News

October 2023 Newsletter

PO Box 2682, Olympia WA 98507-2682

www.olympiabonsai.org *** https://www.facebook.com/OlympiaBonsaiClub/

OCTOBER MEETING – SHOW AND TELL

The October meeting Show & Tell is an opportunity to tell the tale of one of your trees. It's a time to ask for advice (if you want it) and a chance to inspire others. You might bring a bonsai that you really like and think is definitely a bonsai or you might bring one that friends respond well to but you think is a weak bonsai. Any tree you bring will spark a good conversation. Sharing a tree can be intimidating for some. We will do our best to be a supportive and encouraging community of bonsai geeks.

Questions to think about (not required):

What species is it?
Where did you get it?
How old is it?
What style is it?
How did you shape it?
Who else has worked on it?
What tools did you use?
Have you shown it at events?
Why did you decide on this container for it?
How do you care for it?
What soil? What fertilizer?
How much sun?

OCTOBER WORKSHOP

The October workshop on the 21st will be focused on pines, this includes Ponderosa, Black pines, Mugo, Western White, Shore and Lodgepole as well as many others we can cover in two hours.

PACIFIC BONSAI MUSEUM, FALL FOLIAGE FESTIVAL October 28 & 29

The Pacific Bonsai Museum and the Rhododendron Species Botanical Gardens will celebrate Autumn colors at the end of October. Autumn marks a significant transition point, especially for deciduous trees. Come see the bonsai in their fall colors. There will be food trucks and family oriented activities. Admission will be free to the Rhodies garden. Bonsai Museum admission is free but a donation is suggested. For more info: Fall Foliage Day | Pacific Bonsai Museum

FALL WEATHER, READY OR NOT, courtesy of Joe K

Talk about a rapid change in weather. The fact of the matter is that at this point in our fall weather pattern you should not be concerned about your trees as long as you rely on your knowledge of the trees in your collection and pay attention to what they are telling you. So the question is, when to move trees to their winter locations. Except for tropicals and sub-tropicals, which I talk about below, I wait until we have had a hard freeze. Knowing your own trees, you may want to make your own judgements about when to move those that need protection to their winter locations.

Tropicals that you may have had outside for the summer should be placed in a well-protected environment. This means you should move them to a greenhouse, a sunroom or entirely inside. There are 3 things you must adhere to: 1st your plant needs an environment that provides protection from the cold, 2nd it must have light either from natural light or from an artificial light (grow light), and 3rd the plant still needs to be watered, probably not at the rate that it needs in the summer but don't forget to water them. Species such as the sub-tropical varieties of Chinese elm can withstand short periods of below freezing temperatures but if the temps drop below freezing you should have a plan to move them into a more protected environment (garages work well). The most common occurrence is that the process of freezing and thawing causes far more damage to your pots than to your trees. Although most pots on the market are fire hardened, even the smallest of imperfections which allow water to penetrate can cause catastrophic failure to your tree. So pay attention to the weather.

As the fall weather progresses, we will be on a pendulum, with weather swings for the next 4 to 6 weeks. If you look up the past historical data you will see that we can expect a drop in temperatures in mid to late November followed by a brief warm up followed by our Late December, January and February deep freeze. With this in mind we need to continue our fertilization regime until we have a real hard freeze. When the Maple leaves drop, stop fertilizing. Until then, for the tree to absorb as much food as possible, use a faster acting food source such as Miracle Gro and dilute it to about 50% strength, fertilizing weekly until those maple leaves drop.

Fall and early winter is best for making major changes in design and for removing any old wire that may be showing the possibility of cutting in on the new growth spurt that will occur in 5 months or so. All your pines need to be trimmed and needles need to be plucked and any hard pruning should be done during the plant’s dormant period. Keep in mind that if you prune hard you need to ensure that you seal the wounds to prevent any possible pathogens from attacking your plant.

In the September newsletter, I mentioned that if you were unsure of what your plant needs or lacks and you are unsure what steps to take, visiting a professional to assist you may be needed. With that in mind I did exactly that. I was gifted and purchased several trees that I had not had much experience on a little over a year ago. Unsure of exactly what they needed, their future, how to prune, and after care instructions, I spent a day with Michael Hagedorn in Portland. I will continue to do that for at least 18 months to truly understand the species of trees and their needs. Keep in mind that if you visit a professional it need not be on a monthly basis but more of a seasonal visit perhaps 3 to 4 times a year.

I received an email from Portland Bonsai Supply informing me that because shipping costs have come down, the cost of most imported supplies are coming down again. Akadama is down to $46 a bag down $12 from where it was a year ago. I also noticed that costs for both aluminum wire and copper wire are down a bit. Unfortunately, true Bonsai stock continues to rise in price and so does nursery stock, but keep on looking and eventually you may find that diamond in the rough to polish up.

LAVA/SOIL/PUMICE ORDER

Running low on ingredients to repot your trees? The club offers not only lava rock but pre-sifted pumice and bags of pre-mixed soil. Please contact Kent R. and make arrangements to pick it up directly from him (971-236-3641 or warlordkentax@gmail.com.)

PLEASE RETURN YOUR EMPTIED LAVA BAGS TO KENT FOR RE-USE

2023 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

October Meeting

10/12 7PM / Lacey Community Center

October Workshop

10/21 10 AM - 2PM / North Olympia Fire Station

November Meeting

11/9 7PM / Lacey Community Center

November Workshop

11/18 10 AM - 2PM / North Olympia Fire Station

December Meeting

12/7/2023 - Mauro Stemberger, Italian Bonsai Artist

👉 NEW LOCATION: Olympia Center

222 Columbia Street NW, Olympia 98501

Officers

President - Sam L.

Vice President - Darrell A.

Secretary - Kent R.

Treasurer - Eduardo M.

Workshop Volunteer Coordinator

Gerry O.

Past President

Gerry O.

Board of Directors

Cole N.

Logan H.

Matt C.

Librarian

Volunteer Needed

Webmaster