the bonsai news of...
TRANSCRIPT
The Bonsai News of Houston A Monthly Newsletter of the Houston Bonsai Society Inc.
Volume 49 Number 6 June 2018
Work of Pierre Leloup, bonsai artist, master woodworker, sculptor, garden designer and builder
The next meeting of the Houston Bonsai Society will be at the Cherie Flores Garden Pavilion in Hermann Park, 1500 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, TX 77004. Refreshments at 7 PM, meeting starts at 7:30 PM.
June 6 HBS monthly meeting: Japanese Black Pine Seedling Cutting Technique with Brian Gurrola. Please bring your JBP for Show & Tell with Ray or for suggestions from Brian.
Upcoming Events More details in Calendar of Events
June 9 Saturday Study Group at Maas Nursery in Seabrook, 9 AM-12 PM. Free, refreshments provided.
June 16 Basic Bonsai #1 Class at Timeless Trees Nursery, 9AM-1PM. $60 per student including a tree, pot, soil, wire, handout, and a pair of scissors. Focus: Repotting the tree into a ceramic pot and make initial branch selection.
June 23 Tropicals on a stone at Timeless Trees Nursery, 9AM-1PM Cost $50 to $250 depending on chosen stone and trees. We will attach tropical trees (Ficus, Chinese Sweet plum, Brazilian Rain Tree, Escambron) to a stone and cover it with moss. We will provide stone, trees, wire, muck, and moss.
July 7 Workshops with Jonas Dupuich - Bring your own Tree – Japanese Black Pine in morning session: 9AM -1 PM – Juniper in afternoon session: 1 PM - 5PM. $60 per session or $110 all day.
July 11 HBS monthly meeting: BBQ & Bonsai. Bring your own trees and tools to work on after the meal.
IN THIS ISSUE
Upcoming Events
JBP Cutting technique with Brian Gurrola
Showcase of the Month
Japanese Black Pines
June Bonsai Care
John Miller
President’s Letter
on Deadwood & Will Baddeley
Photos of LSBF 2018 State Convention In Longview, TX
TTSBE One-Day Sale Fundraiser
Photos of HBS members at Brussell’s
2018 Rendez-Vous
Japanese Black Pines
June Bonsai Care A subject brought up in an azalea workshop at the LSBF convention indicated that a lot of people do not really know what plants need or the growing conditions in their backyards, especially in their local mini-environments. I have a maple that used to turn red in December in Dallas, but now does so in November where I moved to, only 30 air miles away. You should know the general weather as predicted on the news but, more importantly, the particular changes at different times of day in your own backyard. Late afternoon sun (hotter, shining in low from the West and very low humidity) may be more detrimental to bonsai than overhead sun.
Most plants in pots will not enjoy a full day of 90+ sun. Partial shade should be provided. A shade cloth is best as it will protect in the middle of the day. A vertical shade cloth on the WEST side can protect from the late afternoon sun. This is the worst sun as the temperature is already high and the drier air makes the rays more intense. Higher humidity on the coast may alleviate the problem some.
Leaf pruning should not be considered a yearly task. It should be done only as needed and only on very healthy trees, but not on Broadleaf evergreens. I usually consider Memorial Day the end of leaf pruning. But if you need to leaf prune, beware that the summer may turn hot in a hurry and the tender new leaves may burn. Trees also need time to replace the energy they use to grow new foliage. Never leaf prune the atropurpeum varieties of Japanese maples. They don’t rebud very well. I have done it on Shumard oaks successfully.
When night temperatures stay above 60 degrees, you can start repotting tropicals, but wait another month for the buttonwood. Some tropicals can be leaf pruned all summer. The Ficus nerifolia especially benefits from leaf pruning and that can be done more than once each summer to develop the heavy twiginess you see in the Ficus bonsai from the Far East.
As the summer progresses, growth on deciduous trees will slow down. Keep a clipper with you when watering so you take care of most errant shoots. Just like in the spring, a long shoot will thicken too much. The major pruning on tropicals is now done.
Tip pinching on some flowering species like the crepe myrtles will result in fewer flowers but if you let them go, they get out of shape. I prefer to try to balance the flower/design by pinching early so the energy can generate more growing tips, resulting in finer ramification and reduced flower size. The blooms are less showy but more in scale.
