[GLBS] From the Editor

Bonsai News

by George Buehler


When I started putting this newsletter together, I immediately realized that there was a lot of information in this issue - so much that I had to add another two pages. I guess that since March is an extremely busy time for bonsai with transplanting, wiring, and getting ready for the 'growing season', it is only fitting that we give you a lot of reading material also. However, since we are limited in space, these ramblings will be short. Yea, I know, you say "thank goodness"!


What I would like to highlight is our added field trip to see Dave Bogan's new business. Dave will have a kick off for his new venture on March 8. He built a new structure to house all 350 pots, soil, wire and other stuff he will have for sale. Dave and Barbara are handling Tokoname and Houtoko pots. These are top quality pots. Of course, they will also handle the cheaper pots. Knowing Dave, I'm sure it will be top notch.



While we are in the area, we have the opportunity to go over to Greg Hollander's to see his new greenhouse. As I understand it, he has gone over board with new species.


The day should be a fun (and perhaps expensive) day. If you want to go, please call John to let him know you want to go. We will car pool from the Ramada at Zorn and River Rd. at 9 AM and should be back about 6 PM. We need to have a count of those wanting to attend in case the weather turns bad and we have to cancel. I also need to let both Dave and Greg how many to expect.


When I looked at the calendar, I saw that March 8 was also Brussel's Preview Sale. For those of you who are going to Brussel's, if you leave there by lunch time, you can make it to Dave's before he closes at 5 PM. I'm sure if you call Dave (812 204-4026) and tell him you are coming, he will stay open for you!


I don't know about you, but my trees don't know whether to bud or reach for their overcoats. With the crazy weather we have had, I know I have lost some buds, however, there is nothing I can do about it but hope for the best. With the ice storm we had a few days ago, I noticed that the trees I had buried outside were covered with ice. Of course this doesn't hurt them - at least for a short time except to weigh down the branches. In looking at the bud swell on some of my trees, I decided to start transplanting some of them. As I said last month, I like to transplant and/or wire before the buds get too big, which helps to keep from knocking some of them off.


This year I decided that I was not going to get into a panic and try to get a lot of trees done at one time. Therefore I made up a list of the trees that needed to be transplanted, mainly due to the soil not draining as fast as I would like. I had watched the water drain out of the pots last summer and made notes about it. I had also purchased new pots for some of them last summer. So anyway, I began doing some of the transplanting. The problem now - with the strange weather we are having - is the need to protect the transplanted trees. It is critical to not let the transplanted trees get frozen, or, at least, not let the roots get frozen. Perhaps I am wrong, but I think once the tree is transplanted, it starts waking from its dormancy. If the pot freezes now, it may kill the tree. So I face the usual spring problems - the bonsai shuffle. I will have to move the trees around in the garage as the temperature fluctuates.


Now getting back to transplanting, as I write this in late February, I have finished repotting four trees. What I noticed, that I hadn't thought of before, is that the shohin trees in their small pots had a lot of matted roots wrapped around the inside of the pot. With the small pots of the shohin, I guess it makes sense since there is such a limited space for the roots to expand. This caused me to rethink my schedule for the order of transplanting. So I have to decide whether some of the shohin trees, that I thought didn't need transplanting, may in fact need it. I plan on slipping some of the small guys out of their pots and examining their roots without disturbing their roots too much. If there are matted roots, then I will go ahead and root prune then repot, even though it wasn't on my repot list.


The point here is we must listen to what our trees tell us and act accordingly.




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