Bonsai Addicts https://bonsai-addicts.co.za Living Art of Bonsai Thu, 27 Feb 2025 08:30:41 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 https://bonsai-addicts.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/cropped-logo-32x32.png Bonsai Addicts https://bonsai-addicts.co.za 32 32 Bonsai Addicts Newsletter – Issue No. 2 https://bonsai-addicts.co.za/2025/02/21/bonsai-addicts-newsletter-issue-no-2/ https://bonsai-addicts.co.za/2025/02/21/bonsai-addicts-newsletter-issue-no-2/#respond Fri, 21 Feb 2025 07:13:48 +0000 https://bonsai-addicts.co.za/?p=26043075

From the Editor

We are building a garden. Perhaps not as legendary as those in Versailles or as mythical as the Garden of Hesperides, but a quaint, homely garden
like if a hobbit were to make his home in the Katsura Imperial Villa.

One of the most basic ideas embedded in this garden is to provide a
space for club members to gather for monthly meetings and other
gatherings, surrounded by bonsai and other plants. It is meant to be a
tree place for tree people. And to that end, we’ve received a very special
tree, a Wild Peach (Kiggelaria africana), from a dear new friend, that will
be grown prominently in the garden. Hopefully she will bring a great deal
of joy to future club members in the seasons to come, and in time her
bright yellow-green petals might even hang over a tokonoma for the
club’s bonsai to be showcased.

It is our every intention and hope to fuse our beautiful indigenous trees
and plants with the Japanese tradition of creating spaces of elegance
and tranquility, with a sophisticated blend of design and philosophy, to
gently reveal the deep relationship between architectural excellence
and the natural world. We want this to be a garden for our bonsai
community to gather, an ode to Japanese culture, and homage to our
South African botanical heritage.

We are still a seed that has barely sprouted, but in time we’ll grow and
flower. Come bloom with us

Wiring
Bonsai trees: Bending and shaping the branches of a Bonsai

By Bonsai Empire
 Text and Photos from: www.bonsaiempire.com/basics/styling/wiring

Wiring
Bonsai trees: Bending and shaping the branches of a Bonsai

By Bonsai Empire
 Text and Photos from: www.bonsaiempire.com/basics/styling/wiring

Wiring is a very important technique used to train and style Bonsai trees. By wrapping wire around the branches of a tree you can bend and reposition the branches to your liking. It takes a few months before the branches are set in their new position(s).

When should I apply wire?
Most tree species can be wired at any time of the year. Deciduous trees however are much easier to wire in late winter due to the absence of leaves. Be attentive when applying wire during the growing season as branches grow thick quite fast, which can result in ugly scars from the wire cutting into the bark. Check on your tree regularly and make sure to remove the wire on time. Caution: Protect wired trees from frost, as branch may die if wire freezes.

Types of wire
There are two kinds of wire that can be used for Bonsai: Anodized aluminium and annealed copper. Aluminium wire is better when used for deciduous species, while the harder copper wire is best for conifers and pines. However, if you’re a beginner we advise you to use the anodized

aluminium wire. It is easier to work with and sold in most online Bonsai stores.

Wire is available in sizes from 1-8mm thick. When wiring thick branches, we recommended wrapping them with rubber tape or raffia soaked in water first. This is to protect the branches from being damaged by the wire when shaping.

How to wire a Bonsai tree
Wiring can be a tricky technique to master. Whenever possible, wire two branches of similar thickness near each other using a single piece of wire. This technique is known as ‘double-wiring’ and it provides more support for both branches. The remaining branches should be wired separately using single-wiring. Make sure to wire all the branches you intend on shaping before actually bending them. When wiring an entire Bonsai tree, work from the trunk to the primary branches, and then start wiring the secondary branches. As a rule of thumb, use wires that are 1/3 of the thickness of the branch you are wiring. For example if you have a 9mm thick branch, selected a 3mm wire as per the 1/3 rule.

The wire should be thick enough to hold the branch in its new position and should be wrapped at a 45° to 60° angle.

Double wiring a Bonsai
First, select the pair of branches you want to wire. The branches you choose must have the same thickness and be located near each other on the trunk. The wire should wrap around the trunk at least once, so it will not move when bending the branches later on.

Wrap the wire around the trunk and proceed with one branch at a time. Be sure to wrap the wire from the base of the branch all the way to the very tip of it before moving on to the other branch. The wire should be wrapped around the branches at a 45 to 60 degree.