Also if you have fruiting bonsai, reduce the number of fruit not to drain all the tree’s energy. The number one goal of plants is to make seeds for reproduction, but they may starve themselves in order to accomplish that goal. Again, most fruit don’t reduce like leaves, so they are usually too large to look good on bonsai.
Some days may feel relatively cool to you, but direct sun can still heat up
the pot. Not only does the soil dry out too fast but most of the roots may be killed at 120 degrees. I cannot give you a precise to-do list since your backyard is different from mine but make sure the sun does not hit the pots directly. Take note of which areas in your yard are most affected by the hottest afternoon sun, from 2 PM to sundown and make sure that the side of the pot is protected. A loose weave cover is preferable to solid carboard or foil to allow for the build-up heat to escape. Chopped sphagnum moss spread on the soil surface will reduce evaporation and help keep the roots cooler.
Get to know your trees like your children. Which ones use more water and which ones stay moist between waterings? If some are difficult to keep happy, you can move them to cooler locations as long as they get some sunlight. It also helps to group these together, so you can give them a sprinkle twice a day (and not have to spend the time going through all your trees).
Cool or damp weather is good for fungal diseases like black leaf spot. Hot and damp bring other fungi like mildew. Treat with potassium bicarbonate or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda). After the new foliage has hardened a bit, you can treat weekly with a 1% hydrogen peroxide (1 part 3% peroxide to 2 parts water).
Also watch for signs of insect problems. The spider mite will always be near. Others to look for are scale of various forms, aphids, and mealy bugs. Scale may need to be treated with a systemic insecticide. I use the organic foliar feed (1 tablespoon each of fish emulsion, liquid kelp, molasses and cider vinegar per gallon water) to control all these. You can use some other organic controls or chemicals but remember to follow the directions on the label carefully. Never apply oil-based chemicals to buttonwoods. Do spray on a regular basis to prevent infestation. Also remember that most insecticides kill the insects but do not remove the evidence, such as the scale shells, spider webs, etc.
If ants or any other creatures build their nests in the bonsai pots, tunnels and cavities will prevent proper watering and may result in loss of roots. After you get rid of the ants, be sure to add a little more soil on top and use your chopsticks to fill all air pockets.
The best way to fertilize bonsai is by using fertilizer cakes.
The cakes provide a slow constant feeding each time you water. Cakes made with cottonseed will provide an acidic pH when they break down, which we need to offset the alkalinity of city water. Making your own fertilizer cakes is easy and much cheaper. I also supplement with acidic chemical fertilizers such as Miracid or Peters a couple of times a month.
My main problem with chemicals is not knowing how many bad salts accumulate in the soil over time, since each time I water, some or most chemical fertilizers are washed away.
Happy bonsaiing!
John Miller
John Miller, who writes a monthly column for the Bonsai Society of Dallas and Fort Worth Bonsai Society, has agreed to share his column with us. We need to make adjustments for our warmer and damper climate, with earlier springs, longer summers, late fall and erratic winters.
President’s Letter
At the May meeting Will Baddeley demonstrated carving techniques on a cedar elm that was collected two years ago. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, he was not able to finish. He did complete the carving on that demo tree the next day and it seemed appropriate to capture the full process in this article.
Will carves deadwood in many different situations, but, while in Houston, he really dealt with two situations that we encounter frequently, flat cuts left when we cut off the top of a tree or a large branch with reverse taper.
The demo tree shown here provides a good example of both circumstances. It has bulges low down on both sides of the trunk, making a sizeable reverse taper, and it was trunk cut last year to begin growing a new crown.
The elm yamadori before Will started his work.
Will’s process for dealing with both circumstances was:
1. Mark areas where bark will be removed with chalk. On the flat cut that needs to be carved, the bark removal is extended downward from the cut to create a nice taper and comes to a point on the bottom. Treating the reverse taper was particularly interesting. Simply removing the bark lightens the visual weight of the bulge so much that it is no longer obtrusive. This was even more apparent on another elm that Will carved while he was here.
