FORT WAYNE BONSAI CLUB NEWSLETTER Vol. 20 – Issue 03 March, 2016

Article deadline is 1st

Saturday of the month. http://fortwaynebonsai.com

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! This month we meet again at the Little Turtle Library at 2201

Sherman Blvd Fort Wayne, IN 46808 at 10:30 am on March 19th. Ed will be reminding you if

you have not paid your dues.

This is a pic from the internet. Let me know if you like something this wild

as far as the deadwood is concerned..

I believe that we still have one opening for our workshop with Vance

Hanna in April. You need to make payment for this workshop by this

meeting so if you have not paid and have signed u[ for the workshop but

cannot attend this meeting send Ed a check or your space could be sold.

To read more about Vance, go to this slide show and read more.

http://www.slideshare.net/adsumo/vance-hanna-presentation

We are doing the same thing this month that we did last month and we

had a blast then so bring a tree or trees to work on and we will be repotting anything that needs it. If you need

some soil let Jerry know a couple of days ahead and we will bring it to the meeting. I have been in contact with

the Sister City Committee regarding the Cherry Blossom festival in May. They will

try to move us a bit further west in the main hall so we will be closer to the

loading dock where we unload and load our trees. That move will also hopefully

make it a bit brighter for our sales and demos. They are putting in their schedule

of events that we will be doing 3 bonsai demonstrations, 1 at 12:30 one at 1:30

and one at 2:30. We will also again be able to sell trees and starter trees without

incurring vendor fees. Last year we nearly sold out of everything we took.

The picture to the right is a beautiful lantana owned by Ed Trout in Florida and is

currently on display at the 3 month bonsai display at Epcot in Disney World. It is a

very unique and beautiful cascade.

As I am writing this I am over the pneumonia in my left lung. Jerry and I will be going to Alaska in June for our

Granddaughters wedding. Jill Hurd and Ed Hake have agreed to do the June meeting. I am sure they will come

up with a great program.

See you at the meeting next Saturday. Call me with any questions. Darlene Kittle 637-5104, Cell 260-413-5601

plantlady6@yahoo.com

March, 2016

Thanks to Ben and Sikorski’s for the tasty morsels last month. Refreshments for March will be provided by Jeff Calder and Andrew Hurst. This month’s meeting will be the site for the Journal portion of the library. I will say that I question why the club maintains a library as I see little activity surrounding the borrowing of journals. Perhaps Susan sees more with the books. I’m going to try something different this month. I’ll bring 6 journals of my choosing. That will give you far fewer to look through and choose from. Maybe it won’t be so overwhelming. Sales of bonsai at the Home & Garden Show were nearly $700.00. That does not include the sale of pre-bonsai plants. The Bonsai Bunch will once again be sending information to the Deputy Director of the Conservatory to let her know the detail of our contribution toward the free space at the conservatory for our spring and fall displays. I had occasion to be in the booth on Friday evening and it might be that a couple of new people will show up for our March meeting. The next big outflow of bonsai from the gift shop will be the Mother’s Day Home and Garden Show at the McMillan Community Center. I’ll be bringing a sign-up sheet for shifts at that event so you can help out with bonsai questions and support the club. igarden2@aol.com

As I prepare this article for this newsletter, the weather predicted for the next week is more

spring-like with temperatures in the 50°'s and 60°'s. So it looks like this March is going to be

the perfect time to repot, and to branch and/or root-prune. Your young trees less than 5

years old should be repotted, trees between 5 and 20 years old may be repotted every two to three years, and

trees over 20 should be repotted every five years or a little longer. By the end of March beginning of April,

depending on weather conditions, trees can be brought out of winter shelter. Evergreens may be fertilized

now and, in general, you may spray for fungus and insects on a warm day. March and April are also good

months to dig trees from the wild, keeping as much fibrous root attached as possible.

Keep your trees cool. Don't be in a hurry to encourage early growth, as it can still get cold and we can have a

frost or freeze. March/April are great months for repotting, and for digging planted trees and collecting field

grown ones.

April is still a good month for root-pruning, and for digging trees from yard or field. Begin your feeding,

pinching, watering, and pruning schedules in earnest. Of course, be mindful of potential cold snaps, and be

ready to protect vulnerable plants. This is the time we've all been waiting for! This month, most deciduous

will have buds swelling and leaves emerging. Be ready to repot if needed. Repot pines and juniper this

month, after the candles (pine buds) begin to swell.(Start balanced fertilization as new growth begins.

