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Bonsai Society of Dallas

Monthly Member Newsletter September 2012

Message from the President

Upcoming Programs Wow, my trees and I are enjoying this rainy August.  Some combination of
the wetness, the cooler temperatures, or the pH of the rainwater has my
& Events trees looking the happiest I have seen them in the last six Augusts. 
 
Saturday, September 1, 2012
North Haven Gardens I was happy to see such a good turnout for our 3 stooges program last
Monthly Meeting & Program month.  In spite of the air conditioner not working and the bad acoustics, we
Letʼs Go Native!
all learned something and enjoyed new perspectives on our bonsai. 
9:00 AM
Special thanks to our stooges Ray Hernandez (Bent Tree Bonsai), John
Thursday, October 4, 2012 Miller, and Howard & Sylvia Smith (BonsaiSmiths) for sharing their
LSBF guest artist knowledge and insights with us.  And thanks to those who brought trees.
- Michael Feduccia  
REI Store LBJ between Midway
and Welsh Be sure to join us Saturday, September 1st for our program on native
Texas trees which could be good for bonsai.  Be sure to bring a tree from
Friday, October 5, 2012 your collection for us to see and discuss the various trees which may grow
LSBF guest artist naturally in our large state - I am sure we will see some neat varieties.  I
- Michael Feduccia plan to bring a Cedar Elm and a Loblolly Pine. 
REI Store LBJ between Midway  
and Welsh
Special mid day workshop Mark your calendars for Thursday, October 4th and Friday, October 5th -
& Chinese Elm workshop we are excited to host Mike Feduccia, our Lone Star Bonsai   Federation
see Diane Lowe for details (LSBF) guest artist.  Mike has studied extensively under Ryan Neil (from
our convention) to refine his bonsai skills and Ryan calls Mike his top
Saturday, November 3, 2012 student.  Mike is an avid Facebook poster, where I enjoy seeing his photos
North Haven Gardens and commentary.  Mike will lead a demonstration (free) on Thursday
Monthly Meeting & Bonsai Study evening, a workshop (limited to 8 paid participants) on Friday evening, and
Group with the Smiths
possibly another bring-you-own-tree workshop (limited to 8 paid
9:00 AM
participants) Friday during the day.  Stay tuned for additional details on
Saturday, December 1, 2012 these events.  Note that Mike's visit will replace our normal Saturday,
North Haven Gardens October 6th program - so please do not show up to Northhaven Gardens on
Monthly Meeting/Holiday Party & Saturday morning.
Bonsai Journalism &  
Photography
9:00 AM Finally, I want to alert you that on December 31, 2012 terms expire for our
board of directors for Bonsai Society of Dallas.  Several board members
need to reduce their time commitment.  I appreciate the time and energy of
the current board over the past few years and the fresh ideas and new
perspectives each volunteer brings.  Without volunteers for our board, the
Michael Feduccia programs and relevance of our hobby either sit on the back of just one or
page 4 two strong members (who will burn out) or the momentum our club has
gained will fade away in short order. 
continued page 3

Bonsai
Society
of
Dallas,
P.O.
Box
836922,
Richardson,
TX
75083‐6922
•
www.bonsaisocietyofdallas.com
page 1
 BSD September 2012

September Program - Letʼs Go Native

Speaker - John Miller
Our Saturday September 1 program will focus on utilizing native
Texas species as source material for creating bonsai.  Discussion
on what is a native, where to get it, and styling (american?). 
Examples of some species will be brought by David Schleser,
Garret Larsen, and John Miller. 
 
Members are requested to bring Texas natives for show and tell,
especially those species that are not seen often such as texas
ebony, huisache, texas or common persimmon, etc.  See the August
2012 newsletter for examples of native trees (and pictures.)

Depending on the length of the show and tell, you may have time for
styling suggestions if you desire.
Texas Ebony - source Internet

Bonsai Novice
by Hiram Quinones
Hi there! Bonsai novice here. Hope you are enjoying this nice August (wow it is strange to have all this rain
and cooler weather. But you know my trees are really enjoying it and they are growing very nicely.

In this article I wanted to share with you two things that I feel are helpful for us novices as well as you experts
out there. Watering your trees (particularly now with cooler, wet weather) and fiddling with your trees. Some of
this article has to do with my personal experience as well as content from our club workshops, research and
reading John Millerʼs informative monthly columns. I hope you enjoy!

WATERING
This seemingly easy technique is the second most common cause of Bonsai-related problems. Under watering
or allowing the soil to dry out completely will instantly kill or badly damage most trees; however overwatering
can just as bad causing unhealthy trees and eventual death from root rot, fungus and other diseases.

