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There are a number of good reasons to fertilize bonsai in summer:

A member of the Bonsai Society of San Francisco, Samuel Tan, has taken an interest in juniper bonsai – especially deadwood work. Although relatively new to bonsai, Sam has picked up good tips from books like François Jeker’s Bonsai Deadwood and Cheng Cheng-Kung’s Bonsai Shari SiDiao.

This is the 24thyear I have been selected to display and sell bonsai in the Park Ave Art Festival. My Monday Senior Crew and I create indoor bonsai for the public to introduce them to the art. Easy to maintain sub tropical species are used so they have good luck keeping their new bonsai alive.  Each bonsai is pruned, shaped, wired, wired into the container and even mossed. But, the main purpose of participating is to gather new students for my Introductory Classical Bonsai Art Courses. This year we promoted the upcoming US National Bonsai Exhibition too.

About a month ago, I noticed some of my pines turning yellow near the base of the needles.

Since repotting a neglected San Jose juniper last fall, I’ve been thinking about the tree’s options for future development. The main question is whether to work with the existing branches or graft new branches.

Two months ago I partially defoliated a mature Korean hornbeam (see “Focus on defoliation” for details).

A Benefit Auction will be held at the 2018 6thUS National Bonsai Exhibition to support the event. It will take place on Saturday, September 8, 2018 at 4pm, immediately after the last demonstration at the US National Bonsai Exhibition. The event is open to anyone attending the exhibition. Bonsai, suiseki, containers, books, tools and many other items donated by vendors and friends will auctioned by Julian Adams, master bonsai auctioneer.

Each summer our Bonsai Society of Upstate New York Inc gathers and has tours to interesting gardens or nurseries in the greater Rochester, New York area.

For my young trees in development, I tend to focus on a single question during the growing season: do I prune now or wait until fall?

 
I’m sad to report the passing of Hatsuji Kato, fourth generation proprietor of Mansei-en Bonsai Garden in Omiya Bonsai Village, Japan this morning, July 23, 2018. Hatsuji Kato, 76, was the first son of bonsai pioneer Saburo Kato. Saburo Kato had three sons and a daughter. In the beginning all three of the sons, Hatsuji, Masao and Yoshi were involved with the bonsai business. Saburo Kato was a superb bonsai designer and specialized in Ego spruce and forest plantings. He was instrumental in the establishment of the World Bonsai Friendship Federation as well as the Nippon Bonsai Association and the Nippon Bonsai Cooperative, the professional organization.