Blog

Below are a few comments by volunteers at the Asia Festival on  Saturday, September 25th.It was great. We all had a great time. We had an acre of room, lots of trees and we were the first thing people saw as they came in. We may have picked up some members and if we could actually have in-person meetings I do believe at least a dozen would come. But I am exhausted and hungry and my feet hurt.It was indeed a great event. Much better than we expected. Thanks…

GARDEN WALK 2021 The first day I went to see Phil's trees. He lives very close to me, on the North side of the Zoo ( I am on the South side).  As always his trees are beautifully presented and polished to perfection. Every time I see his trees there is always something different and unique he is presenting. This year it was just the total package. I loved learning about them from the knowledge he freely gave as he guided me through each of his trees..Then Sunday I took…

Bonsai Security At one of the last board meetings we talked about an article for the newsletter pertaining to bonsai security.  Having had been a police officer and detective for thirty years I have had some rather unique insight into the “criminal mind” and how it works.  During my career part of my duties included conducting security analysis and evaluations of businesses and their physical structure.  When I went to burglary investigation school one of our homework assignments was to go out into the community as three-man teams and…

Our Prairie State Bonsai Society board has decided to play it on the safe side and continue having our monthly meetings via Zoom. The previously announced meeting on Oct. 6th, at the College of DuPage, has been canceled.  We will send out an email in the next few days announcing what the topic of our Oct. 6th meeting will be. Our November meeting, our last meeting of the year, will also be via Zoom. Don’t be discouraged by not having a physical meeting to attend. Our Zoom meetings have…

Outdoor: The cooler temperatures will help reduce the tree’s need for water, but we still need to monitor the soil moisture in each pot daily. All outdoor bonsai must remain outdoors at this time. Sometimes they are brought indoors on chilly nights because someone thinks they are protecting them from the chill. This is a wrong idea. The alternation of warm days and chilly nights is a part of what sets the tree into dormancy. The more times that this alternation takes place, the deeper the dormancy can become.…

Moving IndoorsBy Dan Kosta Many of us grow indoor (tropical) bonsai as well as the more traditional temperate type of trees. These trees will need to be brought indoors soon. Ideally the trees should be indoors two weeks before the heating system is turned on but this is a difficult thing to work out.By bringing the trees in early it reduces the “thermal shock” when they move from the outside to the inside. It is more of a shock if the tree is taken from a forty degree environment to a seventy degree one than it is…

Substitute President’s message Due to a string of coincidences, It is my honor to be writing this month’s President’s Message. I hope that you all enjoyed Rodney Clements’s presentation. I have seen him in action a few times, and I have always enjoyed it. He is very entertaining, and he gives you a lot of things to consider in designing your trees. September is going to be a very busy month. We are having the garden walk again this year. Last year’s walk was very successful. Just seeing how…

LOOKING BACK ON OUR PICNICWe held our annual picnic on August 1st and what a grand day it was. I was contemplating not going because of the Delta Covid thing but what a mistake that would have been.  Because I said I was going to set up an information table I figured I should go. So off I went. The weather was perfect, in the 70's, light breeze and almost no humidity, just perfect. Cantigny couldn't have treated us better, they were the perfect host and the only thing…

THINGS TO DO IN SEPTEMBER Outdoor: Once hot temperatures (above 85-90 degrees) have passed, plants should return to their normal growth activity; however, our season for pruning deciduous trees, broad leaf evergreens and junipers is at its close. Your trees will need to keep their branches since food reserves are stored in the branch and trunk tissues. Currently, we need to pay close attention to fertilization for the trees to strengthen themselves and replenish reserves for their dormant period. Start using a low-nitrogen fertilizer in mid-September to help reduce…

Best in Show Professional - Andrew SmithMid-America Bonsai ExhibitionAugust 20/21/22, 2021When I visited the Midwest Bonsai Society’s Mid-America Bonsai Exhibition on August 21st I had a powerful sense of déjà vu.  It was in the spring of 2012 when my wife and I happened to visit the Chicago Botanic Garden on the weekend of their May bonsai show.  While touring the trees on display in the Regenstein room that day, I asked a couple questions of a person in an apron.  He told me that the CBG offers classes…