Workshop and Beginners Class

GEELONG BONSAI CLUB INCORPORATED MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

JANUARY- FEBRUARY News 2016

FEBRUARYGBCI MEETING

Workshop and Beginners Class

Please bring a tree or trees to work on

A happy new bonsai year to you all and we have a program which ought help all of us to hone our bonsai skills and be more bonsai competent. There are a number of highlights during the year.Victoria's weather continues to be as unpredictable as ever especially with the one in one hundred year flood we had to contend with last month. Hopefully none of us had to contend with any damage.

Our show last year continued to improve on previous years in every way from the trees on show, the proliferation of sale material, the tree surgery and the refreshments. We can be really proud of the exhibits at the show and the monthly display tables.

The committee serves our membership well. Guest speakers magically arrive, demonstrators turn up for workshops, the hall keeps being available, external display venues get booked and we get publicity appearing at times throughout the year. I also like the co-operation and involvement with other clubs – definitely stronger together! We have prepared a new questio

We thank our outgoing committee members Jason De Vries (who had been on the committee for 10 years), Lyndsey Smith, Stephen Robertson, Michael Tukavkin who also for the last two years has provided us with excellent monthly newsletters.

We welcome our new committee members - John Dearnly (Vice President and with his wife Steph continue to be our librarians) Suzie Abhikair Zampatti (Secretary), Debbie Wilson (Treasurer) Nathan Rhook (Website and social media) Zoe Shields (member liason with committee and membership) and Graeme Kelleher (publicity)

2016 PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Workshops

Joe Morgan- Payler, Quentin Valentine, and a Gavin Dalgrosso 2 day Workshopand demonstration:

Part 1"Drawing Bonsai as a design aid" Workshop and drawing basics.

Part 2 "Elements of Design applied to Bonsai Styling" Presentation/discussion.

They kind of overlap and feed off each other so I would encourage people to attend both.

I am printing sketchbooks with notes inside the covers,

Each person gets a printed sketchbook and a pencil, at a cost of $5 a head.

Gavin especially asks we all be punctual to start right on time. A lot to get through.

Nursery Crawl, Two digs (one with Ballarat Club in Creswick) and our Show

Christmas break up and BBQ

Sales Order Form

In 2016 there will be no commission to pay the club for workshop night sales

One needs to be financial to do so.

Primarily for show use

2015 Show Bench Results

Class: Name: TOTAL

Open 1st Rob Cleary 58

2nd Bob White 55

3rd Maxine Edgar 24

Intermediate: 1st Gavin Dalgrosso 17

Novice: 1st Adam Webster12

2nd Zoe Shields 11

3rd Debbie Wilson 4

Owen Griffen Award1st Rob Cleary32

Bob White32

FEBRUARY SHOW BENCH

Tree of the month –Figs and Natives.
Style of the Month –Group planting or saikei and don’t forget!
“Your Choice”,--anything that looks especially good to you at this time of the year.

HOW THE SHOW BENCH WORKS

Each month there will be a “Tree of the Month” and this can be any style. There will also be a “Style of the Month” this can be any species. The section “Your Choice” can be any species and style.There will be three sections. Novice, Intermediate, and Open. Judged as follows:

1 point will be awarded for every tree shown.
3 points for the best-judged tree in that section.
2 points for the second tree.
1 point for the third.

The “Your Choice of tree” is open to all sections. All trees presented must be in show condition, i.e. clean pots, trimmed etc. Then at the A.G.M. in March, there will be a prize for the Winners of each section.Please be aware to display trees at the show bench they need to be in bonsai pots. Others to be placed elsewhere. Check with Jason who does the monthly judging for more information.

DATE / TREE OF THE MONTH / STYLE OF THE MONTH
February / Figs and Natives / Group Planting or saikei
March / Elms / Raft or Clump
April / Cedars and Minis / Informal Upright
May / Autumn Foliage / Twin or Multi-trunk
June / Pines and Junipers / Full or semi cascade or Minis
July / Deciduous Species / Formal Upright
August / Any Evergreen / Windswept or slanting
September / Olives / Root over rock/rock planting
October / Flowering or Fruiting / Literati or Broom
November / Maples and Liquid Amber / Shari’s – Jin’s and Driftwood
December / Composite Leaves (Ash, Wisteria) / Your Choice (Anything)

Bonsai Happenings for the Diary

SATSUKI INTEREST GROUP MEETING 20th February 2016

The meeting will be at 1:30PM at Trevor’s Bonsai Art Nursery 236 Old Dandenong Rd. Heatherton

Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra.27-28 February : 5th Symposium on Australian Plants as Bonsai,

Ballarat Club Begonia Festival display in Botanical Gardens 5th– 7th March :

Mornington Peninsula Bonsai Society Easter Exhibition

26th-27th March, Balcombe Grammar, 389 Nepean Highway, Mt Martha. Melways– Ref 151 C1-2

Bendigo Bonsai Society Easter Autumn Show

28th March: Bendigo Easter Exhibition. Uniting Church Hall, Forest St, Bendigo.

