by Dave Bogan

Every one of us is proud of our trees and want to show them off. Lets make sure they are all up to the task. At minimum, two weeks before the show lets make it a point to individually inspect & work on every tree you plan to show.

Starting at the top. Prune any small foliage that has grown outside the “silhouette” of the shape. Prune it slightly back or in from the silhouette. This helps avoids the sight of a cut branch. Wire - if it’s on neatly and still required, leave it. This is an informal show. The general public always has questions on how and why we wire our trees. In many cases, wire can be removed and a thin simple guy wire used in its place. Remove all dead or discolored foliage and branches.

Now, let’s move down. The surface area of the soil and roots are very important and very distracting if not clean. First, check to see that your tree is firmly anchored in the pot. If not, sometimes

you can add a wire through the bottom or if you can get to the original tie point, tighten it slightly. If you have mineral (salt) deposits on your roots, clean them with a dental tool, tooth brush and vinegar. Don’t worry the vinegar won’t hurt a thing, simply water well when finished. Remove any and all small roots. Clean around the roots and trunk. I have spent over two hours cleaning this area on one tree. It makes them look so much neater but more importantly, makes them look older and stable. Remove any large chucks of bark, or pebbles from the soil surface. Remove any weeds or dead\(brown) moss. If required, replace moss with fresh bright green moss. Try to find the short velvety type but try to have more than one type of moss so it looks more natural. When applying new moss in “sheets” always make sure the edges are covered and below the surface level or it will dry and die quickly. I like to spread a small amount of fine soil all over the exposed surface area – just adds neatness. Next, the pot. Again, make sure there are no mineral deposits. After cleaning the pot (including the inside rim) wipe it all down with baby oil. Once wiped down, wipe again to remove any excess oil. All trees must be in Bonsai pots - avoid plastic or nontraditional pots

On junipers, clean the upper bark areas, the bark underneath is a beautiful reddish color which really stands out. If you want it to be even more dominant, wipe the bark down with olive oil and it will really bring out the color. If you have jin, shari or uro, clean it also. If time allows, a fresh coat of lime sulfur does wonders. If you don’t like the stalk white look, add a drop or so of black ink or black water color paint to the lime sulfur. It will give it a duller or darker appearance.

Of the utmost importance, do not bring in a tree that is unhealthy, infected or full of insects. The last thing you want to do is infect your neighbor’s tree.

Now, we have a clean and beautiful tree ready for showing. If you happen to have any photos of the tree during its design phase, the public loves this. It give them a little insight into all our trials and tribulations of making it this far. Be knowledgeable about the species. The public has a lot of questions and it’s nice to be able to speak intelligently on the tree. In your research, make sure you know the species name and the Latin name in order to fill out your show cards (available @ the Show).

Now, lets have fun. Take part in the show. Try to plan on staying all you can. We always need people who love to interact with the public. If you have a tree that needs a little work, bring it along too. There’s always a member or two who get bored and would love to help you work on the tree during the show. The public loves to watch these impromptu demonstrations. Lastly, volunteer to help all you can. There is a lot of work putting on these shows.