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My experiences in Collecting Bonsai I began collecting trees in 1985 when I visited my parents in northern Michigan. The cost was a major factor in this decision. I brought between 35 – 70 trees home each year. I sold off 90 percent of these to buy tools and pots. I also did urban collecting and development collecting. Development collecting is getting permission to collect on a property that is about to be developed for building. The first folks I collected with knew about these developments and would get…

EUCALYPTUSThere are over 800 types of Eucalyptus trees, and all the types are suitable to grow as bonsai. We will focus mainly on the Eucalyptus deglupta tree, Rainbow Eucalyptus, Rainbow Gum tree, or Mindanao Gum tree. Whichever Eucalyptus you choose to make a bonsai, make sure you know their temperature requirements as most are semi-tropical and a few are low semi-hardy. The Rainbow is the only tropical Eucalyptus.Eucalyptus are evergreens, and Rainbows are tropical evergreens. The tree has moderately broad, evergreen leaves and produces small white flowers packed with…

Good news! Our March meeting, on March 2nd, will be our first in-person, live meeting, since COVID forced us to have Zoom meetings. The College of DuPage is allowing us to get back to our old room, in the Tech building, Room TEC 103B. Check for details here: https://prairiestatebonsai.com/event/march-general-meeting/ On to dues! Membership dues become due on March 1st. You can now pay your dues through our website. Here’s the link: https://prairiestatebonsai.com/membership-account/membership-levels/ You can still print out and mail in the membership form. There is a link to the PDF of…

Outdoor: The situation here is the same as it was last month.  Leave trees in winter protection and water as needed. Do not fertilize. Deciduous trees and pines may be wired. If your trees can be moved you may bring them indoors for up to eight hours for work. Be aware of possible flooding in in-ground cold frames.Indoor: Sunlight has been scarce lately so be sure to give indoor trees as much light as possible. Trees at windowsills could use some supplemental artificial light to compensate for the cloudy weather. Check…

Indoor:  The mid-winter time period can be a crucial time for your indoor bonsai. This is often a period when there are many more cloudy days than sunny ones and trees at windows are receiving very low light levels. These trees will be doing little, if any, growing. There also may be some yellowing or dropping of leaves due to the low light. Do not fertilize trees that are placed at windows. Also be aware that there can be cold drafts through the glass itself. You may need to move these trees back from the window…

The Desert Rose Adenium obesum is also known by the names Sabi Star, Kudu, Mock Azalea, Impala Lily and most notably the Desert Rose. It is a long-lived plant and in the right conditions it can live for centuries, five hundred years is not uncommon. It is native to Africa, the Middle East, Madagascar , Southeast Asia, and Thailand. It is not a rose. It is a drought-deciduous succulent shrub. Adeniums, as they are commonly known, are actually more related to Alamandas, Oleanders and Frangipanis.  Being a sub species…

Acting President’s Message Welcome to 2022. Hopefully, we will return to reasonably normal life this year. We will be having a ZOOM meeting in February. Then the plan is to be back to “in-person” meetings after that. We will be holding the Silhouette Show at Cantigny on February 12th. This is our first event in over a year.  We will be notifying you of any changes to the Covid Protocol that may be made in the coming weeks. This is a chance to show off the tree structure of…

Out of sight is not out of mind. Ask how many killed 1 st tree. Why? Tell of your own experience using potting soil. Loved tree to death by overwatering. Will discuss soil, substrate, what’s the difference; qualities of substrates; organics and inorganics in substrate mix; physical properties of substrates; watering and chemical properties.1) Soil (growing medium or substrate) is the most important part of growing healthy roots. (The secret sauce)2) Field Soil. Dead or alive? Both – beneficial living organisms in the field soil feed on dead roots…

ROOT PRUNING AND REPOTTING Purpose: Root pruning removes heavy, old, and excessively lengthy portions of the root system. The effect is to limit the growth of the tree by limiting the size and spread of the root system and revitalizing the tree by creating an increased energy level through the development of new and more numerous feeder roots. This results in developing a dense network of fine roots and branches. It also serves to allow a bonsai to be replanted back into the same container as it initially reduces…

President’s Message, November, 2021 Our November meeting, our last meeting of the year, will also be via Zoom. It will feature a presentation by Mark Fields, of http://www.bonsaibyfields.com/ You can read about Mark here: https://prairiestatebonsai.com/event/november-general-meeting/ Don’t be discouraged by not having a physical meeting to attend. Our Zoom meetings have been quite informative. You can ask questions and make comments, via the chat button. You can attend via phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop. You can turn on your microphone and be heard. If you have a camera, you can…