Victorian Native Bonsai Club9th-10th April : Native Club Exhibition, Domain House, Melbourne

AABC Convention 2016

29thAABC National Bonsai Convention Hobart, 17th – 20th May 2016

Hosted by Canberra Bonsai Society Inc.

25th –30th June : Bonsai Society of Victoria Inc. exclusively presents workshops & demonstrations by Taiga Urushibata, renowned bonsai artist and demonstrator from Japan

The South Australian Bonsai Society Inc Bonsai Exhibition8th-9th October 2016

Our October 2016 Annual Show open 10.00am to 4.00 pm both days Admission: $4.00 for Adults-Children under supervision Free. Goodwood Community Centre, 32 Rosa Street Goodwood, behind the Goodwood Library

GBC Annual Show 12th-13th November 2016

9th-10th November 2013 at the Masonic Hall, Regent Street, Belmont.

A magnificent display of Bonsai and a well stocked trading table that offers Bonsai requisites for sale, including pots, tools, wire, books including trained and semi-trained Bonsai and nursery stock. Continuous demonstrations of shaping and repotting of bonsai each day. Meet and talk with Geelong’s top Bonsai exponents. Light refreshments available.

BONSAI ACTION FOR FEBRUARY

Keep checking wires on all trees regularly as trunks and branches expand/grow rapidly at this time of year.If wire has already marked the tree remove the wire immediately and leave the tree to grow without pruning, as this will stimulate the plant’s growth and cell expansion and help to swell out the marked bark and reduce the amount of scaring. You can now wire the newly hardened growth that developed last spring.

Pinch and nip new growth on shoots to promote the development of fine branches and thicker foliage pads

Maples grow rapidly and put out long shoots - pinch back to first pair of leaves. Remove shoots with long internodes. When leaves have hardened and plants are strong, you can defoliate, if required, to reduce the size of leaves on your plants

Repotting of natives, should be completed in February. Figs and cedars should be repotted by late February

With the warmer weather here ensure your plants are obtaining sufficient water…remember to water thoroughly and regularly. Be vigilant for signs of leaf end browning and burning. Never put water on leaves in hot sun.

Reduce or even eliminate fertilizing during January and February

For pines, allow the soil to dry out between watering as this reduces the size of the pine needles.

Kill star weed and liverwort with brown vinegar (apply with cotton bud or a fine paint brush).

Continue to turn your trees so that they get sufficient light on all sides. Make sure you give your trees enough space to grow without growing into the trees in other pots. Defoliation should be completed by now, but it is still OK to do fig species. Check all plants for pests such as aphids, scale and ants and spray with insecticides such as ‘Clensel’ or ‘Confidor’. Look under leaves and branches too.

As the weather becomes hotter it is time to pay particular attention to watering and the protection of your trees. As some trees are in very small containers it may be necessary to sit them in a shallow tray of water during the day so they have a good supply of water while you are away for hours at a time. Hot winds are a major worry as they cause a rapid loss of moisture from the leaves. Not all trees need full exposure to the sun in summer as the intensity can become too severe. As a precaution it is recommended that most trees from cooler climates such as Maples, Flowering cherries and Hawthorns be given shade during hot spells. If a plant cannot supply its leaves with enough water in hot weather you will notice the leaves burning and drying out around the edges, and this will stress a plant severely. If the soil dries out too much it will be harder to rewet so these pots will benefit from being submerged to about half way up the pot in a water tray and left until the surface is quite wet, before being allowed to drain.

FEBRUARYPLANT PROFILE

Buxus Species

Buxus harlandii, Chinese Corky Box

Buxus sempervirens, Common Box

Buxus microphylla Japanese Box

Buxus microphylla ‘compacta’

Kingsville Box, Buxus sinica,

The genus buxus contains about thirty-five species found in the temperate regions of Eurasia, tropical and southern Africa, the Caribean and Central America. Box usually takes the form of a shrub or more rarely, a small tree, with opposite, waxy evergreen leaves, dark green above and lighter green underneath. The flowers are small, with no petals, and are followed by seeds contained in a small oval capsule. They are used most often to form hedges, and the very hard wood is used in cabinet making.

Position:- Full sun, or partial shade. Protect from frost or freezing temperatures in winter. The leaves may burn if not protected from direct sun on very hot days. Some box such as B. harlandii can be kept indoor in bright cool areas. Most box will tolerate cold weather but freezing conditions can turn the leaves to a bronze color. The foliage will usually green up again as the weather warms up.

Feeding:-Once every twenty to thirty days from spring to autumn with a break of about a month and a half in Mid summer, as growth will slow down during this period of high temperatures. Feed lightly even during winter at half the normal dosage.

Watering:-Daily throughout the growing season. B. harlandii prefers to have the soil dry out between watering. Water sparingly in winter but do not allow the soil to dry out. Spray the foliage on hot summer days.

Repotting:-Every two to three years in spring. Use a mixture of 60% potting mix, 30% coarse sand and 10% peat or humus. Most box like some limestone added to the soil mix. The roots of box are woody and dense and do not grow as vigorously as the top growth so they do not need repotting as often as other plants. When the roots of box are confined growth is slow and trunk thickening is almost nonexistent, so young plants in training should be given plenty of room to grow if you want a thicker trunk. Often field growing is the best way to get a thick trunk.

