The Bonsai News of Houston A Monthly Newsletter of the Houston Bonsai Society, Inc.

Hoe’s award winning Japanese Black Pine and stone display at LSBF 2014 (Photo: Shawn Nguyen)

HBS Monthly Meeting

The next meeting of the Houston Bonsai Society will be on Wednesday July 2nd, 2014 at 7:30pm, at The West Gray Multi-Services Center, 1475 W. Gray Street, Houston, TX 77019, between Dunlavy Street and Waugh Drive. Refreshments at 7pm.

Wednesday, June 2nd, Scott Barboza will share with HBS his knowledge and experience with Japanese Black Pines, the world most popular classic bonsai species. This month, For Show & Tell with Ray Gonzalez, please bring your prized JBPs of all sizes and styles.

Upcoming Events

Saturday July 5, Saturday Study Group at Mercer Arboretum& Botanic Gardens, 9am– 12 Noon. Free, refreshments provided. Bring your own trees and tools.

Saturday July 5, Japanese Black Pine Study Group at Timeless Trees, 9am -12 Noon, focus on Spring Candle removal, $20. Refreshments provided.

July 11 - 13, Tropical Bonsai School Year 3 with Pedro Morales at Timeless Trees ($300 includes all educational and workshop materials, snacks, refreshments and lunches Fri, Sat and Sun). Classroom sessions Tuesday, Wed. and Thursday evenings 6 – 9pm, hands on workshop sessions Friday, Saturday and Sunday 9am– 5pm

Saturday, July 26, Cascade Workshop / Study Group with instructor Michael McCluskey, 9am - 1pm, $40 per person in advance, $45 at the door. Focus will be on Cascade design and development. Refreshments, videos, handout and other goodies. Texas State convention 2016 will highlight Cascade styled trees. This workshop will help you prepare your trees for this new award category.

Saturday, August 2,Bring Your Own Tree workshop at Timeless Trees, 9am – 1pm, $25 in advance, $30 at the door. Refreshments, tools, soil and wire provided.

Volume 43 Number 7 July 2014

IN THIS ISSUE

Upcoming Events

Scott Barboza Japanese Black Pine

Showcase of the Month

More LSBF 2014 Rocks

July Bonsai Care

John Miller

The President’s

Message

HBS Board

Meeting Minutes

June 2014

June Demo

Rodney Clemons Rock Planting

Tropical Bonsai School

Year 3

LSBF 2014 Rocks Photos: Joey McCoy & Shawn Nguyen

July Bonsai Care

What happens to bonsai in July? I guess that depends more on the people taking care of them than on the weather. When the temperature gets to 100 degrees, bonsai need to be looked after, since they cannot get up and move to a shady spot or go get a drink of water.

Going into July, August and later, you will need to keep your bonsai as cool as possible. That means no direct sun on the pots and soil where the roots are. Without going into a lot of details, here are some considerations:

1. Shade cloth: 40% for pines, junipers and tridents, 50% for less tough plants and 60% on the west side. 2. Watering schedule: At 2pm to cool the soil, at sundown to cool soil and refresh overnight, and in the morning as necessary. This is optimum. Adjust that schedule and soil mix to work with your schedule. 3. Soil covering: Chopped long fiber sphagnum can help retain moisture and keep soil cooler. 4. Protect from late afternoon sun: Low humidity lets the full force of the heat come through. 5. Consider foliage misting, especially on junipers. In the wild, many species open up their stomata at night to take in the dew. Some broadleaf plants enjoy foliage feeding, especially for localized needs. 6. Keep insects under control especially the sucking ones, such as mites and scale. 7. Pot protection: Shade the sunny sides of the pots with old cloth, shop towels, or custom made boxes. Allow for air circulation and for heat to escape.

We usually do not fertilize our bonsai enough, however during these hot days, you need to exercise care. Slow release organics are best. Chemical fertilizers may burn roots if the soil temperature gets too warm around 90s or higher. Remember the sun factor and read the label for guidance. My recommendation is to feed the trees with organic fertilizer balls available commercially or you can make your own, depending on how many bonsai you have. Although I use fertilizer balls, I often like to supplement the feeding with a liquid fertilizer every other week.