NB: If you want to bend a branch downwards from the trunk make sure the wire comes from below. If you’d like to bend a branch upwards from the trunk, make sure the wire comes from above.

When you have completed wiring all suitable pairs of branches, continue wiring the remaining branches using the single-wiring technique.

“ grow out seven nodes, and then cut back to two, throughout the growing season ”

Single wiring
Just like double-wiring, make sure you cut off enough wire to wrap around the trunk twice, and account for enough wire to wrap around the branch from base to tip at a 45 to 60 degree angle.

When multiple wires are applied to the same part of the trunk or branch try to place them neatly together without crossing them.

Bending the wired branches
Once the entire tree is wired, you can begin bending and repositioning the branches. Hold the outside of the branch you want to bend with your fingers and bend the branch from the inside of the curve with your thumbs. it’s important to apply force on the inside of the branch to reduce the risk of splitting. When the branch is positioned where you want it, refrain from moving it. Repeated bending will likely damage the branch.

Aftercare
It’s important to keep a watchful eye on the tree during the growing season so the wires don’t damage your tree. Branches will grow around the wires in 1-4 months, depending on how fast the tree grows, damaging the bark and leaving permanent scars. Make sure you remove the wires before they start digging into the bark. When removing wiring, it’s best to cut the wire at every turn. Do not try to recycle wire by unwinding it off of the branches. Unwinding will most likely damage the tree.

Propagating bonsai from scratch

By Ky Basson

Introduction
Plants are so alien to some people, and yet, to those who take the time to learn how to grow and take care of plants, it easily becomes second nature.

The first step in learning how plants work is to propagate them yourself, and the best introduction to this concept is to grow from seeds and grow from cuttings. Each propagation method has its advantages and disadvantages:

Propagating with seed:
Seeds tend to store well for long periods of time, and need relatively little prior knowledge to understand how to start growing some plants. However, growing from seeds does take longer than with cloned material, and depending on

the species, some seeds will require special treatment in order to activate their seed germ. Additionally, when you do grow plants out from seed, they will all have genetic variations, which leads to inconsistencies within your plants. This affects the commercial grower more than the hobbyist, but is still important to note.

Propagating with cuttings:
Cuttings are significantly faster than growing from seed in most cases, as you’ve already got a fully functioning plant that only needs to regrow one part of itself. Genetic clones means predictable and consistent growth responses, all you have to do is learn how to grow ONE plant, but really well, and you’ll be able to replicate it near indefinitely.

That being said, cuttings are a lot more urgent to grow than seeds are, as they only stay fresh for a limited period. You also need to work a lot more hygienically when growing cuttings, to avoid spreading diseases.

Taking cuttings also needs to be timed- Most are taken in mid to late spring, and summer is also a good time to take, but autumn and winter cuttings tend to be more challenging, with harder wood usually being preferred.

Growing seed: Terminology
Scarification – The process in which we physically damage the shell of the seed so it can germinate faster

Stratification – The process of cold-treating a seed for a period to induce germination.

Growth inhibitors – Chemicals that prevent a seed from growing until either triggered by key signals or by being broken down via processes such as chemical treatment or boiling water.

Growing from seed has various approaches, but a good start is to cover the basics:

Soak your seeds overnight in water, place them into a moist paper towel and keep moist and warm somewhere nice and dark. You can use two saucers to help by using one as a lid for the other, creating a dark, humid place for the seed to grow. Wait for your seeds push out a taproot and then carefully plant them in your growing medium of choice.

Some seeds need special treatment, however, which may need different remedies. Some seeds need to be triggered into germinating. Maples, for instance, need to have their seeds go through a stratification process for 3-6 months, usually by being thrown into the freezer for the winter period. Thick shelled seeds often need to be scarified and then soaked in order to grow them fast. Acacias, for instance, can have their seeds be thrown into some boiling or near-boiling water, then allowed to cool and soak overnight. The hot water breaks down the outer seed coats and allows for the heat-resistant Acacia seeds to absorb water more efficiently.

How to grow from cuttings:
As discussed before, spring and summer are your most ideal seasons to take cuttings. This is to take advantage of the active growth the plants undergo at this stage.

“Each propagation method has its advantages and disadvantages…”

Cuttings can be 2mm to 8mm (pencil girth) thick and should ideally have at least 3 nodes on them, with the bottom of the cutting being close to one. (Nodes are the points where the leaves and later branches grow from).

Many people make a slanted cut on one side of the cutting, and a flat cut on the other to tell up from down. My personal preference is to have the slanted side on the top so to avoid water collecting on and potentially killing the cutting from the top.