The most important rule to remember is that trees should be CHECKED for their water requirement daily but
should only be watered as required. Never, never water to a routine, this can lead to continually sodden soil
which literally suffocates the roots. The surface of the soil MUST be starting to dry out between waterings, then
the tree can be thoroughly watered again. The time between watering can vary from 12 hours to 5-7 days in
the winter depending on factors such as prevailing temperatures, wind and humidity levels.

FIDDLING
Don't fiddle! The temptation for beginners (like me) is to continually fiddle with their tree(s), cutting bits off here
and there, continually watering, misting, moving them around etc, etc. Checking daily for water requirements
and health problems is necessary, but otherwise leave the tree to grow and simply enjoy looking at it! Pruning
back to shape is necessary but don't continually jump onto every out of place leaf. In order to keep the tree
healthy and vigorous it needs to be able to grow freely at times. It is also important to remember timing is very
important, don't carry out jobs such as repotting or major restyling at the wrong time of the year as this can
lead to poor health in the tree and lack of vigor. A tree repotted at the wrong time of year for instance may
survive if you are lucky, it may even grow a bit, but, it will very rarely reward you with vigor.

Bonsai
Society
of
Dallas,
P.O.
Box
836922,
Richardson,
TX
75083‐6922
•
www.bonsaisocietyofdallas.com
page 4
 BSD September 2012

September Presidentʼs Message

I ask each of you to consider volunteering for a
board position - bonsai knowledge is not a
requirement.  As a volunteer I have broadened my
understanding on our hobby (suitable trees,
deliberated program topics and timing, reviewed
guest artist bio, etc.) and gained in-depth knowledge
through one-on-one time with the artists.  If you have
a knack for taking minutes, finance, event planning,
coordinating travel, marketing, newsletter creation/
writing, logistics, organizing people,   then you can
definitely help our club by joining our board.  The
board typically meets in person once per quarter for
a couple hours of planning and to discuss issues,
then communicate by conference call a few other
times of the year. 
The high level of energy and participation by our
non-board club members makes being a board
member easy and rewarding.  Our members always
step up to pull off events like the state convention,
the annual show at the Arboretum and our monthly
programs.  I expect we will need for three to five
volunteers to help on our board (no campaigning
necessary).  Contact me or any other current board
member to ask questions or volunteer.


- Chuck

October Program –
Thursday, October 4th
(Note date/time/location
change)
LSBF Guest Artist
Michael Feduccia
Michael Feduccia is making his way
through Texas visiting the 7 clubs
that make up the Lone Star Bonsai
Federation (LSBF). He will be with
us for two events; our monthly
program on Thursday, October 4th
and for a workshop on Friday,
October 5th. These two events will
be held at the REI store located on
the westbound access road of LBJ,
between Welsh and Midway. Both
events start at 5:30 p.m. and we
have a hard stop at 8:30 p.m. We
know this might be an early start for
some on a work day, but come
whenever you can and enjoy the
fun.
Our program on Thursday evening
will consist of a lecture / demo on a
sizeable Juniper Prostrata. Please
join us to watch, listen, and learn.
Michael is spending months at a
time working with Ryan Neal so we
are sure to learn even more of his
teaching and insight from spending
years in Japan. Ryan shared a lot
of stories at our convention from his
time with Mr. Kimura. Now we get
to hear a little of what it is like to
apprentice under Ryan. We will
raffle the tree at the end of the
program so some lucky ticket holder
will go home with a new bonsai “in-
training”. Raffle tickets will to $5
each or 5 for $20.
Also plan to join us the next evening
for Michaelʼs hands-on workshop.
We have located some lovely
Chinese Elm already in bonsai pots
that will be the material. This
workshop is perfect for beginners
and intermediates alike and includes
the tree and pot. Chinese elms
make excellent bonsai material
because they already have nice
small leaves. They also do very
well in our climate so we typically
have a high success rate if you
follow the aftercare instructions.
The workshop is $49 per person,
paid in advance and is open to all.
Bring your tools and wire. Priority
seating will be given to BSD club
members through September 15th.
Please contact Diane Lowe at
diane_lowe@live.com or call
972-679-8861 to make a
reservation. There will also be a
sign up sheet at the September
meeting. Both Dallas and Ft. Worth
club members are welcome to
attend for silent observation at no
charge.
We also plan to hold a Bring-Your-
Own Tree workshop on Friday mid-
day for those who are able to join
us.  Once again seating is limited to
8 people.  We hope to cover our
cost for this workshop, so pricing
may be as low at $25 per person up
to $35 per person, depending on
how many register.  Please contact
Diane if you are interested. 