Watch for signs of insect problems. The spider mites will always be near. Others to look for are scale of various forms, aphids, bagworms and mealy bugs. Preventative medicine is best, so spray on a regular schedule. Keep in mind that by the time you see signs, especially spider mites, the damage is already done. I use organic foliar feed to control all these (1 Tablespoon each of fish emulsion, liquid kelp, molasses and 5% apple cider vinegar per gallon water). You can use some of the other organic controls or a chemical according to directions on the label. Read the label carefully. Do not apply oil based chemicals to buttonwoods.

A hose end sprayer does not work very well. You have little control over where it sprays and the droplets are too large. Use a pump sprayer with a fine spray and cover both the top and bottom of leaves. Whether chemical or organic, you must spray insecticide on a regular schedule for good control. If you wait until you see damage, it is usually too late.

When checking the results on your plants after spraying, remember that the spray usually does not remove the ‘evidence’ of problems. The webs will still be there after the mites are killed. The shells of the scale will still be attached to the leaves or stems. These will have to be removed by hand, with a strong jet of water or a soft toothbrush, which works best on the scale shells. There is usually no damage from removing the dead bugs. Often, it helps you detect the presence of future infestation.

Be careful when pruning spring flowering species. Next year’s flower buds are usually set in late summer or in the fall. For Kurume azaleas, that happens in July and for Satsuki, a little later in August. It’s also important to find out whether your particular flowering tree blooms on new or old wood, so you can keep it in shape, yet not prune off next year’s flower buds.

Tropicals, buttonwoods, Fukien tea, serissa, fig, etc. should be repotted during the summer while they are growing strong.

When humidity is low, I mist my junipers in the evening. I believe that in the wild, junipers open their stomata in the cool of the evening to absorb the dew and close up in the heat of the day to conserve moisture. The other species often get a foliage spray in the morning.

The humidity in summer varies quite a bit but when it sticks around for a few days, look for fungal problems to appear, mildew being the most prevalent. Black spot will show up if the foliage stays wet for a long time. Usually, foliage watering in the morning would not be a problem due to quick evaporation. Treat with potassium bicarbonate available at any nursery with a decent organic section, or use several other types of chemical sprays.

Apology: I made a big boo-boo last month. I suggested a fungal treatment of sodium hydroxide. The correct stuff is sodium bicarbonate, which is baking soda. Potassium bicarbonate may also be used. Some people think it is a better product.

My daughter makes soap and we had a discussion on one ingredient that she uses – lye, which is sodium hydroxide. I guess that name stuck with me and while I was in a hurry, it came out as a typo. Sorry about that.

That is one reason why I keep saying: “Read the instructions before using any product” whether on bonsai or for any other use. You would not see any plant usage on a lye bottle.

John Miller

John Miller, who writes a monthly column for the Bonsai Society of Dallas and Fort Worth Bonsai Society, has agreed to share his column with us. We need to make adjustments for our warmer and damper climate, with earlier springs, longer summers, late fall and erratic winters.

A Kokufu-Ten Japanese Black Pine winner (Photo from the Internet)

President’s Message

Friends,

Well, it is raining outside, and we really need it. Most of this week looks like rain. That’s okay with me. My water bill is too high already.

July is time for frantic work, decandling Japanese Black pines, repotting tropicals, wiring and unwiring. But it is also the time of year to get some real development out of the tropicals.

This summer, we are hosting Pedro Morales Tropical School for the third year. He really helps us develop our trees into much better trees we can be proud of. For the last several years, he has pushed us to work, develop, wire, prune, etc. and then show off our trees. This last State Convention is proof that the hard work does indeed pay off. Hopefully one day, some of us will have trees entered into the National Competition.

