Bonsai Northwest Melbourne

Established: 1973 A-19332L

September 2019 Newsletter

In this Issue: • Next meeting

• Beginners class

• October VTP Demonstrator-Stephen Cullum

• Moongate Bonsai

• Bonsai Northwest MelbourneExhibition 2019 report

• Coming events

• Library news

• Last month

• Improving Black PineRamification

Club Details www.bonsainorthwest.com.au

bonsainorthwest@hotmail.com

PO Box 1091

Niddrie Victoria 3042

President: David Nassar Contact: Barry 0422 619 641

Meetings are held at the Aberfeldie Community Club,

7B Batman St, Aberfeldie at 7:30pm on the first Monday of

the month (no meeting in January)

Social Media Click on icon to access:

bonsai_northwest

Next meeting – 2 September 2019 - Workshop This month we’ll be having a workshop. Just a reminder on how workshops are conducted: if you bring along your tree, remember to bring your own tools and wire so

that you can work on your tree once you’ve received advice/instructions/ideas on what

to do by our experienced member. The experienced members are there to guide you on your tree only, which then allows them to continue to move around the room and

help others. This will allow everyone a chance at seeking advice and guidance. Look for Maria in her flouro yellow vest who can help direct you to an experienced member.

The Library will be open from 7pm and will close at 8pm. Remember it is FREE to

borrow from the library, however if you are late returning the items then you will be

charged a $2 late fee.

Beginners classes We had a great couple of beginner classes complete in August with 12 very happy participants learning the fundamentals through theory and then applying them in practice.

We are planning to run possibly two more beginner classes in October and will need to

fill the first one before we open up the second session.

This is a great opportunity for newer members to participate in our beginners class. The class will run from 9am until 4pm, starting with a theory session and then spending the afternoon working on your tree. Tree, comprehensive notes and wire supplied.

If you have any questions, please call Barry 0422 619 641 or email the club. New

people come into our club looking to learn the Art of Bonsai and these sessions are an

ideal way to start off on the right path. Don't miss out!

Moongate Bonsai As you would have noticed in our August Newsletter, Moongate Bonsai have come on board as supporters of our Club. David and Shrua have been promoting and collecting Yamadori (collecting wild trees) for a number of years and now

manage their Nursery of around 5000 trees.

The guys sold a number of trees at our August Show and are regular stall holders at Bonsai events throughout Victoria

and are active on Facebook. Their Nursery is in Mandurang, only 1 ½ hours from Melbourne and 10 minutes from Bendigo. They collect many varieties and to name a few there are Olive, English Elm, Hawthorn, Desert Ash,

Strawberry, Prunus and Pine that are always available. Sizes range from Mini thru to trees they move around by forklift and everything in between.

David has demonstrated many times at our Club and consistently worked with relatively raw material and encourages audiences to find the tree within. This is the message David and Shrua explain to visitors to the Nursery.

We plan to hire a bus for a day trip to the Nursery in late Spring so when we ask for expressions of interest, be sure to get in quick. We will limit numbers to 30 and spots will fill quickly as they did last year. In fact, you can be first in by

contacting Barry by email, phone or at the meeting. A BBQ lunch will be supplied and we can select stock and actually

work on the tree on the day under the guidance of David and Shrua.

I purchased a couple of trees while demonstrating at the Bendigo Bonsai Club in February this year and want to share below some early results with my purchased Yamadori. I’ve only repotted the trees and selected a few branches and

now waiting for new buds to appear to continue styling. The Nursery’s message is “finding the tree within” and I think I

may have found a couple of nice minis to work with.

Bonsai Northwest Melbourne Exhibition 2019 report Watching the queue grow to beyond 70 people outside the Footscray Community Arts Centre on Saturday morning at 9:55am, 5 mins before our exhibition opening, brought an overwhelming sense of relief, excitement, accomplishment and ultimately humbleness in what we have been able to accomplish. Whilst we have put together numerous exhibitions in the past, there was a feeling that this could be our most successful exhibition of all time. By Sunday afternoon at 4pm, we confirmed, we had DONE IT!! Our most successful show ever.

In the past, winter exhibitions have been much quieter than our spring exhibitions. Even though trees are at their best

in winter, visitor numbers are down due to the colder temperatures outside. This didn’t deter the committee from

setting out a plan to execute all our past learnings to try and accomplish a well-attended event.

For a number of years now, we have reached out to Mike Larkan from Channel Ten news and weather and encouraged him to come down to our show on Friday night and do a live broadcast of the weather. We haven’t had much luck due to Mike having clashing commitments. I wasn’t expecting anything different this time and I almost passed out when Mike confirmed he would be happy to come down and do the broadcast on Friday! We kept this to ourselves and surprised everyone who was in attendance on Friday night with Mike showing up at our Exhibition. If you haven’t seen the video of the broadcast yet, have a look on our Facebook page for all the videos. There was so much hype and excitement on the Friday night with the hope that this would translate it something epic come the weekend.