2. Debark using an appropriate bit. He
used a small triangular carving bit for smaller work and then a large carving
bit like a Samurai for larger trees. He simply wants to remove the bark down to the heartwood quickly without worrying much about tool marks.
3. Adjust the profile if you intend to. On the demo tree, Will removed some of the material from the bulge on the right side to reduce the reverse taper even more. He usually uses large carving bits for this part of the process.
4. Hollow out the area being carved. Will hollowed out much more than I expected and connected various hollows using long shafted bits.
After some quick restyling, Will explained what the next steps would be.
For instance, the inside of the demo tree is now completely hollow. Will connected all three of the carved areas. The hollowing should not be symme-trical and he always had a hole at the low point of the hollow to help water drain. In many cases he would work to thin the wood from the inside before making the hole. The extra hollowing and removing wood around holes from the inside was to give the impression of depth by preventing you from seeing any wood inside the hole. Holes are generally irregular in shape and often come to a sharp end like a vertical eye.
5. If you are carving green wood, Will prefers to stop at this point and let the wood dry out (cure) for several months so that the details in the carving will appear sharper.
6. Around areas that you choose to carve out holes, remove some of the surface wood using small carving bits to create a slightly raised feature. This helps the feature stand out.
7. Add grooves using the “flying saucer” bits. The grooves should mimic the contours of any holes and the edge of the lifeline. In doing this you must move the bottom of your Dremel a lot to curve the grooves. Also use this bit to extend the detail at the end of eye shaped holes. I found the flying saucer bits at woodcarversupply.com listed as knife edge burrs.
8. Use a worn wire brush bit to smooth the edges of the grooves that you just made. You must use a very gentle touch to keep from removing too much wood.
The fine carving at the end of the first demo day
9. Will made a final detail tool by taking a Dremel circular saw bit and grinding it
down to a smooth edge about ¾” in diameter. Use this to put in some additional grooves in keeping with the pattern you have on the wood at this point.
The final product is shown in the picture above. Note the additional movement that Will created by curving the lifeline between the two bulging areas that were carved. The grooves look a bit artificial at this point, but Will says that they will fade reasonably quickly, and, as of this writing I can already tell that they are fading.
Will encouraged me to go ahead and treat the wood with my favorite type of wood hardener quickly. It has been about 4 weeks since Will carved this tree. It has responded vigorously (as you would expect from an elm) and will likely need to be pruned and rewired in another 5-6 weeks. See you at the meeting.
Pete Parker
2018 LONE STAR BONSAI FEDERATION ANNUAL CONVENTION
Blooming
Bonsai
And Group plantings
hosted by the Longview Bonsai Society
April 20-22, 2018 at Hilton Garden Inn, Longview, Texas
As I promised last month, here are some more of the photos of the event shared by Joey McCoy of Austin club and TTSBE for your viewing pleasure.
Mark Bynum and his Drunk’s Juniperus Procumbens Intoxica
It looked like everyone had a lot of fun with the exhibit, contests, awards, auctions and raffles, especially the workshops. Like John Miller declared, it was one of the best conventions in a long time… until the one HBS and ABS will host next year. Get your trees, accent plants and rocks ready! Once again, thanks Joey for thanks for sharing your beautiful convention photos with us.
Shawn Nguyen
The Texas State Bonsai Exhibit
presents our
3rd annual
One-Day Sale Fundraiser Sunday June 10, 2018 – 10AM-2PM
Hi friends,
Once again, TTSBE will hold its One-Day-Sale fundraiser
on Sunday June 10, at Lakeview Bonsai
4005 Paloma Circle, Austin TX 78734
(follow the signs and park in the field)
10AM – 2PM.
There will be lots of bonsai and pre-bonsai (native
collected species, urban collected gems and exotics),
magazines, shirts and more, all to raise funds for the
building of the permanent bonsai exhibit at Zilker
Botanical Gardens. You never know what treasures may
show up!
Our famous “Bring a Bonsai, Buy a Bonsai” program
encourages individuals to donate plants and supplies to
benefit TTSBE and help build your neighborhood Bonsai
Exhibit. Everyone will go home happy. If you bring items
to donate, please bring them already priced.
Hot dogs and snacks will be available about lunch time but
cool drinks and smiling bonsai friends will be there all
day.