Rodney Clemons was a great artist for the meeting last month. We were also able to share his visit with the Corpus Christi Club. Rodney’s favorite trees are the Coastal Live Oaks so on the way back from Corpus Christi, I took him through Rockport and Fulton. He really likes all the windswept oaks in that area. The highlight was our stop by Goose Island State Park to see the “Big Tree”. It is technically not the largest live oak in the state, but it is the largest one that is not on private property. I

think it is #2 or #3 in the state. Its circumference is over 35 feet with a height of more than 45 feet. Its crown spreads 90 feet wide. If you get a chance, stop by to visit that beauty, only 4 miles off Highway 35, just east of Fulton. It’s certainly a worthwhile little side trip.

This July meeting will be led by Scott Barboza. He will discuss Japanese Black Pine development. Scott has some of the best Japanese Black pines in Texas, so make a point to be there.

Thanks for all your support. You all help make the Houston Bonsai Society GREAT! Hurley

Houston Bonsai Society

Board Meeting Minutes

June 4, 2014

I. Call to Order

The President, Hurley Johnson, called the meeting to

order at 6:45 p.m.

II. Roll Call

Present: Hurley Johnson, Eldon Branham, Anthony

Cutola, John Edmonson, Mary Cinotto, Brian Gurrola,

Ron Ahles and Barbara Adams. Also present were Donald

Green, Alan Raymond and Ray Gonzalez. A quorum was present.

III. Read and Approve Meeting Minutes

Minutes for the meeting of May 7, 2014 were read and

approved.

IV. Treasurer's Report Anthony Cutola presented the Treasurer's Report.

Expense Reimbursement to C.J. Everson for

refreshments $ 42.45

Deposits

Membership Dues $ 400.00

A motion was made to accept the Treasurer's Report. The

motion was seconded and all voted in favor. Anthony

reported that to date 62 members had paid dues.

V. Expenditures

A motion was made to reimburse Barbara Adams for

refreshment expenses of $ 82.39 and Hurley Johnson $49

for stamps for mailing out the newsletter. The motion

was accepted and all voted in favor.

Discussion followed considering increasing the fee for

mailing out newsletters next year, or having those

members not wanting to receive their newsletters by email

come to the meetings to receive them. Further discussion

was deemed necessary and a decision was postponed.

Rodney Clemons demo fee of $300.00 and 1/2 of his total

airfare will also be submitted.

VI. Unfinished Business

Saturday June 14th, HBS Saturday Study Group will be

held at Maas Nursery in Seabrook from 9 am - 12 noon.

Clyde Holt will be facilitating.

VII. LSBF Activities

Donald Green will coordinate a meeting of the Convention Chairpersons to finalize business for the 2014

Convention. The tentative date is Tuesday, June 17th

from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at the West Gray Service Center.

He would appreciate written reports to be submitted to

him beforehand detailing what went well, what didn't and

reconciling all monies.

VIII. New Business

Hurley Johnson reported that we have a Prostrada Juniper

tree for Peter Tea’s demonstration in September. His

invoice of $595 will be mailed.

Anthony Cutola will finalize the 2014 budget to be

reviewed at the next meeting.

Mary Cinotto reported that Alex Leong, Michael

McCluskey, Ken Credeur and Buddy Allen will be asked

to assist at the consulting table to be set up before

monthly meetings.

Letters will be sent out next month to members for unpaid membership dues. Anthony Cutola has provided an

updated list of all members from last year and a list of

paid members this year for comparison purposes.

It was discussed as to whether the club should continue to

meet at the West Gray Service Center. At present, it is

unknown how much the facility at Hermann Park will

charge once their renovation is completed. Once that

information is known, a decision can be made.

It was mentioned that consideration must be given to

selecting a date for the Fall Show in October at Mercer

Arboretum. Alan Raymond will check appropriate dates

available.

IX. Adjournment

A motion was made to adjourn the meeting. Motion was

seconded and all agreed. The meeting was adjourned at

7:20 p.m.

Minutes of the meeting were taken by Barbara Adams.

Rod & his Rock

At the June HBS monthly meeting, we were all greeted by an unfamiliar but jovial face: Rodney Clemons. Hurley and Scott attended one of his rock planting demos at Brussell’s Rendez-Vous. So impressed with his character and talent, they both kidnapped him for Houston and Corpus Christi. We can’t thank you enoughfor such a delightful treat and your devotion to HBS.

