President’s Message
by
Candy Hansen
Summer was late in getting here, and I am not yet sure if that
will prove to be good or bad for the trees. As with most things ,
most likely some of each. All of the natural water, (i.e. RAIN)
did the rest of the world around here a lot of good. Austin is
GREEN, in JULY!
This month of annual meeting with San Antonio is on Aug. 10,
in San Antonio. Look for a map and other info elsewhere in the
newsletter. If you did not sign up to go, but discover that you
can, bring a favorite dish to share and come on anyway. It is
usually a very good time, and you will get to know the people we
are hosting the LSBF convention with in Nov!!
Which brings me to the convention and some thoughts I have had
for you to consider. Every committee working on the convention
will have a need for volunteers, some of whom have been very
involved, and some of whom will only be needed for a short time
during the actual convention. Please look the list of "Areas of
Involvement" over and think about where you can donate some time,
a little or a lot, and then call that Chairman to offer your help
and/or find out what they may need you to help with. Getting
really into a convention and meeting that many more people is a
really neat way to expand your circle of bonsai friends and
appreciation for them.
One other short request - Soon a nominating committee will be
formed to find a slate of officers for our club for the next
year. Consider carefully what you are able to do, and let me, or
the announced committee know if you are willing to serve.
Hope to see you in San Antonio, Candy
Calendar of Events
Aug. 10 Monthly Meeting
This is a SATURDAY
Joint meeting w/ San Antonio (see pg. 3)
Guest Artist: Sean Smith (see pg. 5)
3:30 PM
Windcrest Recreation Center (map pg.9)
Refreshments by:
Everyone
Aug. 21 Board Meeting
7:00 PM
Zilker Garden Center
Aug. 28 Members Workshop (see pg. 5 )
7:30 PM
Zilker Garden Center
Horticultural needs, Fertilizer, etc.
with Elaine White
Sept. 6-8 IBC - Deciduous Bonsai II
Rochester, New York
Sept. 11 ANNUAL AUCTION
Bring Items and money!
Oct. 4-6 Int’l Stone Appreciation Sympo.
Harrisburg/Hershey, Pa.
Oct. 17-20 Golden State Bonsai Federation
Sacramento, Ca.
Nov 15-17 State Bonsai Convention
New Braunfels, Tx.
General Meeting Minutes
by
David Gordon
The regular July meeting of the Austin Bonsai Society was brought
to order by President Candy Hansen on July 10, 2002, at 7:30
P.M.
The minutes from the previous meeting were approved as printed
in the Bonsai Newsletter.
Guests and new members were introduced.
Charlotte Cranberg was given a plague from the club to
recognize her many years of dedicated service to the club.
Congratulations to Charlotte.
The formal display was provided by Sheila Ward. She brought
her Kingsville boxwood saikei.
It was announced that Bill Cody has received the 2002 Bonsai
Club International Meritorious Service Award. He was honored for
his work indexing the articles appearing in the BCI magazine.
Congratulations were extended to Bill.
The Fourth Wednesday's member workshop will be led by Elaine
White. Members are encouraged to bring trees to work on and trees
they would like advice on for future development.
Next month's meeting will be our annual joint meeting with San
Antonio. The meeting will be held on Saturday, August 10, 2002.
The meeting will feature Sean Smith who will present a program on
daiza carving.
There was no new business.
Gloria introduced our speaker for the evening, John Dromgoole
who spoke on organic gardening and insect control. (see pg.6)
The meeting was adjourned by President Candy Hansen at 9:30
P.M.
In Memory
The bonsai world is saddened by the death of
Jerry Sorge
owner of the Bonsai Farm.
He succumbed on Friday, July 5, 2002
Board Meeting Minutes
The July 17, 2002 board meeting of the Austin Bonsai Society
was called to order by President Candy Hansen at 7:10 PM. In
attendance were Candy Hansen, Gloria Norberg, Pat Ware, Alisan
Clarke and Chuck Ware.
The treasurer passed out copies of the trial balance and made
comments regarding such.
Candy mentioned that an Italian artist was coming to the
States in July of 2003. It was tabled until more information
could be found out. Also, the time frame needed to be checked as
the 2003 LSBF Convention is in July.
Old Business:
Candy relayed that an answer had been received from PARD
regarding the letter Elaine had written about the parking during
our annual show. They refused but suggested we use the parking on
Stratford.
Candy reported that we will get more information later about
the scrolls for next years’ show but “it is in the
works”.
New Business:
Eli Rodriquez made a video of our annual show. Candy will
check into the costs and report back. It was discussed to
possibly show it at the October meeting.
Sheila Ward has a report on the BCI meeting and it was
suggested she give it at the September meeting.
