BSA Notes August 2013
By Jane Hebert, BSA Editor
The Bonsai Society of Acadiana
(BSA) will meet on Wednesday August 7th at 7:00pm.
BSA meets on the First Wednesday
of each month at the Ira Nelson Horticulture Bldg., 2206 Johnston Street,
Lafayette, LA.
NEW BUSINESS -
RECENT NEWS
–
Workshops: In
place of our regular meeting on July 3rd, BSA hosted guest speaker
Mike Rogers with the BSF Speaker program on Tuesday July 16th. We had a wonderful opportunity to learn from
Mike and gain new knowledge on a variety of trees. You can reach Mike Rogers via email at the following: mike@mikerogersbonsaistudio.com
Mike began his presentation with
some much appreciated information on “Azaleas in the South”
Azaleas in the south – most are multi-trunk trees – you want
to be able to see each trunk. There are
many hybridized groups that include satsuki (which is better for the south),
southern indica, formosa, Duc de Rohan (coral or white), Duchess of Cypress
that are all breed for the southern climate.
What to do to minimize stress on satsuki,
1. Not accustomed to full sun, but best in full morning sun
and afternoon shade.
2. Never use dirt in the soil mixture, use a combination of
lava rock, haydite and crimson. He does
not use any organic matter in any of his soil mixtures for bonsai. Organic matter causes a muck layer and no
oxygen can get to the roots. The roots
will die from anaerobic bacteria.
3. Shallow pots are worse than deeper pots due to the
“perched water table”, wherein about ½ inch of water remains in the pot.
4. Rake out roots, clean vigorously each and every pocket of
old soil before putting in well drained soil mixture (see item #2)
5. They are bottom dominant and determinate for new shoots.
In bonsai reduce the number of blooms so it continued to grow otherwise once it
blooms it stops growing. Don’t allow to
bloom while in development stage. Once it is in a bonsai pot then allow buds to
bloom.
6. They have specific roots for specific branches so if you
cut back to close to the trunk, then the branch it feeds will die back deep
into the trunk
7. Use clean tools, Mike’s mixture for tool cleaning is
50/50 liquid Lysol and water.
8. Between cutting azaleas, also use a box cutter blade so
each cut is very clean, seal every cut, otherwise spores will get into cuts and
kill branches. Never use a concave cutters on azalea, use a flush cut root
cutter for example.
9. Use azalea fungicide “Subdue” which is very expensive,
may consider less expensive items such as Daconil, or copper soap.
10. Leaf rot – rainy days or weeks, only water during the
daytime, they do not do well when the leaves remain wet overnight. The first sign of leaf rot is hanging brown
leaves on the tree that do not fall off on their own.
11. Powdery mildew – leaves need to be dry before night
fall.
12. Petal blight – it won’t kill the tree, just ruins the
flower, which will just hang onto the tree and not fall off on its own
13. Prevention of leaf rot, powdery mildew, and petal blight
– keep out of excess rain for several days
14. Once azaleas bloom for 2-3 weeks, pick all of the
flowers and buds to reduce weakening the tree. Keep already fallen leaves and
blooms off benches and out of soil mixture on pot to reduce the risk of fungal
or other diseases
15. Once bloomed, cut back the hardest – repot at the end of
Feb. or early March. The year you repot, do not allow the tree to bloom. Remove
buds in the fall before your repotting in Feb or early March. Repot every 3rd year if healthy
tree, trim off 1 inch of outside and bottom of tree, put in a smaller pot. Azaleas
seem to grow better in a slightly smaller pot. They only need small finer
feeder roots while in a bonsai pot. Fertilize with Hollytone from Epsoma for
acidic soils.
16. avoid green moss as it can cause bark rot – instead, use
sphagnum moss, run through or across a sieve or screening mesh, break it down
into smaller particles, cover the top of the soil moisture, it will keep the
soil from drying out after repotting and has antifungal, antibacterial
properties.
Mike also discussed, gave style and design tips, pruned away
aerial roots, and branches on several trees including BSA Members Dottie
Burleigh and Vic Hebert’s Nerifolia, Bruce Broussard’s Ficus Root over Rock,
Johnny Hardcastle’s Japanese Maple, Tim LeJeune’s Trident Maple, and Dario
Billiot’s Ilex. Here are several of the photos taken during the workshop:
We would like to say Thank You to BSA President Boyd
Snellgrove for providing snacks and drinks at the July workshop.
BLOG/USEFUL INFORMATION:
Check http://www.acadianabonsai.blogspot.com for any updates on upcoming events, current information
on BSA, and a list of vendors/companies that sell quality materials. This is your best source for information you
might have missed if you are unable to attend meetings each month. You may need to use a Google search to
connect to acadianabonsai. blogspot.com
UPCOMING EVENTS:
August 7th, 2013 BSA Monthly Meeting
November 2nd, 2013 LABS
@ First United Methodist Church, New Iberia 9-5pm
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