Rodney Clemons began with a light piece of lace rock (weighing only 11 lbs.) with a ton of character. From the front, it depicts a limestone mountain in the sea, ravaged for thousands of years by splashing waves which have carved a lot of grottos and pockets. The once solid mountain has been reduced to a thin crust to which vegetation would cling and battle the winds and storms.

Rodney has anchored looped aluminum wires to the rock with Quikrete hydraulic concrete (which can be purchased at any home improvement store). Mixed with cold water, this cement can set within 3-5 minutes. In a hurry, it can be mixed with hot water and will set faster, much much faster, only 20 seconds. He advised us to prepare these wires long before adding the live

trees because the curing cement turns pretty hot. Once it’s set and cooled off, there is no fear of it leaching into the water and killing the plants. There are other brands of concrete which may produce a harder and stronger bond, but they all take much longer to set. Rod’s modern method seems much easier and definitely a lot less risky than the old technique of driving lead bullets into the rocks to hold the wires.

Rodney anchors looped wires to the stone with quick setting cement.

Next, after planning for a specific direction and style, Rodney decided on the number of bonsai trees to cover the slope. Then he selected three Kingsville boxwood bushes amongst the stunning ones Hurley brought back from Brussell’s. They are in optimal health with incredibly dense and dark green foliage, at a price that surely reflects such top value and beauty.

You can see that Rodney is happy most of the time, but he is even more delighted when working with his favorite bonsai material, the Kingsville boxwood. As a matter of fact, he earned the title of Kingsville King Rod because his Allgood Nursery in Atlanta has been so successful in the propagation of this all-time favorite box. He spoke at length about how easy it is for him to grow the cuttings under the benches with Perlite or Akadama, 95% of them take.

How did this beautiful Buxus Microphyllia Compacta got such a regal name? Kingsville nursery up North was the first to sell it commercially. Over the years, the name stuck and so did Rodney’s Kingsville King title.

The chosen boxwood shrubs were reduced to 1/3 of their size to take on the appearance of mature trees growing in the wild. A few members in our group decided to collect all discarded cuttings and roots to experiment with Rodney’s rooting technique.

The next step is putting a layer of muck in the nooks and crannies of the top surface then securing the trees to the slope with the anchored wires.

Rodney’s favorite muck recipe is: 1/3 long fiber Sphagnum moss cut to 1-2” 1/3 “Michigan peat moss” or black cow manure 1/3 dry clay Akadama dust if available Water as needed to make a thick paste

For this demo, Rodney used the “All-Naturel Texas Thang”. I could smell it half way across the room. Was it necessary to use that real “thang”?

According to Rodney, cow manure is a vital part of the muck he uses because he doesn’t plan to repot his rock plantings. His first and

oldest ones made back in 1983 are still very healthy. For 20 years, those plants have been feeding off the same muck. He has been maintaining them in good health by trimming the foliage to keep their shape, and feeding them with liquid and organic fertilizers.

A beautiful layer of Kingwood moss covers the muck surface. (I named the moss to express my gratitude to Alan Raymond for his back breaking efforts in collecting large sheets of bright green moss in his woodsy backyard in Kingwood). Rodney secured the edges to the muck with U shape pins made out of wire.

The after care of these rock plantings can make a huge difference in their health and longevity. Rodney recommends keeping the rock planting out of direct sunlight and hot dry wind for a couple of months. This is very crucial in our brutally hot climate. In cooler months, it can be moved out in the sun to enjoy the rain.

For better control of his Kingsville boxwood rock plantings, Rodney keeps them in greenhouses preferably at cooler temperatures, best around 30-25°F. Do these tiny boxwoods really grow or sleep better in such a meat locker climate? Rod nodded with a big smile. He seems to know his bonsai very well. I can’t and won’t argue with success. Can we duplicate that success in Houston? That will certainly depend on so many factors.

