November 2007 Newsletter

 In Newsletters

HAPPY THANKSGIVNG to all. We have a very busy two months coming up. I hope that those of us that went to the GSBF convention enjoyed themselves. It was a very busy four days what with demo’s, exhibition, workshops and a very large and complete vendor’s area. Many of us added trees to our collections along with bonsai supplies.
This month will be a workshop so bring something to work on. Ken Fuentes will begin the workshop with a short lesson on the proper way to wire a tree. Also remember that the meeting is Thurs Nov. 29th.

We will also have a signup sheet for our Xmas party. Who is coming and what they plan on bringing. Marj Branson and Debbie Ervin will be in charge. The party will be on our regular meeting night the 3rd Thurs. Dec. 20th.

Marj and Nat met with the Exec. Sec. from Westlake Village City and worked out next years schedule. We will return to our original meeting night the 3rd Thursday of each month for the whole year. We also have our bid in for our show the first weekend in October.

The club would like to arrange a field trip up to Nipomo to visit the Muranaka Nursery the trip is about 2- 21/2 hrs. We would try to make it the first Saturday in March that would be March 1st. Please think about it, as we will discuss it at our meeting.

Now a few tips from Jim Barrett:

Watch for wire damage on those trees that were wired earlier this year. No high nitrogen this month. Flowering and fruiting trees will benefit from an application of high phosphoric and potash fertilizer. Aphids are still active at this writing and if the weather stays warm enough, spider mites can still be a problem.

Plants in general are not taking up water like they did earlier, so modify your watering schedule to suit your bonsai’s needs. If pines and junipers start to turn light green instead of a healthy dark green, chances are they are receiving to much water.

If your Japanese maple leaves are brown and dry, go ahead and remove all the leaves, especially those that fall on soil. Prune out unwanted twigs and branches. You may also want to apply a dormant spray even though this seems a little early.

Re-potting (pot-to-pot) Japanese black pine and most junipers may be done at this time if the weather stays warm.

Detail wiring is a tedious, boring job, but a necessary one. Any time late from late November on through January is a good time for most deciduous trees. Drastic bending of main branches should be approached with caution due to the brittle nature of some deciduous trees, especially persimmon.

This is a good time to look for bonsai plant material, and don’t forget Christmas is coming up. Give yourself a present.

News Editor
Ilse Stein

 

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