Elaine has offered her swimming pool to cool us off. Bring
your swimsuit and bring your cash! Bonsai sale and pool
party, what a combo! Plan on stopping by!
Looking forward to seeing everyone there!
Joey McCoy
Calendar of Events
2018
JUN 6 HBS meeting – Japanese Black Pine Seedling Cutting Technique with Brian Gurrola
JUN 9 Saturday Study Group at Maas Nursery, 5511 Todville Road, Seabrook, Texas 77586. Free, refreshments
JUN 16 Basic Bonsai #1 Class at Timeless Trees Nursery, 9AM-1PM. $ 60 including a tree, pot, soil, wire, hand-out, and a pair of scissors. Focus: Repotting the tree into a ceramic pot and make initial branch selection.
JUN 16 Shohin club - Mexican Heather as Shohin material with May Lau, at Persimmon Hill Bonsai, 12001 Red Hawk Cove, Austin, TX. Contact Steven Hendricks at [email protected] or 817-239-7210.
JUN 23 Tropicals on a stone at Timeless Trees Nursery, 9AM-1PM Cost $50 to $250 depending on chosen stone and trees (Ficus, Chinese Sweet plum, Brazilian Rain Tree, Escambron) to attach to a stone and cover it with moss. We will provide stone, trees, wire, muck, and moss.
JUN 23-24 20 Years of Bonsai in Poland & Black Scissors International Bonsai Festival at Arboretum Wojslawice, 58-230 Niemcza, Poland. Featuring Kevin Wilson (UK), Robert Steven (Indonesia), Zhang Xuming & Chen Yougui (China), Vaclav Novak (Czech Republic), Kestutis Ptakauskas (Lithuania), and Grzegorz Sowiński (Poland). [email protected] or www.bonsai.pl.
July 7 Workshops with Jonas Dupuich - Bring your own Tree – Japanese Black Pine morning session: 9AM -1PM, Juniper in afternoon session: 1 PM - 5PM. $60 per session or $110 all day.
July 11 HBS monthly meeting: BBQ & Bonsai. Bring your own trees and tools to work on after the catered meal.
July 14 Saturday Study Group at Timeless Trees Nursery, 9 AM-12 PM. Free, refreshments provided.
July 21 Workshops with Rodney Clemons on - Bring your own Tree - Japanese Black Pine in morning session: 9AM -1 PM – Juniper in afternoon session: 1 PM - 5PM. $60 per session or $110 all day.
July 22 Create a stone/slab planting with Rodney Clemons 9AM-4 PM. Rodney king of boxwoods is known for his boxwood plantings on a stone. Select a Stone or Slab, and add Japanese or Kingsville Boxwoods. Price will depend on the specific stone selected and the number and type of Boxwoods chosen. We will provide stone, trees, wire, muck, and moss. Cost from $50 to $250.
Brussel ’s Rendez-Vous
MAY 25th -27th
For those of you who did not have a chance to attend this 3-day annual gathering of bonsai enthusiasts at Brussell’s, Ken Cousino has a photographic report to share.
Brussel Martin puts on a special event every spring during the long Memorial Day weekend known as the Rendez-vous. Internationally recognized teachers and masters from around the world and students from all corners of the U.S. gather for lectures, hands-on workshops and demonstrations.
Seeking the best sources for young bonsai trees, Brussel began developing business relationships with Asian growers in the mid-1970s. Now, decades later, his annual buying trips take him to Japan, China, Taiwan and South Korea where he has friends he has worked with for decades. Check out the packed greenhouses with the widest if not the best selection of bonsai trees in the country, in optimal growing facilities.
Japanese 10 to 30-year old Satsuki azaleas
Most attendees select their bonsai stock, starter pre-bonsai or majestic oldies then enrolled in workshops with the masters to get the inside tips on how to style and maintain their new bonsai. Here is a class held by Brussell.
For the gourmands and gourmets among bonsai aficionados, there are also generous helpings of delicious foods and drinks to share with old and new friends. This is true classic Southern hospitality.
Besides the lectures -demos and classes, most enjoy shopping for bonsai supplies, magazines,
books and clothing and the most memorable camaraderie.
