The next meeting of the Matsu Bonsai Study Group is a special Sunday meeting, April 18th at 10am.  If you're interested in attending, please contact me.

For this meeting we will focus on preparing for the upcoming Greater Louisville Bonsai Society show at Yew Dell Gardens, April 24-25.  We'll discuss how to prepare the tree, hide the wire, and arrange the branches.  We'll work to apply moss, dress the soil, and clean the pot.  And finally we'll address choosing and combining accent plants, companion trees, and the aspects of formal display.

If we run out of things to work on we may cover air layering or Trident and Japanese Maples.  And if time permits we may throw in a few extra things to work on.

Please RSVP and do your best to be on time. 

Unfortunately I won't be able to attend this year's show, as I'll be heading back to John Kirby's (of Von's Gardens) for a quick visit and tree buying trip.

This Saturday, March 6th at 10am will be the second meeting of 2010 for the Matsu Bonsai Study Group.  If you're interested in attending, please contact me.

For this meeting we will focus on the proper technique for repotting bonsai.  We'll work with established bonsai as well as young trees in training.  Bring plenty of trees to work on, soil, and tools.  If you run out of things to work on or simply wish to work on some of mine, please let me know.

Here's a list of the tools we'll be using for this workshop:

- root sickle
- bent nose tweezers
- 3-pronged root rake
- root cutters
- root scissors
- wire cutters
- wire pliers
- small broom
- chopsticks

I'll have some to borrow if you're missing or in need of a specific tool.

Please RSVP and do your best to be on time.

Last Saturday the Greater Louisville Bonsai Society hosted Chris Summers of Summers Nursery & Landscape (website coming soon) for a grafting lecture and demonstration. Chris has quite a bit of experience in the nursery industry and was a very knowledgeable speaker. I had the opportunity to meet up with Chris the follow day and work with him one-on-one for grafting of some Japanese 5-needle pine (Pinus parviflora) and Japanese Black Pine (Pinus thunbergii). He was kind enough to show me his setup and I was quite impressed. He also has some of the best grafted Japanese Maples that I've seen in the nursery industry.

The first meeting of the Matsu Bonsai Study Group 2010 will be this Saturday, February 27th at 10am.  For this meeting we will be focusing on Grafting for Bonsai.  This will be a good follow up for anyone that attended Chris' lecture.

Tools needed for the workshop will be a grafting knife, sharp scissors, tape, plastic bags, etc.  If needed there will be extra tools on hand that can be borrowed.  

Be sure to bring plenty of trees to work on.  If you don't have enough to keep you busy or just want to practice there will be material on hand.  

We'll be practicing inarch and approach grafts.  Discussions will be had regarding adding of branches, replacing foliage, adding to or replacing root systems, seasonal timing, and after care.

Please RSVP and do your best to be on time.

Matsu Bonsai Study Group dates for 2010 have been posted to the Bonsai Study Group page.  For 2010 the meetings will be more focused on specific topics.

Topics for 2010 include:

• Grafting for Bonsai
• Repotting
• Show Prep
• Decandling
• Wiring 

Items needed for the Bonsai Study Group meetings:

• Trees
• Tools
• Wire
• Soil 

As always, if you need to borrow a tool or a tree to work on, plenty will be available. 

This Saturday, November 7th from 10am until 5pm will be the next meeting of the Bonsai Study Group.  For this meeting we'll be discussing care for Fall and Winter preparation.  We'll also spend some time discussing fertilizer and wiring techniques.  Work will primarily revolve around fall cut back, soji cleanup, and Winter preparation.  If you run out of things to work you're free to work on some of mine.  We'll break for lunch around noon, so bring a treat or join us for nearby fast food.

Items needed for this meeting:

• Trees
• Soil
• Wire
• Wire Cutters
• Scissors
• Concave cutters
• Bent tip tweezers

Please RSVP and do your best to be on time.

The end of October is an incredibly busy time of year for me.  On Saturday, October 24th I'll be hosting another meeting of the  Bonsai Study Group from 10am until 5pm, with a break for lunch.  During this session we'll primarily work on Fall cleanup and preparation for Winter.  That means cutting back some of the unneeded and unwanted growth and general thinning and arranging of branches.  We'll also discuss the removal of the top layer of soil and replacing it with fresh soil and the purpose behind this activity.

On Sunday, October 25th I'll be heading up to Cincinnati for the last day of their annual fall show at the Krohn Conservatory. I've been attending this show for several years now and it's improved each and every year.  The time and effort that this club spends teaching new and old members alike really shows, with their efforts with the Continuing Bonsai Education group and the Advanced Bonsai Study Group.  This year I'll be donning a vest and answering some questions for a few hours Sunday morning.

Next week, October 28-31 I'll be in California for my 9th session of Boon's Bonsai Intensive.  I'm really looking forward to this trip.  By the way, if you haven't seen Boon's newly redone site I suggest you check it out.