With the continuous promoting of the exhibition through posters, emails, social media, radio, other clubs and most importantly member word of mouth, we had set yourselves up with every chance of succeeding. Fantastic member trees were on display, a fully stocked member sales area was ready to be picked through, a huge range of pots, tools, wire and soil were ready to be sold and most importantly member volunteers were ready to complete the job that was assigned to them. We were ready!

All our volunteers efforts were rewarded with a substantial queue of 70 plus people waiting at 10am on Saturday morning to enter our show. There was a true sense of relief mixed with proudness on what we are about to accomplish. Saturday was almost a blur as streams of people came through and enjoyed every aspect of the experience we put together. By the end of the weekend we were satisfyingly exhausted, and no one could wipe the smile from our faces.

What a wonderful experience and I am humbled to have been a part of such a successful event and our best ever

result in the history of our club.

Thank you to all the volunteers who helped over the weekend. Thank you to all those who displayed trees as well as those who sold trees. Thank you to the tireless efforts of an awesome committee and all that they do to make everything look seamless. We have something very special at our club and was evident again with 90+ members showing up at our August meeting night.

Enjoy the photos below from the exhibition and thank you again to all involved.

David Nassar

Improving Black Pine Ramification by Ian Barnes

Many consider that the Japanese Black Pine, Pinus thunbergii, is the ultimate in the art of bonsai. There are very fewtrees that convey the classic power or majesty that a Black Pine can portray. But this tree takes many years toachieve the maturity and majesty of classic bonsai. And it is also one of the most difficult to understand how to styleand prune. Working with Black Pines is a fine balancing act; the main requirement is constant ongoing maintenancein all areas. If constant attention is not maintained, the tree will develop long and leggy branches and very erraticfoliage.

For new (and experienced!) Bonsai enthusiasts, the pruning of Black Pines for foliage and branch formation can beconfusing and misunderstood. So, I have compiled the following information to try and overcome some of theconfusing and contradictory advice available out there.

A wise man once told me, “If you want quality Black Pine bonsai, find someone with the best pine bonsai that youhave seen, find out what they do, and do it diligently.” So I asked Quentin! This is what he told me:

De-candle in early December; start with large trees. Select buds, mid- to late-autumn (April/May). Then pluck old needles (ie, all needles behind the selected buds). Wire after needle plucking.

The pruning of the Japanese Black Pine for foliage and branch formation, then, can be split into these areas: de-candling, bud selection, and needle plucking.

Part 1 - De-candling Black Pine bonsaiDe-candling refers to a set of cultivation techniques that focus on the removal of spring growth from Black Pines tostimulate a second flush of growth in summer. The term typically refers to more than the simple act of removingspring candles as the timing of the practice and various techniques relating to after-care have a large effect on theresults of the practice. The Japanese phrase for de-candling is me-kiri, “bud-” or “shoot-cutting” (芽切り).

(A note on terminology: the term “de-candling” refers to the removal of spring shoots after the new needles haveemerged. I don’t know how the term “de-candling” came to be associated with the removal of growth after the shootceases to resemble a candle, but I have no wish to introduce another term as the bonsai community uses the term“de-candling” consistently and successfully).

Black Pine exhibited at Taikan-ten. Removing a spring shoot from a Japanese Black Pine –the primary act of de-candling.

De-candling is the single-most important technique used to develop beautiful Black Pine bonsai.

The following techniques are similar to de-candling in that they focus on improving the balance and vigour of pinebonsai, but fall outside of the practices commonly referred to by the term “de-candling.”

Cutting, breaking or removing spring growth before the spring needles emerge. One technique for balancingvigour in pine bonsai involves the reduction of spring candles as they are elongating. These techniquesproduce different results from de-candling.

Removing part, but not all, of a spring shoot. De-candling involves the complete removal of given springshoots. Reducing spring growth by half or some other percentage can be used to address vigour in pinebonsai, but produces different results from de-candling.

Reasons for De-candling To stimulate back budding. The stress caused by removing spring growth can activate dormant or

adventitious buds on woody growth. Back buds (buds that develop not at the ends of branches but fromwithin the tree’s interior) allow the size and shape of the tree to be maintained. Without them, bonsai wouldgrow larger and larger each year.

To increase branch density. De-candling adds density by replacing single spring shoots with multiple summershoots. De-candling further increases density by stimulating adventitious buds at the base of spring candles –barren areas that don’t typically produce buds. And as summer shoots are usually smaller than spring shoots,internodes are further reduced yielding more refined ramification.