If you love bonsai, treat yourself to this one of kind bonsai experience. Make plan to car pool with us or meet us there next year. Ken
Stop by and enjoy Phil’s weekly bonsai show & sale, and a study group every Saturday morning from 8AM-12 Noon, at the Urban Harvest Eastside Farmers’ Market, 3000 Richmond. For pre-bonsai and large bonsai, please call for an appointment.
Make sure you go to Timeless Trees’ website and subscribe to weekly Current Events to stay in the know. You can find the best gifts: trees, pots, all sorts of bonsai supplies, soils of all kinds, tools and books for your bonsai lovers and yourself. Classes are offered every weekend.
Quality Feed & Garden and Ken stand ready to help you with bonsai trees, basic tools, pots and soils like Akadama, Lava, Pumice, Kanuma, and “Ken’s Bonsai Soil in 10 lb. & 50 lb. bags. Free Study classes for HBS every 3-months Ask for 10% HBS discount.
Come stock up on bonsai soils, pesticides, fungicides, fertilizers and other supplies. The plant doctor is always on duty, so bring your unhappy or unhealthy bonsai for a free check-up. Don’t forget to ask for a 10% HBS discount.
Summer is officially here and so are the heat loving tropicals at JRN II. Asian exotics and ficuses do well as indoor bonsai. Arrangements of orchids and bromeliads can be ordered for all occasions year round. While you are at the nursery, give fruit trees a try as bonsai too.
Visit artist Andrew Sankowski at the Mossrock Studio & Fine Art Gallery for the finest gifts and most uniquely beautiful bonsai pots in every shape, form and color. Personalized pots or gifts can be commissioned year round. Weekly pottery classes are also available.
Andrew Sankowski 26002 Oak Ridge Drive Direct (281) 684-4411
The Woodlands, TX 77380 Fax (281) 363-9032
For high quality daizas for viewing stones, Suiseki, bonsai stands and Shoji screens in any shape, form, style, wood, dimensions and colors, please visit artist Jerry Braswell. Send him your designs and specifications for custom wood work. For more info: www.artofthedaiza.wordpress.com
Houston Bonsai Society, Inc. P. O. Box 540727, Houston, Texas 77254-0727
www.houstonbonsaisociety.com
HBS Board Members
President Pete Parker [email protected]
1st Vice President Scott Barboza [email protected] in charge of Education 2nd Vice President Hoe Chuah [email protected] Secretary Maria Grissom [email protected] Publicity Ken Cousino [email protected]
Treasurer Eldon Branham [email protected]
in charge of Membership Webmaster Anthony Cutola [email protected]
Member at Large - O Gale Childers [email protected]
Member at Large - O James Kelly [email protected]
Member at Large - O Ryan Vollert [email protected]
Member at Large – E Sharon Barker [email protected] Member at Large - E Ray González [email protected] Member at Large – E Brian Gurrola [email protected]
Delegates Past President Hurley Johnson [email protected]
LSBF Delegate Terry Dubois [email protected]
LSBF Alternate Pete Parker [email protected]
BCI Ambassador
TTSBE Representative Alan Raymond [email protected]
Refreshments
Website/email Gary Teeter [email protected]
Newsletter editor Shawn Nguyen [email protected]
The Bonsai News of Houston is a monthly publication of the Houston Bonsai Society, Inc. Copyright © 2011. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the editor or a member of the Board of Directors. Exceptions exist, however, for certain not-for-profit and non-profit bonsai organizations or associated bonsai and bonsai nursery newsletters, including without limitation the American Bonsai Society. HBS participates fully with reciprocation of contents and material between other LSBF member organizations and others. Authors who submit articles for this newsletter thereby give permission to such organizations to reprint, unless they expressly state otherwise.
Space for advertising in The Bonsai News of Houston can be requested by contacting the newsletter editor or a member of the HBS Board. The rates for a business-card-size ad (approximately 3 1/2" x 2") are $10 per month, and $75 per year (12 issues). A full-page ad is $50 per month. Rates are subject to change without notice. 3½" x 2" classified ads are run free of charge for one month once per 12-month period for non-commercial members. For special requests or questions related to The Bonsai News of Houston, contact the newsletter editor or a member of the HBS Board.