Mother plants that you take cuttings from should ideally be in good health and well watered, rather avoid growing cuttings from sickly or weak plants.

You can use a rooting hormone to assist with the rooting process. You get both liquid and powdered form rooting hormones. Dynaroot has 3 colour coded formulas for soft, semi hardwood and hardwood cuttings. Liquid hormones can be diluted to the required amounts. Gel forms are also available, but can be pricey.

Keeping high humidity is vital, with no roots to suck up any water with, the plant tissues will rely on the moisture in the surrounding air to keep from wilting. A humidity chamber is

therefore vital.

Growing your plants:

Now that you’ve been introduced to the options, it’s time to look at how best to grow these plants.

You’ll need good lighting (dappled shade or bright, indirect light) and mild temperatures (not too hot, not too cold). With cuttings especially and often with seed, you also want good humidity, and although you don’t want a draft, you do want some air movement after roots

have established. A coke bottle with the bottom cut off makes for an excellent humidity chamber that can be periodical vented. Keep hygiene up to maximum, however, and ensure to not only wipe off the inside of the humidity chamber, but also dry it off once or twice a day during this most critical part of growing your saplings. Do not allow leaves to rest on the sides of the humidity chamber, as that invites diseases to brood readily.

When your saplings have established themselves (cuttings have their roots and seedlings have 4 sets of true leaves) you can plant them out into individual pots if they’ve been grown in groups, or into slightly bigger containers.

The initial growing process should ideally be done in many small steps rather than in giant leaps. Your rooted cuttings should start off in small containers of around 5cm diameter, then be planted up into 9cm pots, followed by 12cm, 15cm, 20cm and 25cm pots in a 3-7 stage growing cycle.

The reason behind this is that too much space in your pot means you waste resources because the roots can’t reach them in time before they leech out with watering, but at

the same time, you don’t want to allow your plants to become root bound, as that reduces their ability to absorb water and nutrients, so doing this intense grow cycle helps prevent these issues.

You should wait for the plant, the plant must never wait for you. In this context, it means that you should only act when the plant is ready, and avoid acting too soon. Cuttings that aren’t properly rooted (a process that can take up to a year in some species) will never be ready for a pot at all until they’re able to support themselves, but leave them too long in their growing container, and you stunt their growth and lose their growth vigour.

Don’t feed seedlings until they’re at least at the 4 leaf stage, and don’t feed cuttings until they have roots.

I hope this guide helps you grow out your best plants yet!

“You should wait for the plant, the plant must never wait for you.”

The Pinus genus

By Ky Basson

Introduction:
There are around 187 species of pines around the world, a couple of which are grown in South Africa for commercial purposes, and more that are available specifically as bonsai – Japanese black pine being particularly popular for its double flush of growth, but many local pines can have up to 4 flushes of growth a year! Some Pines of South Africa: P. pinaster – The Maritime Pine, native to the Western Mediterranean Basin, is a fast growing pine that has 1-2

flushes of growth a year. It has needles of around 2mm thick, which can reach up to 25cm long. It was introduced to South Africa between 1685 and 1693 as a source of timber and pine resin. It is quite fire resistant, and prefers a Mediterranean climate. It has become an absolute scourge in the Cape and other parts of South Africa, practically taking over the Fynbos region ever since its introduction between 1685 & 1693 as a source of timber, thanks to its rapid reproduction rate, rate of growth, and fire resistance.

P. patula – The Mexican Weeping Pine, native to Central America, is a moderate to fast-growing tree that has 1-2 flushes of growth a year. It has needles that range from

15cm-25cm long. It is grown for its multi-purpose timber in South Africa and prefers high altitudes.

P. elliotii – The Slash Pine, native to the Southeastern US, is a moderate to fast-growing pine that has 2-4 flushes of growth a year. It has thin needles that range from 14cm to 24cm long. It’s highly prized for its strong wood, and prefers warm, humid regions, and is commonly found around Pretoria and Centurion as street trees from times forgotten.

P. radiata – The Monterey Pine, native to Coastal California and Mexico, is a fast growing pine with 1-2 flushes of growth a year. Its needles are between 6cm and 15cm long. It’s grown for commercial use and has versatile wood.

P. communicatus – The Communication Pine, is an extremely slow to not growing cellphone tower that has around 0 flushes of growth a year. It is planted for its ability to broadcast radio waves while pretending to be a tree.

