decipher. She

also expressed her belief that the

recipient of the Presidentʼs Choice

Award should not have to beapproved by the Board.

Because the Trustee Award is such

an important award, the recipients

should be at the banquet to receive

their awards.

Any BSF member can submit a

name.

George Henderson suggested a

volunteer of the year award, but

he favors not limiting the number

of regular

volunteer

awards.

The ofcersof two clubs

said that they

did not receive

their ballots for

the new BSF

Board, further

conrming thecommunication

problem

discussed at the May 22 board

meeting.

Louise is working with Rob

Kempinski on the video and

publicity committees.Dick Miller says that the

Convention Resource Board will

be a source of factual information

from previous Conventions.

The Trustees should ask clubs

what they can contribute to a

Convention. Could they host,

co-host, or assist another club.

Someone from BSF could talk to

them about assignments.

George Henderson wants to improvethe image of BSF.

Stan Orsolek suggested that the

Board could communicate more

personally with the members, and

not exclusively with club presidents,

via email. Tammy Malin responded

that of the 699 members of BSF,less than 100 have email addresses

registered with us. Tammy said

that the new membership form

will ask for email address as well

as in what capacity could the

member volunteer or advise. It was

suggested that “hobbies” be added

to the form.

Dick Miller expressed concern

about the State law to eradicate

non-native trees. He is afraid that

it might be construed to include

bonsai.

(Board Mtg) Unnished Business:

Continued on page 37


41/44

Florida Bonsai 36

DRAGON TREE BONSAI

3663 S.W. Honey Ter.Palm City, FL 34990(772) 463-6633

Bonsai by the Monastery

9 - 5 Monday - Friday

Tokoname Pots

Korean Mica Pots

Books, Videos, Accessories

Japanese Pottery, Tools, Wire

Visit our new website

http://www.bonsaimonk.com

Largest selection of Bonsai Pottery in the USA!

bonsaimonk com

Orders/Catalog: 1.800.778.POTS

Greenhouse Store

Monday - SaturdayPhone: 770.918.9661

FAX: 770.760.0989

2625 Hwy. 212 SW Box HConyers, GA 30094

http://www.bonsaimonk.com/http://www.bonsaimonk.com/


42/44

November 200337

(Board Meeting) New Business:

Dick Miller reiterated the

communication problem and

suggested a solution might be acommon xed date of membership

renewal for the clubs.

Tammy Malin pointed out that

Club ofcers are required to be

BSF members. When a husband

and wife are each club ofcers,

the clubs should pay BSF for

membership for each person.

Elyse Van Dyke will inventory the

documents that she has and put

copies on disk.

Rob Kempinski submitted the

budget of the visiting artists from

last year.The potential list for next year

includes: Walter Pall, Ben Oki,

Guy Guidry, Herb Gustafson,

Suthin, Pedro Morales, Boon

Manakivipart, Lindsay Shiba, Roy

Nagatoshi, Marc Noelanders.

Louise Leister announced that theEpcot coordinator will become a

permanent Committee and should

be invited to board meetings.

Louise encouraged a special

dedication of the BSF stand at

Morikami with the logo tree

displayed on the stand.Dick announced that Central

Florida is the latest club who has

purchased stands at Morikami.

The price of stands will go up

from $500 to $5000 in July. Our

$500 stands compete with their

fundraising efforts. They allowed us

to sell the stands for 2 years at $500

to member clubs but our time is now

up. (SWFBS subsequently donatedone with their convention prots.)

George Henderson established the

next board meeting to be Saturday,

January 31, 2004 in Ocala.

George reminded that the 2005

Convention cannot be on Memorial

Day weekend due to the WorldConvention in Washington D.C.

Rob Kempinski said that we might

just “beef-up” the Miami Club s̓

annual show and not hold a complete

convention.

Ray Smith informed the Board that

attendance at the 2003 Conventionmight have been down because

so many people attended the

Convention last year. BSF might

consider holding a Convention every

other year and doing something else

during alternate years.

George Henderson said that BSFmembers have been asking for a

less expensive convention, with

less expensive hotel with meals

included. That is exactly what this

Convention offered, but there was

still low attendance, only 105-110

full registrations.

BSF needs the convention money

every year in order to operate and

support the magazine.

The meeting adjourned.

From page 35


43/44

Florida Bonsai 38

Wholesale to t e tra e.

Retail, Demos, and Workshops, for

Bonsai Clubs, by appointment only. Call for information. 561/746-5074

Visit our web site:

If you received the Email color issue, you can

click the web site for direct access.

Nursery Stock

Pre-bonsai

Soil

Wire

Pots

Tools

Stands

Large/small Bonsai

J

U

P

I

T

E

R

B

O

N

S

A

I

Thes

florida bonsai - nov 03 - screen

Documents