NEXT CLUB MEETINGS Green Square Community Hall

3 Joynton Avenue Zetland

7pm Tuesday 11 March 2014

Junipers, Olives, Privet and Buxus

7pm Tuesday 8 April 2014

Lee to talk on grafting a Trident Maple

CONTACT DETAILS

� 0432 461 025

�info@sydneycitybonsai.org.au

� sydneycitybonsai.org.au

�� PO Box 486

Summerhill NSW 2130

COMMITTEE Patron Dorothy Koreshoff

President Bryan

Vice President Sue

Secretary tba

Treasurer Chris

Newsletter Editor Roslyn

Librarian Marianna

Catering Philip

Committee Lee & Tony

MEMBERSHIP Full Membership $40.00 Concession $25.00 Family $55.00 Pensioner $25.00

SCBC wishes to thank Sydney City

Council for their continued support

for our club by providing the hall at a

reduced rate.

Welcome to the February Newsletter

March Meeting

Sue will talk about weed attack and its implications for bonsai plant health. Club Members focus – Junipers, Olives, Privet and Buxus Club Secretary or Treasurer nominations due to Constantine’s departure overseas.

FEBRUARY WORKSHOP

Constantine demonstrates how to correctly prune a Black Pine

In this issue:

• Notes from Constantine’s workshop on Pines - see page 2

• Working with surface roots by Lee - see page 3

• Member Activities – “February Pruning”, “Club Display ” and “Trees in Training”

and some Xmas pictures – see page 4

• Kitchen Bonsai and An Almost Instant Bonsai– page 5

• Garden Artistry – Mosaic Sculptures and Events Calendar - page 6

Help for Royal Easter Show SCBC bonsai stand: Members are invited to help out at the SCBC bonsai stand at the RAS between16-23 April. The SCBC bonsai stand is an opportunity for our club to actively showcase bonsai to the public; answer questions from the public about how to grow and care for bonsai; and, encourage more members to our club.

As a new member last year, with trepidation, I participated in this club event thinking that I did not know enough to be of value. What I found was a fabulous bonsai learning experience. I quickly learned the basic questions the public always ask about bonsai and if a hard question came up, there was always an experienced member not far away.

This year the Show hours have been extended (9.30 am-8.30 pm) and so the club has opted for 2 shifts per day (10 am to 3 pm and 3pm to 8 pm). Whilst Sue and Phillip kindly donate their time on most days, this bonsai stand cannot operate properly over the 8 day period without the help of many club members. Donate your time for a shift or two. Entry to the Show is free for this club activity.

NOTES FROM CONSTANTINE’S

Pruning Pines – Workshop by Constantine

Differences Japanese Black and Red Pines regarding styling

A Black Pine (Pinus thunberbii) has beige candles and the needles are straight and stiff. A Red Pine (Pinus densiflora) has red candles. The needles are shorter with a slight twist and softer. Black Pines are deemed to be masculine and Red Pines feminine and their styling should reflect this.

Japanese Black Pine Japanese Red Photos courtesy: http://www.bonsaiinformation.com/01%20Black%20Pine%202.jpg for Black Pinehttp://www.artofbonsai.org/galleries/pine.php for Red Pine by Mario Komsta

The Black Pine is from coastal Asia. Summer typhoons wipe out spring growth and the pine regenerates from its roots and grows new foliage. Junipers and Mugo Pine are the opposite; they get their nutrients from their foliage. Pruning and Styling Black Pines

Any pruning or plucking must be done on a healthy Black Pine to reduce the risk of branch die back or complete loss of the tree. Don’t do anything to a tree if it is not healthy. Wait until the tree is vigorous before styling or root pruning.

Pruning branchlets in grouped in whorls to 2 flat branchlets of similar size

Black Pines grow needles in pairs. They have a have a whorl growth habit where 5-6 branchlets can shoot from one spot on the trunk in a wheel spoke pattern. The tree needs to be pruned to balance the energy so all areas grow evenly. Pruning also controls the whorl growth habit by removing all but one or two of the branchlets for the artistic development of the bonsai and stop the unsightly thickening of the trunk at that spot.

Why do we need to pluck needles in Summer?

Because the new needle growth will be shorter. The primary purpose of needle plucking is to reduce needle size, not back budding.

