The Bent Twig - American Bonsai Association Sacramento

The Bent Twig
Published by the American Bonsai Association
of Sacramento
Dedicated to learning, enjoying and promoting bonsai.
March 2011
Monthly Meeting: March 22nd
Featuring PETER ADAMS
During the years as a bonsai teacher and artist, he has created many drawings, copious writings, including
books and articles on the subject of bonsai. Walter Pall called Peter, "the John Naka of Europe". In England
his world class bonsai collection at his nursery in Surrey attracted visitors world-wide and many well-known
names came to study with him.
Peter now lives in Washington state in the U.S. with his wife Kate. Together they have put together a superb
collection of bonsai and now travel and teach worldwide. As this site continues you will have the opportunity
to see their collection as well as trees that belong to many of their students. Peter offers on-line design and
tuition.
Peter’s teaching methods are based on his love of beauty and nature. A life-time in the arts and a wonderful
artistic talent combined with fifty years in practical bonsai make his work unique. Peter will style a
Mendocino Pygmy Cypress from Mendocino Bonsai, and the tree will be raffled off following the evening’s
demonstration. This is a meeting you won’t want to miss!!
Refreshments: Bill Burns and Pam Gallegos
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A BONSAI DEMONSTRATION BY PETER TEA
BLACK PINE AND RED PINE
Future bonsai master Peter Tea, one of the most sought after of Northern California’s emerging young artists,
presented a comprehensive view of two styles of pines at our February meeting. We were fortunate that he
agreed to visit us just one more time before he departs for five years of apprenticeship with one of the great
bonsai masters of Japan. One of the hallmarks of an advanced bonsai artist is the ability to design and
develop a refined bonsai tree from naturally grown material. With his logical approach and frequent use of a
white board to draw many illustrations of his talking points, Peter provided us with the definitive
demonstration of basic styling considerations and a prescription for late winter and early spring care of both
black pine and red pine.
“There’s no such thing as developing a pine real fast,” he said as he showed us a small black pine and a large
red pine, both with heavy top branches, irregular knobs and unhealed scars from previously cut branches.
Peter’s selection of trees served to highlight the similarities and differences of these two popular species of
pines and potential styling difficulties.
The Japanese black pine seedling he estimated to be about 8 years old growing in a one-gallon nursery
container. The larger red pine tree was obtained from a commercial grower about 10 years ago and put in the
ground to grow until it was placed in a shallow container last year. Neither tree had an obvious natural apex,
the highest point of a good bonsai design. Both had several similar size bushy top branches. The natural
reaction would be to start major pruning, but, to Peter, that wasn’t the right choice.
On his last visit to the club, Peter described fall care of pines. This time the subject was winter and spring
care, but he continued to emphasize that all styling considerations are irrelevant until the tree is first made
healthy by planting it in a proper container and applying good horticultural techniques.
Peter divides the annual cycle of pines roughly into thirds with each season having a list of necessary
activities to ensure the health of the tree. If pines do not receive routine attention, they can gain too much
growth on some branches and die on other shaded branches. Once a branch gets too long, it is very difficult
to reduce the branch structure to the proper scale for a bonsai, after three years it is virtually impossible.
Grafting branches is a technique often used to correct structural faults in pine trees when nature doesn’t
cooperate with growth in the right places.
“Some pines will back bud but most don’t,” Peter said. If left unattended, growth problems can extend the
styling time by many years. “It’s best to just prevent the problem,” he said.
WINTER CARE OF ACQUIRED TREES
The winter season is roughly November through February. Winter activities, which already should be
accomplished by Valentine’s Day, include:
⇒ Pulling off old needles using the techniques learned last fall,
⇒ Identification of spots that would benefit from side grafts or approach grafting,
⇒ Wiring of major branches to achieve basic shape,
⇒ Cutting back tree branches too big, too long, or not necessary for the design,
⇒ Trimming and turning from time to time so that light reaches all parts of the foliage,
⇒ Attention to healing of scars with trimming and cut paste, and
⇒ Elimination of stress by timely completion of the above steps.
