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IT’S FINALLY HERE
(AKA NEW WEB SITE)
BY GEORGE BUEHLER
I know we have reported
this event before, but I think it is finally here – or at least I hope it is! I have been told by the web de-
sign people that they are ready to turn on the new web site Oct 1 (I’m not sure the date isn’t April Fool’s Day again). We have had starts and stops over the last few months –
mostly stops – but they have worked through their problems and are now ready to transfer the site
to us.
The site works on all types
of equipment (iPads, iPhones and of course computers). On iPads, it works the same as on computers (except small-er). On iPhones, it is ar-ranged somewhat differ-
ently but works the same.
There are a number of things that still need to be added or changed; but at least it will give you the
opportunity to use the fo-rum, read articles, pur-
chase books, or tell us what you think of the site (under the “tell us…” sec-tion at the bottom of the main page). Tip: You can go to the main page at
any time by clicking on the ABS logo.
Let us know what you think; this is, of course,
your web site.
The Plastic Wrap Solution
By Andrew Smith
There’s nothing new under the sun, or nothing much new anyway, though you can put old familiar things to new uses and sometimes get an unexpected re-sult. For instance, I once used an old running shoe as a popcorn bowl in a
pinch. But the melted butter ran through the holes in the bottom and got on my T-shirt, causing me to be attacked and licked by a rare, long-tailed wolverine that was living under our porch, surreptitiously.
I didn’t even know we had wolverines here, much less that they liked buttered pop-corn, and it actually kind of looked like the neighbors dog to me; but when the feds got wind of it they designated our front porch as “critical wolverine habitat,” threw us out of the house, and made a wildlife sanctuary out of it. Then they sent me a bill for paving the drive-way so people would not get mud on their tires when they came to gawk at the wolverine and feed him popcorn.
This just goes to show something, I suppose, though I don’t know what. But you can bet I’ll consider the situation more care-fully before I make popcorn again.
A similar thing happened with my bonsai recently. No, none of them were at-tacked by the wolverine, but I did observe something unexpected that I don’t quite know what to make of. And this is what I want to share with you.
I recently got back from the great Midwest Bonsai Show at the Chicago Botanic Gardens. This is about my favorite bonsai show, since it’s only a paltry 1,000 miles from my house, which is closer than almost any other show I’ve been to, and it’s at the super cool Chicago Botanic Gardens.
I spent my first day home unloading, unwrapping, watering and putting away the trees that had not sold at the show. Luckily, there were not that many of them, and most of the ones that were left were trees that I was
happy to keep around a little longer.
It’s odd being in the bonsai business. Selling a tree should make me happy, and it does, but just as often what I feel after I sell a really nice old tree is also a faint sense of sadness and regret. I might have spent a long time looking for that particular tree. Then I potted it and it man-aged to survive my efforts. Afterwards I might have spent a long time taking care of it. I certain-ly spent a long time admiring it and thinking of it’s possible future. It might well have been a one-of-a-kind, and over a century old, the likes of which I may never see again.
So I sell it and someone buys it. If they like it, that’s good and I’m happy. And I get mon-ey, which is good too. But I won’t have it long because pretty soon I’ll be forking it over to the electric company or the garbage man. Then the bonsai and the money are both gone and I’m back to empty pockets.
But I couldn’t keep them all, even if I wanted to. So I’m glad that other people want them too.
Anyway, one of the trees I brought back home from Chicago was a Black Hills spruce that I estimate to be about 150 years old. I see a lot in this tree and I didn’t mind that it didn’t sell. If no one buys it maybe I’ll have a chance to work on it myself.
As I peeled the plastic wrap off the pot I noticed something unexpected: There were lots of new roots growing on top of the soil, just be-neath the plastic wrap. These roots were white as lard, which is a commodity that’s sadly gone out of style recently. There were 8-10 new roots radi-ating from the base of the trunk. The longest of them were about an inch and a half long.
I don’t know how fast roots can grow, but these must have grown pretty fast. I’m sure I would have noticed if they were visible at the show. So these would have had two days, max, to grow between when we left and when we arrived home.
This isn’t the first time I’ve seen this. Pines and junipers don’t seem to sprout new roots under plastic wrap, but spruce sometimes will. It interests me because spruce are usually a bit slow to get started and sometimes they don’t start at all. Even the Forest Service has told me that they are slow to take. Anything that would stimulate their root system to grow would be
Amer i can Bonsa i Soc i e ty
Volume 2, Issue 10 October 2013
Bonsai in America Written & Published by Dave Bogan
something worth knowing about.
