Monday, December 5, 2005
7:00pm at the Tulsa Garden Center,
2435 South Peoria
December Program:
Green Country Bonsai’s holiday potluck dinner.
November Meeting Highlights
Ken demonstrating jin technique with pencil sharpener
The fall Bonsai Show was attended by 126 visitors. There were 47 trees entered. Frank Kohn and Mike Flanagan did great jobs with their demonstrations on junipers. The trees they styled sold after the demonstrations. A suggestion was made that we change the Friday setup time for the shows give those that work later a chance to bring in their trees.
The People’s Choice winners are:
1st Frank Kohn - driftwood juniper
2nd Peter Aradi - Satsuki azalea
3rd Tom Howard - Sharp’s pygmy maple
The Member’s Choice winners are:
1st Peter Aradi - Chinese juniper
2nd Frank Kohn - red cedar grove
3rd Frank Kohn - driftwood juniper
The Show Master’s Award went to:
Tom Howard’s Sharp’s pygmy maple
A sign up sheet for the holiday dinner was passed around. If you were not at the November meeting please contact Dan Bonnett to sign up to bring salads, side dishes, and deserts.
Election Results
The nominating committee’s nominations for new officers and board members for 2006 were accepted unanimously.
President: Peter Aradi
Vice President: Michelle Gray
Treasurer: Bill Watkins
Secretary: Lisa Martin
3 year board member: Steve Sanders
2 year board member: Andre Chenault
1 year board member: C. K. Carlson
Ex Officio: Dan Bonnett
Lisa is continuing as secretary. Bill Watkins is being replaced as 2 year board member by Andre and Bill is volunteering for the position of treasurer.
Show and Tell
Mike Flanagan brought a ginkgo, hawthorn, and a Chickasaw crepe myrtle. All were showing their fall colors.
Tom Howard had two heavily jinned junipers that he was styling.
Andre Chenault brought a juniper that was a rescue from apartment life in Chicago.
Norman Summers brought the elm that was going to be carved in the evening’s demonstration.
November Program Notes
Everyone had to put their chainsaws away for another time when a conflict cancelled the tree carving presentation. After the raffle and refreshments, an impromptu program by Peter Aradi filled the gap beautifully.
We have heard that all the worlds a stage, but did you know that everyone in the audience is a critic. This is what we learned when Peter Aradi improvised a substitute program on critiquing bonsai. He made a point that is worth emphasizing, that the viewpoints he presented were based on years of acculturation, not personal whim. This is the defining difference between criticism and opinion. As he analyzed each tree, his comments proceeded from the roots up discussing the tree’s strengths as well as weaknesses. I heard no arbitrary remarks, and we were all interested in his description of each specimen.
The program was well presented and received, and did not seem a substitution at all.
Green Country Bonsai Society 2006 Preview
by Peter Aradi
Five days after the election of the officers and board members for 2006, the Board of Directors met to discuss plans for 2006. The following is a brief summary of the topics discussed and our plans for the coming year.
2006 Club Objectives:
- Provide quality programs at every monthly meeting, shows and workshops.
- Provide timely and effective communication to all members.
- Run club affairs in a businesslike manner in order to devote the majority of time to “do bonsai,” by holding the business portion of our meetings to 10 minutes, following with a brief period of “show and tell,” and a 10 to 15 minute social and coffee break. The rest of the evening, approximately 90 minutes, will be devoted to “doing bonsai.”
Important Dates:
Spring workshop – March 4 & 5
Spring Show – April 22 & 23
Bonsai Walk – Last Saturday in May
Club workshop – July 15
Fall workshop – October 7 & 8
Fall Show – October 28 & 29
Wishing everybody a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and the most fun in bonsai for 2006,
Peter Aradi
Winter Bonsai Care Did you ever fall in love with a particular tree that required watering three times a day and weekly primping—and you were on the road with your job 70% of the time? Star-crossed love where the tree is doomed and you are bound for disappointment. With a cool head and foreknowledge of cultural requirements, these dalliances can be avoided. Towards that end, I thought we could finish out the old year and look to the new with some tips gleaned form Gustafson’s Low-Maintenance Bonsai, the OSU Master Gardener Training Materials, and my limited personal experience.
- Did you know that the size of the pot is the most important factor in watering frequency? Gustafson acknowledges that tradition dictates using a pot depth that equals the width of the tree trunk. However, if a pot dries out in one hour, doubling the depth will extend the period to three hours. Alternatively, if one only doubles the volume of the pot by width and length it will dry in two hours.
- Tree selection is important. Gustafson’s list of the top ten are: junipers, maples, mountain pines, larch, crabapple, zelkova, hawthorn and quince. Not being familiar with all of these types, I can guess that they are slow growers that are undemanding. Maybe even bearing up under some neglect. Many native varieties also show that sort of pluck.
- Pruning and training is part of the bonsai process. If one does not like this sort of involvement with a tree, then bonsai is not for you. However, there are trees that take little training attention. Pines require twice a year—spring and fall—according to Quattlebaum, and often go three years between repotting. There are pinch-and-grow specimens. Brittle materials like azaleas can be grown this way. I have a ficus I am cultivating with the occasional snip and cycads only require annual root pruning at repotting.
- The good gardener cultivates hygiene and sanitation as part of the garden plan. After being introduced to the plant pathology and entomology sections of Master Gardener training, I am moved to be less cavalier in my deportment. Sanitize pots and tools between potting and pruning. In the case of cutting out diseased materials, disinfect blades between cuts [and the cuts need to be 8-12 inches below the diseased portion—pretty much eliminating this measure from bonsai]. Hot compost will destroy most pathogens, but if your pile fails to reach the 140°-165° range, bag and send the diseased detritus to the landfill. Nagatoshi advised using Lysol and Phil Pratt, Tulsa County Extension Plant Pathologist added that a 10% bleach solution or alcohol is also effective. Pots need to be treated before use as well, leading us to the subject of soil.
- Be fussy with soils and do not pot in a one-soil-fits-all fashion. Pay attention to matching pH and texture. Other reading has convinced me that the soil needs to be alive with microbial activity, as in nature. Many blends of mycorrhizal fungi that work symbiotically with your plants' roots, maintaining balance and keeping the bad bugs in check. I am going to pursue this subject further and will report my findings.
Sources: Gustafson, Herb. 1999. Low-Maintenance Bonsai. Sterling Publishing Co., NY. and the OSU Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
Editor’s Notes With a new publication date and a new year ahead of our growing world of bonsai, I am endeavoring to redesign the newsletter to be a bit easier to read and print. Until that goal is met, I will be sending everyone an email notification with the hyperlink of the newsletter page and a Word.doc attachment of same if you simply want to print it out. For mail recipients, in future, I should be able to mail the month’s issue on Friday or Saturday before the Monday posting on the web to equalize the dates of receipt.