It may seem odd that the president of a local bonsai club would be writing an article in favor of study groups. Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to clubs. In fact I enjoy the two bonsai clubs that I am a part of. They certainly have their place and offer plenty to the bonsai community.

I am, however, equally in favor of bonsai study groups. I've recently joined the Advanced Bonsai Study Group in Cincinnati. After our first meeting in March I left feeling excited and exhausted, having spent a full day working on trees. I've had the same experience after a bonsai intensive at Boon's. The level of learning in a directed study group is intense. So much more can be accomplished in 8 hours or more, instead of the typical 2 hours of a club meeting.

Study groups offer more to members that are in search of higher learning. Advanced techniques and problem solving just can't be taught at a standard meeting. Club attendees tend to be quite diverse in their bonsai knowledge. The atmosphere at a club meeting just doesn't lend itself to the same kind of directed study.

The playing field is a little more level at a study group. Not because of exclusion, but because those that dedicate the time and energy into this type of meeting are ready, willing, and able to learn.

This past Saturday I spent the day chatting with Doug Philips at the Art in the Arbor show. He and I had chatted a few days earlier on similar topics. During that conversation he offered to invite the Louisville Club members out for a day of bonsai at his place in July. I'm really looking forward to this meeting. Based on the size and diversity of the Greater Louisville Bonsai Society I would bet that we could see 5-10 members show up, ready to spend the day working on trees. Hopefully that will be enough interest for Doug to make this a monthly endeavor.

I will continue to play a major role in bonsai clubs for years to come. I will also continue to look for more opportunities outside of clubs. Study groups fill that void nicely for me. They aren't for everyone, granted, but they do offer something to the individual looking to increase their bonsai knowledge and camaraderie with like minded folks.

For the past few days I've been trying to find ways to increase the number of readers for the Matsu Bonsai blog. A number of new readers have found this site through the blotanical directory. Others have searched Google for bonsai blog and followed a link from their search results. Welcome to you all. However, what I find most surprising is the response I've gotten since joining Twitter.

Some of you may be unfamiliar with Twitter. Twitter is yet another way to keep in touch with people using the web and other technologies. You can signup to "follow" others, and also send out your own quick updates. I say quick updates as you're limited to 140 characters.

Some of the updates I sent out over the weekend include:

• Just ordered a prototype mug for Matsu. I'm thinking about a contest, but what to do?
• Art in the Arbor with Louisville Bonsai Society.
• Eddie Izzard tonight.
• Fertilizer week concludes on the Matsu Bonsai blog.

If you would like to stay up to date with the goings on at Matsu Bonsai then follow me!

Read what I'm saying http://twitter.com/matsubonsai.

By now you should be saying, "I get it, I should be fertilizing more." Next week I'll be focusing on a more broad range of topics.  However I think early May, Spring-time in the United States is a great time to discuss fertilizing bonsai.  It's time to setup growth for the entire year, which is why I spent the week focused on the topic of fertilizer.

If you missed the series you can follow the links below. 

What would you like to add to the discussion?  Join in the discussion below.

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Read the complete series:

Bonsai Feeding Schedule
Bonsai Fertilizer Cakes
Fish Emulsion and Happy Neighbors

For the past few days I've been doing quite a bit of thinking about bonsai fertilizers. I've posted about my feeding schedule and a recipe for fertilizer cakes. All the ingredients that I use to fertilize my trees have some sort of an odor. The cottonseed meal and the fish emulsion are among the worst offenders. These two ingredients are enough to catch the attention of just about anyone and everyone. There are a few things to remember when dealing with these smelly items.

1. Wear gloves. Whenever mixing fertilizer be sure to wear gloves. The organic materials that I use aren't necessarily harmful to the skin, but the smell has a way of attaching itself to you.
2. Outside only. Fertilizer should be mixed and applied outdoors. If you are growing tropicals indoors you may want to seek alternatives for your fertilizer. Fish emulsion and cottonseed meal are just not something you want to find their way into your home.
3. Deodorized. Neptune's Harvest and a few other suppliers offer "deodorized" versions of organic materials. Deodorized fish emulsion is the only way to go. Trust me, I speak from experience. There is a big difference between deodorized and not.
4. Charcoal goes a long way. My bonsai soil mix contains a little horticultural grade charcoal. A dash of charcoal added to your soil mix goes a long way towards filtering out some of the odor that fish emulsion and other fertilizers will add to the soil.