Preparation for Grafting: Grafting can be done from December onward, but should be completed by the
end of February before the pollen sacs swell and turn bright green, although Peter said that some people with
excellent technique are able graft year around with good results. Trees should not be grafted until: (1) the
root ball is adequately developed, (2) the tree is properly potted, (3) the tree is properly fed, and (4) the tree
is under no stress. If the tree is healthy and ready, complete the graft. If the tree is still being prepared for
future grafting, he drew us a diagram and then demonstrated on the tree how to mark the spot by wiring a
pseudo-branch where you have decided to insert the graft so that you will remember and be able to style the
remainder of the tree around that spot.
SPRING AND SUMMER CARE OF ACQUIRED TREES
The spring season is roughly from February through May. Spring activities include:
⇒ Repotting,
⇒ Balancing roots,
⇒ Feeding, and
⇒ Elimination of stress.
Selection of Soil for Repotting: The best soil for pines is free draining with no organic matter. All
nutrients are supplied with fertilizer. Peter uses a blend of pumice, lava, and akadama, (special imported
Japanese clay soil available at local bonsai nurseries). The exact blend of ingredients can vary depending
upon the preferences of the grower.
“My Japanese sensei used only akadama and coarse river sand,” Peter said, adding that “in Sacramento
where you have more heat, you probably want more akadama to hold more water.”
Preparation of Roots: When first acquired, a tree that has been growing naturally is unrefined. The first
thing to do is plant it in a big container so the existing roots have space and small feeder roots begin to fill
the container. The shape or material of the container is not important as long as the feeder root development
is not impeded by planting too close to one side. There may be a taproot or other big roots in the root ball at
first. Peter drew several illustrations showing proper and improper root development techniques over time.
“Root work happens over a bunch of repottings,” Peter said. “All of the feeders must come from the trunk
with no tap roots. Any big roots with feeders at the end of them must be moved back slowly year-by-year
the same way as branches. You can’t do it all at once. Even if you have been working it back and there is
only one big root left, it still has to go because it is taking energy from the remainder.”
Initial Repotting of Pines Recently Acquired: In general, medium and large pines are repotted every two
years, but little young trees can be repotted every year.
“ You have to get the old soil out, but it is too dangerous to take all the soil at once or the pine will die. If
the old soil is allowed to remain at the center of the root ball, serious problems will result.” Peter illustrated
this concept with a drawing of a typical repotting that replaces all of the soil on the outside one-third of the
pot. For a tree that is 10 to 20 years old, everything will be OK, but when the tree gets to be about 25 years
old, branches will start to die because of the old bad soil compacted in the center of the root ball.
At each repotting clear out soil in thirds or quarters depending upon the size of the tree and what you can
reach. Make sure to get all the way to the center and remove every speck of soil in that section. On the
other sections, only work the outside. Work the replacement soil in well to ensure no air pockets remain.
Even on a one-gallon nursery plastic pot, only do one-half at a time. Never bare root the entire root ball. It is
too stressful.
To take up nourishment, pines need to have a special type of fungus in the soil around their roots. For this
reason it is never advisable to completely wash off all the soil from the roots of a black pine even if the tree
is very healthy. This fungus appears as a white, stringy material. When repotting, make sure some of this
helpful fungus is retained. Depending upon the tree, it should take 2 to 4 years to complete a repotting cycle
that replaces all of the old soil with fresh inorganic soil.
Repotting of Mature Pines not Recently Acquired: Once the tree roots are refined and all of the old soil
has been replaced, you can leave the good inorganic soil in the center section for a long time and only work
the edges. Peter suggests caution when selecting a pot just because it is the smallest possible choice. Choose
a container large enough so the delicate feeder roots do not dry out and die at the end of a summer day. He
says do not use the pot size in calendar pictures of exhibition trees in Japan as a reference for the pot size of a
California tree since our situation; trees, climate, soil, care and environmental conditions are much different.
AQUISITON BY SELECTION OR COLLECTION OF NEW TREES
The first thing to look at when selecting a tree is good health.
⇒ Pests
⇒ Diseases
⇒ General vigor of the tree
Each prospective plant should be examined carefully for signs of disease. Pines can be subject to many
diseases, such as scale, aphids, spider mites, borers, pine needle miners, damping off, root rot, dieback,
blister rust, canker, blight, scale, pine weevil, bark beetles and pinewood nematode to name a few.
If the tree is diseased, you need to decide if you want to deal with an established problem. Even healthy
pines are susceptible and need to be treated with systemic insecticides and sprays to control insects and
disease. Many diseases are easily spread from tree to tree.