Plan your fertilising so you aren’t fertilising just before you prune otherwise the needles will get that burst of energy and with long internodes – thereby defeating the needle plucking exercise.

Wiring & Styling

The newly pruned branch needs to be wired so the foliage is fan shaped and flat. Pine foliage should not be reduced more than

NOTES FROM CONSTANTINE’S CLUB WORKSHOP ON PINESWorkshop by Constantine:

Black and Red Pines regarding styling

has beige candles and the needles ) has red

he needles are shorter with a slight twist and softer. to be masculine and Red Pines feminine

Red Pine

for Black Pine

yphoons wipe out spring growth and the pine regenerates from its roots and grows

are the opposite; they get

healthy Black Pine to f branch die back or complete loss of the tree.

Don’t do anything to a tree if it is not healthy. Wait until the tree is

at branchlets of similar size

have a whorl 6 branchlets can shoot from one spot on the

The tree needs to be pruned to balance the energy so all areas grow evenly. Pruning also controls the whorl growth habit by removing all but one or two of the branchlets for the artistic development of the bonsai and to

at that spot.

needle growth will be shorter. The primary purpose of needle plucking is to reduce needle size, not back

you aren’t fertilising just before you prune –otherwise the needles will get that burst of energy and grow long

thereby defeating the needle plucking

to be wired so the foliage is fan shaped and flat. Pine foliage should not be reduced more than

50% in the first pruning or you will damage the tree. Black Pines get two flushes of growth per year whereas Scots

When selecting branches to remove look for weaker branchlets growing downwards or upwards. Remove excess branches leaving two with 4pairs of needles. You want the most acutelook.

When you take off a Pine branch, remove it to the trunk and seal it. On a street tree if you cut into the trunk you will introduce disease because you cannot seal it and therefore you need to leave a branch stub so that it dries and protects the main tree. In bonsai we cut anda bonsai putty sealant. Don’t use a soft sealant for pines as the sap can seep through.

The less foliage a tree has the older it looks so we have to balance foliage removal for appearance and foliage retention for health. Look for evenly strong branchlets and the best angles when selecting what to keep. Don’t pair a weak and a strong branchlet as the strong will outgrow the week.

You basically want flat layers and that is how you structure your tree. Pluck older needles. Older needles give your tree hormones and younger needles give your tree photosynthesis so balance the ones you pluck choosing from the old and new.

Before Pruning After Pruning

Chris’s Black Pine pruned and styled at Constantine’s

Caring for Black/Red Pines

After buying a Black or Red Pine stock plant, feed, water and let it grow for a couple of years. Only then start styling. Let branches grow to get back budding. It used to be thought that shortening the branches encourages back budding but the new philosophy in is to let the branch grow to get back budding. Wire flat to increase the amount of sun that reaches the needles and that will also help back budding.

Always use only organic fertilisers. In spring give the tree lots of energy to produce foliage. Fertilise at 4-6 week intervaland prune so the tree has spent its energy and will produce shorter needles.

Never cut a Black Pine in spring. If you have just bought the tree you may reduce it a bit but don’t prune heavily. Leave candles in spring then remove or reduce in summer. For more information on pruning and styling Japanese Black/Red Pines,see Peter Tea Bonsai, an American Bonsai artist and instructor on the following website: http://peterteabonsai.wordpress.com/2012/06/29/decandling-and-stuff/

ON PINES

50% in the first pruning or you will damage the tree. Black Pines get two Scots Pine gets only one.

hes to remove look for weaker branchlets growing downwards or upwards. Remove excess branches leaving two with 4-6

of needles. You want the most acute angles possible to get the best

ine branch, remove it to the trunk and seal it. On a street tree if you cut into the trunk you will introduce disease because you cannot seal it and therefore you need to leave a branch stub so that it dries and protects the main tree. In bonsai we cut and promptly seal with a bonsai putty sealant. Don’t use a soft sealant for pines as the sap can

The less foliage a tree has the older it looks so we have to balance foliage removal for appearance and foliage retention for health. Look for

nly strong branchlets and the best angles when selecting what to keep. Don’t pair a weak and a strong branchlet as the strong will outgrow

You basically want flat layers and that is how you structure your tree. give your tree hormones and younger

needles give your tree photosynthesis so balance the ones you pluck

After Pruning & Styling

Chris’s Black Pine pruned and styled at Constantine’s workshop

Pine stock plant, feed, water and let it grow for a couple of years. Only then start styling. Let branches grow to get back budding. It used to be thought that shortening the branches encourages back budding but the new philosophy in is to let the branch grow to get back budding. Wire flat to increase the amount of sun that reaches the needles and that will also help back budding.