If you have neighbors in close proximity to your bonsai collection you may want to try your best to stay on their good side. A note in their mailbox or a friendly wave and a chat about the new smell in your backyard could ease a potentially awkward conversation later.

In my last post on Bonsai Feeding Schedules I mentioned the use of organic fertilizer cakes. I have written about my recipe for fertilizer cakes before, but have since tweaked the recipe a bit.

I no longer allow an extended period of fermentation.  I've found this to be unnecessary as well as yielding a more foul smelling result.  You'll find that you have better relations with your neighbors if you allow the cakes to dry quickly in the hot summer sun.  Once dry, the fertilizer is far less pungent.

Materials:

• 5 gallon bucket
• Paint stick
• PVC pipe
• Dowel rod
• Drying tray
• Storage container

Ingredients:

• 4 cups Cottonseed Meal
• 4 cups Bone Meal
• 3 cup Fish Emulsion (deodorized!)
• 1 cup baking flour
• 1 packet of yeast

Combine all ingredients into the 5 gallon bucket and stir with the disposable Paint Stick.  Once you're satisfied that everything is mixed thoroughly you can add the Fish Emulsion.  A fair amount of water should be added until you reach an even cookie dough type consistency.

The latest trick of using PVC pipe and a wooden dowel rod was sent to me by my friend Timothy in Dallas.  Essentially you will make a Play-Doh factory from these two items.  Take a PVC pipe with an inner diameter of 3/4" to 1" and a wooden dowel rod with an outer diameter near the same dimensions.  Cut the PVC pipe down to about 8-10" in length, and the dowel rod a few inches longer. 

With your new PVC tool you're ready to form the cakes.  Fill the interior of the PVC tool with the fertilizer mixture.  Next, insert the dowel rod into the end of the PVC tool.  Press and pack the fertilizer, and break off an inch or two cakes from the open end of the PVC tool.  You should be able to press out several cakes each time you fill the PVC tool.

You may choose to dry your cakes in the sun or apply them directly to your trees.  I find it's best if I make several batches of fertilizer, dry, and store in a dry location.  An old plastic bucket with a lid makes a great storage container.

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I would love to hear what others are using to fertilize their bonsai.  Add your comments below to join in on the conversation.

This year is absolutely flying by.  It seems like only yesterday that there was snow on the ground allowing only daydreams about bonsai.  So, here we are in May already.  With May comes heavy fertilizing, something that I feel isn't done nearly enough in the United States.

Proper fertilizing is the subject of far too many debates.  In bonsai we want healthy trees.  The healthier a tree is the quicker it is to recover from wiring, pruning, defoliating and decandling.  Healthy trees are stronger and can take much more abuse.  Also, increased ramification can be obtained in far less time when optimal growth is achieved.

With a nod to Michael Persiano (oh how I wish he would get a proper website) and his Superfeeding routine, here is my fertilizing schedule.

• Organic fertilizer cakes
• Fish Emulsion
• Liquid Seaweed
• Liquid Seaweed + Iron

Schedule:

Start with 3-6 fertilizer cakes, depending on the size of the tree, evenly distributed across the surface of the soil.  Add 2 cakes ever 2-4 weeks onto open areas of the bonsai soil.  Fertilizer cakes can stay on the tree for 4-6 weeks before they need to be removed.  At the time of their removal they may be replaced with new cakes.

This schedule is adjusted somewhat through the growing season to control growth on different species.  For example, defoliated maples and decandled pines will get a little different treatment to control the size of leaf and length of needles.

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Over the next few posts I'll be discussing several topics related to bonsai fertilization.  What does your schedule look like?  Add your comments below to join in on the discussion.

I spent a very wet Friday afternoon at Hollander's Tiny Tree Farm in Chrisney, Indiana.  Greg Hollander grows many different varieties for pre-bonsai material.  He advertises Corkbark Elms, Seju Elms, Trident and Japanese Maples, Japanese Black Pines, Shimpaku Junipers, Bald Cypress,  and many more.

