Header

Newsletter: Cape Bonsai Kai

From the President: Yvonne Romyn

Dear Members
What a stimulating, informing enjoyable day at the evaluation course, thanks again to Lionel. We learnt a bit about the history of Bonsai of how it really started in India with herbs in a pot which I for one did not know and something about the philosophy of Bonsai in the respect of feeling from the heart not the head towards our trees as well as any tree we “judge” or view. Then came the tuition of how to arrive at a very fair percentage and we were all put to the test from beginners to advance. Most of the time we were quite amazed how we came to the same percent or very close even though we got there through different marking. The only aspect that made me sad was that each and every one of you should have been there as this is the quickest learning curb. Thank you all those that did attend especially Theresa who has only had a few lessons, gave her comments as to how she reached her result, that was very brave.
Our last monthly meeting was also very different in that a time was spent learning how to make our ground cover really good with mosses and the right stones and on propagation which Gail made so easy that I think we are all going to try all the different ways. What happened to beginners and intermediate trees for the tables ???? This time only advance trees were on show.
PLEASE start registering for our 40th Birthday as we have to arrange for lunches, name tags etc. Bring your aprons and tools for our next hands on meeting plus trees which need a little help.
The workshops which Budi will hold on our 40th Birthday works like this: You bring a tree which has a lot of potential and he advises you how to get what you see and you do it there with his help. If you would like to do this please let us know as we would like to see the tree first.

Yvonne
Email: yvonne@romyn.co.za
Tel: 021 7012749

Review of the last meeting: David Nathan

As usual, the meeting was opened by our chairlady, Yvonne, with a welcome to the visitors present and a reminder that the 29th August would be the last day for vetting trees for the September display. Members were reminded that the next club meeting would be “hands on” and members to bring their own tools etc.
Peter then showed a wild Rosemary he had chosen for “bush to Bonsai”, outlining his plan with the aid of sketches and photos.
Refining deciduous trees was the subject of Yvonne’s talk, filled with tips on pruning and defoliation, amply illustrated with samples from her own collection.
For “Judges Choice” Trevor picked Yvonne’s semi-cascade Diospyros Lyceoides and an Elm of Dorothy’s for discussion. It was interesting to note how some individual Diospyros lost their leaves in winter whereas others did not.
Gail then followed with an in-depth presentation on various forms of propagation, starting with seeds, through cuttings of various sorts and ending on air-layering – all techniques that we can use to increase our collections, while at the same time minimising the cost and gaining experience.
Tony then came on to complete a very busy meeting with a lively talk on ground covers and moss in particular (did you know there are 14000 different types and that sphagnum moss has antiseptic qualities?), before Peter came back to show us the work he had done in transforming a Rosemary bush into a very nice informal upright tree.
A very informative meeting overall.

What to do this month: Viky Petermann

he new potting season has started. The buds will start to swell on Swamp Cypress, Celtis and Elms and the Maples will start to move shortly after.
Watch the buds!!. The swelling of buds will indicate the correct potting time for each individual tree.
Make sure you have a variety of pots on hand so as to be able to choose which best suit those trees that you are going to pot/re-pot.
Ensure that you have sufficient quantity of soil ready and that your tools are clean and sharp and don’t forget that you need mesh to cover the pot’s holes! Re-potted trees need protection from the wind for at least 4 weeks and while they may need less watering, misting them on a regular basis will help them through the trauma of root pruning.
Soaking the trimmed root system in a basin of water, where Superthrive has been added at a dose of 3 or 4 drops per liter will help the roots to start growing again.
Don’t forget the trees which you are not repotting this year. They will soon start growing strongly and will benefit from a dose of fertilizer to boost their first growing spurt.

Notices: Tony Bent

Next monthly meeting: August 19th, 2010

• HELP HELP HELP – 40th Celebrations
  We desperately need someone knowledgeable with the skills and equipment to provide live screening of the demonstrations at our 40th Celebrations. We need a data projector to connect to a laptop as well as the necessary cabling to connect the camera/s – laptop projector. We also require tripods for each camera.
  If you can help or point us in the right direction, please contact Peter Bruyns on 082 4664236 or at pbruyns@gmail.com
• Kai evaluation course – July 17
  Please don’t forget the Evaluation Course Lionel Theron is running for us on Saturday, July 17 – 10am to 4pm. It’s not too late to register and the cost for the day is only R25. For further details contact Lionel at 021 7903478 or bford@cybersmart.co.za or Tony at 083 2305348 or tony@nanoson.com
• Kai’s 40th Anniversary Celebration on September 18 & 19
  To help the sub-committee with its planning we would appreciate your registering relatively early. If you need any further details please contact Tony.
  Please remember we still need a few more prizes for raffles. If you have suitable prizes to donate or know of a business that can help us, please get in touch with Dorothy at 021 797 8972 or email her at dnfranz@gmail.com
• Guidance for growers
  Don’t forget Gail will be at the meeting on July 15 at 7.30pm. If you have a tree that you need assistance with – bring it along for Gail to help you
• Library
  Remember we have all the latest magazines and a wonderful selection of books in the library – so please use it. Alastair will be manning the desk from 7.30pm onwards