Club News - October 2015

Meeting - October 16 @ 7:00 PM

Darren Wong - Azalea Demonstration

Darren Wong started studying Satsuki azalea bonsai in the spring of 2001. He attended classes at El Dorado Bonsai in Placerville and was taught the Japanese way of styling, cultivating and maintaining healthy Satsuki azalea bonsai. The course was taught by Japanese Satsuki bonsai master Tatemori Gondo and involved three years of commitment. At the end of the course and exam Darren received his teaching diploma. In 2005, Darren was accepted and became a student of Sushio Nakayama who was also Tatemori Gondo's Satsuki teacher. Along with his wife Laura, who was also a student, Darren travels to Japan two to three times a year to study with Nakayama sensei. Darren feels “Our main goal is to help spread the art and proper care of Satsuki bonsai here in the United States. We hope that by providing good quality Satsuki bonsai material more people will enjoy this species of bonsai as much as we do.”

Darren will work on an imported bonsai, Sankaku variety approximately nineteen inches tall with a four-inch nebari hand-picked by Darren and Laura for its branch placement and trunk movement. As usual, this tree will be included in the benefit drawing at the end of Darren’s presentation.

Reprint - Jim Ransohoff on Azaleas

Club member Jim Ransohoff also trained with Tatemori Gondo and over the years he gave several presentations on azaleas. His suggestions/techniques are included here as an introduction before our meeting with Darren. Hopefully this will make it easier for everyone to compare what we were taught in the past with the current techniques presented by Darren. In the world of bonsai a lot can change in a few years.

During his 2001 presentation Jim recommended we read an article by Gondo that appears in the May/June 2001 issue of Bonsai magazine from Bonsai Clubs International. (See our library.)

Jim presented three different techniques for pruning azaleas: Motoba Dome, Mesuki and Higari and when and how to use them. During the months of February, March and early April, Jim said one should use the "Motoba Dome" or tip leaf bud trimming technique. In this procedure you cut off all the leaves, leaving only 1/8 inch at the tip, just at the base of the leaf cluster. The goal is to force budding further back.

In May and June, your azalea can experience rapid growth resulting in bonsai wire cutting into the branch and/or trunk. If this occurs, unwire where necessary and prune back using the Mesuki technique.

Motoba Dome - You can do this every year if you wish and don't want flowers, but the plant must be healthy and only do if needed for shaping.

Generally there will be five leaves/branchlets that will come out after pruning. Cut off the largest one first. Then cut off the two weakest -- leaving two. They don't all have to be perfectly flat; after all, you want some variation.

Jim showed a plant he had performed this procedure on during early March. By June, it was covered with great looking green leaves. Jim said it's important to keep the plant in partial sun for a month after pruning it.

Mesuki - This is a technique for pruning for shape. When there are more than two branches, cut back to two. When there are three leaves in a cluster, cut back to two.

Higari - This is a technique used to force back budding. Basically, you cut every leaf in half. You can do this anytime.

Wiring - When wiring, you want the tips to point up. So make sure that the tip of the wire points up. In June turn the tips down to achieve a layered effect. You should also remove/change any wires that are cutting in.

Repotting - Repot your Azaleas in late February or early March, before it blooms. It's important to repot smallest leaf varieties first -- they are most able to handle unexpected cold weather.

Remove all old soil and cut off all fine black roots -- they are dead. Live roots are white. Don't use water from a hose to wash away old soil because you'll damage the fine roots. Instead, use chopsticks. Metal hooks are too rough on the fine roots.

Also, when putting new soil in the pot most of us insert a chopstick and then wiggle it to settle the soil. Gondo says this is wrong -- wiggling the chopstick will break the fine roots. Instead, insert the chopstick vertically and then press down on the soil surface. Repeat every couple of inches. This can take a long time. Jim reported that in Japan when working under a Master this procedure can take several hours or even a whole day!

Fertilizing - Gondo uses 5-5-5 with micronutrients. Do not feed during hot weather (above 85 degrees as you risk burn). Also, you shouldn't fertilize when it gets cooler than 45 degrees or after October 15. Jim used a cotton seed-bone meal mix about August 20th and doesn't feed for the winter.

Jim said that over-fertilizing will cause the pink (recessive color) to become more dominant, so be careful.

Blooms take a lot of strength, so if the plant isn't really strong, it is safer to pinch the blooms off and let the plant recover.

If you cut back in the fall you need to leave 2 inches of branch and apply cut paste. Then, in the spring you'll cut it again, this time all the way off. If you cut branches during the spring you can cut it back as far as you want.

If you cut back major branches in the fall leave 1-2-inch stub and apply cut paste. Then, in the spring you'll cut it again, this time all the way off. However, it is best not to cut large branches in Autumn unless necessary. Instead, cut branches during the spring when you can cut it back as far as you want. No matter when you prune, do not cut a major branch in the water line -- that is, one that is directly over another branch you have cut.

November Bonsai Potting Party

Our first potting party for the 2016 show will be Sunday November 15 from 10AM – 4PM.

We will work on material that can be repotted in the fall. Bring trees being held from previous show sales that need improving along with other club owned trees. In addition, each member of Kusamura is obligated to donate three trees or bonsai related items for our annual sale. This year we do not have as many club trees to work on as in years past so members are asked to bring a tree they plan to donate and work on it at this party.

If you are new to bonsai or a newer member of the club, the potting parties are a great way to meet other members of the club and kick start your learning curve of the techniques for styling, pruning, wiring, and potting/repotting a bonsai.

More details will be available in the November newsletter.

Recap of Our September Meeting

Our September meeting was well attended and Michael Greenstein, Sandy Vrooman and Stephanie North did a wonderful job helping members with the many bonsai brought in that night. The club thanks Michael, Sandy and Stephanie for this very interactive and informative program. It was fun too!

Newsletter Editor: Rita Curbow