page 2

Meet the LSBF Guest Artist - October 2012
Michael Feduccia
Please be sure to join us in October for our LSBF guest
artist visit and meet Michael Feduccia. He is a rising star
in the United States and is even beginning to
emerge on the world stage as well.
Michaelʼs interest in bonsai stemmed from training
in the martial arts and having an overall interest in
Asian culture. But it was a visit to Disneyʼs Epcot
Center during the Flower & Garden Festival where
there were many exquisite bonsai on display that set
everything in motion. He then set out to learn all that
he could about this living art form.
Joining a local bonsai club was his first step down
the path. Involvement in the club led to study group
opportunities and the introduction to many bonsai
artists, including Erik Weigert, who has made a
lasting impression. Michael soon began intensive
studies with Erik through his monthly advanced
workshop course, one-on-one instruction, and
special workshop events. At Erikʼs Open House
event in 2010 Michael had a chance to meet and
work with Pedro Morales for the first time. He would
later become a student of Pedroʼs Tropical Bonsai
School and travel to Puerto Rico to work with him.
January 2011 would be a defining time for Michael.
He made the decision to pursue bonsai
p r o f e s s i o n a l l y a n d e x c l u s i v e l y. W i t h t h e
Bonsai
Society
of
Dallas,
P.O.
Box
836922,
Richardson,
TX
75083‐6922
•
www.bonsaisocietyofdallas.com
BSD September 2012
encouragement and advice of his mentor and friend
Erik Weigert, he started Feducciaʼs Bonsai in the
Tampa area which offers both quality material and
educational opportunities for beginners to advanced
level students. He also leads workshops, lectures,
and demonstrations for other clubs.
Donʼt make the mistake of thinking he is only
comfortable with tropical trees. Michael has had the
opportunity to work with and learn from other
acclaimed artists such as Pedro Morales, Suthin
Sukosolvisit, Kathy Shaner, Guy Guidry, Enrique
Castano, and Marc Noelanders.
In 2011 Michael began long term studies with Ryan
Neil, apprentice to Master Masahiko Kimura for six
years in Japan. Training with Ryan has given
Michael the opportunity to work with the some of the
best collected material that can be found in the
United States. Some of the trees they work on are
over 1,000 years old. He has been honored to be
invited to work on stage with Ryan on multiple
occasions, most recently during the 2012
Neolanders Trophy in Belgium. This study, coupled
with his continued training with Erik and completing
the 1st year of a 3-year intensive Tropical program
with Pedro Morales, gives Michael an extremely well
rounded approach
to bonsai.
page 3