It was brought up that we should start promoting the November
Convention more. It was suggested that phone numbers & email
addresses of committee chairpersons be put in the newsletter.
Pat asked that 3 ABS pins be donated to the 2002 Convention
for the 3 major artists. Voted to do so.
Gloria asked for suggestions for auctioneers for the September
meeting. Also, brought to our attention that a nominating
committee would be needed at our next board meeting.
Meeting adjourned at 8:10 PM.
August Program Notes
OUR AUGUST MEETING WILL BE ON SATURDAY, 10 AUGUST NOT-REPEAT-
NOT WEDNESDAY.
It’s our annual picnic and social with the San Antonio
Bonsai Society. It will take place at the Windcrest Recreational
Center, 9806 Jim Seal Dr.. To make sure there is plenty of good
food everyone attending should bring a covered dish to share with
ten others. If you forgot to sign up, bring something with you
and you will be forgiven. The entrée’ is usually an
assortment of barbecue. This is a great opportunity to enjoy good
food and get better acquainted with our friends from San Antonio.
If that’s not enough, we are having a renowned special
guest, Mr. Sean Smith. He has gained international recognition as
an authority and collector of Suiseki. He is especially noted for
his talent at carving daiza. He will be doing a workshop and a
lecture/demonstration of diaza carving. The workshop will begin
at 10:00 AM outside the rec. center. Observers are welcome. The
lecture/demonstration will begin after our meal. The meal is to
begin between 3:30 and 4:00 PM. For more details on the workshop
see page 5. We are planning on having a small display of viewing
stones and suiseki to better acquaint you with the art. Members
having suiseki are asked to bring them for display. Bonsai and
Suiseki go hand and hand. Mr. Smith has generously offered to
donate the suiseki and daiza (wooden stand) he creates for the
stone to our raffle. There will be a few other raffle items to go
with his, so bring a little money with you. You might get
lucky.
The, not too serious, BCI CONVENTION HAPPENINGS.
by: Bill Cody
The registration table was slightly disoriented early Thursday
morning but they admitted that they had be stuffing envelops
until 0400 but the scuffle was not a real problem.
They seemed to have a raffle beginning and ending every hour
on the hour. Really, seemed to have several every day or maybe it
was one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Many, many items
available. The usual mix of good and not so good items. I must
admit that I was not interested so didn't notice to closely.
The demo materials were not too challenging to the artists on
hand, at least, the ones that I stayed for. Several were
tropicals. Not too much to do to a buttonwood or a bald
cypress.
Mr. Kobayashi seemed to be very interested in teaching rather
than just doing a Kimura type performance. Kept showing pictures
of his home, his bonsai museum and his four major-event winning
trees. Said that he could not keep his bonsai at home if it were
not for his wife (big surprise, huh!). She keeps him toeing the
line--can't remember his phrase--so to speak. Also allowed that
the reason that he is smiling so much in all the pictures you see
of him and that he has such rosy cheeks in the pictures is that:
"I like to drink." That said with a big grin and rosy cheeks.
The material provided for Kimura in Dallas this spring was
quite superior and challenging tho didn't appear so to that
guy.
The Peabody ducks were a big hit with all who crowded around
to see them enter and leave the lobby, via a red carpet and the
"King Cotton March," herded somewhat by the DuckMeister. The
Memphis Peabody ducks (the originals in the early 1030s) did not
enter via a red carpet in the mid-1930s. Some black fellow herded
them thru the lobby with a broom. They were as well behaved as
these Orlando ducks were. The Memphis ducks knew that if they
misbehaved, they would be back out in the rice paddies as live
decoys--and okay practice in the old days. They also knew that if
their hunter didn't get any wild ducks on a given day, they just
might end up on the table themselves.
One great big fellow, who appeared not to know exactly what
was going on, made the comment, "Where are they marching them off
to, the kitchen?"
Thought that overall the workshop material was consistently
quite good. Not much to do to buttonwoods except snip off a few,
if any, branches and wire what's left. Same with bald cypress,
except, you get to use your motor tool carving the
struck-by-lightening apex. The yaupon were so well pre-bonsaied
by the person who supplied them, that there was nothing to do but
choose the front and put them in to a container for display. Very
nice material but much too small to be a real bonsai! Sheesh!
JOINT MEETING
This year’s get together is being hosted by San Antonio.
We have made arrangements to have Sean Smith as our special guest
artist. Mr. Smith is a well known authority and collector of
Suiseki in the USA. His talent for carving daiza has gained him
international recognition. He is proprietor of Custom Oriental
Woodcraft and presents lectures, demonstrations, as well as
exhibits his stones and daiza in the USA and Europe. He is
scheduled to demonstrate carving a daiza at BCI 2002 during the
July convention in Orlando, Fla.
