It's been another incredibly busy week.  Not much has been done to the trees other than light fertilization and heavy watering.  The temperature and humidity continues to rise.  Growth will slow down soon as the heat hits the maximum for the summer.  Hopefully we'll have several more weeks of heavy growth before things come to a hot screeching halt.

On Saturday, July 19th I'll be heading to Doug Philips house for an informal study group.  Doug has invited all members of the Greater Louisville Bonsai Society to attend.  It should be a great day filled with bonsai and barbeque. If anyone is interested in attending please contact me for more information and directions.

Here's more information from Doug:

The bonsai day starts at 9 am and will end around 4 pm. Bring a hunk-o-meat for the grill and a pot luck item….also, bring plenty of trees to work on…it has been my experience that some people have finished up and have left early because of no more trees to work on… I look forward to seeing you! Cheers dp

I had very limited spare time last week, but was able to work on a project that I've had planned for the last year or two.  I've had the rock pictured below for a few years now.  It's perfect for root-over-rock.

I've paired the rock with this low rectangle with soft corners. I've had the pot for a while, but was never sure which tree to place inside. Once the pot is all cleaned up it will be ready for Spring potting.

Several Japanese Black Pine seedlings were planted in the Spring of 2007 in preparation for the root-over-rock project. Next March I'll make the final selection and plant the black pine onto the rock. Pictures will be posted on this bonsai blog at that time.  The wire on the rock shows the proposed shape to the tree.

It's been an incredibly busy June.  Aside from repotting time, June is by far the most busy time for me and my trees.  Maples and other deciduous trees are in need of trimming and defoliating.  Wiring can be done at this time as well.  And all trees are in constant need of water and fertilizer by this time of year.  But, the two types of trees that take up the majority of my time are pines and azaleas.

Japanese Black Pines and Satsuki Azaleas require a lot of work during the month of June.  The azaleas are trimmed and thinned to two shoots and two leaves after the flowers have faded.  Pines have all been decandled and last year's needles have been thinned to 3-5 pairs.  All are looking quite bare, but will be full again in no time.  Then, the process will start all over again next year.  The work never ends.  It's a good thing the work is enjoyable.

Thankfully, this is the last day of the month.  Now I can get back to a more regular schedule.  Watering, fertilizing, trimming, thinning, and wiring, oh my.

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What has your Spring been like? 

This past weekend was spent decandling Japanese Black Pine bonsai. The benches are absolutely filled with pines, so it was a very busy weekend.

Decandling is a technique reserved for trees that are nearer to completion.  The process is used to regulate and control the candle and needle growth of show ready or nearly show ready trees.  For younger trees and trees that are still in development different techniques should be used to develop the trunk and branch sizes desired for the completed trees.

For those that have been following the development of this particular pine, I have posted a picture of the decandled black pine.  You can read more about it's previous development here and here.

This tree has really progressed over the last few months. The plan is to repot this tree into a nicer pot next year, and to correct the planting angle. It should be ready to show in another year or two.

Back from Alameda and boy are my arms tired.  Travel is getting more and more troublesome in the United States.  Even more so when you travel across the country with layovers.  But, Boon and his Bonsai Intensive course are well worth the effort.  There simply is no one else doing what he does in the States.

The Bonsai Intensive series is a great way to learn whether you're a beginner or someone that's been doing bonsai for 30 years.  There is always something more to gain.  Boon does a great job of tailoring the class to the individuals.  Pick what you want to work on from a yard full of impressive bonsai of all species, shapes, sizes, and age.  Not many places can offer the same experience.

The best part of the intensive sessions is the knowledge you bring home with you.  This week we spent the time working on thinning and decandling Japanese Black Pine and Red Pine.  There some work done with Satsuki Azaleas and Shimpaku and Rocky Mountain Junipers.  Now it's time to put it all to work here at home.

This week I will be working heavily on my Japanese black pine bonsai trees.  The time of year is just right to decandle.  I also have quite a bit of work to do on several Satsuki azalea.  That seem to be the problem with owning both Japanese black pine and Satsuki azaleas, the timing of the work.  Both trees require a lot of work during the month of June.  But, it's the kind of work you don't mind doing.  It's all a lot of fun. 

Join me on Shelfari

I'm a big fan of bonsai books.  I've posted recently about bonsai communities and bonsai study groups, but a good book can come in handy.    Bonsai books offer a way to read and learn about techniques you might otherwise never know about.  They can also be a great resource when looking for a specific species, trying to find ideas for shapes and styles, or to match a tree and pot choice.

I've recently discovered a great site that offers a unique service.  Shelfari provides its users the ability to share knowledge about books they have read, own, and recommend.  From the Shelfari site:

Based in Seattle, Shelfari introduces readers to our global community of book lovers and encourages them to share their literary inclinations and passions with peers, friends, and total strangers (for now). Shelfari was the first social media site focused on books, and will continue to innovate as it brings together the world's readers. Our mission is to enhance the experience of reading by connecting readers in meaningful conversations about the published word.

Shelfari’s members:

• Build virtual bookshelves to express themselves to their friends and to the world
• Discover books that are popular in their trusted circles of friends
• Influence peers by rating and discussing books online
• Discover and learn from people with similar reading tastes
• Participate in online book groups to further explore literature and share ideas
• Interact with and learn from authors

Shelfari was officially launched in October 2006 with Josh Hug and Kevin Beukelman as the co-founders., Amazon.com invested in Shelfari in February 2007 and Shelfari immediately formed a board of advisors combining a list of high profile individuals. For further information on Shelfari, check out the featured links on the left hand side.

So, why don't you join me on Shelfari?

This is the first installment for the all new weekly series, Matsu Monday!  Every week I'll be featuring the latest news and announcements from Matsu Bonsai in this section.

This week, the first in this new series, I wanted to cover what's been happening since the launch of the online store and bonsai blog.  For the last 3 months I've been adding content to both the store and blog.  I want to make sure there is enough information and inventory to keep visitors checking back often.

I've also spent a great deal of time promoting and marketing the Matsu Bonsai website.

• Bloggers Choice Awards
• Blog Catalog
• Buzz My Blog
• Follow me on Twitter

Here are a few statistics from the first 3 months:

• More than 1000 unique visitors per month
• 88 daily RSS subscribers
• Google PageRank - 2
• Alexa Traffic Rank: Top 24.12%
• 39 posts
• 21 comments
• 26 raters

I'm going to continue to promote this bonsai blog and grow the readership.  In the coming months I'll be adding new and exciting content, so be sure to check back often to read the latest articles, news, and announcements.