Pruning and Wiring:-Pruning of the roots should be carried out in spring at the same time as the first repotting and the reduction of the aerial part. Standard pruning is carried out during growth by reducing new shoots to 2 to 4 leaves. Box needs regular thinning of the foliage to get light into the inner branches to encourage back budding and to keep the foliage compact.

Wiring may be done at any time of the year. Box have very hard wood which lend itself to dead wood features, and carving. The hard wood in box means that it can often look stiff and angular. To avoid this the branches should be trained with wire when young and soft. Be aware that the bark will mark easily so do not leave the wire on too long. Take care when wiring as the branches can be brittle and break off easily.

Propagation:-By cuttings in spring or summer, by divisions and by layering in late spring or early summer.

THIS N THAT

SUGGESTION BOX

Let’s reintroduce the suggestion box. Please take the time to consider your ideas of how to improve the way we do things to make our club even more than what it is today. Ideas also about topics during the year you would like discussed, speakers to invite, number or workshops versus speakers etc.

Additionally what are the reasons you regularly attend and what would be the reasons some of our members only occasionally attend and what are the contributing factors why some only remain members for a short time.

GBC Website

Nathan Rhook has taken over managing our website and all things social Media from Daniel Novakovic. A sincere thanks to Daniel for all he has done gettingour club's profile into the Content will always be the challenge and please submit relevant information to Nathan.Go to

the National Bonsai & Penjing Collection of Australia (NBPCA)

about 85 trees on display many of which can be seen on its website (

BONSAI TIP OF THE MONTH

Non bonsai enthusiasts get a kick out of trivializing a story or discussion by turning the conversation to categories of small!

The tip to those who get peeved, ignore.

THOUGHT OF THE MONTH

“Smooth seas do not make skilful sailors.” African proverb (so embrace the experience & enjoy the challenges)

WEBSITE OF THE MONTH

Canberra Bonsai Society - Home

www.cbs.org.au/Share

Canberra Bonsai Society promotes the ancient and living art of bonsai through sharing knowledge and experience with members and the wider community.

BONSAI NURSERY OF THE MONTH

Shibui Bonsai

Growers of Pre Bonsai and Bonsai Starters

Looking to buy more substantial trees for your bonsai collection?Neil at Yackandandah has a range of field grown trees, see pictures/prices on his web site.

Neil

BONSAI TRIVIA OF THE MONTH

Suggestions welcome please to

HOUSEKEEPING

Volunteer requirements for our Club

Member Profile – Volunteers required
Book Review – Volunteers required
Newsletter Editor and/or Assistant - Volunteer required
Purchasing Officer for the Trading Table

Paul is also looking for newsletter assistance in any capacity as he has resumed duties from michael who has decided to call it a day

Sincere thanks to him for the superlative job he has done these past two years.

Meeting setup/tidy-up

The hall will be open from about 7pm to set up tables and chairs. As is the case for each of our meetings, extra hands to help set up are always welcome, as is help appreciated at the end of each meeting to pack away afterwards. Those who regularly assist would very much be pleased if more of us lent a hand.

Meeting/Events Calendar & Agenda

A copy is available at the meetings and is enclosed in this newsletter

GENERAL BUSINESS

GBC Library

A extensive library of bonsai books, magazines/journals, DVDs are available (as part of membership benefits) for use by members. Borrowed items must be returned in the month following their removal for loan. Non-financial members aren’t eligible to borrow from the library and borrowing privileges may be revoked for members who do not respect the borrowing process. See John and Steph Dearnly our Librarians

Memberships

Due annually at our December Annual General Meeting

Please renew asap - membership form is attached

Individual $20.00

Family $30.00

Students & Pensioners $15.00

Meeting setup/tidy-up

Meeting/Events Calendar & Agenda

A copy is available at the meetings and is enclosed in this newsletter.

Calendar &How the Show Bench Works?

Each month there will be a “Tree of the Month”, ‘Style of the Month’ and ‘Your Choice’ and this can be any style. Detailed notes sheet is available from the Club, and copies will be provided at the meetings

Wearing of Badges

Reminder to please wear your badge at our meetings.

It is a requirement to be able to claim the door prize if you are the winner.

Mentors:-

If any club member would like to volunteer their time as a mentor to other club members, please put your name down on the mentors list at the next meeting. Likewise if any club member would like to like to have the help of another person outside of club meetings.

NEXT MEETING

Monday 14th March 2016

Workshop Meeting

Please bring a tree or trees to work on

GBCI CLUB DETAILS

Established 1980 Registered 1984 (#A2342S)

Please address all correspondence to:

The Secretary

Geelong Bonsai Club Inc.

P.O. Box 1175, Geelong, Victoria, 3220

President Paul Buttigieg 0412 604 211

Vice President:John Dearnly - /0407 342 928

Secretary:Susan Abhikair-Zampatti - /0418 105 261

Treasurer:Debbie Wilson - /0412 274 224

Show Managers:Jeff O’Toole /0408 376 006