At the end of the most enjoyable rock planting demo with Rodney Clemons, the jolliest bonsai teacher I’ve known, Al Smith was the lucky raffle winner to take the finished artwork home. Congratulations Al for your longest lucky streak (How many awards and prizes have you won in the last 3 months?) and for your own piece of a Royal rock, a synthesis of natural rock, live plants and the artist’s ingenuity and horticultural expertise.

And voila`, a happy Kingsville Boxwood grouping on a slope, covered with Kingwood moss, orchestrated by The Kingsville King Rod. (All photos above by Shawn Nguyen)

Thanks King Rod and all who have made such… breathtaking demo happen. It was an intriguing experience to watch such spectacular living work of art being created by a lively teacher with a thousand smiles.

Shawn Nguyen

Rodney Clemons and Al Smith, the new owner of the rock. (Photo: Hurley Johnson)

A Note from

David De Groot

Dear Friends and Colleagues:

The Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection, which is now doing business as the Pacific Bonsai Museum is a

newly non-profit entity created through a gift from

Weyerhaeuser Company and George Weyerhaeuser, Sr. We are launching the search for the Museum’s

first Executive Director, who will ensure that the

legacy built by the Weyerhaeuser Company and

family will continue to grow and prosper in our community.

I assume you know of individuals who might be

interested in this exciting position, so I want to share the attached job posting with you. I’d truly

appreciate it if you would distribute it to those in

your network and help us find the ideal new leader for this special and wonderful collection.

Thank you for your help.

Sincerely,

David De Groot Managing Curator

Pacific Bonsai Museum

www.blackbayoubonsai.com 337-302-9120

Come see the manager Evan Cardenas for bonsai supplies, soil substrates, fertilizers and pesticides. Bring small branches of your sick plants for a free diagnosis. HBS discount is 10%.

Visit JRN Nursery II for exotic flowering, fruiting and rare tropical bonsai as well as orchids, house plants and Japanese garden accessories. Shipping is available. HBS discount is 10%.

Visit Timeless Trees every week for new bonsai and various workshops. In the next months, please check the website for the nursery will be closed to the public during Tropical Bonsai School with Pedro Morales.

Visit artist Andrew Sankowski at the Mossrock Studio and Fine Art Gallery for custom bonsai pots in any shape, form and color glaze.

Andrew Sankowski 26002 Oak Ridge Drive Direct (281) 684-4411 The Woodlands, TX 77380 Fax (281) 363-9032

i nfo@mossrockstudio.com

Calendar of Events

2014

JUL 2 HBS monthly meeting on Japanese Black Pine with Scott Barboza at the West Gray Multi-Service Center JUL 4 Happy Independence Day! Enjoy your day with families and friends but stay safe.

JUL 5 Saturday Study Group at Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens, 9am– 12 Noon. Bring your own trees and tools. Free, refreshment provided JUL 5 Japanese Black Pine Study with Michael McCluskey at Timeless Trees, focus on Spring Candle removal. 9am -12 Noon - $20. Refreshments provided. JUL 11 – 13, Tropical Bonsai School Year 3 with Pedro Morales, Timeless Trees. $300.00 includes all educational and workshop materials, snacks, refreshments, and lunches Fri, Sat and Sun), Classroom sessions Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 6– 9PM and Hands on workshop sessions Friday, Saturday and Sunday 9am – 5pm. JUL 19 Basic Bonsai Class 1 with Michael McCluskey at Timeless Trees, 9am -1pm - $75 per person includes a small tree, pot, soil, scissors and handouts. Refreshments provided. Saturday, July 26th, Cascade Workshop / Study Group with instructor Michael McCluskey, 9am - 1pm, $40 per person in advance, $45 at the door. Focus will be on Cascade design and development. Refreshments, videos, handout and other goodies. ins Texas State convention 2016 will highlight Cascade styled trees. This workshop will help you prepare your trees for that new award category. Saturday, August 2nd,”Bring your own tree workshop at Timeless Trees, 9am – 1pm, $25 in advance, $30 at the door. Refreshments, tools, soil and wire provided.