Care: Pines all have approximately similar needs in order to

grow them well. They require six or more hours of direct sunlight, which helps develop shorter needles, and they prefer soil that drains well & is slightly acidic with a pH between 4 & 7, but otherwise grow in a huge variety of soil types.

Pines enjoy frequent watering. Although they want soil that drains freely and to be allowed to dry out a little between watering, they’re actually relatively thirsty trees and have had the unfortunate side effect of drastically reducing South Africa’s water availability when growing in the wild.

It is important to keep your pines from going though periods of drought, as they are notorious for only showing symptoms of drought damage weeks after experiencing it.

Some species are specialized for certain environments,

some preferring the cold and harshness of northern hemisphere mountains, others exclusively growing in subtropical regions. Thanks to this diversity, anyone can

use pines for bonsai and get beautiful results. However, some pines are better than others as bonsai material- stiff needles usually being more prized than drooping needles, although even these can make for some lovely specimens.

Training:
Pines are best pruned during the active growing season, in Spring and Summer. According to the Bonsai Empire website, candles should be removed in early to mid summer, when they’ve hardened off a little, and leave a stub of around 6mm with a few pairs of needles.

In Autumn, you can remove excess shoots from the tree until you have 2 remaining. It is advised to remove the dominant shoot and thin out the others to a laterally growing pair that are of similar strength that are growing in the correct direction, forming a V shape, ideally. On parts of the tree with the most vigorous growth, you can pluck out the excess of older needles to encourage that classic tip-growth habit pines have in nature.

When it comes to wiring, it is important to note that pines tend to resist wiring, so the common South African practice is to use aluminium wire of half the girth of the branch instead of a third of the girth, and wire it for a little longer than is preferred elsewhere. Alternatively, if you can afford it, copper wire is considered as the best tool for the job, as it leaves thinner marks and therefore can stay in place for a little longer. It is also harder than aluminium once bent, so take care when styling a branch with copper wire, as you will have to plan well ahead and style your tree as you apply wire. Once it’s on, it’s on!

Although pines are frost hardy and can even tolerate being covered in ice, it’s still advisable to protect your trees somewhat in the winter, specifically the roots.

You can feed unhealthy trees little bits at a time through the year until they are better. Be careful with the dosage, however, as pines do not take well to being over fertilised in general. Healthy trees can be fed from early spring to late autumn in cold climates, but in South Africa, the practise is to simply lessen the winter feeds.

Repotting is a bit of a task: Pines heavily rely on their

mycorrhiza [mahy-k, uh, -, rahy, -zee], the symbiotic fungus that lives on and around their roots, to remain healthy and strong against pests and diseases. Be sure to take old soil from between the rootball mass and sprinkle it throughout the new growing medium to colonise it speedily and allow the tree to regain its strength rapidly.

Pests, diseases and how to treat them:

Pines are vulnerable to a number of fungal diseases and an array of pests. Aphids, caterpillars, nearly invisible scale insects, mealybugs and of course, red spider mites, all like

to feed upon pines and can cause years of hard work to be at risk. Healthy trees do not typically get pests easily, so an underlying cause could be lurking beneath the surface. For most pests, a treatment of Oleum combined with a contact insecticide like Cypermethrin/Siezer/Malasol should do the trick. For red spider mites, a combination of

Oleum, a wetting agent like g49/JADAM, and a miticide such as Siezer/Ludwig’s Rose Spidermite should help.

There are a number of fungal diseases that pines are vulnerable to, but sadly once symptoms are visible, you might be already too late. Prevention is therefore better than cure! Healthy trees that are kept in a sunny position (And luckily for us here in Gauteng, usually dry air), tend to remain healthy, but for that extra sense of security, you can make use of a suspension* fungicide such as Chronos or Odeon periodically. Be sure to avoid systemic fungicides or spraying on the roots, as to protect the mycorrhiza.

Always take precautions when using chemicals like these. Wear gloves, closed shoes and long sleeved clothes while handling chemicals, and wear a mask and goggles when applying them. Read the label, and if you are unsure, consult plant experts like me for advice [and tip them well]

I hope this information helps you grow your best pines yet!