Could it be that wrapping the pots in plastic would make them root faster? I have found that if I leave moss on the soil surface of my potted spruce they will also shoot out roots above the soil just under the moss. Maybe they like the extra warmth and humidity.
This might make an interesting experiment. But, of course, wrapping the pots to keep humidity in would also necessarily keep wa-ter out during watering, so I’d have to think this through before I started. Wouldn’t want to get any false results, or brown bonsai, because of an oversight. Maybe I could use aluminum foil and lift it up for watering.
Anyway, I put this out there so you can make of it what you will. Maybe there’s some new bonsai technique there waiting there to be discovered. Or maybe it’s just an oddity of spruce trees. But I’ve seen it with my own eyes, and for whatever it’s worth, I’m passing it on to you.
Leaf Reduction in an unusual way.
This story started earlier this year at the Regional Show presented by the Nashville Bonsai Society. At
this show, I saw a very amazing and beautiful Chines elm. A beautiful tree in its own right, but what
really drew me to it was its extremely small leaves and excellent ramification. I, of course, wanted to
know more about this tree so, I searched out its owner Dr. Gary Andes of Kingsport, an avid bonsai
grower and Dr. of Veterinary Medicine. Gary stated that he had obtained this tree approximately 12
years ago, and as with many Chinese elms, it wasn’t long before he started experiencing problems with
black spot fungus. Gary tried everything over the next couple of years, but every type of fungicide he
tried only seemed to defoliate the tree and the black spot would return. One day, he noticed his wife, an
avid rose grower, had what appeared to be the same fungus and was treating the fungus with Bayer rose
and flower 3 in 1 and having some success. So, Gary used it on his elm. The fungicide did its job and
worked better than any other had done in and the past. The tree did not defoliate, but within 2 -3 months after its use, Gary started notic-
ing some other very noticeable changes throughout the tree. As the tree was pruned and new leaves emerged, they were noticeably small-
er. The next year, the tree leafed out at its normal time, but amazingly it did so totally with small leaves and has continued to do so for the
last 5 years. Additionally, over these 5 years, Gary has also noticed a considerable increase in the ramification of the tree. Still amazed but
questioning and amazed at this new change, he then tried it on a couple of Trident and Japanese maples. With these, the results were
mixed and he is concerned that it may be having a different affect. These tree’s growth seems to have become stagnant and have not had
their usual robust growth. Gary is of course happy he eliminated the black spot and he does occasionally still use the product, but he is
concerned for the future of this tree and no longer purposely attempts this with other trees. There’s probably no way to actually prove the
resulting small leaves and additional ramification was caused by the fungicide, but it is very suspect. Gary also mentioned he had dis-
cussed this with Warren Hill who tried it with the same results, but has since discontinued using it for fear of lasting effects or potentially
permanent genetic changes.
Peaking my curiosity, I decided to reach out to a couple of leading Bonsai experts. Their comments are as follows.
Dr. Ross Clark Bonsai enthusiast, author and Professor of Botany. I think I had a trident maple for several years that had been treated
with something like Bayer. Yes, the leaves did reduce, and the reduction carried over from one year to the next. However, the trident also
showed symptoms of nutrient deficiency that I could not cure, and growth of branches was not normal -- they did not thicken normal-
ly. Now, I don't know for sure that the tree had been treated with Bayer before I bought it, but I strongly suspect that it had. Finally, after
repotting it several times over years, and babying it with special fertilizer, I gave up this summer. It was obvious that it wasn't ever going
to grow like a healthy maple, so I threw it away. Whatever that maple had been treated with obviously affected its metabolism perma-
nently. Was it Bayer? I don't know, but I suspect it.
I suggest we should just grow bonsai as natural trees, and not resort to trickery. It's hard to fool Mother Nature. Bonsai are supposed to
encourage patience, and are supposed to take time to develop. Sometimes short-cuts turn out to be risky.
Matt Ouwinga Bonsai Teacher and expert in the care of maples: I don't use it for leaf reduction, proper tree maintenance seems to work
just fine with keeping leaves small, in my yard at least. Genetics plays a role of course, as well. Chemical leaf reduction
Continued By Andrew Smith
We need to insure we have the correct contact for your club.