“The laziest way is to have a healthy tree,” Peter said. Once the tree has passed a health inspection, the tree
should be carefully appraised for its potential. A checklist for acquisition includes:
⇒ Age and size
⇒ Trunk diameter and taper
⇒ Roots evenly placed or all on one side or tap root visible
⇒ Main branches with diameter in proportion to trunk and at the proper level, and
⇒ Potential for refinement by wiring or grafting.
Idealized Japanese Exhibition Trees: “A lot of the really big trees you see in Japan are collected,” he
said. “When you see it in the show, all of the branches are grafted.” Peter goes on to draw an illustration
and outline how the branch replacement is accomplished to balance the size of the branches proportional to
the side of the trunk. Growing seedlings to maturity is another long term alternative to an exhibition pine.
Peter said he started to think about his legacy at age 26 and decided he was too old to start with seedlings.
Then, he visited Japan.
“There were all these 80 years old guys starting with seedlings,” he said. “Well, when I thought about it,
somebody has to start the process.”
Using Japanese Techniques on the Demonstration Trees: The little one-gallon black pine demonstration
tree is typical of material currently available in nurseries. The tree has been cut back a couple of times and
has developed bulges and multiple branches at the nodes.
“You have only two options in this situation, leave it and try to hide it or remove it, “ he said “If it’s a
practice tree, work with it,” he said. “If you want the full future potential, you must remove it all. You have
to have a new apex and there’s not much to use, only one branch right at the bulge and it’s too high. This
tree could have a new side graft or an approach graft. The attachment to the trunk should take one year.
After the graft takes, cut the top off,” he said.
The larger red pine demonstration tree also has severe problems with bulges and branch placement. While it
has pleasing aged bark texture and a thick trunk with good curving movement, the branches are randomly
placed, bunched together and the whole effect is scruffy with no obvious apex to lead the eye into a pleasing
overall design. It needs a whole new top, but first it needs a new larger pot and considerable root work
because it has been planted off center and one side has many developed more roots than the other.
Peter demonstrated how to do basic shaping on the red pine and placed wire in the places where the future
grafts will appear. He will keep a large sacrifice branch just above the grafting site for the new apex to
ensure that the water line keeps flowing to that part of the trunk when the graft is finally put in place.
“If you have to choose between grafting and repotting, repotting always comes first,” he said. The red pine
will be returned to the club each year for the next several years for additional demonstrations so that we can
look at the annual steps being taken to change it from an open bushy shrub to an artistically styled bonsai
with a proper branch form and a defined apex.
RED PINE AND BLACK PINE HORTICULTURAL INFORMATION
Peter talked about many criteria to use when selecting new material and caring for the trees. He said care for
red pine and black pine are the same. Black pines and red pines can be difficult to distinguish. Bark color
can change depending upon growing conditions. Both have bundles of two needles. A black pine has
foliage darker and stiffer with a growth bud that is black. Red pine needles are softer and lighter with a
growth bud that is fuzzy and reddish.
Pinus Thunbergiana “Japanese Black Pine:” is a preferred species for classic bonsai development. A
native of Japan, the tree is very robust with moderate growth that can withstand bonsai training stress and is
available from commercial sources. The Black Pine is a very vigorous tree commonly grown in Japanese
parks and ornamental gardens, tolerating poor conditions, surviving in nature on barren, stony soils. In
nature, the tree grows to 50 feet with a spread of 20 to 35 feet. The bark is purplish-grey and, when aged, its
craggy and fissured appearance is highly prized. Shoots are black. The needles appear two per fascicle. The
exceptionally dark green, five to seven-inch-long needles seen in the garden will reduce to as short as one
inch on a mature bonsai with proper care and pruning. The 1½-3 inch female cones that bear the seeds
mature in 2 years if left in place but are removed as soon as they appear. In contrast, the male pollen sacs
grow only ½ to ¾ inch length and are left in place. Black pine is hardy to USDA zones 5-8. One thing all
black pines have in common, big or small, young or old, is they do not like extreme heat, especially at the
roots. They are also susceptible to fatal shock if the roots are compromised by exposure to air. Peter grows
black pine in 100% inorganic soil.
