Author: Rick Manning

Phil with his American Hornbeam collected in Tennessee Interview with Phil Malhiot  Phil is a "Jack of all trades" and contrary to the old saying, "He is master of all".  Phil is proficient in the arts, creates beautiful stained glass and oils, he loves working with clay and has won top awards for his bonsai. As he shares his thoughts, I found him to be honest, a total free spirit and completely devoted to whatever art form he is doing. Ask him a question and he is ready to…

FEATURED TREEJuniper  Juniperus procumbens nana (pictured)Type: Juniper genus is made up of about some 60 species within the cypress family. They are evergreen coniferous trees or shrubs. Juniperus grows mostly in temperate and cold zones. The Juniper cannot live indoors. Along with pines and maples,  juniperus is one of the top three trees used for bonsai.  Juniperus procumbens nana is a dwarf ground cover, famously known as the bonsai most seen for sale at malls and large box retail establishments, hence the term mall bonsai or “mallsai”. It is a…

BougainvilleaType: Bougainvillea, named for a French navigator, is a native of Brazil and is grown extensively in the warmer climates of the United States. It is a member of the Nyctaginaceae family.Bougainvillea is an evergreen vine that is just as happy, spreading horizontally or hanging downwards as climbing upwards. It makes itself at home in almost any situation.Bougainvillea is ideal for bonsai. Red, violet, orange, yellow or white bracts appear on the ends of new growth.Available in nurseries and from bonsai specialty growers. They flower most heavily in winter and…

My message this month is mainly announcements. We will have a picnic this year! We will do the garden walks with Midwest Bonsai again! Details for these are below in a special events announcement from Nick DiBattista, our vice-president of special events. Lastly, our meeting on May 5th, 2021, at 7 PM, will feature a Zoom presentation by long-time member Linda Camp.  Show will be showing us how to create a pre-bonsai from another tree by a process called air layering. Air layering is a very useful tool. Got…

Things to do this Month Outdoor: By now all outdoor trees should have been removed from winter protection and placed on their growing benches. The trees should be receiving as much sun as possible. Watering needs will be high and all trees will be needing watering at least once a day. Be sure to fully saturate the soil at each watering. Fertilize on a regular basis. Higher nitrogen levels can increase growth but may also cause leaves to expand to larger sizes. Remember that the recommended rate on the fertilizer package assumes a once a month use.…

Noah’s Arc of Learning Noah Butler  Article 3: Pining for Better Health I am indebted to the University of Iowa and University of Maryland Extension Offices, as well as Ryan Neil at Bonsai Mirai, for the valuable information they provided concerning the identification and prevention of pine needle cast. Needle cast on pines is very common. Less common is an understanding of where this infection comes from and how to formulate a plan of action regarding treatment and prevention. Although infections occur initially in the spring, the effects of needle…

UNDERSTANDING AND TREATING THE COMPULSIVE/PATHOLOGICAL BONSAI ENTHUSIAST By James Keith With the spring quickly approaching I have begun my annual regiment of preparing for repotting and trimming. As the weather begins to break and the days get longer the impatience for the beginning of a new bonsai season begins to take hold. My thoughtsturn to supplies and materials for the coming growing season. I begin to delve into my reading materials and prepare to attend Prairie State Bonsai Society meetings, my local club here in the Chicago area. I…

THINGS TO DO THIS MONTH Outdoor: This is it, the busiest month in Bonsai. Once the danger of temperatures in the low twenties or less seems to have passed, it is time to bring your trees out of winter protection and into their summer homes. If anything needs to be done (or set up) for this, it should be done very soon. For trees in mulch beds, be sure that the mulch has thawed to below the pots before lifting the trees out of it. Do not force trees…

President’s Message for April 2021 Our next Zoom meeting will be Wednesday, April 7th, at 7 PM. Our very own world touring, international bonsai artist, Jennifer Price will present her comparison of European versus American bonsai styles. Our last meeting, with Bjorn Bjorholm, was a great success.  We will be putting the video up in the member's section of our website as soon as Bjorn gets it to us.  Also, as I wrote last month: “However, due to the nature of that meeting, there will be no club business…

Outdoor:These trees will need to remain in their winter quarters this month. It is often tempting to bring them out on that odd warm day that may occur this month. This is not advisable, however, as the weather cannot be expected to remain above freezing as yet. It may be necessary to water the trees if there isn't sufficient rain or snow melt. Do not fertilize. Trees can be wired if they are accessible enough to be worked on.Indoor:Care continues the same as last month. Be sure to provide…