Please e-mail your club & contact info to:
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BONSAI Club Update
seems...ummmm...both scary and unnecessary.
Julian Adams Bonsai enthusiast, Writer and Lecturer. I know that chemicals of varying sorts are
used in agriculture, e.g. spraying to increase grape size or to chemically prune azaleas. I am not
much of a fan of these procedures due to the unknown consequences that may result. I have never
heard of using the Bayer fungicide for reducing elm and maple leaves and can offer no useful com-
ment other than saying that I am able to reduce the leaf size on my bonsai with cultural practices
and am not particularly interested in using chemicals (other than fertilizer) unless absolutely neces-
sary. I see no need for chemicals in this situation.
As with most things Bonsai, we must always consider alternatives and yes, experiment to always
broaden our knowledge. During the course of our work in bonsai, we will occasionally run on ide-
as that seem like they would help us or create a condition that we want but, as with everything, we
should move with caution until we are sure of its lasting effects. We must also not simply do some-
thing to ease our work that could have unknowing or lasting effects. We should always be aware of
the affects that chemical insecticides and other treatments may have on our trees and just as im-
portantly, ourselves. We should of course, only use products for their intended use and especially
as directed on the products label Any time that you use a product for an unintended use, you
could have unknown effects which could result in death or a deformity of the plant. In a case like
this, we cannot specifically point the finger or blame towards any specific Brand or product nor can
we endorse the use of any product for an unintended use. This is the case of several indi-
vidual observations which produced unusual effects.
Personally, since I am a very inquisitive person and one that loves to experiment, I may
try this with an experimental elm but will not attempt it with my good trees or other spe-
cies. I will, of course, write of my findings or report any feedback I may receive from our
readers.
I would be very interested in reader’s experiences and also
comments or concerns with this
experiment or other experimental procedures they have tried or heard of.
Please send me an e-mail at absnewsletter @ frontier.com.
Bjorn Bjorholm
My wife and I recently had the privilege to have Bjorn Bjorholm at our home work-ing with us on some of our trees. Bjorn Bjorholm is origi-nally from Knoxville, TN. though he is now based in Kyoto/Osaka, Japan. Bjorn spent several years as an ap-prentice under Mr. Fujikawaat Fujikawa International School of Bonsai in Japan and now as an advanced student, he is in charge of the apprenticeships at the school. Not yet a master in title, he is definitely profi-cient and a master in his own right. Bjorn has singlehand-edly produced well over 30 video on bonsai which can be found on You Tube.
The key to Bjorn’s success is not only his very proficient skills in bonsai but his mild mannerisms and ability to teach in a very understanding way. Unlike most returning masters from Japan, he has not forgotten his U.S. roots and does not push only the Japanese way of bonsai. His skills at creating bonsai and especially wiring bonsai rival many of the older masters here in the U.S.
If you are a new member or
an older member, it is so
important you keep your e-
mail address up to date . An
incorrect email address can
prevent you from using the
web-site, receiving this
newsletter or any other
notices the ABS may put out.
HYDROGEN PEROXIDE, ROOT ROT, AND AZALEAS
By CHERYL SYKORA
Being a chemist, I started thinking about using hydrogen peroxide to combat root rot and le-
thargic bonsai that were starting to develop that slimy green look to their surface soil indicating
the next step was root rot.
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is made up of Hydrogen and Oxygen in an unstable arrangement.
Hydrogen peroxide breaks down to form free oxygen.
In a bonsai soil system, the soil consists of particles, a film of water on the particles and air spac-
es between the particles. When too much water is put into the soil system, the air spaces fill
with water displacing the air that roots need to survive. When roots run out of air they die.
When they die, they rot. The common root rot organisms Pythium and Phytophora like this oxy-
gen-less environment and start colonizing the roots. The continued rotting process brings in
root aphids which eat the rotting mess that the root rot organisms create. I have used the
standard systemic fungicides that are supposed to control root rot with very little success.
I quickly learned to recognize root rot when the top of the tree started to look wilted as if not
receiving enough water and soil stayed continuously wet. Repotting trees with advanced root
rot proved to be a waste of time as it seemed to just quicken the death process.