While at Greg's I picked up 3 good sized Parson's Juniper for bonsai.  Juniperus davurica expansa (Parson's Juniper) is a low growing scale juniper that is a great subject for bonsai.  I'll be documenting their progress over the next year on this bonsai blog.

Depending on the weight of your right foot Hollander's Tiny Tree Farm is just a little more than an hour outside of Louisville.  Make it a point to visit him this Spring if you find yourself in the area.

The Greater Louisville Bonsai Society Spring Show at Yew Dell Gardens has come and gone.  This year's show was a complete success, thanks to the hard work of Show Chairman Earl Ekman and the rest of the club members.  I spent both Saturday and Sunday at Yew Dell answering questions and working on trees.  There was quite a bit of traffic that came through.  Some expressed that they came specifically for our display.  One person even said that our display was better than the Asheville show.  Having never been there I can't confirm, and having heard nothing but great things I find this hard to believe, but I appreciate the sentiment.

Michael Tigue spent a few hours taking photos of the show.  Once he's done processing the images you will be able to see the full display on the GLBS website in the bonsai gallery.  He was kind enough to send this photo of my buttonwood on display at the show.

Bonsai is like a fine wine, it only improves with age.  A fine bonsai is complex and invokes a feeling of wonder and awe. 

Okay, so maybe I don't know very much about wine.  I do however enjoy a glass of wine from time to time.  I can appreciate the complex flavors and unique taste and understand that this doesn't happen over night.  As the saying goes, "I don't know art, but I know what I like."

As I started on my bonsai learning journey my preference was for classic Japanese bonsai design.  As my knowledge has grown and my eye has been exposed to more and higher quality trees my tastes have evolved.  I can now appreciate a well done tree by a great artist that defies the rules and conventions of classical bonsai design.  I say "artist" because it takes a highly skilled individual to bend or break the rules and come out with a masterpiece. 

I don't care much for rules; I see them more as guidelines.  As it was explained to me many years ago, if you follow the rules too strictly you could end up with a worthless piece of material.  Sometimes you simply have to work with what you have.  In collected material some of these flaws can be highlighted and accentuated to improve the overall design.

In recent posts Walter Pall writes about finding the potential in bonsai material. He has been advocating training of the eye for tree selection. I completely agree with him on this point. Starting with finer material will yield quicker and better results. If one starts with a tree that is fundamentally flawed it may take many years to correct these issues wasting precious time on subpar material.

While on your bonsai educational journey expose yourself to as many opportunities as possible.  Join the local club.  Attend all the regional bonsai displays, shows, and conventions.  Scour eBay for copies of the Kokofu-ten books.  Study the trees, their branches, wiring, and shape.  Learn to appreciate how well a pot, tree, stand, and accent plant can compliment each other.  Do more to develop your palate.  You will learn more and experience more joy when in the presence of a truly fine quality bonsai specimen.

This week has been incredibly busy for me.  I've been working on trees, pots, and accent plants in preparation for the Greater Louisville Bonsai Society upcoming Spring Show at Yew Dell Gardens this weekend.  In addition to this we were also asked to put up a small display in the lobby of the National City Tower building in downtown Louisville in celebration of Earth Day, yesterday.

I'm always amazed by some of the questions that are asked at any public bonsai display.  Being so immersed in the bonsai life I forget that so many people have very little or no knowledge of bonsai whatsoever.  "How big will this get?" or "How old is this tree?" and "How much is this worth?" are always among the first questions asked.  There are also a number of humorous questions that slip in from time to time, but I'll save those for a compilation post in the future.

I was very pleased with how well the small display was received.  There was a lot of interest and I would expect the club to gain a few of the more interested attendees.  Some of my own trees in particular received high praise on their presentation, which excited me greatly.

So, I continue to prepare for this weekend.  The club members will be displaying between 60-70 trees.  I will be showing the same three trees that I displayed in the National City Tower building, in hopes that some of the same people will come and recognize the display they saw earlier in the week.  In addition to the display I will also be bringing several items for sale.  Items that I will have available for sale includes:

• 15 year old Japanese Black Pine
• Japanese Red Pine 'Oculus - Draconis'
• Shimpaku Juniper whips - wired and pre-trained
• Japanese Black Pine 2 year old seedlings
• Issues of the ABS Journal of American Bonsai
• Issues of Bonsai Magazine

I hope to see you there!