President’s Message
Our Continuing February Tree Improvement Program
After much discussion with our board of directors regarding the cancelation of our first Thursday meeting, we decided to reinstate January's Tree Improvement Program to this month’s first February meeting. Many of our new members this past December acquired new trees from our open auction at our Christmas Party. It is our hope that members who purchased these new trees will bring them in for this program where you can receive help with the future development and what to do with them at this time of year. And of course, everyone in the club is welcome to bring in trees that need suggestions and to get ideas that can help take your trees to the next level.
This is really a fun event, where everyone in the club can voice their opinions, make suggestions for creative styling, new repotting angles, and the type of pot you might use for a nice complementary shape, size or color. Everyone needs suggestions at times, certain trees can be tricky, and obtaining new ideas for their development may be just the thing to get you on the right road, especially with the help of our senior members. So review your collection, and sort out those trees that need a plan for the future and have stumped you. We will be looking for a variety of trees with many diverse issues to be discussed, so bring them into our meeting the first Thursday. A limit of two trees per person is suggested.
John Thompson and I will be handling the program that evening, making every effort to include as many trees as possible to be reviewed. This will be a bonsai class for everyone, so listen carefully since we all can learn from everyone’s trees.
Our Third Thursday Meeting
If you need help or suggestions for your trees that require repotting, don’t miss this meeting! John Thompson was at our last meeting with all the needed materials on display that you will need for this important procedure. Once we get into March, many of our trees can be sprouting with new foliage or swollen buds. So it's imperative that we move quickly, making sure that we have the needed repotting materials on hand and we have the knowledge to handle the process. That’s why we will be there to assist you with this important bonsai knowledge in order to get the job done right.
Please, check on the February schedule of Bay Area Bonsai Programs in this newsletter that will be taking place this month. They are the perfect place to get needed bonsai tools, soil, or pots that you will need for the repotting of your trees this late winter.
Have a great time doing bonsai this month everyone!