Continue fertilization until mid-summer. Spray to control pests that feed on fresh, early growth. Allow new

deciduous growth to extend to 3 leaves or leaf pairs, and then cut back to 1-2 leaves or leaf pairs. Continue

through summer. Most non-tropical trees should be outdoors by the end of April. BEWARE: There always

seems to be a late frost from April-May. May 15th is considered 'last frost date'. Watch for frost advisories

and protect your trees by bringing them into a garage, basement, or by using a cloth netting. All new growth

is susceptible to frost damage.

(Compiled from several web articles and adapted to our area.)

Ed Hake ( ehake@aol.com PH: 747-0493 )

March 19, 2016: Little Turtle Library Pruning Demo/Workshop. Ed & Darlene will do a demo and you are

invited to bring trees to prune.

April 16, 2016 - 11:00 AM: Workshop with Vance Hanna at the Kittle residence. Limit of 9 people. Carry in

luncheon. Observers allowed.

May 15, 2016: Cherry Blossom Festival at noon at the Allen County Public Library

May 21, 2016: Our Spring Show at the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory

June 18, 2016: Tentatively demos by Ed Hake and Jill Hurd at location TBD.

July 16, 2016: Our summer Picnic at the Kittle Residence

August 20, 2016: Tentative Field trip to Chicago

September 17, 2016: Our Fall Show at the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory in connection with

Japanese display

24 members were present at our February meeting, held 2/20 at the Little Turtle Library.

Darlene discussed carpooling for a trip to a Jack Wikle event at Hidden Lake Gardens in Tipton, Michigan,

on Sept. 19.

A workshop with Vance Hanna will be held at Darleen's on April 16 at 11 a.m.Participant spots are filled, but

you can still observe and learn a lot for $5 (you can pay Ed if you'd like to do this).

There will be a beginner's workshop on May 21 at our spring show at the Botanical Conservatory.

Members brought trees which were worked on during the meeting. Our March meeting, 3/19, will be at the

same location and will follow the same pattern, so bring a tree and get some advice and some work done.

The book library was at the meeting, and several members checked out books. In March, the journals library

will be there. Plan to check out a journal or two and extend your learning it this way.

Thanks to Ben McHugh and Tony & Angie Sikorski for refreshments.

Submitted by:

Susan Braun

WHAT A DILEMMA! SHOULD I REPOT NOW OR SHOULDN’T I?

For any who may not know, when the leaf buds of hardy trees are swelling in spring, root growth is also going

into high gear. All else being equal, this is the best time to repot. The roots will recover quickly and the impact

on the tree will be minimal.

But this year, all is not equal. As we all know, the weather this winter has been downright weird. October,

November and December each went in the record books as the warmest, on average and respectively, since

records have been kept. (I stopped keeping track in January.) We’ve all seen the frequent spikes in

temperature, from shirt-sleeve weather to well below freezing and back again in a matter of days. People

wisecrack that here in Indiana one can experience all four season in the space of a week, and this winter it has

often seemed that that’s literally true!

We’ve had enough days of sufficient warmth that leaf buds are swelling – some even bursting – on our

temperate-zone trees. (One of my yews, in fact, has started to set this year’s arils – berries - already.) This

leaves us bonsai-type people on the horns of a dilemma: do we repot now and risk having new growth

damaged by below-freezing weather in the next month and a half? Or do we wait and very possibly end up

missing the repotting window? While that avoids freezing damage to new foliage and new roots, it has its own

price. Forgoing root-pruning means forgoing the rejuvenating effect pruning has on the roots. And a tree that

is not repotted in timely fashion can end up rootbound, which itself slows its progress.

Again for any who may not know, the dilemma is even sharper when it comes to conifers, because for them,

and most especially for pines and other members of the Pinaceae, the limits of the window are much stricter.

You’re more likely to kill a pine by repotting at the tail end of the roots’ growth flush than you are a maple, a

fact I’ve learned by unhappy experience. (And, by the way and generally speaking, there is no natural

repotting window for tropical species.)

Having described the problem, I have to add that I have no easy answer. I can only tell you what I’m doing, and

hope you find it helpful as you decide what to do.

I never thought I’d be repotting hardy trees before the middle of March (!), but that’s what I’ve started doing,

as fast as I can make time. I’m taking a few precautions.

First, I’m taking fewer chances with root disturbance, especially with conifers. Conditions are liable to

be tricky in the next six weeks; the roots don’t need the added trauma of more pruning than is

necessary.

