February 2020 Meeting this Sunday 16th at West End Hall View St Castlemaine from 11am
Founded 2001 Incorporated 2002
Presidents Notes
Paul Showell President. 0429 016 729 Helen Wheeler Secretary 54 762286 David Rojo Treasurer 0458 811 205 Newsletter– GoldfieldsBonsaiSociety GBS Facebook page
Hello Members, We blew the cobwebs off the bonsai tools and started the new year with a great January meeting. Our biggest turnout ever for a January. We welcomed to the club another new member, Elisabeth from Kyneton. Everyone had trees to work on from Figs and other natives to Pines. We also had David give us a bit of advice about figs, I have put his notes on Page 2. During our meeting we put together our program for the year. Everything is negotiable but it is a starting point. Yvonne has put together some care notes for February and I have started the ball rolling with a member profile. I look forward to seeing everyone contributing over the year. This Sunday we have Trevor running a workshop making slab pots. Trevor has asked if Members can research ideas for a Kusamono pot in shohin sizes. Bring along your ideas, a basic form (a bowl or colander) and piece of calico or other cloth. Also any pastry related tools. Below are Yvonne’s pictures for inspiration. We also have our AGM planned for 1pm. David (Treasurer), Helen (Secretary) and Myself (President and Newsletter Editor), have been performing these roles for a considerable number of years and would appreciate a break. Since we have grown in numbers it may also be time to look at creating some additional positions, like an Exhibition Committee? I look forward to your input and ideas. Please consider putting your hand up for a position. Hopefully the meeting will be short and sweet so we can get back to creating masterpieces. That’s enough from me, looking forward to a productive day on Sunday. Paul
January Meeting David’s notes on Figs In our ‘Climate’ (unless it suddenly changes) figs do well from November to May. They require occasional watering and liberal fertilising with an all purpose fertiliser from Spring through Summer. Frost will kill them faster than roundup, so it’s important to provide protection in the winter months. Complete defoliation in November helps to keep the leaves small, but also gives the effect of a second season of growth, which encourages more thickening of both branches and trunk. Pruning and wiring to shape will reward the grower with a very nice Bonsai. Figs, particularly those grown from seed, develop very nice bulbous trunk bases and can look like old trees in miniature, even if they might be quite young. Some people specialise in these trees of which there are many varieties. However, picking the ones with small leaves, will be easier to manage and look a bit better in the long run. They are very hardy, very well suited to sub tropical climates, but will do well here if they are properly cared for in winter. I keep trying to get them right. Bendigo is working well for them now.
Yvonne's Bonsai Calendar notes for February February is often one of the warmest months. It’s when most trees go into summer dormancy. Most trees considerably slow down their growth rate. Keep up watering. You may need to water twice per day to ensure the trees don’t wilt and dry out. Make sure the water penetrates evenly. If your bonsai dries out too much you may need to submerge the pot completely in water. Leave it until you can’t see any more air bubbles rising to the surface. When a tree has not been able to get sufficient water to the foliage, the leaves may drop. This does not always mean your tree is dead. You can check by scratching off some of the bark to see if still green. By now you should finish your summer pruning. Protect any soft leaf trees from the hot dry afternoon sun and hot winds. Maples, beeches and hornbeams get sunburnt easily. If they are a little burnt, leave the leaves on the tree as they protect the leaves below from the sun. This is also the time to back off with feeding. A bit of Seasol can be given after a hot spell. You can still repot natives but be careful not to remove too much of the roots as the tree will not be able to drink. It is recommended to not remove more than 40% of the roots when repotting during February and March. Mid summer is also a good time to do carving due to the sap flow slowing down. Treat the carved area with a 50/50 mix of lime sulphur and water. You can also check your air layer to ensure there is sufficient moisture for the new roots to develop. This is a good time to take stock of the spring growth that occurred and to enjoy your bonsai.
Member profile Name: Paul How did you become interested in bonsai? Probably like most people of my generation, watching the Karate Kid movie with Mr Miyagi teaching Daniel San about bonsai How long ago? 1984 What was your first bonsai? I think it was a cedar Did it survive? No. My parents gave it to me as a present in about 1987. They must have thought I liked it, as they gave me another one, a Morton Bay Fig in about 1992, which I still have nearly 30 years later and it still hasn’t been properly styled. What is your favourite species for bonsai and why? Most would say Olives as I used to have a few. Only 3 now. I actually like Japanese Black Pine. I am still learning a lot about them and hope I can turn the tree, the club purchased for me to attend a Mauro Stemberger workshop about 7 years ago, into a really nice tree one day. What part of doing bonsai do you want to work on and why? I would love to learn it all. Even after being interested in bonsai for 30 years and being in the club for over 10, I still call myself a novice. I haven’t worked on my trees enough, until this year, to see the results of the effort you put into keeping them alive and developing into a bonsai. My favourite tree at the moment is this Trident Maple group. All these trees are seedlings from my garden and they are now about 10 years old.
9th World Bonsai Convention, Perth, Western Australia 14 - 18 October 2021
The Australia-New Zealand Region of WBFF welcomes you to the web site for the 9th World Bonsai Convention The venue chosen for this event is the Crown Towers, Burswood Western Australia For your planning it is expected that further information and registration will be available May 2020 Tour information will be available from October 2020, if you would like information prior to this then your friendly planning team are happy to assist Email to: enquiries@world-bonsai-convention-2021.com As the program develops, we will post the information here, so please check back from time to time. Western Australia is an exciting and fabulous place to visit For tourism information about our wonderful state visit Tourism Western Australia
Click on the link below for the 2020 AABC Convention booklet http://www.aabcltd.org/uploads/52160/ ufiles/2020_ConvenBooklet_May19.pdf
Goldfields Bonsai Society Program 2020 February 16th– Trevor Pot making from 11am. Also our AGM at 1pm March 15th– Wiring workshop April 19th– Guest Demo and Autumn pines workshop with Joe Morgan Paylor May 17th– Nursery Tour to be confirmed June 21st– Carving Workshop July 19th– Field trip for a dig still to be decided August 16th– Winter Exhibition at Daylesford Town Hall September 20th– Christmas breakup at Catherine’s October 18th– Wiring, potting, trimming. Preparation for Exhibition Oct 31st & Nov 1st– Spring Exhibition at Castlemaine Botanical Gardens November 15th– Christmas breakup
Meeting this Sunday 16th Hall open from 11am.
Bring Lunch.
Bring something for the display table.
Trevor will be leading a Slab Pot Making Workshop from 11am. We will have a break at 1pm to hold our AGM