He has agreed to do a workshop and a lecture demonstration of
daiza carving on the day of our get together, Sat 10 Aug. 2002.
The workshop will be for 4 hours beginning at 10:00 AM for a
maximum of 8 people. The lecture/demonstration will follow our
meal, which is scheduled to begin between 3:30 and 4:00 PM. Both
functions will be at the Windcrest Rec. Center. We would like to
offer our friends of the Austin club 4 of the workshop slots. The
cost for the workshop will be $50.00 per person. Mr. Smith has
said that he would provide a quality stone for any workshop
participants who did not have a good stone of their own. His
stones are normally $50.00. He is offering us a special price of
$30.00. He provides the wood as part of the workshop cost.
Participants need to have a Dremel carving tool or it’s
equivalent.
Let Pat Ware know if you are interested and she will get the
money to San Antonio. We will need to have the list by 31 July.
Also, if you want Mr. Smith to bring a stone for you, he needs to
know how many extra stones he needs to bring with him.
In all things of nature
There is something of the marvelous
Aristotle
Bill Cody
Bill has been given the well deserved Meritious Service Award
from BCI at this Convention in Orlando. He compiled THE INDICES
which lists all articles of all 4 bonsai magazines published in
the US plus World Tropical Bonsai Forum (no longer published by
Mary Miller.) and Bonsai United Kingdom through 2000.
This was truly a mind boggling task that very few would even
attempt.
Well done Bill - and Thank You.
If you would like to research your trees for care or training,
the Indices is a must. We have most of the magazines in our
library and, if not, members may have them for you to borrow.
The Indices may be ordered on CD for $15.00.
Send a check or money order to:
BCI Business Office
P.O. Box 8445
Metairie, LA. 70011-8445
Visa and MC accepted.
Elaine - BCI Ambassador
August Study Group
by Elaine White
This month we will review Water, for those that missed last
month, and continue discussing the horticultural needs of our
bonsai and potensai, (potential bonsai).
We will discuss different soil, fertilizer and insects and how
to control them (other than place under shoe and stomp). Bring
some for identification if you like.
David Gordon’s notes:
John Dromgoole presented a very informative program at our
July meeting on organic gardening and organic control of insects.
Following are some of the highlights from the topics he
discussed:
Compost
Compost is important for retaining moisture and providing a
protective covering for trees and shrubs. There are two types of
compost commonly found. One is fungal in nature and contains
mainly decomposed leaves, grass clippings, and other foliage type
material. The other type is bacterial and contains decomposed
manure. Fungal compost, similar to the floor of an old forest, is
recommended for trees. Compost should be spread over the root
system and not touch the trunk of the tree.
Root Systems
Healthy root systems are critical for the development of any
tree or shrub and can be developed by using a compost tea. This
can be prepared by adding water to compost and then applying it
to trees or shrubs. It is recommended that regular tap water not
be used. It has chlorine which can be damaging to trees. Use rain
water or the chlorine in tap water can be dissipated by letting
the water set for 24 to 48 hours. The best compost tea can be
made by oxygenating the water. This helps rid the water of
chlorine and the oxygen is beneficial to the root system.
Oxygenating the water for the tea can be done by running the water through a pump similar
to one used for aquariums.
BioZome is a product developed by Carl Oppenheimer. It has
been shown to develop healthy massive roots by increasing
microbial activity.
Actinovate, which is agricultural streptomycin, colonizes root
systems. This can be used on lawns in late August or
September.
The major benefit to developing a healthy root system is the
development of mycorrhizae which is a beneficial fungus. (Mike
Hansen discussed this previously in his pine class.) In healthy
roots, the mycorrhizae and the plant have a symbiotic
relationship. The mycorrhizae takes its nourishment from the
plant roots. In return the mycorrhizae sends out extensions which
channel minerals and water back to the root system. This can
dramatically
increase the overall root capacity of the plant. Some commercial
fertilizers and pesticides can destroy the mycorrhizae.
Fertilizers
Seaweed - has been found to have beneficial minerals and
hormones that is especially helpful to roots. The best kind of
seaweed is from the coast of Norway. It is more effective when
sprayed on trees and shrubs.
Fish emulsion is one of the best organic fertilizers. It is a
low source of nitrogen. "John's Recipe" is fish emulsion combined
with molasses, Medina Soil Activator and seaweed.
Earth Fortune is a combination of humic acid with micronized
volcanic minerals. This can be mixed in with the soil.
Nature's Aid is basalt, which is paramagnetic, and when mixed
with soil, helps provide lush growth.