Needle bunches of Black Pine and Red Pine
look identical except for the color of
emerging shoots at branch tips.
Bark color is not a reliable indicator due to age and
growing conditions.
Pinus densiflora “Japanese Red Pine:” is cold hardy to USDA zones 3-6. Related to a Scotts pine, it has
an informal open look and often takes a multi-trunked form slow growing 50 feet but can reach 100 feet.
Red pines are often used in Japanese gardens. Bright green needles 3-5 inches long that live for 3 years
appear two per fascicle, in bunches along the top of the stem. Emerging shoots are pinkish brown. Two-inch
long female cones last for 2 years but are removed as soon as they appear. Bark peels in thin scales to reveal
a reddish color. Older bark on the main trunk typically turns gray and color can vary even on different sides
of the same tree depending upon conditions. Because of individual variations, the red color bark of red pine
is not definitive for identification. Looking at the new shoots is a better indicator. Red Pines is hardy to
USDA zones 3–6. Peter grows red pine in 100% inorganic soil. He said red pines are more sensitive to
fungus.
Carolyn Van Hoecke
BONSAI BUS TRIP
Our BUS TRIP will be on Saturday, April 23rd, visiting
Lotus Bonsai Nursery, Calaveras Nursery and Blue
Oak Nursery. Seats are still available & the cost is
$40. per person.
Please contact Ann Harris @916.455.8385 or
harris@surewest.net if you are interested in attending.
Note: Ann could use help with purchasing
refreshments for the bus trip & the club will reimburse
you. Contact Ann to help make this a successful
event.
Plant ID Tags for Spring Show
If you are showing a tree at the Spring Show, please supply the following info. to
jwbek@sbcglobal.net no later than April 6th:
Tree’s common name
Tree’s botanical name
Year training started (not the years in training)
Your initials
ABAS UPCOMING EVENTS
March 26th and 27th is the annual fundraiser for
the Shepard Garden and Arts Center. Please
consider a donation as well as becoming a
volunteer to support the home of our ABAS
meetings and shows.
UPCOMING A.
A.B.A.S. EVENTS
Tuesday, March 22nd
ABAS MEETING
Peter Adams will style a collected Mendocino Pygmy Cypress from
Mendocino Bonsai. This great tree will be raffled following the
demonstration.
Refreshments: Bill Burns & Pam Gallegos
Saturday, March 26th & Sunday, March 27th
Garden Center Sale
10am – 4pm both days. Free admission. Volunteers from our club are
still needed ~ help make this event a success!
Bonsai Sekiyu Kai
Saturday, April 2nd & Sunday, April 3rd
Bonsai Sekiyu Kai Annual Show at the Sacramento Betsuin Buddhist
Church, 2401 Riverside Blvd. Sat. 12 Noon – 5pm & Sunday 10am
– 3:30. Demonstrations both days at 2pm by John Uchida.
Friday, April 8th
Shepard Garden Center 1:00pm.
ABAS Spring Show Set-Up
ABAS Spring Show
Saturday, April 9th & Sunday April 10th
nd
Our 52 Annual Spring Show at the Shepard Garden and Arts Center.
Saturday 10am-5pm & Sunday 10am-4pm. Show Chair: Greg McDonald
530.642.2521. Demonstrations by Bob Shimon both days at 2pm.
Contact Ann Harris at 916.455.8385 or harris@surewest.net to volunteer to
help make our show another success.
ABAS Bonsai Nursery Bus Trip
Saturday, April 23rd
Visit three great nurseries with fellow club members for a cost of just $40.
Bus leaved the Shepard Garden Center at 8am.
ABAS Monthly Meeting
Tuesday, April 26th
Ted Matson will style a collected Shohin Redwood. Don’t miss seeing Ted
work his magic on this amazing little tree….and maybe win it during the
raffle.
Refreshments: Ann Hultgren & Myrt Rust
Saturday, May 7th & Sunday, May 8th
SBC Annual Show
Sacramento Bonsai Club Annual Show at the Sacramento Betsuin Buddhist
Church, 2401 Riverside Blvd. Saturday 12 Noon – 5pm and Sunday 10am
- 5pm. Demonstrations by Boon Manakitivipart at 2pm both days.
Collecting with S.F. Suiseki Kai
Saturday, May 14th
Tanseki at the Eel River. Contact Carolyn Van Hoecke for details.