To regulate vigour. De-candling is a useful technique for keeping new growth on Black Pine bonsai in check. To promote balance. Various de-candling techniques can be used to decrease vigour in strong areas and

increase vigour in weak areas to improve overall balance. To reduce needle size. Black Pine bonsai are at their most beautiful when the needle size is a good fit for the

tree. De-candling allows the production of short needles on small trees and larger needles on larger trees.

Selecting Trees for De-candlingDe-candle when your Black Pine bonsai are in refinement phase, are healthy, well-fed, and growing in soil with gooddrainage.

Do not de-candle: When the goal of training is to increase the size of the trunk. Let these trees grow until the trunk reaches the

desired size before de-candling. When a tree is unhealthy. De-candling is stressful for pines – only de-candle trees that are healthy, vigorous

and insect-free. When a tree is weak or under-fed. If otherwise healthy pine bonsai have not received adequate fertiliser in

spring or have been weakened from stresses like repotting or inclement weather, do not de-candle this year -de-candle the following year when the tree is stronger.

Following are some examples of when to de-candle and when not to:

The trunk needs to develop – The trunk has reached the desired size – The tree is entering refinement phase –do not de-candle. start de-candling. de-candle.

A tree in refinement phase – This pine is less vigorous than normal after repotting –de-candle. do not de-candle.

Preparing Trees for De-candlingKeep trees healthy, give them lots of sunlight, and feed heavily. Start applying fertiliser as soon as the roots becomeactive. If the tree is growing in poor soil, repot it in a free draining mix and de-candle when the tree begins to growvigorously.

When to De-candleYou can de-candle all of a tree’s new shoots on a single day or spread out the process over a few weeks (more onthat later). This period of time is defined primarily by climate.

In general, de-candle earlier in cooler climates and later in warmer climates. For Melbourne, Quentin says earlyDecember.

The decision of when to de-candle also depends on the size of the tree. The more time summer shoots have todevelop, the longer new needles will become. Put another way, if you de-candle on the early side, new shoots willhave a longer time to develop than shoots de-candled a few weeks later.

In general, you should try to encourage large needles on large trees and small needles on small trees. Very smallneedles on a large pine would look out of place and might make one wonder about the health of the tree. Largeneedles on a small tree look unruly and obscure branch pad definition. Developing needles in proportion to theoverall size of the tree tends to produce pleasing results. By de-candling large trees early in the de-candling season,you give summer shoots adequate time to develop appropriately long needles. By de-candling small trees later in thede-candling season, you give summer shoots less time to develop, thereby producing shorter needles.

Making the CutPay close attention as you de-candle. Do not cut too high or too low, do not cut at an angle, and be careful not toaccidentally cut nearby needles.

Make the cut square – angled cuts can yield uneven summer growth. Leave some new tissue – adventitious buds sprout from new tissue; cutting into last year’s growth will reduce

vigour and stimulate needle buds. Don’t cut surrounding needles – it’s easy to accidentally cut surrounding needles; make cuts with care.

Bad angle. Good angle.

Plenty of new tissue remains. Be careful not to cut surrounding needles.Approach shoot with scissors closed,open scissors when you get to the shoot,cut with care.

Techniques for Controlling VigourLet us look at three techniques for controlling vigour shoot by shoot. One of the greatest benefits of de-candling isthe ability to weaken strong branches and improve the vigour of weak branches. It is through the successfulapplication of these techniques that well-balanced pines are developed.

There are three main techniques for controlling the vigour of individual branches: Pulling needles Leaving stubs De-candling different branches at different times

Having decided to de-candle a given branch, you first remove the spring shoots.

Spring shoot. Spring shoot removed.

To further reduce the vigour of this branch, you can remove some of last year’s needles.

Before pulling needles. After pulling needles.

How many needles you can pull or leave depends on how many needles you started with, the relative vigour of thebranch, and the general approach to de-candling. The range is often 3-12 pairs per branch.

The second approach to reducing vigour involves leaving a stub at the base of the candle. Leaving a stub preservestissue that produces auxins, the hormones that apical buds use to slow down the development of adventitious andlateral buds. The longer the stub, the more auxins, and the slower the adventitious buds are to develop, ie, longstubs slow down the development of summer shoots.

A common approach to leaving stubs is to leave long stubs on strong shoots, small stubs on weak shoots, andmedium-sized stubs on medium-vigour shoots.

Strong shoots – stub length is about 2 x diameter of shoot Medium shoots – stub length is about 1 x diameter of shoot Weak shoots – stub length is about ½ x diameter of shoot

Long stub. Medium stub. Small stub.

