Text Box: Southern Bonsaist Text Box: October is a difficult month for bonsai artist when the weather is close to normal. This year the temps are way about normal. The dry days are normal for October but all the new growth on the storm blown trees isn’t normal in any way. You can clean up your Jin and Shari. Plan your repotting schedule, go ahead and put the wire and string into your new pots, sift soil and make up a new batch of soil. Clean up your tools, sharpen if you know how. Winter will probably come quickly, very quickly some weeks from now. Make a plan, put your winter storage Text Box: area In order. If you have your bonsai and accent plants spread out, now is a good time to put all your tropical and near tropical plants in one area near each other. When you hear that we will drop 40 degrees by midnight you can quickly put up what has to be put up without searching in the dark for that small accent you hate to see freeze. Just the most correct pot can be difficult to find . If you need it, start looking now and order before the Christmas mail rush when things get broke and lost. Your perfect container might be the last one of that type in stock. Text Box: October is a great month to do some work on our bonsai area. Cut back limbs, cut down trees, build benches, stands and plant some landscape. Landscape plants do very good planted now if you plant them correctly and keep them watered . As I keep repeating each year. If you only keep your current bonsai you will need more space on your benches. Bonsai grow, not that much but multiplied times the number of bonsai you have it adds up quickly Joe Day Text Box: Four shows in three months will give all members of ACBS ample chances to show the public and other bonsai artist examples of their bonsai art. The locations will allow a very different audience to view bonsai. The Day of Bonsai shows bonsai to other bonsai artist. The library show attracts people who have a serious desire to learn and explore. Our Bel-Air Mall show allows a very diverse group of people to view bonsai art. Text Box: ACBS will hold three bonsai shows during the spring months of 2006. We will have our Day of Bonsai show and educational event during March 2006. We will have our library show probably during April of 2006. We will have our Bel-Air Mall Show late May or early June of 2006. Fort Walton Beach will host the Tri-Cities Regional Show in Fort Walton Beach usually during May. We will be establishing exact dates for all these events. Text Box: The tri-Cities like the mall shows bring in a diverse group of people to view bonsai. All bonsai societies need to grow. Shows to the public bring ACBS the most new members. The public loves to see all types, species and sizes of bonsai. Select the bonsai you would like to show and make a plan to have them ready. JoeDay Text Box: Page # Text Box: Ben Oki The master teacher tour Text Box: October bonsai tips Text Box: The Spring 2006 Bonsai shows Text Box: year teaching bonsai. He also takes bonsai artist to Japan to tour many of the best bonsai nurseries and back yard of world class bonsai artist. It will be my first trip as soon as I will a state lottery. Well.. You actually don’t have to win a lottery to afford to take this type trip. It’s not cheap but not expensive either. Text Box: Ben most years bring with him the coldest day of the year. Didn’t happen last year we had a great workshop with Ben. You can work with Ben with nursery material, bonsai in training or a good bonsai that needs the masters touch to become a great bonsai. Ben can work his wonders with any “good” material. Joe Day Text Box: Ben Oki January 5th We will celebrate the start of a new year with Ben Oki. Our first bonsai event will be Thursday January 5th at the Garden Center, Zeigler at Forest Hill Drive. ACBS and Ben will hold a bonsai workshop. If you plan to work with Ben you will need to sign up at the November ACBS meeting. Ben travels the world each Text Box: “Sign up at the November ACBS Meeting to work with Ben Oki”