Newsletter- October 2022

Santa Anita Bonsai Society
A community dedicated to the study and appreciation of the ancient art of Bonsai.



-No meeting in October-

Join us at the GSBF Bonsai Rendezvous in Santa Nella Oct 8-9

Next SABS Meeting:

Nov 12, 2022 at Longo Toyota 7pm 6pm Board Meeting prior to the General Meeting
Everyone Welcome
We will be planning 2023

Bonsai Notebook

We will not have a club meeting in October. Our meeting date conflicts with the Golden State Bonsai Federation (GSBF) Rendezvous in Santa Nella, so we are deferring to the state-wide event. Participation in the Rendezvous is free, so it is a great opportunity for all our members to help support GSBF.

The Rendezvous will be held at the Hotel Mission de Oro in Santa Nella October 8-9. Details about the event can be seen on the GSBF website www.gsbfbonsai.org
There are several motels in Santa Nella with reasonable rates. The Hotel Mission de Oro is usually fully booked by now, but you can still try for a room there with other options close by.

The Rendezvous will include bonsai demonstrations by many bonsai masters, exhibits, auctions, and lots of vendors.

President’s Corner

This time of year ushers in beautiful Fall colors. Our deciduous trees: maples, liquid amber, ginkgo, birch, etc. will hopefully exhibit this colorful phenomenon. I have read that adding a tablespoon of blood meal to a gallon of water yields a solution that when used to water our deciduous trees can enhance the colors. It could be an interesting experiment.
Now is a good time for cleaning up the display benches around our trees. Also, spray the bench area with both a fungicide and an insecticide to kill off any pests that want to stay for the winter.
Inspect all your wired branches for girding. Imbedded wire will inhibit branch growth in the spring, besides leaving a scar.
Most important of all, enjoy your trees as we move into the cooler months. Tree shapes should hold well during the seasonal slow-growth period and dormancy.
~Dave

Members Corner

Please note on your calendar, there will not be a club meeting on Oct 8, the 2nd Saturday in October because of the GSBF Bonsai Rendezvous held in Santa Nella, CA. All members are encouraged to attend this 2-day event– it is well worth the drive.

SABS next regular meeting will be on Nov 12 at Longo Toyota in El Monte. Details and information will be included in the next newsletter (Nov 2022).

Many changes are happening for SABS. Due to Arboretum construction our locations are going to be creative until June 2023.

2023 Meeting location and demonstration updates will be posted in the monthly newsletters on our website. www.sabonsai.org

We also now have a new email address: [email protected] for questions and comments. So sorry about the “techy challenges” incurred in Sept but it seems to be back up and running once again

2023 Officer and board member elections are scheduled to be held at the Jan 2023 meeting.
It is time to refill many of our board positions. Post covid, there are multiple vacancies and we could truly use your help and ideas. We are an entirely volunteer board and try to divide up responsibilities and keep the new ideas flowing. If you are interested in helping, please contact Dave & Lorraine at [email protected], or call Dave at 909 519 5391 to find out more about the following positions:
Vice President: assist with finding meeting locations
Program Chairman: arranging for demonstrators & workshops for the monthly meetings
Social Media Director: all things media related
Secretary: record minutes at board mtgs
Hospitality Chairperson and committee of 2-3: manage the monthly meeting refreshment table
Members at large: varying assignments including badges, raffle table assistant, photographer, historian, and more

Thank you to the following members for volunteering in the following interim positions between now and the elections Jan 2023

Matt Mahaffey– Social Media
Bryan Nicholson– Secretary
Becky Villasenor – Photography

Sept 2022 Meeting Highlights

David & June Nguy hosted our September meeting at their home in Chino, so everyone had the opportunity to walk through their bonsai garden and see David’s fabulous collection. For most of us, it was a very humbling experience to see such spectacular trees.

David and June recently built a Japanese tea house in the garden, and it was a beautiful addition.

With so much to see, it was difficult rounding everyone up for David’s demonstration, but we settled in and he took over.
David provided a very healthy and full Itoigawa juniper to work on for us. He started by talking about the importance of cleaning the inside of branches for wiring and to stimulate new growth. He described wiring technique as it related to the direction of a bend. He said it was important to bend a branch into position before applying wire to help hold the branch securely and prevent the wire from opening up if put on before bending.

David described the importance of branch placement to develop the design and also to provide open space between pads for light to enter. With the help of Ryan and Jerry from the Chino Bonsai Club, David wired and shaped the tree into a beautiful informal upright style.

Our club appreciated the generosity and hospitality that David and June shared with us when we had the pleasure of visiting their home and garden. It was such a unique opportunity that we have been able to enjoy for many years.

We had a very full raffle of bonsai items for our members, and at the end, Anthony Aguirre was the lucky winner of David’s demo tree. Thanks to Jim & Judylynn Pelling for managing our raffles.

Thanks also, to Becky V. for photographing the evening.

Thank You
To our September Raffle Table Donors


Jim & Helen Barrett
Jerry Banuelos
Mike Kelly
Peter Macasieb
Dave Miles
David & June Nguy
Ken Teh
Wendy Tsai

And to all who so generously purchase tickets

Upcoming Events

Oct 1-2
Chino Bonsai Club 2nd Annual Bonsai Exhibit 261 S Junipero Sierra Dr. San Gabriel, CA
9-5pm daily- demos, raffle, auction, vendor & club Sales
Sat 5:30-Dinner reception

Oct 5-9
Kofu Kai Bonsai Exhibit at The Bowers Museum, 2002N Main St, Santa Ana
10am-4pm daily

Oct 8-9
GSBF Bonsai Rendezvous, Hotel de Oro, Santa Nella, CA.
Check the GSBF website for details

Nov 12-13
Pacific Bonsai Expo, The Bridge Yard Event Center, Oakland, CA,
Large show with cash prizes and trophies for best in show, conifers, deciduous, broad-leaf evergreen, shohin

2022-23 Monthly Meeting Dates

Oct 8— no meeting due to GSBF Rendezvous
Nov 12 — Al Rivera at Longo Toyota
Dec 10 — no meeting: Happy Holidays
Jan 14 -– Annual meeting: details TBA

Refreshment Schedule
Drinks: bring your own ( water by SABS)

Nov 12– Snacks: Bob Alderette If you have a favorite, please bring it- our members always enjoy munching while learning

Come Join Us