President’s Message
February 2025
The winter months are always hard for me, with shorter days and colder temperatures. Our trees just sit there, off-color, waiting for signs of warmer weather ahead. We've had nothing but extremely cold, dry days this month, but now there are signs of rain with the start of February. We need this rain; it is so important for our bonsai trees' soil to be flushed of the fertilizer salts and chemicals we had to apply this past summer. Rainwater is refreshing for our trees' souls; its pH is more acidic, which balances out the alkalinity of the faucet water we all use. So pray for a good drenching this month!
I would like to thank Juan Cruz for his repotting program he presented to us this past first Thursday evening. He covered all the necessary tools and repotting techniques to get everyone ready for our third Thursday workshop. It was such a joy for me to see so many of our members working diligently on repotting their bonsai trees that evening. This month is still a good time to change out your pot and soil if you didn't get the job entirely done last month. It’s also a good time to wire and re-style your trees if they need a new look before our trees' new spring growth.
With spring just around the corner, please everyone, pay close attention to the many Bay Area bonsai activities that are listed in our monthly newsletter. The Golden State Bonsai Federation has many wonderful programs they offer at this time of year, along with Bay Area clubs. Taking advantage of these activities will help us all continue with our bonsai education and appreciation of this wonderful art form we all enjoy.
Our First Thursday Meeting: Bring Your Trees in for Great Suggestions
Yes, it's our annual Tree Improvement Program that we all look forward to each year. Everyone is invited to participate, so check out your tree collection and see what trees you have questions about. Our panel of presenters will give everyone a chance to bring their tree up for consideration by all in the club. There’s no need to be shy; everyone is there to help with your tree and express their suggestions on various aspects of our trees.
Mehrdad Chavosh and Elliott Cooper-Balis will be handling your questions and calling on club members who have comments. When you first arrive with your tree, please approach the desk in the back for a number that you will be called upon in sequence. It’s ok if you have two or more trees you want considered. We want everyone to have at least one opportunity. So be patient!
What are a few things you may have questions about regarding your tree? A tree health question? A tree styling question? A tree planting angle question? Where's my front? How can I improve my tree? How tall should my tree be? Do I need more movement in my trunk? What pot size is appropriate for my tree? What pot style would be good? These and many more questions can be considered, so bring in those trees to get some great help!
Our Third Thursday Workshop
Everyone is invited to bring in their trees for additional repotting help or to work with the suggestions you received from our Tree Improvement Program last meeting. This is a great time of year to make major changes to your trees—wiring, cutting back growth, or trimming your apex to create great taper. Our senior members are there to help and educate you on the proper way of doing things.
Next Month's Program Speaker
Bob Shimon from Mendocino Coast Bonsai will be doing our first meeting program for March. Bob specializes in collecting many local species from the Mendocino Coast area and offers them at various bonsai shows throughout the year. He will be presenting a program on Redwoods and Pygmy Cypress that evening, and we hope he will bring a few trees for club members to purchase.
Have a great month of February doing bonsai, everyone!🌳