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Text Box: Until the water run out the drainage holes of the container in a steady stream. Moving your bonsai into the shade and away from the direct wind will also help. These day will lull you in a false sense of security. Us humans love those low humidity, not too hot days when the wind blows a steady breeze. You might think your bonsai are also happy… probably not. We currently have a condition in our bonsai containers that will enhance the danger to your bonsai. The constant

Text Box: Constant rain will keep your bonsai soil very wet, even if it drains well. This wet soil will make your trees push new growth and new roots. These new roots will be very soft roots that grow near the inside surface of the container. This inside surface area of your container will also be the first area to dry completely. The bonsai will not show the damage now as it’s the time for bonsai to allow the leaves to dry and drop. It will show up in Spring as dead twigs and branches. Joe Day

Text Box: times as the sun rose into the sky. If any neighbors were watching my status as strange just rose a few notches. When you prune Trident Maple down from fifteen feet to about 4 inches this is what a neighbor would see. With a bit of luck the Trident will sprout new growth that will become the new leader and become the second turn in a classic Trident trunk. Hard pruning a Trident from fifteen feet to 4 inches in a bit like dropping a bomb on

Text Box: I exited my studio with a small bag in one hand and a bright red mat In the other hand. I walked into my side yard among the flowering vines and Maples. I placed the red mat on the ground and dropped to my knees slowly. I open the bag removing what I needed and as I bowed deeply to the East, my head almost touching the ground. I moved the mat and repeated the bow to the West, South and North. I slowly rose up move a few feet and repeated this process forty

Text Box: something. You know the damage you have done but you can’t predict the results of your actions. Not all Tridents will push new growth and they make lousy fire wood. The best you can do is rely on your knowledge of the species and cross your fingers. Joe Day

Text Box: September & October Comfort equals danger

Text Box: chore. Ever notice how little it takes to irritate you to the limit when it’s too hot or too cold. Too hot seems worse. Two pulls of the mower string and no start is about enough at 92% to make you shove it back into the shed and go for something cold. When it cold you seem to have a bit more of the one more try before it becomes a , forget it, issue.

Text Box: Bonsai don’t much like to be bothered with at those hot temps also. A bit of pruning is probably all you can handle anyway. Creativity and misery certainly don’t seem to go together but history shows misery can bring creative thing from people, but not this people. Joe.

Text Box: What makes your , get up and go, go flat ? About 92 degrees and 80 or more percent humidity or on the down side about 42 degrees, wind and the same amount of humidity. When just standing still and breathing makes sweat roll off your nose the wow factor is about –0-. When the cold makes bending just a finger a chore you loose interest in the

Text Box: “The best you can do in rely on your knowledge of the species” Trident Maple will be a focus species at the 2006 ACBS Day of Bonsai

Text Box: At our last meeting we spoke about the soil mix almost all ACBS members use , lava rock and Pine bark, this mix is a fast draining mix that works very well in wet conditions, but you have to be very alert in dry conditions. September and October are the months when Mobile can have the temps in the 80’s/90’s with humidity as low as 20% and wind. The lava rock, Pine bark mix will dry completely in a couple of hours in these conditions. You must water deeply when these conditions are present. Deep watering requires you to water eat