*Suspension fungicides go into the tissues of the plant at the location where you sprayed, as opposed to all over the plant’s system such as the case with systemic fungicides

]]> https://bonsai-addicts.co.za/2025/02/21/bonsai-addicts-newsletter-issue-no-2/feed/ 0 Why do bonsai? https://bonsai-addicts.co.za/2025/01/24/why-do-bonsai/ https://bonsai-addicts.co.za/2025/01/24/why-do-bonsai/#respond Fri, 24 Jan 2025 07:10:56 +0000 https://bonsai-addicts.co.za/?p=26043014

If you’ve never seen a bonsai before it might strike you as undefinably odd to put a tree in a tiny pot, devote your every free hour to its care and well-being, only to receive nothing back of measurable substance, no sustenance or shelter against the elements, because what you’ve poured your heart and soul into to grow, is simply too small.

But there are good reasons to practice the art of bonsai. And some of them are good for you too!

Nature

We live in a world that is made of either concrete, plastic or a screen. Everything we touch is artificial. The different textures involved with bonsai, of the leaves, branches, bark, roots and soils is stimulating for your genetic-historical senses. It is good for us to physically touch the elements that make up a tree, even if it is only one in a pot that we can control in this busy world we built for ourselves. This doesn’t mean that bonsai is equivalent to just playing in the dirt, however. You still have to take care of your bonsai, and that is slightly more involved.

Care

We are a social species. Caring comes naturally to us. Sure, caring also comes with the hurt of betrayal and the pain of loss, but in bonsai the stakes are much lower, and it is much safer to accept that they are a part of the natural world. Of course, caring is also more than just a risk to feel your feelings. It is also actively engaging with the subject of your care to take care of them according to their needs. They can’t speak or communicate, so you have to be attentive to signs that they are under specific stress or strain. Because we have taken these little trees out of their climates, biomes and evolved environments, most often when something goes wrong it is just because we’ve missed a detail. In the act of caring for them, they become the focal point for you to pay more attention to the immediate world around you.

Awareness

Amazingly, people are quite unaware how vast the sprawl of stars is in the night sky. Little wonder given most of us live right in the middle of artificially lit metropolises. And yet, once you start to care for your trees you become aware of the wider world over your head and the smaller intricate one everywhere around you. You notice how the trajectory of the sun changes across the seasons, the direction from which clouds gather to form rain. The bugs that threaten your tree and the bugs that, though they are just doing their thing, protect your tree by eating the aforementioned villains. You become aware of what to plant in the rest of the garden, to attract the inadvertent defenders of your little tree’s being. The birds and what they do become familiar patterns. Your local area’s weather and how your street’s or suburb’s might differ from the rest of your city. The very different micro-climates in your yard, around your bonsai and the elements that affect that. There is a whole new way of seeing the world you inhabit once you view it from the needs of your bonsai. You form a completely different map of all the different conditions that surround you. And all this time that you spend marveling at every new intricacy, you are also learning to wait.

Patience

The human mind is a wondrous organic calculating engine capable of the most astonishing thing on this planet: thinking. But it needs rest. It simply cannot operate indefinitely. Little wonder then that we feel stretched and tired in a world that bombards our senses with a constant flood of more often than not unnecessary information, pointless deadlines and a spiral of social pressure to outperform the exhausted husk of a human next to you. If a task wasn’t done in a flurry of heads tumbling over heels, it couldn’t have been done right. In bonsai there is no point in being in a hurry. Not even short term goals can be achieved over-night. The trees themselves simply do not change quickly. There is a peace in the journey you take with your trees, an acceptance that change is inevitable, but that it doesn’t come without first making the choices that will only bear fruit, or ramification or thicker trunks later. Thinking creatures that we are though, it’s not like we haven’t found ways to speed up some of the processes …a little.

Problem solving

To the uninitiated bonsai might seem like the sort of affair that traps you between the laws of nature and the stern sedimentary traditions of the long out of date. And in many ways, it really is. But even between those two narrow posts you still need to take what nature has shaped and get to something slightly different and still alive and thriving. Understanding the natural processes, working with care and awareness of and for the tree, and with only enough haste to not burden the tree with too little time to heal from your plans, still leaves you with a lot of room to be innovative. Every tree species is different, and every tree too. And the climates and micro-climates were bonsai is practiced around the world is almost infinite. This might sound terribly daunting, but one of the fundamentals of problem solving is understanding that you always start with thousands of possibilities, and by eliminating only a few you remove the thousands of possible pathways too they might have taken. Learning to think like this applies to styling bonsai as well as keeping and taking care of your trees. It is an invaluable skill to learn and bonsai is a wonderful discipline to hone it in.