Satsuki Aikokai Show
Saturday, May 21st & Sunday, May 22nd
Shepard Garden Center. Saturday 10am – 5pm and Sunday 10am- 4pm.
Tuesday, May 24th
ABAS Monthly Meeting
Bob Shimon will style one of his beautiful collected redwoods. This
magnificent tree will be raffled following the demonstration.
Refreshments: Bob Michael & Ann Harris.
AMERICAN BONSAI ASSOCIATION, SACRAMENTO
General Meeting February 22, 2011
President Paul Holtzen calls the meeting to order at 7:05 PM.
The meeting begins with demonstrator Peter Tea presenting a program on pine winter care.
The program also includes styling a Japanese Black Pine for the evening raffle and
beginning styling on a large red pine. Peter will work the red pine on over a period of
time, possibly several years. At a future date, this tree will either be auctioned or raffled
(see below).
General Meeting Business:
Announcements – Paul Holtzen
Sign up sheets for volunteers are circulated for the following events:
Garden Center Sale
Bus Trip
Annual Show
New club roster will be available in March (annual dues must be paid;
see Ann Harris).
The new Gold Country Bonsai Club will have their first meeting tomorrow (February 23rd)
7:00 PM at the Eldorado Senior Center in Placerville. Meetings are the 4th Wednesday of
the month for those interested in joining.
February 26th and 27th is the Mammoth Bazaar in Oakland at Lake Merritt. This is a great
chance to acquire quality bonsai material.
March 26th Garden Center Sale – Carolyn VanHoecke Need volunteers to help with sale.
Bring items to the March meeting; Carolyn or Ann Harris will take them and bring
to the sale on Saturday.
April 9th and 10th 52 Annual Show
Show flyers prepared by Kathleen O’Donnell are available for distribution.
Floor monitor volunteers needed to provide security for the show area. Theft from
shows is a problem. Please volunteer!
April 23rd Bus Trip – Dorothy Place
We need 35 individuals to sign up. Route will be east and south – see ‘Bus Trip’
flyer (attached) for details. Volunteer needed to get donuts (provided by club).
Show and Tell
Shohin Zelkova – Timm Johnson
Jako Kaede Maple Root over rock – Kathleen O’Donnell
Pomegranate Root over Rock – Roger Steele (2 years from a Bill burns workshop).
Black Pine “Dream Catcher” – Walt Brainerd.
Hawthorn – Greg McDonald
Fuji Cherry – Bill Burns (acquired at the Mammoth Bazaar, planted in growing
grounds, air layered and is now two trees).
Shimpaku raft created by Vince Owyoung using the technique he learned in a
workshop at the 2010 GSBF Convention. Donated as a raffle prize. Thank you
Vince!!
Peter Tea – Winter Pine Work
What do we do to pines in February?
Repot
Graft (tree must be healthy for grafting).
Begin feeding
REPOTTING
Good soil – 1/3 pumice, 1/3 lava, 1/3 akadama
(Roger Steele shares examples of two small trees grown in two different soil
mixes using information from Peter. Porous soil with no organic material will
take a lot of fertilizer - more fertilizer, more often and stronger. Two identical
cherry cuttings are used. One is planted in a bonsai pot with porous material
and no organic material and no akadama. The other is planted in a growing
bed with well draining soil, organics and all of the room the plant would want.
The potted plant is fed weekly. In one year the potted plant outgrew the
growing bed plant by double.)
Questions to ask before one begins repotting a pine.
Are the roots refined (good root structure, many fine roots)?
Are the roots unrefined (fewer larger roots that need to be gradually
worked back)?
Every time we repot, we work on improving the root structure. Smaller
trees can be repotted yearly, larger trees repot every two years.
Getting started:
Organize all materials first (prepare soil, pot, etc.)
Assess tree – do we need to remove old original soil that may eventually
choke roots and kill branches? If just the outer soil is replaced, the old
soil will continue to break down, compact and prevent water
penetration. This will choke out roots close to the trunk of the tree.
If necessary to remove old soil, schematically divide the root mass into
thirds. Never do bare root on conifers. Carefully remove soil from
1/3rd of the root mass all the way to the center of the tree. For the
remaining 2/3rd , just break up the edge of the root mass to encourage
roots to grow into the new soil. As repotting is done in the next few
years, take a new 1/3 and replace the soil. After 3 repotting, all the old
soil will be removed and replaced with good bonsai soil.
