Here are some photos from our last meeting.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Rose Food and Elms
Some bonsai enthusiasts are apparently having remarkable success using Rose 3-N-1 on elms. Rodney reports that he visited a group recently, and they were using Rose 3-N-1 to treat black spot on elms. An incredible reduction in leaf size is a noted (but unintended) benefit of the treatment. My notes indicate using 1 ounce per gallon and drenching the soil once a week for two to three weeks.
Here are some photos from our last meeting.
Here are some photos from our last meeting.
May 14, 2011 Meeting
Dennis McHugh has been studying with Kenji and Ryan Neil and apparently learning quite a bit about pines. :-)
We prevailed on Dennis to share a few tidbits with the group during our May 14 meeting. Here is what we learned.
Pines
Black - two seasons of growth
White - one season of growth
Includes: Ponderosa, Limber, lodge pole
Black pines grow stronger roots, which is why you often see other pines grafted on black pine roots.
Fertilizing
White pine
Do not fertilize white pine in spring. The time to fertilize white pine will occur around the middle to end
of June/ early July and you will have time to get one fertilizer application in before the really intense
heat of August is of concern. If you fertilize before then the candles and needles on white pines will
excessively elongate. Even though the needles may be pushing out the candles can still gain a lot of
length and the internodes will become excessively long between needle clusters. You will know when
needle elongation and bud elongation have stopped because the sheaths will shed completely once the
needle clusters have fully expanded and hardened off. At this point the needle junction needs no more
protection and the sheath becomes useless. In fall use moderate fertilization.
Black pine
Start fertilizing in February and continue into June, stop when you cut candles. Don't fertilize again until
the new candles harden off (needles are in sheath and hold and color changes to deep green). Then
fertilize once a month depending on how you fertilize. Moderate fertilization in fall and a little in winter.
Dennis may provide another mini-tutorial at our June meeting. Don't miss it!
We prevailed on Dennis to share a few tidbits with the group during our May 14 meeting. Here is what we learned.
Pines
Black - two seasons of growth
White - one season of growth
Includes: Ponderosa, Limber, lodge pole
Black pines grow stronger roots, which is why you often see other pines grafted on black pine roots.
Fertilizing
White pine
Do not fertilize white pine in spring. The time to fertilize white pine will occur around the middle to end
of June/ early July and you will have time to get one fertilizer application in before the really intense
heat of August is of concern. If you fertilize before then the candles and needles on white pines will
excessively elongate. Even though the needles may be pushing out the candles can still gain a lot of
length and the internodes will become excessively long between needle clusters. You will know when
needle elongation and bud elongation have stopped because the sheaths will shed completely once the
needle clusters have fully expanded and hardened off. At this point the needle junction needs no more
protection and the sheath becomes useless. In fall use moderate fertilization.
Black pine
Start fertilizing in February and continue into June, stop when you cut candles. Don't fertilize again until
the new candles harden off (needles are in sheath and hold and color changes to deep green). Then
fertilize once a month depending on how you fertilize. Moderate fertilization in fall and a little in winter.
Dennis may provide another mini-tutorial at our June meeting. Don't miss it!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Open Bonsai Workshop
Just a quick note to let everyone know that Warren Hill and Dana Quattlebaum will be at Plant City in March. Go to http://www.plantcitybonsai.com/Events.html for details.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
February 2011 Meeting
The Smith Gilbert Bonsai Group held its first meeting of 2011 on February 12. Here is a short summary put together by Rick Dawsey.
We had a wonderful day Saturday. A lot of folks, beautiful weather, and a great teacher!
Rodney opened with a meeting in which he outlined how he thinks we should proceed. He plans to open with a brief meeting, then bring in SGG trees for everyone to work on under his direction, and as a group. It worked great. Everyone sorta self-selected themselves into singles or small groups, and
Rodney circulated, guiding us.
Around lunch some of us moved onto our own trees, and some of us worked on SGG trees all day.
The highlight of the day was the bending of a huge old black pine branch. This tree, donated by Bob, is a great old tree whose top was broken out several years ago. Dennis and Rodney split, wired, raffiaed, and bent a 1" diameter upper branch 90ยบ to vertical, without any breakage or even serious cracking. This process took 3-1/2 hours, and the results show it!
At the end of the day we adjourned to Trackside for a little wine and dinner.
See you next month!
We had a wonderful day Saturday. A lot of folks, beautiful weather, and a great teacher!
Rodney opened with a meeting in which he outlined how he thinks we should proceed. He plans to open with a brief meeting, then bring in SGG trees for everyone to work on under his direction, and as a group. It worked great. Everyone sorta self-selected themselves into singles or small groups, and
Rodney circulated, guiding us.
Around lunch some of us moved onto our own trees, and some of us worked on SGG trees all day.
The highlight of the day was the bending of a huge old black pine branch. This tree, donated by Bob, is a great old tree whose top was broken out several years ago. Dennis and Rodney split, wired, raffiaed, and bent a 1" diameter upper branch 90ยบ to vertical, without any breakage or even serious cracking. This process took 3-1/2 hours, and the results show it!
At the end of the day we adjourned to Trackside for a little wine and dinner.
See you next month!
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