September Bonsai
Tips and advice by John Miller
Coming in from triple digit temperatures so what do I write
about? Why getting ready for temperatures in the teens
naturally. Will be a while before you will be moving them but
taking three months to plan your winter quarters beats trying
to do it right overnight. Bonsai in Texas should be a year
around sport, you donʼt need to cover them completely like up
north. Try to put them where you can see some of them. Just
remember that they will still need water and evergreens will
need some sun. Pots should not be sunk into the soil
because of drainage problems and possible worms and other
soil critters. Deciduous trees do not need winter sun and in
fact do better without it, less desiccation and less possibility
of breaking dormancy too early in the spring. I think
deciduous trees are more enjoyable when bare.
Note: A lot of the information in this article pertains to bonsai
that have been shaped and are in a refinement stage. For
instance, on trees being developed you would not use twig
cutting after 4-5 leaves but would let those branches grow to
get thicker and then cut back pretty severely and let grow
again to get taper and better bends and angles.
There will probably still be some days with pretty hot temps.
So as the sun changes its angle make sure that the pots do
not get too hot in the afternoon sun. Also watering now
becomes harder. As trees slow their growth they do not take
as much water. Neither will they transpire as much on the
cooler days. So check each one separately and water as
often and as much as the individual tree requires.
Help your trees go into dormancy. Cut back on nitrogen
fertilizers from those outdoor trees now. They would need
less water as they quit active growth but on warm days trees
with green foliage will still transpire and need that water.
Most tropicals have a dormant season also but it is caused by
dry conditions rather than cold. These types need to be
hardened also by cutting the fertilizer to halt active growth
and give them lighter watering. This will enable them to
withstand the transfer to the greenhouse better.
The general rule of thumb on fertilizers is to stop giving
nitrogen early in September and fertilize with one that has a
formulation like 0-10-10. The reason is that nitrogen causes
foliage growth to occur and will not have time to mature
before a freeze occurs. The other two, phosphorous and
potassium, help the general hardiness of the plant and can
be applied now. Evergreens, both needled and broadleaf,
and tropical species that will be kept growing thru the winter
will benefit from a low nitrogen fertilizer.
Bonsai
Society
of
Dallas,
P.O.
Box
836922,
Richardson,
TX
75083‐6922
•
www.bonsaisocietyofdallas.com
BSD September 2012
Check the trees you still have wire on. When the cooler days
get here some trees will expand their branches and get wire
cuts rather quickly. You need to check them periodically over
the winter also. Winter growth will usually be pretty slow but
can occur, especially on the evergreens. Cut the wire off.
You can easily break the branches trying to unwrap the wire
and its just not worth trying to save the wire. Be sure you do
not overlook a small piece of wire. It would cut into the
branch very soon. If you need to reapply some wire take
care.
There is not too much to be done on deciduous trees at this
time. Bugs and other problems are usually not a matter of
concern since the foliage will be dropping soon. Evergreens
and tropicals will still need to be watched for their insect
problems, especially the spider mite which will be active into
fall. Use the organic spray formula to control them. If we
should have a stretch of damp weather you should be
watching for fungal problems, leaf spot, mildew, etc.
Treat fungal with potassium bicarbonate, (baking soda-
sodium bicarbonate- will work about as well). I would be
okay with using a 1% hydrogen peroxide solution at this time
of the year for fungal control.
The organic spray formula is one tablespoon each of liquid
seaweed, fish emulsion, 5% apple cider vinegar, and
molasses in one gallon of water. This supposedly can be
used as a foliar feed but I only consider it an insecticide.
Pruning and trimming ʻcanʼ be done any time that there is not
a lot of sap flowing but is usually advisable to do it during
dormancy. Sap flow is indicated by the foliar activity of the
plant like in the spring. If your tree went into summer
dormancy which occurs during hot weather then the cooler
weather might result in a larger sap flow in late summer or
early fall. If your plant gets a flush of new growth it would be
advisable to postpone large pruning cuts for a while.
Basically let you tree tell you when it is ok to operate.
If you will be participating in any fall or winter shows you
should select which trees you want to use and give them
close attention. Clip any stray branches or twigs. Keep any
growing twigs trimmed. Clean the soil and pot. Select the
stand and decide on an accent plant. Make sure the accent
plant reflects both the normal habitat of the tree and the
season. For example, once for a December exhibit I used a
dead clump of little bluestem grass, dug and planted in sand,
as an accent for a bare cedar elm.
page 5
 BSD September 2012
!

BSD Board of Directors - 2011-2012

President - Chuck Talley Jerry Riley Sylvia Smith

co-Program Chair Member Relations President Emeritus
chuck_talley@tandybrands.com jafa625@gmail.com slysmith@earthlink.net

Hiram Quinones Has your address changed?

Vice-President Newsletter Editor Comments?
Vacant hiramaquinones@yahoo.com E-mail Hiram at
hiramaquinones@yahoo.com
Diane Lowe
Treasurer
diane_lowe@live.com John Miller
President Emeritus
Bronson Havard bonsaimiller@aol.com
Secretary
bhavard@flash.net

Bring Your Own Tree Workshop

October 5, 2012 with Michael Feduccia
BSD plans to hold a Bring-Your-Own Tree workshop on Friday, October 5
around mid-day for those who are able to join us.  Seating is limited to 8
people.  We hope to cover our cost for this workshop, so pricing may be as
low at $25 per person up to $35 per person, depending on how many
register.  Please contact Diane Lowe at diane_lowe@live.com or call
972-679-8861 to make a reservation.

Bonsai
Society
of
Dallas,
P.O.
Box
836922,
Richardson,
TX
75083‐6922
•
www.bonsaisocietyofdallas.com
page 6
 BSD September 2012

!
Howard and Sylvia Smith
www.BonsaiSmiths.net • Cultivators of fine trees
bonsaismiths@earthlink.net • Collection maintenance
Tel# (972) 754-9883 • Private instruction
Fax# (972) 661-0694 • Classes, lectures & demos

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Place Your Ad Here!

Business card size is $5.00 per month
Half page size is $20.00 per month
Full page size is $35.00 per month

For more details contact:

Diane Lowe
diane_lowe@live.com

Bonsai
Society
of
Dallas,
P.O.
Box
836922,
Richardson,
TX
75083‐6922
•
www.bonsaisocietyofdallas.com
page 7