Bay Area Satsuki Aikokai

Satsuki Azalea Bonsai Club

Fundraising for the Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt’s GRO Project

The Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt (BGLM) has been raising funds for its Garden Revitalization Project (GRO) for months. To date, over 50% of the $100,000 goal has been contributed to revitalizing our Bonsai Garden museum. But, there is more to do. This project aims to upgrade the display benches and stands, watering system, pathways, add windows and much more, in order to meet the challenges of caring for and maintaining the historic and legacy bonsai collection in a professional and museum quality manner.

BGLM has recently initiated a commemorative brick fundraising drive in which individuals, clubs and businesses can purchase a variety of laser engraved bricks for $150, $250 or $500, and the proceeds will help fund the GRO Project. The engraved bricks will last a lifetime and rest in a place of honor at the entrance to the Bonsai Garden. For information on the bricks click here: Commemorative Bricks.

Another method of contributing funds to the GRO Project is to simply donate any amount through the Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt’s crowd funding website – YouCaring.

New windows in perimeter fence

Installation of pavers for all pathways

New red cedar display stands

Your help is greatly appreciated!

Our September meeting provided a great “welcome back from Summer” program on pest and disease control for our satsuki azaleas, and suggestions for timely and appropriate feeding. Bob Gould, who so humbly insists he is not an expert, led our discussion and imparted tons of expert information. He brought several products to illustrate his preferred products and there was a lively back and forth with questions and suggestions from members. Darren Wong, who studies with Mr. Suisho Nakayama in Japan and imports trees as well offered his experience in repotting and treating trees that have been brought to this country bare-rooted. His methods were similar to Bob’s and we all learned from the exchange of information between our two club experts (yes, you are Bob!)

Bob Gould led the pest and disease control discussion

Darren Wong discussed pest and disease control

BASA members received specific pest and disease control assistance

The meeting was so chock full of tidbits and tricks for keeping our trees healthy that it was difficult to keep up with the rapid-fire comments. To the best of our knowledge the following accurately represents what was said. Where specific advice was given I have attributed it to either Bob Gould-BG or Darren Wong-DW.

Bugs – Fungus – Disease

Merit 0.5 is a good systemic insecticide. Bob alternates Merit, which is in powder form, with a spray during the year. He treats about 3 times a year and DW twice a year in the Spring and Fall. Because Merit is dry it can be mixed in tea bags along with fertilizer and placed on the soil to be watered in for a slow release.

Cleary 3336 is the fungicide Bob uses, usually after the Spring bloom in June.

There are also some mystery pellets that were mentioned with a Japanese name and source. If you can locate it with these clues, use 1 teaspoon for a 12-inch pot?

Thrips can be a very big problem for azaleas and quickly kill them. They need to be controlled with a systemic treatment like Merit 0.5 or Bayer Advanced Rose and Flower 2 in 1 Systemic. The Bayer product contains the Merit chemical and also has some fertilizer in it.

Root rot is a huge killer for azaleas since it is so easy to overwater them. Watch your watering very carefully and wait to water until the soil is a bit dry, not just the moss on top. Subdue is the treatment for root rot. It is difficult to locate, but takes only a very small amount to be effective, used every two weeks until improvement is evident. Members may want to share the cost of this, as well as bags of Merit to reduce the cost and waste.

Fertilizing is much more of a “touchy feely” thing, as literally, Bob decides when to fertilize by the feel of his trees. If the leaves are not firm and cool to his touch he gets busy with the fertilizer. There are many good products on the market, but Bob and Darren agree that keeping the numbers low, 5-5-5, is best for our purposes of creating bonsai. This proportion provides beneficial minerals, but doesn’t encourage crazy growth. Whitney Farms and Dr. Earth were mentioned as good organic products. Chris Ross suggested Dr. Earth’s Rhododendron mix which contains good micro minerals for azaleas. Don Meeker mentioned that in colder climates a 0-5-5 might be preferred to keep new growth down during the coldest months, but in our climate, we are fine with the higher nitrogen content.

One of Darren’s favorite fertilizers is Greenall FST which has iron, magnesium, sulfur. He uses it once a year since most fertilizers to not provide the micro-minerals and nutrients that this product does.

If you have young azaleas and just want faster growth to build a big trunk and branches a chemical fertilizer will get you there faster – as Darren suggests.

The most important part of fertilizing is to JUST DO IT! Being consistent with whichever product you choose will be the most effective way to insure strong growth and flowering for your trees. October is the most important time to fertilize since food for the trees now will provide strength for the Spring push of growth.

Lastly Darren provided his favorite method of wintering over his trees:

  • Remove weeds and seeds.
  • Add a fresh top layer to the soil.
  • Fill tea bags with two or three tablespoons of your favorite fertilizer and place here and there on the soil.
  • Cover with Yamagoki moss (Japanese mountain moss) – putting the moss over the fertilizer keeps it moist and allows it to release the nutrients more fully, leave this on through the Fall and Winter.

