OLYMPIA BONSAI CLUB
GENERAL MEETING MINUTES
September 8, 2016
The meeting was called to order at 7:01 PM. Cole thanked Judy and Kerry for hosting our picnic in August.
The calendars are ready to go to the printers. They will be ready for sale next month. The cost is $12.50 each, and Cole asked for a count of buyers. Rick will order 75.
We are losing key people:
- Judy Hart is giving up her post as workshop coordinator.
- Wes will no longer be treasurer.
- Dennis does not want to be the coffee/cookie coordinator any more.
- There are two board member positions.
If anyone wants to assume any of these positions, please contact Cole or Rick.
The beautiful, old azalea had a life plan to be raffled off to a ticket drawn in December. The tickets were $5 each. However, there weren’t enough tickets sold to cover the minimum bid for the azalea, so the tickets already purchased will be refunded. The current plan is to auction it after Victrina is finished with it.
There will not be an October meeting because of the convention at the Red Lion October 13-16. It is therefore critical that we fill the empty positions ASAP. The form to sign up to go to the convention is a bit complicated.
John Muth is scheduled to be our November speaker.
December holiday party is a luncheon scheduled for December 10 at Chambers Restaurant. Cole will put it on the Web site.
Millie and Kathy McCabe had an announcement about 5 bonsai that have been stolen from the Bonsai Museum in Federal Way. The thieves cut the fence to get in. Cole will put pictures of the bonsai on our Web site so we can be on the lookout.
Victrina Ridgeway is our speaker tonight. She is also doing a workshop on azaleas tomorrow afternoon. She was recommended to us by Charlie Anderson of the Bremerton Bonsai Club. Victrina said she has been studying for 11 years, 5 of them with Dan Robinson of Elandan Gardens. She will be working on our tree for the next several years, together with us. She has kept it in her yard for almost a year. She has southern exposure which encourages bloom. It is covered in buds now, but progress necessitates that it not be allowed to bloom.
She will not be changing much today. She wants the energy that it has been storing all summer to be available next spring. One of her favorite sayings is “Horticulture before Art”.
The following are points of discussion for her presentation tonight:
- General information about azaleas
- Annual schedule of care
- Common pests and diseases
- Styles
- Development
First: The satsuki azalea was hybridized in Japan 500 years ago. There are about 1000 satsukis dating back to 1692. It is in the heath family, and therefore loves acid.
Second: She put up a picture of an example care schedule. It is available at our Web site. Satsukis get a growth spurt early in the spring, then later in the summer (August thru October) they set buds for the next year. They are very thirsty when they are blooming in April/May. You can prune at will then. The tree should not be any wider than the pot. She will therefore prune it in and back to focus on the well-formed trunk. During winter, it will go in her garage; otherwise it will be outside. Azaleas respond well to leaf-stripping.
Third: Azaleas are subject to leaf gall. A juicy module may form that will kill the leaf and eventually the branch. When removed, keep it off the dirt, as it is a fungus. Azaleas can also get black vine weevil. You can tell when this is present by observing half circle cut-outs on leaves. Azaleas can also suffer from root rot, present on their fine, feeder roots. When root pruning, slice rather than tease the roots. Liverwort should not be grown together with azaleas. When potting, use acidic soils like kanuma, which breaks down very fast. Leave in pot 3-5 years at most. Azaleas also suffer from nutrient deficiencies. Use ammonium sulfate for nitrogen. Low iron can cause yellow leaves.
Fourth: Styles of azaleas include informal upright, clump, cascade, helmet and exposed root. Also, each flower bud is genetically unique, so different colors can be found on the same plant. She showed us pictures of half-pink and half-white flowers on the same plant.
Fifth: Regarding development,azaleas throw sprouts easily. Trunk development takes time and usually works best in the ground. They have very delicate bark so try not to damage the bark because water cannot be taken up through scar tissue. Their wood is very brittle and difficult to wire.
Be willing to defoliate or strip all but a few leaves. You will get phenomenal growth if done at the correct time of year.
She takes off the lower branch of our azalea, but leaves a stub. In the spring, she will remove the stub to a divot. She then took the branch she cut off and demonstrated how to cut back. This should be done in the spring.
She was asked what fertilizer she used. She uses pelletized lawn fertilizer, ammonium phosphate, sprinkled on the top of the soil. Miracid can be used, but is not optimal. Ironite (found at Lowe’s) can also be used. When the pellets disappear, she puts on more. Begin feeding as soon as growth begins, approximately early April. Stop fertilizing about now, early September. During fall, you can use a zero nitrogen fertilizer.
We took a 10 minute break. Cole reminded us of her workshop tomorrow, and that attendees should bring their own tools and wire. It will be at 6 PM at the NOFS. Anyone who wishes can come and observe.
New people in the audience were recognized: George Barney and his granddaughter Melissa. They said they had already joined.
Tonight we have a view of the presentation projected up on the wall. Dennis is our cameraman. We were asked if we approved and everyone liked it.
Victrina is back. She said azaleas are thin-skinned. She warned us to never use copper wire, only aluminum. Copper will shred the bark. Wrap the branch before wiring. She uses hay-baling twine. She untwists it as she applies it when wiring. Instead of doing a double wire, split two wires leaving a gap. This gives better support.
If the branch you are bending cracks, use super glue or gorilla glue.
After wiring, when you are ready to do your movement, grasp the wire with pliers to do the bend, instead of grabbing the branch.
We thanked Victrina and hope she is willing to come back next spring. The raffle was next, and we adjourned at 9:02.