Second, in a cold spell it’s even more important to keep up the ambient humidity around newly

repotted trees, and protect them from wind. Cold roots can’t take up as much moisture to replenish

desiccated leaves and twigs.

Third, I’m ready for “the shuffle:” move the trees indoors for the duration if (and when!) a spell of sub-

freezing weather moves in.

One tree I’ve worked on is the yew I mentioned above that is already

setting arils. Because it has already broken dormancy as far as it has, I

did only enough to adjust its planting angle to its intended

permanent position. Root pruning was almost nil. This tree is the one

I’ll take to the workshop next month with Vance Hannah (which was

a second reason to work it as little as possible now.) Here’s a picture,

showing the probable permanent front.

- Steve Moore, February 6, 2016; treebeard20@gmail.com

https://hoosierbonsai.blogspot.com.

REPOTTING BONSAI, HOW TO REPOT YOUR TREE

To prevent a tree from being pot-bound and ultimately starving to death, regular repotting is crucial. Re-

potting your Bonsai will not keep it small; instead it will supply the tree with new nutrients that it needs to

grow and flourish.

How to repot Bonsai trees

How often?

It depends on the size of container/pot and tree species how often a Bonsai needs to be repotted. Fast

growing trees need to be repotted every two years (sometimes even every year), while older, more mature

trees need to be repotted every 3 to 5 years. Do not repot on a routine, instead check on your trees every

early spring by carefully removing the tree from its pot. A Bonsai needs to be repotted when the roots circle

around the root system. When the roots are still contained in soil wait another year before checking again.

When?

Re-potting work normally needs to be done during the early spring; when the tree is still in dormancy. This

way the somewhat damaging effect of repotting on a tree is reduced to a minimum, as the tree does not yet

have to sustain a full-grown foliage. Repotting in early spring will also ensure that damage done to the root

system will be repaired soon, when the tree starts growing.

Bonsai soil mixture

Choosing the right soil mixture is crucial for the health of your trees, it should be draining enough to prevent

the roots from rotting, while absorbing enough water to supply the tree with water. Although some tree

species need special soil mixtures, the following mixture is suitable for most trees:

Mix akadama, fine gravel and potting compost together in a ratio of ½ to ¼ to ¼. When you do not have time

to water your trees regularly, choose a more water absorbing mixture (use more potting compost), while you

should choose a more draining mixture (use more akadama and gravel) when living in a wet climate. Read the

Bonsai soil article for more detailed information on soil mixtures.

Choice of Bonsai pot

Choosing a pot that fits your Bonsai, both in size as in style, is crucial for the composition as a whole. For more

information, check the Bonsai pots article or the bonsai pottery page.

Repotting Bonsai, step by step

First prepare the pot, than start repotting:

1. Put a plastic mesh on the drainage holes, attached with some copper wire (see photo 1, below).

2. Cover the base of the pot with a layer of grit to create a good drainage. You might want to attach

another copper wire to the drainage holes in the pot, which can be used to attach the tree with in the

next step (see photo 2, below).

3. Now use the prepared soil mixture as the second layer, on which the tree will be planted (see photo 3,

below).

Step-by-step plan to repot your Bonsai:

1. Carefully take the tree out of its pot, when it is stuck use a root-knife (see photo 1, below). Be sure to

obtain the right bonsai tools, which makes the work easier.

2. Inspect whether the tree needs to be repotted or not, as described above in the ‘how often’ section.

3. By using a root-hook or some chopsticks, carefully remove the soil and disentangle the roots somewhat

(see photo 2, below). When repotting pine trees never remove all the soil; this would remove the

mycorrhizal fungus which is essential for the tree’s survival.

4. Prune back long roots; this will help your tree to grow a more compact root-system suitable for

placement in small Bonsai pots. Also remove rotting or vertical growing roots. Prune up to ¼ of the

total root mass (see photo 3, below).

5. Place the tree, slightly out of the middle of the pot (see photo 4, below) and attach it with the copper

wire (see photo 5, below).

6. Fill the pot using the soil mixture up to about 1 cm (0.4’’) below the rim; make sure the soil fills the pot

completely and no air pockets between the roots are left (see photo 6, below).

7. Water the tree thoroughly, this will settle the soil and fill up any remaining air pockets.

And then?

Aftercare: Protect the tree from strong winds and sun for about two months. Start fertilizing one month after

the repotting.

More information

Check the Bonsai species guides on repotting Bonsai trees. Go to the repotting forum or check our general

Bonsai care guidelines.