Matsu Bonsai blog

July Study Group Reminder

matsubonsai — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:24:00 -0400

This Saturday, July 11th from 10am until 5pm will be the next meeting of the Bonsai Study Group. This time we'll be working on wiring Japanese Black Pine, junipers, azaleas, and various deciduous trees. As always, bring plenty to keep you busy for the whole day. If you run out of things to work you're free to work on some of mine. We'll break for lunch around noon, so bring a treat or join us for nearby fast food.

Please do you best to be on time.

Bonsai Study Group - 2 More Chances

matsubonsai — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:16:00 -0400

Two more chances to attend the Bonsai Study Group this weekend. This Saturday and Sunday, June 27 and 28th, from 10am until 5pm we will meet at my home in Shepherdsville, KY to work on trees. This meeting we will continue our focus on Satsuki Azaleas and Japanese Black Pine (黒松 kuromatsu). We started earlier in the month with the larger trees and will be concluding work on chuhin and shohin bonsai. This helps keep the growth in scale with the bonsai. Larger bonsai are worked on first, giving them a chance to put on new growth earlier in the season, and smaller later which keeps it's growth more in scale. The longer the growing season the larger the growth. That's something to keep in mind as we continue our work.

It's also a great time to work on tropicals. I have a buttonwood that one lucky attendee will be wiring and styling. Also, some maples and junipers need some attention as well.

As always, bring plenty to work on to keep you busy for the entire day. If you run out of stuff to work on I will be happy to have you work on some of my trees. If you need driving directions, please let me know.

We will break for lunch, so bring your own or plan on joining us out at a local fast food restaurant.

And finally, do you best to be on time.

For more information about the Bonsai Study Group please visit this link: http://www.matsubonsai.com/blog/page/Bonsai-Study-Group.aspx

June and Satsuki Azalea Bonsai

matsubonsai — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 06:15:00 -0400

It's June again and that means plenty of work to do. At the last meeting of the Bonsai Study Group I spent a full day on this Satsuki Azalea. The shoots were taken down to two and the leaves taken to 3 on top and weaker areas and 2 towards the base and stronger areas.

I posted the photos below at the Bonsai Study Group forum and received an interesting video critique by johng. If you haven't already done so, visit the Bonsai Study Group forum, create an account and start contributing to the community.

The first picture shows the tree as I received it in 2006 and the second after work was complete last Saturday. There were quite a few flaws that were removed at that time and I've spent the last few years correcting them and growing out replacement branches. I've almost gotten it to where I want it. However, johng has offered a new direction that I'm considering in the next 2-3 years. That's the great thing about bonsai, they're never finished and can always be remade into something different/better.

This tree was repotted in February. Some are still teaching the outdated practice of repotting after flower removal. This is overly stressful on the tree as much of the energy was spent making flowers. You will get much better results if you practice repotting in late winter or early spring and then thin to two shoots, two leaves in June.

Here's the link to my Satsuki thread containing the video critique and a possible option for the future of this tree:

http://bonsaistudygroup.com/satsuki-azalea-discussion/june-satsuki-work/

New Bonsai Forum

matsubonsai — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 18:54:00 -0400

I'm very pleased to announce the debut of a new bonsai forum. Bonsai Study Group is an online forum dedicated to the advancement of bonsai trees and individuals as they work together to share their progress as a community. Testing has been underway for the past few weeks, and new members are now free to sign-up. There are already a number of very informative posts online and I suspect even more will soon follow.

Others are encouraged to share in announcing the new forum, but the administrators have asked that we be respectful of other forums. That means no announcement posts or signature lines on other forums, as this may be seen by some as disrespectful. Feel free to post an announcement on a personal blog and share the news via email or personal message, as you see fit.

I'm very excited about this new forum and look forward to seeing it grow.

http://bonsaistudygroup.com

Bonsai Study Group - 2 Chances to Attend

matsubonsai — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 07:48:00 -0400

We will be having two meetings of the Study Group this weekend. For this round of meetings we will primarily be focusing on Japanese Black Pine Pinus thunbergii (黒松 kuromatsu) and Satsuki Azaleas. Now is the perfect time of year to perform very specific tasks to improve your bonsai, particularly these two species. We can learn a lot about bonsai and tree care in general from studying the growth habits of pines and azaleas. One is apical dominant, the other basal dominant.

For Japanese Black Pine we will be working on decandling and needle pulling. It's all about energy balance and working towards a specific goal. Timing is everything, and that's what we'll be discussing.

