Author: Rick Manning

It’s a brand new year!It is time to begin the year, which we hope to make one of the best ever for PSBS. A few minor adjustments have been discussed below, but we hope to have a great year, displaying great trees and spreading the club’s name throughout the Chicago area.We are on the move for a few months.For the first four meetings of the year, our General Membership meetings will move from our typical location in the TEC Building to the Homeland Security Education Center (HEC) next door…

The ginkgo is a deciduous tree with fan shaped leaves and a columnar silhouette in younger years, getting broader with age. The tree is indigenous to China and is considered a living fossil, dating back 270 million years. On young trees the bark is light grey and on old trees dark grey and furrowed. Some old trees produce so-called „Chichi“, hanging swellings reminding of stalactites. The largest and oldest ginkgo trees are found in China, some of them are more than 40 m (130ft) tall and approximately 4,000 years old.…

Outdoor: All trees should now be tucked away in their winter housing.  Be sure to water as needed while in winter storage.  Do not fertilize.  Wiring should be checked carefully and tight wires removed if not yet done.  Many trees seem to have put on an exceptional amount of girth this season, so be sure to thoroughly check the wires. Do not repot at this time. Indoor:  All indoor trees should now be indoors. Be sure to water as needed.  The watering needs may differ from when the trees were outdoors,…

It is Party Time! On Wednesday, December 6th, we will have our Christmas Party at the usual time but at a new venue.  Larry Magee has volunteered to host the party at his home in Wayne, located just south of Army Trail Road, West of IL Route 59 and East of IL Route 25.  More details about the location are elsewhere in the newsletter. As we have for decades, we will have a White Elephant exchange for those who bring a wrapped present, preferably related to bonsai and still in usable…

Just how much better do plants grown in the ground than other methods? Initial plants were air layered maples purchased from the Midwest August show that were approximately 20 inches tall at the start with a trunk circumference of 4cm to 4.5cm . Sample one was grown in a wide plastic pot grown with a combination of compost and bonsai soil in partial shade. Tree had 4 new upright growths. Sample two was grown in a wide plastic seed tray with a combination of compost and bonsai soil in…

If you get caught off guard by a quick freeze and do not have enough time to get your plants to their winter quarters or only need protection for a day or two, simply lower bonsai under there summer stands and if needed drape plastic or a tarp over the stand.  ConifersI store my conifers in two different locations.  Trees that are in development are in my garden in a layer of mulch. A building blocks the wind from the north, and I planted asparagus to act as a…

President’s Letter for November 2023 Naperville Free Speech Event On Sunday, October 22nd, a group of us assembled at the pavilion across from the library on the Naperville Riverwalk.  We set up tables to display trees, while others set up on the picnic tables to work on trees they brought along.  This was the date of the Naperville half marathon in the downtown area, so we set up after the race around noon until about 5 PM. We had many people strolling by as the day was very pleasant. …

Outdoor: Be ready to put your trees into winter protection as soon as the weather dictates. A night temperature of 25°F is a good reference point for when the trees need protection. Remove the remaining foliage on deciduous trees and any weeds or debris on the soil before placing the trees into winter protection. Spraying with a general fungicide can be beneficial. Keep your trees well watered. The trees will use less water in the current cooler temperatures. Fertilization may be stopped at this point. Do not repot except…

President’s Letter for October 2023Winding down 2023We just passed the technically accurate first day of fall. A lot of the discussion now is centered around spraying trees to get them ready for winter quarters, buying new lighting for the tropicals,and setting up tables to hold them (wherever your spouse will agree). We still have some timeaccording to the forecasts, but it is clear that time is running out for this season.  I need to do a little work clearing out the window wells where many of my semi-hardy trees…

Colorado Blue Spruce Also known under its scientific name Picea pungens “glauca,” the Colorado Blue Spruce is a popular bonsai tree in the United States. This evergreen is native to cool weather forest regions in the Northern Hemisphere. The Colorado blue spruce has attractive silvery blue/green needles. This cone bearing evergreen (conifer) has thin, scratched looking bark with beautiful blue-hued evergreen needles. This bonsai has a traditional tree shape and a pointed peak making it one of the most popular Christmas trees around. The Blue Spruce bonsai is native to the Rocky Mountains…