Always use only organic fertilisers. In spring give the tree lots of energy 6 week intervals. Then stop fertilising

and prune so the tree has spent its energy and will produce shorter

Pine in spring. If you have just bought the tree you may reduce it a bit but don’t prune heavily. Leave candles in spring then

For more information on pruning and styling Japanese Black/Red Pines, see Peter Tea Bonsai, an American Bonsai artist and instructor on the

http://peterteabonsai.wordpress.com/2012/06/29/de-

WORKING WITH SURFACE ROOTS

BY LEE

You can’t style a tree without finding what is below the soil surface because the base of the tree will play a large part in the selection of the front.

This trident maple was purchased in December and was 50 cm tall. All I wanted was the lower trunk because I want to make the tree into a shohin bonsai and therefore it has to be less than 25 cm in height.

Maple bought for lower trunk

December is not the month to be root pruning deciduous trees tho tridents are less touchy than Japanese maples. I only removed the bottom third of the soil and teased the roots out lightly so the tree would fit in a shallower container. For the surface roots I removed as much soil as I could by scraping and then washed away enough to be able to assess the nebari.

The root on the left was a double decker – the top was too high and The bottom one too thick and ugly. Both had to go because they

unbalanced the trunk.

Root viewed from the other side

On the other side there was a root well above the desired soil line so it had to be removed as well. With each removal I sealed the wound because high summer is not the time for major root or branch removal but I’m impatient and I have worked with tridents and felt I could get away with what I was doing as long as the aftercare was good.

Front of tree - better spread of roots giving a more stable nebari

With the inappropriate roots removed this was the best front. The trunk on the now back of the tree is marginally nicer but this front has a better spread of roots giving the nebari a look of stability. I sacrificed the better front for a better overall look. The other major defining factor of my choice of front was the tiny branchlet on the left – that is to be the main lower branch.

By this time the top had been reduced drastically with still one trunk needing decisions. The thicker of the two trunks was cut back hard and will be naturalized if necessary once the tree develops a bit more and the wound has healed. I chose to keep the thinner trunk to give the tree more taper.

The tree at the finish of the initial styling.

There is a nice spread of roots, movement in the trunk and a lower left branch. This is the start. The game plan is waiting and hoping for shoots to break just under the cut for the new apex and a shoot to come on the right above the lower left branch. That’s the game plan. Now it’s a wait for Nature to make the next move.

The current apex is just there feeding the tree. If Nature is not reading my game plan the next styling will try to use what the tree produces. Ideally this trident will be no higher than the right apical branch height with a full head of branches and foliage hiding the scar or developed below the scar. How long? About 6 years. Tridents are no way as fast to develop as Pyracantha or some of the natives but they are beautiful trees to work with.

I invested $54 in the trunk. The trident has withstood the extensive work quite well and in less than a month I have had to remove the wire as it was already cutting in. I am hoping by May to have a tiny structure forming. There are already buds starting to push out; not in the right places yet; but hope is still high.

It is really great when a stock plant is found that can become a bonsai pretty quickly but it is also good to have more long term projects to keep your styling techniques developing along with the tree.

MEMBER ACTIVITIES: PRUNING, CLUB DISPLAY & TREES IN TRAINING

CLUB ACTIVITIES Club Display Trees

Lee’s Sandpaper Fig looks magnificent with fruit

Newer members should be encouraged by Anita’s Chinese Elm which is looking great after just a few months work

February Pruning

John’s Liquid Amber -before After

Peter’s Privet - before After

MEMBER ACTIVITIES: PRUNING, CLUB DISPLAY & TREES IN TRAINING

looks magnificent with fruit

Newer members should be encouraged by Anita’s looking great after just a few months work

After

After

Trees in Training

Chris’s Trident Maple: In April 2013 (above) and in

February 2013 (right)

Constantine cut this Port Jackson Fig right back and has now regrown it in preparation for styling.