Terra Tonic contains humic acid which aids the extraction of
minerals from the soil. It restores and maintains the natural
synergy between microorganisms, humus, and soil minerals. It
helps create an ideal growing medium.
Insect Control
Orange oil is an effective insecticide. Mix 2 ounces of orange
oil in a gallon of water.
UltraFine is an ultra light mineral oil which is helpful for
controlling insects.
Beneficial Nematodes can help control fire ants and lasts up
to two years.
"B.T.," bacillus thuriagenes, helps control mosquitos. It also
helps control larva and fungus.
Lady bugs help control insects. They need water and flowers,
such as open- faced daises, to stay in the garden.
Nolo Bait can be used to control grasshoppers early in the
season.
The best control for insects is a healthy plant. Insect
problems may be a sign of poor growing conditions.
Further research on organic gardening can be found at
www.Gardenville.com. Detailed information on organic gardening can be
found on John Dromgoole's The Natural Gardener web page. Go to
Natural Gardner The Natural Gardener is located at 8648 Old
Bee Caves Road and can be contacted at 288-6113.
Convention Update
by
Sheila Setter
Regarding the convention, we currently have openings in all of
the fun shops. The tree workshops are full, and we have names on
the waiting lists for all tree workshops.
We are encouraging anyone who is interested in taking a tree
workshop to go ahead and register for it. Since we still have
several months ahead us before the convention, it is possible
there may be changes in the roster, especially since several
registrants have signed up for workshops that will be taking
place simultaneously. To be placed on a wait list, we are
requesting that the registrant submit the fee for the desired
workshop. That way, we can guarantee the Wait List slot, and if a
space opens up, it will also guarantee that, if I am looking for
that person, s/he will ALSO be looking for ME. :) We have told
each of the Wait List registrants that, if s/he is unable to
participate in the workshop, we will happily credit his/her
account for the workshop fee at the conclusion of the convention
in November.
November 15, 16, 17, 2002
Put this date on your calendar and circle it!
Plan your vacation at that time!
Austin and San Antonio are combining with LSBF to have the State
Convention at that time. It will be held at the Civic Center in
New Braunfels. All members in BOTH clubs will be working with
each other to make this a success. Everyone is excited about this
new concept initiated at this Convention.
Offer your help and support!!!!!!
A Convenient Time Chart is Available for you to Choose your
Time
Show Chairpersons: Chuck & Pat Ware 512-847-2514 bonsaijg@wimberley-tx.com
Registration Chairpersons: Greg & Sheila Setter
512-261-0430 sheila@airmail.net
Treasurer: Arlene Hastings 512-345-7028 arlene_35@yahoo.com
Vendor Chairpersons: Mike & Candy Hansen 512-244-3240 mbp@direcpc.com
Goodie Bag Chairperson: Libby Huffman 830-216-5939 bhuffman@idworld.net
Co-Chairperson: Sherry Westra 512-301-5957 ronwestra@yahoo.com
Exhibit Chairperson: Marty Klajnowski 210-650-4242 mklajnowski@worldnet.att.net
Co-Chairperson: David Gordon 512-292-3265 dgordon289@aol.com
Transport/Hospitality Ch.: Paul Tyler 210-681-8034 ptyler@satx.rr.com
Co-Chairperson: Larry Gfeller 512-343-0588 ext.11 lgandck@aol.com
Publicity Chairperson: Elaine White 512-266-2655 hrelbonsai@juno.com
Raffle Chairperson: Gloria Norberg 512-836-3001 gnorberg@austin.rr.com
Co-chairperson: Alfred Lopez 210-432-0742 aflopez@utsa.edu
Monitor Chairperson: Donna Dobberfuhl 210-653-2062 two2views@yahoo.com
Co-chairpersons: Audrey Lanier 512-450-6148 AudreyAudrey88@cs.com
Charlotte Cranberg 512-327-1794 cranchar@austin.rr.com
Food Chairperson: Sandra Vitone 512-459-0394 sandra_vitone@hotmail.com
Co-chairperson: Mary Martini 210-545-1381 mmartini@satx.rr.com
Logo/theme Chairperson: Jim Baumann (Jimbo) 512-443-5685
Co-chairpersons: Jordan Merson 210-826-7087 Jordan@Clockworkdesign.com
Alisan Clarke 512-327-3168 alisanclarke@yahoo.com
On Site Logistics Ch.: Ron Westra 512-301-5957 ronwestra@yahoo.com
Co-chairperson:
Webpage Design: Jim Allan 512-453-7273 jim_allan_55@yahoo.com
Fun Shop Chairperson: Terry Ward 512-280-5575 PHBonsai@aol.com