Creativity

Creativity is often disregarded as just a mere pastime for frivolous self-indulgent entertainment. Although the accusation of spending countless hours with your bonsai as being self-indulgent can hardly be defended as untrue, the more reverent core of creativity -the ability to align seemingly disparate ideas and form a new path- is fundamental to bonsai in many ways. Bonsai combines horticulture, art, engineering, philosophy, geology, psychology and chemistry. Now, obviously no average person is going to be an expert in all these, but in bonsai you learn enough to balance your weaknesses with your strengths for the sake of your trees. And it takes some creative thinking to arrange these different disciplines together, whatever the combination of your personal skills and preferences. It’s good for you to both learn and use ideas you might have thought diametrically opposed each other. In bonsai, it’s not just the tree that grows.

Self-expression

Bonsai is absolutely open to self-expression. It is after all your tree! Bonsai artists have a myriad of choices and possibilities to play with. And new ways of approaching different species of trees or interesting ideas of combining them with unusual styles are discovered every year. But as self-explanatory as self-expression might be, in bonsai it is also far less self-indulgent. Between you and your tree, you may very well be the sentient one making the decisions, but the tree has veto power. Nature itself is the final arbiter. This does not mean that you can’t be innovative and forward thinking in your approach, only that hubris will result in a high rate of failure. Bonsai will teach you humility with perspective, patience and an open mind, and within that frame of mind the sky is still the limit.

Friendship

The art and spirit of bonsai engenders patience, care, awareness, creativity, problem solving, self-expression and through the mutual practice of these virtues, friendship. There’s a sort of group-think that connects a band of bonsai growers, with the prevailing algorithm being, “Aren’t these little trees wonderful.” It makes everyone super chilled and you can check your socializing box with a very peaceable tick.

Distraction and stress relief

The demands of a job can put strain on you, even if it’s work that you love. The demands of life put strain on you. The world is busy and it is demanding, and there is a lot of wisdom in taking a step back and allowing your mind just to enjoy a hobby. And most hobbies can provide some distraction and with it some stress relief. But no other hobby provides the sensory stimulation that bonsai does, the visual appeal of healthy green foliage, the smell of fresh soil, the engagement of the mind to both minute and wider happenings, the encouragement to understand the real world, the natural world, better. Bonsai makes you think about your choices, makes you plan ahead with the acceptance that you are only in control of what you can control. These little trees are the most wonderful thing in the world. And once you become addicted to them, you are going to want to share them too.

]]> https://bonsai-addicts.co.za/2025/01/24/why-do-bonsai/feed/ 0 Bonsai Addicts Newsletter – Issue No. 3 https://bonsai-addicts.co.za/2025/01/24/bonsai-addicts-newsletter-issue-no-3/ https://bonsai-addicts.co.za/2025/01/24/bonsai-addicts-newsletter-issue-no-3/#respond Fri, 24 Jan 2025 06:12:17 +0000 https://bonsai-addicts.co.za/?p=26042981

From the Editor

The year that was, and the year that is to come: 2024 started with a bitter-sweet good-bye, grew into an expanding club, two big shows two weekends in a row and a beaming horizon that’s at bursting point to shine on in a bright future.

In February we said good-bye to the club’s founding father Antony Smith, and Mavourneen. By the time they come visit they just might not recognize the club.

The Spring season saw Addicts hosting a large bonsai show at the Woodworking Association of Pretoria’s Wood & Craft Expo held at the New Hope School, to great success. Only to be followed by another large bonsai exhibition the following weekend at the Japanese Embassy’s Japanese Festival at Central Square, Menlyn Maine, with our friends from the Pretoria Bonsai Kai. Both shows drew enthusiastic public attention to bonsai and the club’s activities, with several new members having joined as a result.

As the year progressed the likelihood grew of the club having its own garden. That garden was first opened to members in October. The club now has two meetings every third Saturday of the month. The first, in the morning, at Safari Garden centre as usual. And the second, at Bag-En, in the afternoon in Centurion. No garden just grows overnight and this one is still at the start of what will be a years long project. But the intent is that Bag-En will be a launch pad from which the club can do interesting and amazing things.

As a seedling of that intent, in this issue, we focus on our indigenous trees as bonsai: Bruce gives us feedback on his trip to Stellenbosch to attend the much vaunted ABC6, and Ky gives us insight into some often underused South African species for bonsai –a much wider topic that will form the basis of the club’s future and that brightly shining horizon.

