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Great Swamp Bonsai Society | ||
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| Newsletter for April 2005 | |||
| Next meeting: 7:00 PM Tuesday, April 12, 2005 - Frelinghuysen Arboretum, E. Hanover Avenue, Morristown, NJ | |||
March Meeting Highlights:
The March meeting was not very well-attended due mainly to threatening weather. This included, but was not limited to snow, rain, hail, sleet, freezing rain and almost everything else that Old Man Winter could throw at us. Those brave souls that were in attendance were left with the task of selecting three trees to represent Great Swamp at the April 15-17 Mid-Atlantic Bonsai Symposium. Mark was not in attendance due to a previous commitment, but our past president, John Michalski took the meeting in hand. Almost all members who were in attendance brought trees and there were photos available from members who were not able to be there. Here are the three trees that were selected:
American Larch
Larix Laricena
~50 yrs old / 5yrs in training
Martin Schmalenberg
Korean Hornbeam Forest
Carpinus Turczaninovii
5-12 yrs old / 1 year in training
Fred Aufschläger
Cedar Elm
Ulmus Crassifolia
~40 years old / 10 years in training Ken Olander
Dues, Dues, Dues...
Also, in case you've forgotten, annual DUES are DUE and some members are in arrears. It's still $30 for an individual membership, $40 for family. See Fred to settle your account...
The President's Corner
Mark Schmuck |
April, a lot going
on, lots to notice out in the yard. Spring bulbs popping up, tree buds starting
to swell... One thing I noticed out there, heeled into the garden for the winter, some of my trees were looking a little peculiar. It seems the local cottontail found those tender budded branches just plain tasty. I'm glad someone had the nerve to prune off those branches. I’ve been putting it off, and putting it off. Now I can get started growing some bonsai. |
Much to do this month. Repotting workshop, hope the timing is right; The Mid-Atlantic Festival is always a good time, a good learning experience. And your attendance, even for only a day, benefits the club.
Following the festival we look forward to Andy Smith's visit, who will be bringing with him a Rocky Mountain Juniper. Save your money for raffle tickets. Please keep the afternoon workshops in May and July in mind. They will fill up quickly. Fred will have some pots for sale at the repotting meeting , see you there,
Mark.
Repotting Workshop
Now is the time to get those unruly trees tamed in time for the season. Deciduous trees may have already begun to experience budding but with the way the season has progressed thus far, it’s a fair bet that most have not begun to actually show much of a growth spurt just yet.
The workshop will be especially helpful for those who have not yet done any repotting. Our fairly-new-to-the-hobby enthusiasts will be assisted every step of the way. Everyone is encouraged to bring a tree and work on it at this meeting. More experienced members will be on hand to demonstrate the necessary techniques and assist newer members with their trees.
For those who may require new pots in which to replant their trees, Fred will have several available at reasonable cost.
We will also have Soil available for those who need it as well.
And, we’re looking for a good turnout for this meeting, since we’ve had some bad luck with the weather for two of our winter meetings.
In addition to the repotting workshop, we will be reviewing the club’s responsibilities during the Mid-Atlantic Bonsai Symposium being held the following weekend. (April 15-17) There is still an opportunity to volunteer for setup, takedown and security detail during the weekend.
And, speaking of MABS, this years Symposium features lecture/demonstrations and workshops by such renowned artists as Hatsuji Kato, David Prescott, Cheryl Manning and Andrew Smith. In addition to the program, all member clubs will have trees on display. It’s a good opportunity to see what other clubs are doing with our hobby. And finally, for those in need, the vendor area will feature Trees, Pots, Stones, Tools, and various Supplies that are not generally available at your local nursery.
So even if you are not planning to attend the entire festival, you might consider dropping by to see the display and the vendor area. I believe the non-participant entry fee is only $5.00 per person.
Upcoming Events:
(Dates in Red denote Workshops)
April 15,16 & 17 - Mid-Atlantic Bonsai Societies Spring Festival: . This is our area's premier bonsai event. It will be held in the Ramada Inn on Route10 in East Hanover, NJ. Applications and information will be available at the meetings. Remember, your participation is a great opportunity to watch and learn as internationally renowned bonsai artists present lecture-demonstrations. There are also various vendors available with trees, tools, pottery, stones, etc. A great time to add to your collections. Your attendance also helps Great Swamp. Applications for attendance will be available at our April 12 meeting for those wishing to attend or online at http://www.midlanticbonsai.freeservers.comApril 19 - Andy Smith (from Golden Arrow Bonsai and most recently: the Mid-Atlantic Symposium) will conduct a lecture demo at the arboretum. This will be the Tuesday following the Mid-Atlantic show.
May 10: Horst Krekler - Bring your own tree. There is room for approximately 6 to 8 members at approx. $50 per attendee. This will be an afternoon workshop that will be a prelude to our regular meeting; at which Horst will conduct a lecture demo. The demo tree will be raffled.
May 28 thru 31 - 5th World Bonsai Convention - Hilton Washington Hotel, Washington, DC. Go to http://www.bonsai-wbff.org for additional information. This event will include many lectures and demonstrations by artists from 6 continents. There will also be special tributes to Saburo Kato and John Naka. This may be the only time that you can see a show of this magnitude in our area for many years.