Options: on younger tree you may replace ½ of the soil, with older trees, may
replace ¼ the soil.
ABAS BLACK PINE AND RED PINE STYLING
Differences between Black and Red Pines:
Buds – Red Pines have red fuzzy buds
Foliage – black pine is stiffer and greener foliage, red pine is softer and lighter
Bark – hard to tell difference
Common pests
Needle scale
Aphids
Borers
Treat with lime sulfur at certain times of the year
Pines are apically dominant, top is strong and bottom is weak. Insects will
begin infestation in the weaker part of the tree (bottom of tree).
Styling the ABAS black pine:
Good bark but tree has reverse taper ½ way up trunk. Choices, for tree to
reach its potential, defects must be addressed. Should it be cut off or can we
hide the defect? The defect will be removed later and graft in new apex.
Approach graft for new apex – must choose branch to use; do not allow
multiple branches growing from one node; this will develop into a bulge.
Back branch – do not want the first branch to be a back branch; remove this
branch.
This tree needs a new apex. We need to prepare the tree for grafting a new
apex. Leave enough growth on top to pull energy into the grafting area so the
graft will take. Also, we need to reduce the top so that it does not take all the
energy from the graft.
For approach graft, we will have to grow a branch that will reach to grafting
point. The other option is to do a side graft. The advantage of the approach
graft is that a much larger scion can be used. For the apex, the approach graft
will be angled up rather than to the side or down.
The tree must be very healthy before grafting. This year repot. Next year
graft. Mark the front of the tree with two chopsticks inserted at the angle the
tree should be repotted.
Wiring:
Refined tree:
How do we put the wire around the branch? On pines and junipers, the loops
do not have to be as close as on deciduous trees. The wire should cradle the
needles up at the end of the branch. The branches must be visible to make the
tree look older.
For our demonstration black pine, this year we will repot, let the tree grow and
get healthy. Next year we can graft.
RED PINE
This tree was purchased from Lone Pine Nursery where it had been grown in the
ground for 10 years. Two years ago it was taken out of the ground and placed in a
greenhouse to acclimate it to a pot. It is a large old tree.
Before beginning styling, we study the tree starting with the base and trunk. At
this point, the trunk and base are most important; branch structure will be
developed later. Desirable traits are the age of the tree and the well-developed
bark.
Because it is field grown, there are lots of large roots that need to be gradually
reduced. Also there is a large scar that must be healed. To heal properly, the scar
will be made concave the cambium around the scar exposed. Seal the wound with
cut paste.
The branches are too long and too big. Today we will eliminate some of the long
branches. Most of the branches are unusable (too big) so we will need to graft.
How tall should this tree be? The height of the tree is determined by the angle of
the trunk taper. Using the line of the trunk taper at the base, extrapolate up until
the lines intersect. This will be the approximate height of the tree.
How long until we can show this tree?
Repot every two years
Begin grafting in two years. It is OK to do all grafts at one time. If approach grafts
are used, get faster results because scions are larger and older. Tonight we will
mark the grafting points.
For this red pine, repot now, fertilize, keep healthy, let grow and get ready for
grafting. No de-candling or other routine pine maintenance work. Leave old
needles. The one thing to do is to pull old needles from the bottom.
Peter will continue work on this tree for the next few years. Members can observe
progress and benefit from techniques used to bring a field grown tree to bonsai
quality. The tree will be either auctioned or raffled in the future.
Respectfully Submitted,
Renee Seely, Secretary
Peter Adams Workshop
A workshop with Peter Adams was held at Greg McDonald’s home on
Friday, March 18th. Details will appear in an upcoming newsletter…but,
suffice to say, it was rather chilly weather. From the left, Bob, Greg,
Peter, Mary Beth, Paul, and Pat. Center, Greg’s rather large Scots Pine
pre-bonsai looking good in the snow.
Thanks to Renee Seely, Carolyn Van Hoecke, Roger Steele and Paul Holtzen for
their contributions to this newsletter. We welcome your contributions…please feel
free to submit articles of interest to other ABAS members. Send articles to
Karen Holtzen: kholtzen@sbcglobal.net.