Thank you Bob and Darren for a fine presentation. We greatly appreciate you sharing your wealth of knowledge and experience.   — Candace Key

A good online source for these and other products is Do My Own Pest Control at www.domyownpestcontrol.com/

 

Engraved Brick Fundraiser

The Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt has been raising funds for its Garden Revitalization Project (GRO). This project aims to upgrade the display benches and stands, watering system, pathways, and much more, in order to meet the challenges of caring for and maintaining the historic and legacy bonsai collection in a professional and museum quality manner.
As part of this, they have initiated a recognition brick fundraiser drive in which individuals, clubs and businesses can purchase a variety of state of the art engraved bricks, and the proceeds will go towards the GRO Project. GRO projects include laying cement pavers for all pathways within the Bonsai Garden, and the engraved bricks will line a special pathway.
For information http://www.gsbf-lakemerritt.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Bonsai-Garden-of-Lake-Merritt-Brick-Flyer-09-11-17.pdf

Example: personal engraved brick

Secrets of Bonsai: Uncovering the mechanism of root regeneration

ReIncreased levels of AUX/IAA19, which indicate an activation of auxin signaling, were observed in the cut-end of root-cut plants compared to intact plants. Scale bar = 0.1 mm. Credit: Xu D. et al., Plant and Cell Physiology, September 1, 2017.

The molecular mechanism behind root regeneration after root cutting in plants has been discovered. A finding which could lead to the development of new methods for regulating plant growth in agriculture and horticulture.

A plant’s root system is highly regenerative. It plays a critical role in absorbing water and nutrients from the soil and therefore its loss can be an immediate threat to their lives. The plasticity of the root system also helps plants adopt to adverse conditions such as draught. An agricultural technique called root pruning, or root cutting, uses this natural robustness to control plant growth. It has also been used in horticulture to control plant size and vigor as seen in Bonsai.

Previous studies have suggested that root regeneration occurs through the induction of lateral root (LR) formation, and that auxin, a well-studied growth hormone involved in various processes of plant development, plays a role in the process. However, the molecular mechanism behind root regeneration has remained largely unknown.

According to a new study published in Plant and Cell Physiology, scientists have identified for the first time that YUCCA9, one of the eleven YUCCA genes involved in auxin synthesis, plays a primary role in root-system regeneration.

Using Arabidopsis as a model, the research team led by Associate Professor Masaaki Watahiki of Hokkaido University found that root cutting induces both LR formation and the growth of existing roots. Experiments investigating gene expressions and using mutants identified YUCCA9 as the primary gene responsible for auxin biosynthesis during root-system regeneration after root cutting. In collaboration with Professor Masashi Asahina of Teikyo University, the team also found an evident increase in the level of auxin after cutting.

Auxin commonly shows an uneven distribution in plant bodies as a result of polar transportation, leading to gravity – or light-induced bending of the plant. The team found that the polar transport system is required for root regeneration as well.
Interestingly, the team revealed that the defective LRs of some auxin signaling mutants can be recovered by root cutting, suggesting the robustness of the auxin signaling induced by root cutting. They also showed a redundancy of auxin biosynthesis genes by mutant analysis.

“We identified the primary gene of auxin biosynthesis which is responsible for root regeneration upon root damage. This finding could lead to the development of new methods for suppressing or enhancing root regeneration, and thus controlling plant growth in agriculture and horticulture,” says Masaaki Watahiki

More information: Dongyang Xu et al, YUCCA9-Mediated Auxin Biosynthesis and Polar Auxin Transport Synergistically Regulate Regeneration of Root Systems Following Root Cutting, Plant and Cell Physiology (2017). DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcx107

Provided by: Hokkaido University

Pruning Satsuki Azalea Bonsai by Master Shigeo Isobe

During the 8th World Bonsai Convention, Saitama City, Japan, this past April 27-30, 2017, Master Bonsai Artist Shigeo Isobe performed a demonstration on a Satsuki Azalea bonsai. He started with an overgrown, bushy, mature Satsuki Azalea bonsai. Master Isobe demonstrated how much pruning a Satsuki Azalea bonsai can be done. The photograph below depicts the completed demonstration Satsuki Azalea bonsai.

Completed demonstration Satsuki Azalea bonsai by Master Shigeo Isobe for the 8th World Bonsai Convention, Saitama City, Japan. Photo by George Haas.

Fundraiser for the Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt

The Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt has been raising funds for its Garden Revitalization Opportunity (GRO) Project. This project aims to upgrade the display benches and stands, watering system, pathways, and much more, in order to meet the challenges of caring for and maintaining the historic and legacy bonsai collection in a professional and museum quality manner.

As part of this, they have initiated a recognition brick fundraiser drive in which individuals, clubs and businesses can purchase a variety of state of the art engraved bricks, and the proceeds will go towards the GRO Project. GRO projects include laying cement pavers for all pathways within the Bonsai Garden, and the engraved bricks will line a special pathway.

For information http://www.gsbf-lakemerritt.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Bonsai-Garden-of-Lake-Merritt-Brick-Flyer-09-11-17.pdf

Update: Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt (BGLM) Garden Revitalization Opportunity (GRO)

Great news – the Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt (BGLM) Garden Revitalization Opportunity (GRO) Project ended August 2017 by raising 45% towards its goal of $100,000. New vertical, straight grain red cedar benches and stands have been installed to replace the original bonsai display benches and stands. There have been more than two thirds of the new overhead water systems using the new micro cone sprayers installed to replace the old drip irrigation piping. Copper metal sculpture artwork has been added to the accent display site with its own water system. In October, plans call for the installment of cement pavers for all the pathways. This will eliminate muddy and dusty conditions and make it more accessible and safer for the public. Needless to say, exciting things are taking place at the BGLM. Look for new fundraising ideas coming this month. BGLM thanks everyone for their support.

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