Newsletter – April 2019

Bonsai Notebook

We have another great evening of bonsai planned for April. Our guest will be Ted Matson, so it will be an opportunity to learn the critical details of bonsai development. Ted has the wonderful ability to communicate his knowledge very clearly throughout his demonstrations. It is always a pleasure to watch and listen.

Ted began studying bonsai in San Francisco in 1979. He moved to the Los Angeles area in 1980, and over time, studied with Ben Suzuki, Shig and Roy Nagatoshi, Melba Tucker, Warren Hill, and John Naka. Ted started teaching bonsai classes at his home in the late 1980’s. In 2008 he began working at bonsai full time.

Ted is a member of Descanso Bonsai Society, California Shohin Society, California Bonsai Society, and Nampu Kai. He oversees both the GSBF and Huntington bonsai collections, including more than 400 trees. There are approximately 70 trees on display at a time. He has chaired both the GSBF Convention and the California Shohin Society Seminars and has done workshops and demonstrations across the U.S.

Ted’s demonstration material will be Mexican Guava. The demo tree will be in our raffle. He is bringing additional examples of the same material that can be purchased for a great price by anyone interested. Join us for a fun evening.

Meeting Time And Place:
April 13, 2019 at 7pm
LAC Arboretum/ Palm Room

President’s Corner

Our Southern California weather is back and everything is growing and blooming. Now is when we need to watch our trees closely and not let them get “leggy”. It is important to nip or pinch terminal buds on each branch. This will force side branches to grow and create a more dense foliage mass while also shortening the internodes.

As branches grow, watch the underside for downward growth and the topside for unwanted upward growth. Keep an eye on excessive growth in the upper portion of your trees that will draw energy away from lower branches.

We are still in repotting season also. Repotting helps stimulate new growth, and our trees love new soil and a little extra space to grow. If you are changing pots, prepare the new pot with screens over the drain holes and tie-down wire to hold the tree in place prior to removing the tree from its current pot. If you are using the same pot again, keep the tree roots moist while cleaning and prepping the pot for reuse. I enjoy the sight of a newly repotted tree. You can almost see the refreshed tree generating new roots and shoots.

We love seeing our trees thrive during the spring, but the fast growth requires our attention to maintain even growth from top to bottom. Enjoy the season, but be observant and diligent.

~Dave

March 2019 Meeting Highlights

We had plenty of member trees available for our workshop with Lindsay Shiba. He was able to spend quality time with each member while doing a wide variety of work. A couple of trees received their first styling as bonsai with the member’s participation. Lindsay provided pruning and styling advice for all the trees, and tree owners worked with him to improve their material.

Lindsay talked about each tree, so all our members were able to learn from his vision. Multiple varieties of trees were involved, so advice and techniques differed from tree to tree. We got a very well-rounded presentation, and participating members went home with revitalized trees.

Workshops are a good opportunity for developing the quality of our trees, and Lindsay’s help and advice was greatly appreciated.

Members Corner

SABS membership is growing … Thank You!

Membership in SABS is available anytime of the year . If you first join SABS during Oct-Dec then your membership is current until Dec of the following year. For renewing members the dues are requested each January. Our membership dues are vital to SABS remaining financially viable. It has been exciting to see how SABS’s membership has grown during the past year. Thanks for your participation and support.

The SABS Newsletter is one of the “perks” of belonging to our club and is sent via email or US mail to all of our current members The newsletter will always be available on our website www.sabonsai.org

Visitors always welcome at our meetings….come check out SABS anytime

Upcoming Events

April 27-28 San Diego Bonsai Club 54th Annual Spring Show Casa del Prado Rm 101, Balboa Park

May 4-5 Dai Ichi Bonsai Kai 34th Annual Exhibit and Sale
Demos both days at 1pm, dinner reception Sat. at 6pm

May 25,26, 27 Santa Anita Bonsai Society Annual Memorial Day Weekend Show
L.A. County Arboretum, 9a-4p, vendors, sales area, demos each day at 1pm

Come Join Us

Next Meeting

Date: April 13, 2019
Time: 7pm
Location:
LAC Arboretum, Palm Room
301 N. Baldwin Ave
Arcadia, CA 91007

Board Meeting 6PM before general meeting
Everyone welcome – we’re planning our show

2019 Monthly Meeting Dates

April 13 – Ted Matson
May 11 – Al Nelson Workshop
June 8 – Steve Valentine

Refreshment Schedule

April 13 – Y.S. Farn, Lorraine Miles, Gonzalo Rodriguez, Liz Do
May 11 – David & Debra Mauzy-Melitz, Dick Ryerson, Mike Kelly, Victor Shelton
June 8 –David & Jenny Tsai, Daniel Deephouse

More sign up opportunities will be available at upcoming meetings