Michael Kempson will share his tips and techniques for preparing trees to show. There’s more to it than just putting a bonsai on a stand and grabbing a companion plant. Join us as Michael walks us through his routine to get the best possible result from his material.
This month we are having two workshop meetings, with our special one in the main hall on the first Tuesday and the normal workshop on the third Tuesday night in the activities room. May continues to be a good time for tidying up the foliage of evergreens such as conifers and other non-flowering bonsai, although
Water Gum (Tristaniopsis laurina) is a great choice for bonsai, particularly in the Sydney area where it is commonly used as a street tree and thrives with little or no attention. Shiny, attractive foliage with bronze tips in spring, easily reducible leaf size, clusters of small yellow flowers and beautiful bark which flakes off in
Bought at the Illawarra show last May, the basic plan for this old trident maple (1991) was to deal with the congestion at the apex, remove the highest root on the right-hand side and change the angle when repotting. The original sandy soil mix, which was drying out too quickly, was to be replaced, so
Remove any weeds, moss, fallen leaves and debris from the soil surface. Study the structure of the branches and then cut out any crossing branches and shorten the long branches to instigate more branching (ramification) in spring. Remove the tree from the pot and survey the root system. Using a small bonsai rake, scrape from
Being the first month of winter means it’s the first of three ‘bench sprays’ with diluted lime sulphur over the next three months. I like to do any spraying on the first weekend of the month. That way I remember to do the task and it just becomes part of the winter monthly routine. Mix
Towards the end of 2022, BSA was fortunate to have Evan Marsh give a demonstration on growing Shohin bonsai. Evan is well known for his prize winning Shohin and has studied with Koji Hiramatsu who is an expert Shohin grower and board member and instructor for the All-Japan Shohin- Bonsai Association. Shohin are small bonsai.
Nine members attended our workshop last month and had an interesting time doing Root over Rock figs. Some trees created at last year’s Root over Rock workshop had their roots exposed to check on progress. Of these, a few needed adjustments in their position on the rock, roots trimmed or more sphagnum moss added. They
I have a fetish about putting all my trees into bonsai pots, even the trees in early training that don’t begin to deserve a dedicated pot. My benches are just outside my dining room and kitchen windows so you can see the trees all the time, and they simply look nicer in nice pots. But
This is a great time to bring tropical species such as figs to work on. Root pruning and styling are both possible, so make sure you bring everything you’ll need if you want to spend your evening developing your figs. Pruning the foliage and styling of your deciduous trees and conifers is also appropriate during
