Author: Rick Manning

Dear Members,The club picnic held on Sunday, June 30, 2024, at Cantigny Park was a delightful event attended by many of our members. We enjoyed excellent weather, delicious grilled food, and the company of fellow bonsai enthusiasts. Our guest artist, Chris Baker, the Bonsai Curator at the Chicago Botanic Garden, styled a Black Pine which was raffled off. Chris also generously shared his expertise with members, offering valuable advice on their trees.The general meeting on July 10, 2024, was highly informative. It focused on preparing our trees for the…

Outdoor: The most important thing is to water the trees. The second most important is water. Heat and drought can have a significant effect on our bonsai. A tree in a bonsai pot can dry out surprisingly fast in the sun. Check the trees as often as possible and water them thoroughly whenever you water them. Spraying water onto the foliage late in the afternoon can help cool the foliage and container and reduce water loss. Reduce or suspend fertilization. If you are not seeing new growth in your trees,…

A two-year air-layer projectMAY 11, 2024 by JONAS DUPUICHTwo years ago, I picked up a field-grown Korean hornbeam salvaged from the fire that struck Telperion Farms in 2020. The tree had a fun trunk but there was room to improve the roots so I started an air-layer.After making the cutI’d just heard about an interesting approach to layering and wanted to give it a try. Rather than explain it, here’s a photo of the next step.Fresh concrete around the base of the trunkThe previous year, Nao Tokutake had given this approach…

Dear Members,The general meeting on June 5, 2024, was a resounding success, particularly due to the engaging root-over-rock planting workshop conducted by Linda Camp. The event saw a commendable turnout from PSBS members, all eager to enhance their bonsai skills.Linda demonstrated step-by-step how to create a root-over-rock planting with a Chinese Elm tree. Various members followed along, preparing their own projects under her expert guidance.The raffle was a highlight, featuring a spruce tree styled by Mauro Stemberger and wired by Larry Magee and Mark Karczewski, along with a couple…

KINGSVILLE BOXWOOD Kingsville Boxwood Bonsai is popular among bonsai enthusiasts for its compact size and stunning appearance. However, it requires proper care and attention to thrive and maintain beauty. In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through the steps of caring for your Kingsville Boxwood Bonsai to ensure its longevity and health. It is a small evergreen shrub native to Japan and Korea, which makes it perfect for creating bonsai trees. Kingsville Boxwood Bonsai has a compact growth habit, with small, glossy green leaves perfect for shaping and styling.There…

Indoor: If possible, these trees will benefit significantly from summer outdoors. Ideally, they should have all been moved out by now, but there is still time if you have not already moved them out—water as needed. Watering will depend on the weather, the location of the trees (sunny or shady), the soil, the pot size, and other factors. In many cases, however, daily watering will be needed. Always check the moisture content of the soil before watering. Fertilization should continue. Check wires for tightness. Repotting may be done at…

Depending on when you are reading this, repotting season is just starting or is in full swing. The choice of which bonsai soil to use is an often hotly debated topic. This article is not meant to solve the question of what is the “best” bonsai soil/substrate, but rather meant to give newcomers to the hobby a basic understanding of the different options available and to partially explain why there are so many choices. The first thing to consider when choosing a bonsai soil is what species you are…

Dear Members,Our general meeting on May 15, 2024, featuring world-renowned Bonsai Master Mauro Stemberger, was a tremendous success, with a great turnout from both Prairie State and Midwest Bonsai Society members. In a remarkably short time, Mauro styled two trees: Larry Magee and Mark Karczewski assisted by wiring the spruce tree, while Mauro focused on styling and wiring the Scots pine. Both trees turned out exceptionally well.For the raffle, the first winner had the option to choose between the two trees and opted for the Scots Pine.I extend my…

Outdoor: Place trees in a maximum sunlight location. Make certain to water as often as needed. As the weather warms, the trees will need to be watered more frequently, often daily. Be sure to provide enough water at each watering to thoroughly saturate the soil. Fertilize regularly to keep the trees growing and to support the new growth. Pinch new growth as needed to increase the fullness of the foliage pads. Wire as needed, but be careful when working around the soft new growth as it is easily damaged. Keep…

Bonsai leaf reduction Just how much will leaf’s reduce in bonsai soil and a bonsai pot?These are both Dwarf Umbrella Trees/ Schefflera Arboricola from cuttings I was given a meeting a year and a half ago. Once rooted the cuttings on the left were planted in a 6” deep pot with potting soil, compost, and sand mixture. The plant on the right was potted in a 2” deep bonsai pot with bonsai soil from BC Bonsai. Significant reduction of leaf size and internodes can be seen on the plant…