Bruce’s ABC6 Diary

By Bruce Carter

I do hate flying. It’s not because of any deep-seated fear of falling out of the sky or anything like that. It’s just that I hate flying. But ABC6 was to take place in Stellenbosch, and in order to get there and home by the end of the weekend, I had to fly. I’d have to be brave, for the bonsai. Fortunately I had a few buddies to fly with, and enjoy the weekend with, so I was ready to embrace the challenge.

Org, Jaco, Liam and I arrived at Cape Town International Airport fairly late on Thurs night and after finding our way to our accommodation and finding supper, we were ready to party.

Friday 08 November was the opening address by Jonathan Cain, the president of the African Bonsai Association (ABA) followed by Tolla Smit the president of the South African Bonsai Association (SABA). The message from Jonathan was that we need to start travelling to overseas conventions and take part in them in order to get South Africa on the map as a serious bonsai loving country.

This was followed by a demonstration and talk by Elsa Boudouri from Italy and was joined by local bonsai artist Emile de Bruin from Ceres. Elsa is a very serious bonsai

professional who exhibited a very deep love for the art and a great respect for the age and development of the tree being worked on. There was no great show of ‘look what I have done with this tree’, but a very quiet determination to develop and style the tree as it is meant to be. Her ability to find the inner beauty of the tree and style it for long term health was a huge paradigm shift from past artists I have seen, and I was deeply impressed with her approach to creating the final product.

Lunch was accompanied by a walk through the trees on display, and what a wonderful selection of trees it was. Anyone interested to see footage from ABC6 can log onto the YouTube channel “Bonsaiwithromano’ and find a whole range of pictures and video clips (some of which are still in the process of being edited and uploaded).

The lunch break was followed by a demonstration and talk by Jennifer Price from the USA. And what a chatty person she was. It was wonderful to have her explain every step of

her thought process and involve the audience in the decision-making process, a great choice of speaker for the graveyard shift.

The afternoon ended with the SABA AGM followed by the awarding of lifetime achievement awards and a finger supper with wine.

Saturday 09 November was a day of local talent. The day kicked off with the Louis Nel memorial lecture on Buddleja by Freddie Bisschoff and he was joined on stage by Andre Swart who spoke of Spekboom, and launched his book on the specie.

Lunch was again enjoyed with a viewing of the trees on display, and this time Liam had roped us into selecting our personal top five, which we would be discussing over supper later that evening.

The afternoon session consisted of the three musketeers: Hannes Fritz, Vian Herbst and Scott Bredin on their favourite species. Both talks, the one by Hannes who spoke on olives, and the one by Scott, who gave an amazing presentation on Baobabs, have been made available by Romano.

Later, Carl de Beer, the custodian of the Ceronio-collection, joined us for supper at our accommodation and a lively discussion on our top trees ensued.

Sunday, 10 November was the final day and this consisted of a joint demonstration by Elsa and Jennifer on a very old Pine tree that belonged to Becky Lucas, who pioneered the art of bonsai in South Africa, and is now cared for by the Stellenbosch Arboretum. What really moved me was

the absolute respect and care that the duo took in restoring the tree to greatness. It was truly the highlight of the convention.

The next great event will be the mini convention which will be held in Pretoria in 2025 and will be hosted by the BRAT members. It will basically be in my back yard. I won’t have to fly. But I’ll still be brave, for the bonsai.

Underutilized trees in South African bonsai

At our last “after-party” meeting at Thian’s place, Bruce Carter had some exciting news to share with us from his trip to the ABC6 held in Stellenbosch earlier in November. Among other topics, he mentioned that there are a few trees that were highlighted at the convention as being underutilized as bonsai by the greater community. Although South Africa has literally thousands of species to choose from, the highlighted selection are the following
trees:
Buddelja saligna – The False Olive
Portulacaria afra – Spekboom
Premna mooiensis – The Skunk Bush
Adansonia digitata – The Baobab
Ever the plant enthusiast, I’ve taken it upon myself to arm you with the knowledge to care of these species.

False Olive – Buddelja saligna
About:
A widespread, fast growing tree with many horticultural applications, the False Olive is one of around 140 species found worldwide, and can be found about everywhere in Southern Africa, thanks to tolerating a wide range of habitats. In the green industry, False Olives are planted as hedges, screens, rapid shade trees and habitat rehabilitation. Easy to grow from cuttings and able to grow in poor soils, survive pollution & dust coverage, these trees are extensively used in the urban setting. They are drought resistant once established, and respond well to pruning.
Bonsai significance
Buddlejas are versatile trees: Their leaves reduce extremely well and they make for interesting deadwood subjects. These trees can be trained into many different

forms and because of how fast they grow, develop rapidly compared to other trees.
Care:
Buddeljas like full sun, good drainage and are fairly pest-resistant when healthy. They benefit from light dressings of compost or fertilizer applied throughout the year, with a
heavier feed being recommended in the Autumn (For their flowers) or Spring (To replenish them from flowering). Buddeljas can grow in rather shallow pots, and can be repotted every year to every second year -at least during their developmental stages. They are frost-hardy, but benefit from some protection in winter. Allow to dry out a little between watering.

