by George Buehler 

Last month we presented a paper on the techniques of repotting.  Now that the tree is repotted, it is time to wire the branches/trunk to obtain the desired shape.  This can be a daunting prospect if you are new to bonsai, but because wiring is one of the necessary fundamental tasks in bonsai, working to develop this skill is essential.  With practice, wiring will become second nature.
There are a couple of points to understand before you begin wiring a tree:

1. The sole purpose of wiring a bonsai is to change the direction and shape of the branches and trunks and to make them conform to the owner’s concept of the perceived design.  Therefore, before you begin, you should have a basic concept or what you want the tree to look like when the tree is “finished”.
2. The way that wiring works is that, in bending the wood, you stress, and sometimes damage the cells.  The tree while repairing the damage grows into the shape imposed on it by the wire.
3. Wiring is stressful for a tree and if you wire a weak branch or tree, you may lose the branch or even the tree.
4. There are proper methods to wiring (these will be discussed below).
5. The best time to wire is dependent on the type of tree but is generally considered to be late winter or early spring.  As we will see later, this may not be the best for the tree.

by John Callaway

I’m happy to announce the formation of a new bonsai study group.  Over the next year, we will work to progress our knowledge of bonsai and, as a result, improve our trees.

What types of things are discussed?
- Proper repotting techniques
- Grafting of Japanese Black Pine
- Carving deadwood
- Wiring deciduous and conifers

by Earl Ekman

BEGINNER WORKSHOP – April 2nd, 6:30 PM
Last year I did a demonstration for the Beautification League Garden Club and all those in attendance were interested in doing their own tree at a workshop. They meet at the Nunnlea House 1940 Hurstbourne Lane and they want to do their workshop there. After discussion with several GLBS club members and the Beautification League, the date was set for April 2nd at 6:30 PM. I recently talked to Judy Timmering, their president, and she seems to think there will be 10 to 13 participants in the workshop. Tom McCurry, James York and I made a trip to Brussel’s and picked up some nice staked-up junipers for this workshop and future ones. We will need lots of help from club members to make this a successful event. I will make sure all the material is available at their meeting, but I will need lots of help. Please help out by attending this workshop. Bring some tools. Everything else will be provided.

by Ross Clark

Believe It Or Not:  The Brown Bottle Sacred Cow, Defrocked

Most of you are probably familiar with the tale about the emperor’s new clothes.  This is an “emperor’s new clothes” story. 

Just in case you have forgotten it . . . Once upon a time, there was a very self-important ruler of a small kingdom.  His word was law; no one dared to disagree with him.  Everyone bowed and smiled as he passed by.  The imperial life was good; he was a very secure, very relaxed monarch.  One day an enterprising tailor received an audience with the emperor, to show him a truly remarkable new line of clothing no one else had ever seen or worn.  Naturally, that idea had great appeal for the ruler.  As the tailor lifted, carefully displayed and oohed and aahed over the clothes, the emperor became more and more pleased and excited.  However, as each of the emperor’s close advisors quietly watched, it became obvious to each of them that the tailor was showing the monarch invisible–or imaginary–clothes.  Naturally, each of the advisors kept it to himself, dared not say anything, and continued to smile and nod his approval.  So, the emperor bought the “clothes” and wore them as he rode a white horse in a parade down the main street of his capital city.  Everyone bowed, smiled, and secretly noted that the emperor was not wearing a stitch of clothing.  But no one dared to utter the naked truth.  No one, except one little boy, who cried out, “Why look, the Emperor has no clothes on!”  Naturally, once the truth came out, there was quite a general commotion, with everyone laughing and repeating what had been obvious from the beginning:  The emperor was wearing nothing at all!

by John Callaway

This is a reprint from the July 2006 issue of the Greater Louisville Bonsai Society newsletter.

There are nearly as many bonsai soil recipes as there are bonsai trees in the world.  It seems that just about everyone has their own mix.  The important thing is to find a recipe that works for you and your trees.  Your soil mix should provide enough water retention to sustain the tree between watering, yet be loose enough to allow for adequate drainage.  You must also consider your fertilizing routine when planning a soil mix.

Soil mixes with organic components tend to retain more moisture, as well as retain more fertilizers.  This means that if you are fertilizing often then you will need to be careful that you do not overload the soil with fertilizer.  Too much fertilizer may burn the fine feeder roots.

More...

by Ron Martin

This article was featured in bonsaitalk

Do you ever wonder why there are so many different kinds of bonsai soil? Why, no matter whom you ask, you will get a different answer?

When it comes to soil, strong opinions abound, and it is just about as easy to talk politics or religion as it is bonsai soil. Just about the only thing that most of us agree on is that bonsai soil must have good drainage. After that, the fight is on.

If there are so many different opinions, why do they all work? Well most of them anyway...

Trees, like all living organisms, can live in a wide range of conditions. Exceed this range on either extreme and one winds up with firewood. Stay within it and the tree will somehow survive. Obviously, the closer you get to the middle of that range the happier the tree is. The closer you get to the extreme sides of that range, the more the tree struggles to survive.