June 4 - Great Swamp Annual Open House at the Arboretum - Members: 9:00am to 4:00pm - Open to the public: 10:00am and 3:00pm. All club members are invited to display trees for public viewing, regardless of your level of expertise. As in past years, Jim Gillespie of Sho-Fu-En Bonsai will be vending essential and various bonsai related items: Tools, books, magazines, etc.June 11 & 12 - Nick Lenz and Frank Mihalic - Pauline Muth (pfm bonsai studio) will be presenting the 15th Aniversary Open House Weekend at her studio in West Charlton, NY. Workshops are being offered on both days with these artists. For further information, contact Pauline by e-mail at Pauline@pfmbonsai.com or by phone @ 518.882.1039.
June 14 - Regular meeting & Club Auction - Members are invited to bring items for auction. Several large size Tropical trees from the Henry Freud collection will be auctioned. Be prepared to bid!July 12: George LeBolt from Bergen Bonsai will conduct a workshop with tropical trees from 1 to 5 pm. This has been changed to a "BYOT" event for tropicals. However, George will have several Portulacaria (Dwarf Jade) trees available for purchase. These trees have solid trunks with good movement and will range in price between $35 and $75. George will also conduct a lecture/demo at our meeting that same evening..
August 9: No Meeting
August 14: Sunday. Club Picnic at Stillwater Studio, Stillwater, NJ. There will be an open discussion on the topic; “The state of Bonsai today…” Additional picnic details will follow…
September 20. Third Tuesday. There will be an afternoon workshop with Roy Nagatoshi from California. Members Only, $50 per person. Bring your own tree. Details will be provided. In the evening, Roy will conduct a lecture/demo on an as yet unpicked tree, to be raffled at the conclusion of the meeting. Roy’s trees were prominently featured in the Karate Kid films.
NOTE:
Unless otherwise specified, all of the Great Swamp afternoon workshops are held at the Arboretum, in Classroom “A” from 12:30 pm to 5:00 pm., members only, 6 to 8 people, $50 per person, bring your own tree.
Other News:
You may be interested to know that International Bonsai's magazine for the 4th quarter of 2004 and the 1st quarter of 2005 feature parts 1 and 2 of and in-depth article on the styling, care and feeding of Pinus Rigida by our own Martin Schmalenberg. Part 2 shows "virtual styling" of this species of tree for anticipating the future of the tree's design. For those who are interested in obtaining the articles, a subscription to International Bonsai is available from William Valvanis, PO Box 23894, Rochester, NY 14692-3894. A subscription costs $26 /year and back issues are $7.50 /copy.
Fred Aufschläger's paper, Bonsai Containers as Ceramic Art, will continue to be available here on the web-site for those members who may not have received it via e-mail. The links have been fixed. We appologize to members who were initially unable to access the documents. I'm investigating the Acrobat Reader link for those of you who don't already have it. In the event that the link below is not working, cut and paste the following URL into your browser to access Adobe's website.
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html
Word Version
PDF Version
Get AdobeAcrobat Reader
For those who are unable to access the paper in these formats, we will still have several printed copies available for paid-up members at the February meeting.
April Plant Care Tips:
Will Old Man Winter ever give up the Ghost??? I’m beginning to have serious doubts...
Since the weather is generally still on the cool side, you can continue to do the tasks that you were doing in March. Repotting being chief among these, but discontinue this activity for deciduous trees by mid-month and for conifers by month-end unless a tree is severely root-bound. Pines can be repotted as late as the end of the month. After-care is the same as last month...
Start air-layering on conifers now. Deciduous trees that have not been repotted this year will require fertilizer from now until the end of summer. Fertilize every 2 weeks starting with a weak solution. Never fertilize a recently repotted tree for a few months, giving the tree time to re-establish itself. Use a high-nitrogen fertilizer during spring and early summer to promote leaf growth. Do not fertilize flowering species until several months after the flowers have fallen. (immediate application prevents fruit development)
A good time to take evergreen cuttings of last year’s wood. When trimming Hinoki Cypress, Ezo Spruce and most Junipers, use thinnings with a hard-wood heel for cuttings.
Start grooming the trees you will want to display in summer. By the end of the month, all trees should be putting out new leaves and spring-flowering species should be starting to bloom. What a wondrous time of year. Pruning becomes easier since you can spot the dead branches and twigs by their lack of activity. Be sure to seal off all wounds. Pines and spruce should not be pruned, since they will “bleed” resin, disfiguring the bark.
Apply wire to spruce, juniper and pine but not deciduous trees. Don’t wire too tightly since the branches will be swelling with new growth over the next month or so. Check small branches that you wired in March. They may be well set already.
Begin your watering routines now. During rainy times, shelter newly repotted trees but if dry, remember to water them.
Continue to check for insect attacks. Aphids are a particularly a problem since they tend to take on the color of the branches that they inhabit. Clean off any algae from trunks and branches. If trees have not shown any sign of growth, keep them in a shaded area and keep the soil just moist and feed with a weak phosphorous-based fertilizer.
Tips are developed from the following sources: Bonsai, the Art of Growing and Keeping Miniature Trees by Peter Chan and from The Step by Step Art of Growing and Displaying Bonsai by Colin Lewis and Neil Sutherland
Contact Information:
President: Mark Schmuck lofty235@aol.com 973.625.4632 VP: Michael Markoff MJSmart@aol.com 973.895.6207 Treasurer: Fred Aufschläger 17 Lakeview Drive
Bernardsville, NJ 07924908.766.1359 Secretary: Ken Olander bowhunter444@verizon.net Newsletter: Dan Boehmke danno1@optonline.net 973.627.1318
Ideas and offers of assistance for events, or scheduling questions, can be addressed to any of the officers. Don’t be shy. All help is appreciated.
