Monthly Archives: August 2022

Where did the summer go??  All of a sudden it is Labor Day with the nights getting cooler and people discussing bringing in their tropicals for the winter! We have three more General Membership meetings before our Christmas Party in December.  Let’s have fun while we get ready for a well-earned rest. August Shows: As predicted, August was a great month for bonsai.  PSBS presented its bonsai show at the Destination Asia Festival at the Morton Arboretum.  Thank you to the many members who showed trees, or worked at…

Craig Cronquist A few thoughts about what NOT to do. My first couple years I used a shoplight fixture with two Sylvania GroLux tubes suspended over my tropicals on a table in a west-facing window (only window available to me). It was not very bright and the trees barely made it through the winter. In January 2016, I purchased a Sun System Grow Light system using a high pressure sodium 150 watt bulb (16,000 lumens) from Brew & Grow in Roselle. I was referred to Brew & Grow by…

in Northeastern Zones By Pauline F Muth of PFM Bonsai Studio Reprinted with permission In the traditional sense of bonsai, there are no indoor bonsai. Bonsai artists created their masterpieces from the local species that could remain outside year round in their climate. Modern houses generally are not suitable for the growth of bonsai. Yet people today want to grow their trees inside their homes; so specialized botanical knowledge that allows people to grow houseplants must be learned and modified to work with bonsai. If we remember that the…

THINGS TO DO THIS MONTH Outdoor & Indoor:Watering is still a critical job at this time of year. Trees can dry very quickly on hot days. The roots can be damaged or even killed when the soil stays dry for too long, which can have devastating effects on your tree. Now is the time to switch to a low nitrogen fertilizer. The soil should be moist before the fertilizer is applied. Now is the time when trees prepare themselves for winter. Trunks and branches will thicken as materials are…