September 2017 Meeting this Sunday 17th, Starting at 6 Canrobert St Newstead from 11am
Founded 2001 Incorporated 2002
Presidents Notes
Paul Showell President. 54 705545 Helen Wheeler Secretary 54 762286 David Rojo Treasurer 0458 811 205 Newsletter– GoldfieldsBonsaiSociety GBS Facebook page
Hello Members, Spring is in the air and things have certainly come to life in recent weeks. Hopefully you have all got your pines and deciduous trees repotted and a plan for the rest to be carried out over the next couple of months. After our excellent talk by Shrua last month I have heaped up the fertiliser for the start of growing season. I’m sure all my trees will be feeling energised for the year ahead. Speaking of our August meeting, we welcomed Shrua down from Bendigo to give us a talk on fertiliser and getting the most out of the growing season to speed up the development of your bonsai trees. Shrua explained the four crucial elements in tree/plant health and how we needed to supply these to get healthy trees, which in turn allows us to be aggressive with our styling. See Helen’s notes on the next page. Twelve of our members were privileged to be able to attend the Bendigo Bonsai Club demonstration evening and workshops by Portugal's Rui Ferreira. After a scrumptious casserole diner by the Bendigo ladies, Rui provided us with an excellent demonstration on the Friday night. Rui had the opportunity to pick a tree from David Allen’s collection to work on and convinced David to part with a Seiju Elm which originally came from Don Deluca. It was a tree which had been field grown for 10 years and will develop into a very fine bonsai in years to come. I followed up on the Saturday participating in a workshop. See page three for photos.
This month we are on the road again, each September we have to give the hall up to the Fishing Club for their yearly presentation day. This year we are off to Newstead to visit two locations. First from 11am we meet at Barry and Jennifer Lacey’s for a tour of their garden, a look at Barry’s bonsai collection and a bit of Tai Chi to get us invigorated for the afternoon. Then at 12 we will head across the Loddon to Trevor and Helen Wheeler’s home for the afternoon. Trevor will have the pottery wheel and clay available for those who want to try pot making. Helen has offered members to dig up some plum seedlings from their orchard. Helen also has a large olive that we will assist in repotting while we are there. Please bring along a tree or two for repotting advice and assistance. That’s enough from me, I hope to see you on Sunday for another enjoyable day. Paul
August Meeting Shrua spoke to us about the importance of fertilising our trees. He started with the facts that to have healthy trees there are four things. Sun, soil, water, fertiliser all important for growth. Without these the tree will die. He favours Dynamic Lifter and Seamungus as a general fertiliser for all his plants. Shrua suggests that if you are using the small granular forms of fertiliser it is best that it be incorporated in the potting mix. Larger pellets can be placed on the soil surface. Because bonsai pots are small the plants need to be fertilised regularly. Fruiting and flowering trees need very regular feeding. Azaleas need a liquid fertiliser when in flower. If a tree is not healthy it cannot be worked on. Pines will have no ramification if the tree is not healthy. They set their candles by mid autumn so fertilise them 1. in early autumn 2. when the candles set in spring Give your plants a reasonable amount of fertiliser, not just a “snack”. Because we are cutting the roots of our bonsai we need to supply more food to grow the plant. Photosynthesis helps the roots to grow – the leaves are mini solar panels. # use less of a liquid fertiliser # use organic fertiliser not inorganic # on a bag of potting mix will be a list of contents, this will give you half the plant`s fertiliser requirement # if you use a small granular fertiliser the plant will need extra feeding # use Seasol after the first growth in spring, after pruning and also a few weeks before your show. We need to observe our tree, know our tree and adjust watering and fertilising accordingly. Use a deeper pot for for Irish strawberry trees and for olives. Black pines need more water in summer. Nitrogen burns plants. Regarding natives, some grow all year round. If you are using power food or osmocote (all purpose) use the correct strength. Paul thanked Shrua and we all worked on trees...edited from Helen’s notes on the day
Rui Ferreira Demonstration and Workshops at Bendigo Bonsai Club
Upcoming events Vietnamese Community Bonsai Club Victoria Bonsai and Or chid Exhibition 30/09 - 01/10 10am - 4pm Vietnamese Cultural Heritage Centre 90 Knight Avenue, Sunshine North VIC Bonsai Society of Victoria Exhibition 14th -15th October 2017 Venue- Box Hill Town Hall, Whitehorse Rd, Box Hill VIC Ballarat Bonsai Club Exhibition 4th - 5th November 2017. Venue- Robert Clarke Centre in the Botanical Gardens at Lake Wendouree, Gillies St. North opp the Glass House Goldfields Bonsai Society Exhibition 4th – 5th November 2017. Venue– Tea Rooms Castlemaine Botanical Gardens, Froomes Rd Castlemaine VIC Geelong Bonsai Club Exhibition 11th -12th November 2017. Venue- Geelong Masonic Centre, Regent St. Belmont VIC Bonsai Northwest Exhibition 11th -12th November 2017 Venue- Footscray Community Arts Centre, 45 Moreland St., Footscray VIC
Goldfields Bonsai Society Program 2017 September 17th - Visit a members collection—The Lacey’s and Wheelers
October 15th - Preparing trees for the exhibition. Possible demonstration from guest November 4th + 5th - Exhibition at Castlemaine Botanical Gardens Tea Rooms November 19th - Christmas Breakup January 21st 2018 - General workshop and get together February 18th 2018 - Annual General Meeting
Visit a Member’s day this Sunday 17th The Lacey’s from 11am. 6 Canrobert St Newstead. Garden/Bonsai tour followed by short Tai Chi class The Wheeler’s from 12pm, 18 Campbell St Newstead Pottery, Repotting and Dig
Bring Lunch. Bring some Spring Colour for the display table. Please bring along a tree or two and supplies for repotting advise.