Satsuki Azaleas may still be in flower, but now is the time to remove the flowers and trim back to 2 shoots, 2 leaves. Being basal dominant means that the top may not be as strong, so we'll leave 3 leaves towards the top and in weaker areas.

We can learn a lot by working with these two great species. Energy balance is key in all bonsai. Thinning and branch placement is a lesson well learned, and couldn't be easier with Japanese Black Pine and Satsuki Azaleas.

If you have something else you would prefer to work on, please feel free to bring those. It's a great time of year to work on tropicals, Japanese Maples, Trident Maples, Junipers, and just about anything else. Be sure to bring plenty to work on to keep you busy for the full day.

If you're lacking material to work on I would be happy to have you work on one of my own trees. There's plenty to do and I could use the help.

We'll break for lunch around noon, so either bring a lunch or plan on joining us at a local fast food restaraunt.

June 13th - Saturday 10am - 5pm
June 14th - Sunday 10am - 5pm

Please, do your best to be on time.

How To Bend a Western Juniper

matsubonsai — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 06:13:00 -0400

Another great part of Boon's Bonsai Intensive is doing major work that you might not otherwise have the opportunity to do. This Western Juniper Juniperus occidentalis was the subject of a major bending lesson this time.

This great tree had a number of possibilities. The first exercise was for the students to pick a front. There were two good fronts on the tree, but one in particular that Boon wanted to use.

With the front chosen and an end goal in mind it was time to get to work. It's important to start with a healthy well fed tree. A channel was carved out of the trunk so that bending would be easier. Large gauge aluminum wire was then placed inside the new opening and raffia was applied. Then, large annealed copper wire was applied to the trunk, twice. This will be enough the support the major bending that was about to occur.

In Japan, the master does the bending while the apprentice(s) tighten the guy wires. Knowing how far to bend is something that is learned with years of experience. The apprentices learn by example here.

The final picture is a little off center from the new front. Maybe I can convince Jeremiah to share some of the photos he took during the bending session.

Bonsai Intensive - Satsuki Azalea

matsubonsai — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 07:36:00 -0400

The last weekend in May was still a bit early for most azalea work, but for some of the larger trees or those still in development it was just perfect.

Here's a large Satsuki Azalea that I worked on. The spent flowers were removed and shoots paired down to two. Azaleas are basal dominant so three leaves were left on each shoot near the top of the tree and only two left nearer the bottom. Some of the branches are still being grown out, so more leaves were left on these as well. After the work was done the topsoil was replaced with fresh soil. The tree was well watered. Then milled New Zealand Sphagnum moss was applied to help keep in moisture.

Bonsai Intensive - Japanese Black Pine

matsubonsai — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 07:35:00 -0400

Well, it's June and that means my favorite time of year for bonsai work. It's time to decandle Japanese Black Pine Pinus thunbergii (黒松 kuromatsu), flower prune and trim Satsuki Azaleas, and lots of other work on junipers, maples, tropicals, etc.

This year I started a little early on a trip to California. This was my 8th Bonsai Intensive with Boon Manakitivipart. We spent the 3 full days working on some of the best trees in the country. Students were from Kentucky, California, Oregon, Florida, North Carolina, and Canada. Boon is such a talent that people are quite literally traveling across North America to study with him.

Here, Henry and Boon study a Japanese Black Pine in development.

This is one of the Japanese Black Pine bonsai that I worked on. This picture shows the tree before work started.

Some trees were just too large to bring into the workshop. This Japanese Black Pine has a great history.

Bonsai Intensive - Spring III

matsubonsai — Tue, 26 May 2009 07:41:00 -0400

This week I'll be returning to Alameda for another Bonsai Intensive with Boon Manakitivipart. This will be my 8th Intensive, 3rd such in Spring. I'll be sure to post plenty of pictures and updates once I return.

This is the time of year where we perform a lot of work on Satsuki Azaleas and Japanese Black Pines. Three days of trees, friends, and food. I must admit that I'm a little sad to think that I'll be finishing the Intensive series soon. I've already started plans to return for some independent study next year.

Bonsai Study Group Reminder - New Format

matsubonsai — Tue, 05 May 2009 18:44:00 -0400

This is a reminder that the next meeting of the Bonsai Study Group is this Saturday, May 9th from 10am to 5pm. I would encourage you to bring at least a few trees. You'll really see the progression if you're able to work on the same group of trees each month. If you run out of things to work on I'll be happy to have you work on some of mine.