New Club Trainer required for Constantine

Roslyn’s Hawthorn still has a long way to go.Significant styling will be done later this year.

A few pictures from our 2013 Christmas Party

Best decorated Christmas Bonsai

Lee receiving her prize Playing pin the branch on the

MEMBER ACTIVITIES: PRUNING, CLUB DISPLAY & TREES IN TRAINING

cut this Port Jackson Fig right back and has now

preparation for styling.

required for Constantine’s Fig – contact Sue!

s Hawthorn still has a long way to go. Significant styling will be done later this year.

Christmas Party

Best decorated Christmas Bonsai – Lee

Playing pin the branch on the bonsai

SOME BONSAI TIPS FROM LEE

KITCHEN BONSAI I acquired a Fig because it had a lot of aerial roots. In my care the Fig flourished but the aerial root growth stalled. Lately a number of aerial roots started to develop but tended to dry up. Aerial roots come with a lot of humidity. The trunk can be packed with damp Spagnum Moss to increase humidity but I have always found Spagnum Moss difficult to remove. Aerial roots are brittle and there had to be a better way. YES! Cling Wrap was wrapped lightly around the trunk, encompassing all the aerial roots. There were open areas at the top so the daily watering could filter down the inside of the Cling Wrap. Within a week the existing short aerial roots were twice as long and looking robust and quite a number of additional roots were developing. It is easy to unwrap the Cling Wrap to check on growth and the roots are not subjected to any trauma either in the placement or the progress checking.

Cling Wrap as a way to develop aerial roots on a Fig

Bonsai limbs are held

In copper-wrapt attention -- Worth their wait in gold.

01101001

http://01101001.com/haiku/index.html

AN ALMOST INSTANT BONSAI

Privet with good potential needing some attention - Lee

I bought this tree at the Bonsai Society of Australia’s September sale. Standard old collected Privet but a nice size. I liked the airy feel of the structure and there was plenty of movement in a tree that tends to grow very straight. It was from a bonsai artist with a large number of trees so it never got the attention it deserved to develop it.

Carefully chosen pot and Lee’s special attention to styling detail has transformed this Privet in less than 6 months

You are wild bonsai! Dwarfed by natures elements

You are beautiful

Tj Hatton

© 2006 Sydney City Bonsai Club | www.sydneycitybonsai.org.au | info@sydneycitybonsai.org.au 6

GARDEN ARTISTRY AND EVENTS CALENDAR

GARDEN ARTISTRY – MOSAIC SCULPTURES The non-profit corporation Mosaicultures Internationales de Montreal (MIM) was created in 1998 to launch the first ever Mosaicultures Internationales ®.Its mission is to promote gardening and horticulture as both an expression of new millennium values and a vital component of the landscape.

Each year more about 50 countries compete in demonstrating peak garden artistry. I found these pictures inspirational in terms of working with Nature to produce art. Seeing these landscapes made me want to work on my bonsai all the more.

For more pictures from Mosaiccultures Internationales ® 2013 garden exhibition see the following link: Montreal Mosaicultures Pictures

Date Event Details

March 28-30 128th Castle Hill Show Showground Road, Castle Hill. Bonsai entries close March 21

March 15-16 Bonsai Society of the Central Coast Exhibition

Auditorium, Erina Fair Shopping Centre, Terrigal Drive, Erina

March 28-30 Bonsai by the Beach Bonnie Hills Beach, Port Macquarie. Contact Wauchope Bonsai Workshop Group. Workshops and Demonstrations by Tony Bebb and Brenda Parker.

April 18-19 Bonsai at the Sydney Royal Easter Flower and Garden Show

RAS Showgrounds, Sydney Olympic Park

May 2-4 Illawarra Bonsai Society Annual Show (Autumn)

Sutherland District Trade Union Club (Tradies), Kingsway, Gymea

May 17 Bonsai Study Group show West Pymble Community Hall, Lofberg Road.

June 7-8 Bonsai by the Harbour S.C.E.G.S Rowing Facility, Wharf Road, Gladesville

August 21-24 27th National Bonsai Convention, “Sunrise on Australian Bonsai”

Gold Coast, Queensland

September 5-7 Illawarra Bonsai Society The 15th Annual Weekend Workshops at the Tops

Tops Conference Centre, Stanwell Tops