The third approach to reducing the vigour of individual branches is to de-candle weak shoots early and more vigorousshoots later. The earlier you de-candle, the longer the summer shoots will have to grow. By removing spring growthfrom the weakest shoots first, the summer shoots on these branches get a head start over the branches that will bede-candled later.

The One-Day Method of De-candlingA simple distinction among de-candling techniques can be made based on the number of days required to completethe removal of spring shoots in a given season. The most efficient approach is to remove all candles on a given day.The one-day method is appropriate for most Black Pines that are regularly de-candled, and it makes the most sensewhen time is limited.

Removing all of a tree’s spring shoots on a single day gives summer shoots an equal amount of time to develop.Thus, the basic act of removing the spring growth does little to balance the weak and strong areas of the tree. Thetwo most common techniques for balancing vigour when removing all of a tree’s spring shoots on a given day arepulling needles and leaving stubs. In order for these techniques to work properly, one must identify the strong andweak areas of the tree.

Vigour Zones of Black Pine Tree: Vigour Zones of Black Pine Branch:Green: The crown is the most vigorous region. Green: Tip region of branch is the most vigorous.Yellow: The middle outer region is the second most vigorous. Yellow: Middle outer region of branch is the second most vigorous.Orange: The bottom outer region is the third most vigorous region. Orange: Inner outer region of branch is the third most vigorous.Pink: The middle upper inner region is the fourth most vigorous region. Pink: Middle and inner region of branch is the least vigorous.Blue: The bottom inner region is the least vigorous.

Reducing vigour in stronger areas can help balance the overall vigour of the tree. When taking the needle-pluckingapproach, this means you leave fewer needles in strong areas and more needles in weak areas.

Strong areas – leave 3-7 pairs Medium areas – leave 5-9 pairs Weak areas – leave 7-12 pairs Weakest areas (shoots with 1-3 pairs of needles) – leave alone

The stub approach is similar. You leave longer stubs in strong areas and shorter stubs in weak areas. Strong areas – leave long stub Medium areas – leave medium stub Weak areas – leave very short stub

Alternatively, you could keep all stubs short and pluck every branch to a set number of needles, from top to bottom.

The Multi-Day Method of De-candlingWhen growth on your Black Pine is way out of balance (ie, some shoots are very strong while others are quite weak)you can de-candle a tree over a period of several weeks, removing groups of spring shoots every 10-14 days. Youbegin by removing the weakest shoots to give the summer shoots on these branches the longest time to develop.After dividing a tree into groups of relative vigour, de-candle as follows:

Remove all small shoots Wait 10 days Remove all medium shoots Wait 10 days Remove all large shoots

Day zero – before de-candling. Day zero – after removing small shoots.

Day 10 – after removing medium shoots. Day 20 – after removing large shoots.

De-candling AftercareDe-candling is very stressful for Black Pine bonsai. Trees can lose a lot of their foliage during de-candling. One-yearold needles that have been growing beneath the shade of new shoots are newly exposed to full sun. Many smallwounds will have opened from which a tree may have lost sap. It is important to take care at this point to keep yourde-candled Black Pine bonsai healthy.

Watering – removing significant amounts of a tree’s foliage reduces transpiration and the tree’s need forwater, however, de-candling happens in summer and even de-candled trees can dry out quickly at this timeof year. Take care not to over- or under-water; do not allow the soil to completely dry out.

Sunlight – keep de-candled pines in full sun. Last year’s needles may yellow a bit but sunlight is necessary tohelp stimulate budding.

Fertilising – in general, stop fertilising when you de-candle. After four weeks, begin fertilising again. (If yourtree is on the weak side, continue fertilising throughout summer).

Let Summer Buds GrowGenerally, you want two new shoots at the end of each branch to develop. Nature, however, doesn’t always comply.You may get three, four, five or more summer buds after de-candling. What do you do then? Usually nothing!

The appearance of more than two shoots on a single branch is an indication that the branch is fairly strong. Theproblem to be solved is not the number of shoots but how best to deal with excess vigour. Reducing the number ofshoots can channel remaining vigour into a smaller number of branches, thereby producing even more vigorousgrowth on the remaining shoots. It’s often better to let the extra shoots develop through summer and remove themwhen they harden off in autumn.

ConclusionBy following the techniques above, you can learn how your tree responds to de-candling and you can begin makingadjustments the following year. Is the summer growth too weak? Try feeding more, de-candling earlier, or waitinguntil the tree is healthier before de-candling again. Is the summer growth too strong? Try de-candling later orremoving more needles. Is the summer growth unbalanced? Experiment with the various techniques for controllingvigour. Didn’t get the results expected? Don’t worry, many Black Pines respond unpredictably to the first few de-candlings. But they often settle into a pattern within 3-5 years.

Next we will look at autumn bud selection.