During this meeting we'll be working on wiring and deciduous trees. We'll also be previewing azalea work for next month.

Starting in June we'll be chaning the format of the study group meetings somewhat. I've been asked to make the study group a little more formal and focused. With that in mind I'll be developing a curriculum with a Kokufu-ten show book as our course material, along with some other various handouts. There will be a minimul cost to cover the study material.

Kokufu-ten show book - provided
Variety of additional handouts
Must attend at least one session per month
6 month commitment (June through November)
Cost: $60
Sign up by Saturday, May 16th

If you would like more information please feel free to use the contact form, or leave a comment below.

The New Bay Island Bonsai Site

matsubonsai — Tue, 05 May 2009 18:06:00 -0400

I received an email this morning alerting me to the new Bay Island Bonsai site. If you missed it, here's the email:

...After 12 years, Bay Island Bonsai has its own web/blog site.
www.BayIslandBonsai.com

In a week or so, the link from Bonsai Boon will point to the site above.
But it is up now! Check it out!

The calendar will be much easier to update - and thereby much more current.
The tab NEWS (on top) will be our (your) blog site. This will be where we can communicate as a club -- or comment on posts.

If you are new to blog sites (like me) there is something called RSS feeds that send you an email whenever there is a new B.I.B. post. Since it is going to be about Boon and/or B.I.B., you should probably hit the few clicks to get the notification.

The other bit of new is that www.BonsaiBoon.com is being reworked. Take a look at the home-page for its new look. You can also watch a short clip of Boon's repotting video.
But do take a look at our club site .comments welcomed, especially on ideas of how the site can improve connections with club members and our small bonsai community across North America.

A HUGE Trident Maple

matsubonsai — Fri, 01 May 2009 06:58:00 -0400

This HUGE trident maple, Acer buergeranum (かえで kaede), followed me home from Arkansas. The nebari (root spread) on this tree is 12" (30cm) at it's widest point.

This is another tree that was field grown specifically for bonsai. It still needs a lot of work. That's the great thing about a project tree, it can be developed over time. We'll be working with this in the next few Bonsai Study Group meetings. We'll practice a few special techniques that will help develop this tree more quickly.

A New Japanese Black Pine

matsubonsai — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 06:59:00 -0400

This Japanese Black Pine Pinus thunbergii (黒松 kuromatsu) finally made its way into my garden. It was field grown specifically with bonsai in mind.

When I started working on this tree it had been potted in a large round training pot. I repotted it in January 2008. The roots were incredibly healthy, having spent 2 years in an open bonsai soil mix. It was obvious that it had been well trained not only in the field, but also after being potted.

In November 2008 I added a few more grafts to some key branches. The timing was not optimal for the grafts to take, but with the mild San Francisco Bay Area climate there was success. Over the next few years more grafts will be added as needed. The major cuts will heal with the added energy of the extended sacrifice branch.

I'm thinking it will be show ready in 3 years, and a knockout in 4.

My apologies for not cleaning the pot for the photos.

Visiting a Bonsai Friend

matsubonsai — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 06:57:00 -0400

I recently returned from visiting my friend, John Kirby of Von's Gardens in Northwest Arkansas. I always enjoy catching up with friends; bonsai friends especially. Those friends I've made in bonsai are among the nicest individuals I've ever met. John is certainly no exception.

While I was there I took a few photos. I'm sure he won't mind me sharing them here.

Enjoy!

Splitting a Collected Juniper

matsubonsai — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 06:54:00 -0400

At the last meeting of the Bonsai Study Group we split this collected juniper in two.

I collected this juniper (urban yamadori, if you will) 3 years ago. I believe it to be a Juniperus chinensis 'Pfitzeraiana', but am looking for confirmation. I had spotted this in an office strip not far from my office. The yard crews had battered and bruised a row of shrubs for 15-20 years. There were 5 or 6 trunks coming from a common root-ball when it was collected. Several of the trunks were discarded, and ultimately taken down to 3 trunks and some deadwood.

The single trunk is my main focus at this point. I can already see the tree within. This fall we'll apply some wire to arrange some of the major branches. It's a long term project, but will be well worth the wait.

The double trunk has a great deal of potential as well. However, I'm thinking I might consider donating it for demo material for one of the local clubs. Or, you might see it at the upcoming 2011 Bonsai in the Bluegrass.

What do you think? Can you see the potential in the trees? Leave your comments below.