Elephant Food/Spekboom – Portulacaria afra
About:
Found throughout the arid parts of Southern Africa, this species is extremely varied, with over 7 different forms being recognized (Common, large leaf, prostrata, “Eeny Meeny”, willow form, yellow tipped, & variegated, to name a few) throughout South Africa. They range from low-growing ground covers, to small trees of around 2-5 meters, although some are rumored to be a little taller. They tolerate a wide range of growing environments, which has helped popularise them in the common garden. They are often confused with Crassula ovata, which doesn’t make red stem-tips as they grow. Spekboom grow readily from cuttings.
Bonsai significance
Spekboom respond well to bonsai training and have become increasingly more popular as bonsai subjects. They respond well to pruning and can even be defoliated just after winter to encourage new growth spurts. Because of how hardy they are, you can safely go on vacation- a good reason for the busy South African to keep some in their bonsai collection. Some old-school bonsai artists of South Africa try to argue that Spekboom don’t count as
bonsai, but in my opinion they’re just as valid if not more so than a Baobab.
Care
Although tolerant of semi-shade conditions, Spekboom thrive under full sun conditions. Once they have a canopy of leaves, their stems aren’t as prone to getting scorched in hot weather. They prefer soil that drains well, and benefit from lots of organic matter. Spekboom aren’t

typically attacked by pests, but can host aphid infestations during spring, which spreads to other trees. You can repot these trees every year to every third year. Protect them from frost as they can take quite a knock from cold. Allow to completely dry between watering, if possible, and increase water frequency in Summer.

Skunkbush – Premna mooiensis
About:
A small tree or shrub with no description on their size, this species can be found on rocky outcrops throughout the warmer Eastern regions of Southern Africa. They are known to give off a foul odor when the leaves are broken. This species isn’t well studied as a result, and is not used in landscape settings. A pioneer plant for bonsai!
Bonsai significance
Relatively new to the bonsai scene, these trees have been found to rapidly develop into stunning specimens, especially when collected as yamadori. They are subjected to a wide variety of styles and respond well to pruning. The foul smell they give off helps prevent animals and people from damaging the tree, ideal if you have dogs or cats that like to help.
Care
These plants grow on rocky outcrops and therefore enjoy a good dose of sunlight, either in semi-shade or full sun form. They enjoy freely draining media. Thanks to the soft wood, Premna are prone to boring insects, but are otherwise quite pest resistant. Repotting can occur frequently, as these are fast growing plants. They seem to do well in both shallow and deep pots, and should be well protected from cold in the winter. Allow to dry out between watering.

Baobab – Adansonia digitata
About:
The baobab is a classic hit for South African bonsai. Growing in the warmest parts of Africa, these trees are not extensively used in landscapes due to their immense size, but are considered as one of the most useful plants in Africa.
Bonsai significance
Baobabs aren’t a beginner friendly bonsai, but nonetheless make for amazing large-specimen bonsai. Due to their difficulty to train, it is recommended to grow them as

 

large as possible, and to keep them in deep pots with plenty of drainage, giving these trees a very different presentation compared to most bonsais around the world. This is one of the truly unique African style bonsai.
Care
Baobabs aren’t easy to care for outside their home range. They enjoy full sun conditions, but can be prone to sunburn on the stems, and prefer freely draining soils – the dryer, the better. Prone to getting attacked by pests when unhealthy, it is important to inspect them biweekly for trouble. They grow best in freely draining media with good amounts of organic matter. Repotting can be done yearly or so, depending on your growing conditions. They are very sensitive to cold, and it’s actually recommended in Pretoria to pull your tree out when there are no leaves and allow them to stay bare-rooted in a warm spot in the garage. Allow to dry out between deep watering, and never allow even high humidity in Winter. These trees are likely to become more and more popular as time goes on.

Spekboom and Buddeljas are extremely easy to come by, but though Premna and Baobabs aren’t as readily available, they all make for some truly amazing specimens.

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