Then I thought about applying hydrogen peroxide directly to the surface of the soil. I started
out timidly with a 3% concentration in water. I have problems with azaleas in the winter in my
greenhouse as I have an automatic watering system. I seem to be on the verge of major root rot
and general decline the entire winter with my azaleas. I applied the 3% hydrogen peroxide so-
lution thoroughly to the azalea soil surface after regular watering. The azaleas began to perk
up. I have since learned that hydrogen peroxide is a weak acid so it was also providing a bal-
ance to my 7.8 pH water as well as oxygen to the roots. A double benefit to the azaleas!
Then I noticed that I had a small coastal live oak in the greenhouse that was showing signs of
needing repotting. During repotting I noticed that the roots were in terrible shape with root
aphids. Another victim of root rot! I washed the roots thoroughly with water, finished the
repotting, and started treating the soil surface with full strength hydrogen peroxide solution
(29% for me but it is available in hydroponics store in concentrations up to 35%). I should warn
people that there is a whole lot of fizzing that goes on when this is first applied to the soil sur-
face. If you get this on your skin, it burns and your skin turns white. Getting it on your cloth-
ing causes bleached spots. Be careful when applying the hydrogen peroxide! Also don’t pour it
on top of fertilizer cakes as all that does is use up the hydrogen peroxide before it gets to the
roots. I treated every three or four days when I thought about it. The oak began to respond
and is now healthy growing new leaves.
So now I knew that it worked. I was next faced with a very large Kobai azalea that did not like
the cold weather conditions of the San Francisco Bay area. When I rescued it, there was very
little foliage left and the trunk was already exhibiting “death cracks”. It was the beginning of
March. I first brought it to Phoenix, AZ and put it on a heating pad to keep the roots at 70 F at
night. Day time temperatures in Phoenix in the beginning of March are in the 70s and 80s but
night time temperatures are in the high 50s. The tap water is of poor quality for azaleas in
Phoenix – pH close to 8.0 and very hard so I watered with RO water. 3 to 5% hydrogen
Lets all support the
NBF and its desire
to improve and
maintain the fabu-
lous bonsai collec-
tion in Washington
D.C. Make it a point
to join and support
the NBF.
http://www.
bonsai-nbf.org/site/
campaigngifts.html
peroxide was applied about every two days. First buds appeared on the lower trunk, then the
bottom branch started leafing out, then the next branch, then the next branch and so on until
growth had appeared about 2/3rds the way up. I waited a while but the top could not be resur-
rected from the dead. I sealed the cracks with water based wood sealer as I was concerned
about the dryness of Phoenix air drying out the tree. I moved the tree to Wisconsin in May. I
kept the tree in the greenhouse until the weather warmed up in June and then put it outdoors
for the summer. It continues to thrive. I still occasionally water all my azaleas with a solution
of 3 to 5% hydrogen peroxide to keep them healthy.
So now to recap the benefits of hydrogen peroxide in bonsai culture:
A source of oxygen - Hydrogen peroxide provides oxygen to the plants roots. The benefits of
rainwater in promoting plant growth is partly due to the presence of hydrogen peroxide in low
amounts.
Generally increases plant vigor – it stimulates the growth of plants by providing oxygen to the
roots.
Counteracts Pathogens – Studies show that the plant, itself, secretes hydrogen peroxide or su-
peroxide to combat fungus attacks. Hydrogen peroxide strengthens the cell wall against plant
pathogens.
Readily available – hydrogen peroxide in strengths from 27 to 35% is readily available in hy-
droponics stores in your local area. Just do the math to figure out how to dilute it down to the
concentrations you want. If you are not a perfect waterer or sometimes ignore the health of
some trees like I do, you might want to add hydrogen peroxide to your defense arsenal.
April 2013
Sept. 2013
Nice improvement in
just 6 months
All branches have grown in last 6
months since treatment with
Hydrogen peroxide
Live Oak
CONTINUATION OF
THE REGIONAL CARE SERIES IN ABS JOURNAL
The Regional Care Series in the ABS Journal was popular and is being
brought back in the upcoming fall issue. In order to continue the series
we need both topics and contributors. If you have ideas for topics or
wish to contribute, drop us a line with your name and email address.
The idea of critiquing photos of a refined bonsai tree by experienced
bonsai growers has been suggested. In order for this to happen we
need both tree ideas and good photos of the tree preferably from all
four sides. Also we need tree species that interest you for articles on
care of tree species throughout the variable climatic conditions of the
U.S. Give us your ideas and input!