Tropical Bonsai School

Year 3

By Pedro J. Morales

July 11th – 13th

Classroom portion

Tues, Wed and Thursday

Evenings 6 PM- 9 PM

Hands – On work

Friday, Sat and Sunday

9 AM – 5 PM

$300.00

Held at “Timeless Trees” in Rosenberg, TX.

Six days of intensive instruction, lecture, videos, and hands-on work with the world

renowned Bonsai artist Pedro Morales. All supplies included,

and Lunch on Fri, Sat and Sunday.

The best instructional value in the U.S.

Contact Hurley Johnson to sign up, 832-526-5962 or hurley@all-tex.net

Peter Tea is 2014 LSBF Visiting Artist

The Texas Touring Artist this year is Peter Tea. He lives in San Jose, California and but travels all over the United States to share what he has learned over the years with American and Japanese teachers. This prodigy is well known for extraordinary talents as well as his ability to see very far into the future when starting bonsai projects.

After extensive studies at home, he decided to study full time with Mr. Junichiro Tanaka at Aichien Bonsai Garden in Japan. Within 2 years, Peter has completed the 5-year apprenticeship. With Mr. Tanaka’s blessing, he returned to the United States in 2013 ready to continue his business Peter Tea Bonsai and work. He will be in Houston on Saturday, September 13 and Sunday September 14. His lecture demo will be held on Saturday evening at 7pm, and his two sets of hands-on workshops on Sunday from 9am-12Noon and 1-4pm.

Photo from PETER TEA BONSAI blog Please mark your calendar for these 2 special days.

Houston Bonsai Society, Inc. P. O. Box 540727, Houston, Texas 77254-0727

www.houstonbonsai.com

HBS Board Members President Hurley Johnson hurley@all-tex.net

1st Vice President Scott Barboza doma426@gmail.com in charge of Education 2nd Vice President Jim Stone bnsaijim@yahoo.com Secretary Barbara Adams adams.barbara1@embarqmail.com in charge of Membership

Publicity Eldon Branham elmo4635@aol.com

Treasurer Anthony Cutola acutola@gmail.com

Member at Large - O John Edmonson bonsai@edmonsonphoto.com

Member at Large - O John Williams kappijon3@gmail.com

Member at Large - O Mary Cinotto

Member at Large - E Greg LeBlanc blackbayoubonsai@yahoo.com

Member at Large - E Brian Gurrola bgurrola@gurrolareprographics.com

Member at Large - E Ron Ahles carolahles@sbcglobal.net

Delegates Past President Alan Raymond amraymond@suddenlink.net

LSBF Delegate Peter Parker peteparkerbonsai@yahoo.com

LSBF Alternate Terry Dubois tdubois1@comcast.net

BCI Ambassador Donald Green donald.green12@att.net

TTSBE Representative Alan Raymond amraymond@suddenlink.net

Refreshments C.J. Everson c.j.everson@comcast.net

Website/email Gary Teeter houstonbonsai@gmail.com

Newsletter editor Shawn Nguyen hbs.news@yahoo.com

The Bonsai News of Houston is a monthly publication of the Houston Bonsai Society, Inc. Copyright © 2011. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the editor or a member of the Board of Directors. Exceptions exist, however, for certain not-for-profit and non-profit bonsai organizations or associated bonsai and bonsai nursery newsletters, including without limitation the American Bonsai Society. HBS participates fully with reciprocation of contents and material between other LSBF member organizations and others. Authors who submit articles for this newsletter thereby give permission to such organizations to reprint, unless they expressly state otherwise.

Space for advertising in The Bonsai News of Houston can be requested by contacting the newsletter editor or a member of the HBS Board. The rates for a business-card-size ad (approximately 3 1/2" x 2") are $6 per month, $30 for 6 months and $50 per year (12 issues). A full-page ad is $25 per month. Rates are subject to change without notice. 3½" x 2" classified ads are run free of charge for one month once per 12-month period for non-commercial members.

For special requests or questions related to The Bonsai News of Houston, contact the newsletter editor or a member of the HBS Board.