Minutes of the
March
10, 20113 meeting
of the Michiana Bonsai Study
Present: Larry Benjamin, Rose Benjamin, Greg Campbell, John DeMaegd, Mark Fields, Ken Fisher
Ed Hake, Bruce Kennedy, Darlene Kittle, Jerry Kittle, Kathy Lee, Mary Morgan,
Sue Salach, and Paul Weishaar
Location:
Linton’s
Program:
Mark Fields presented a program on the repotting of decidious bonsai (assisted by Paul Weishaar).
Mark brought a Chinese elm at least 30 inches high with an impressive trunk which he repotted to
demonstrate. After removing the tree from the pot, Mark showed how to angle the root scissors
about 45° downward so that the new roots would tend to grow down, instead of upward. Mark used
his favorite potting material, akadama, in repotting - mounding it up in the center where he had
removed much of the roots. He reminded us to pot the tree off-center, with the branches centered
over the pot. (An exception would be a slanted or cascaded tree.) As he used a stick to pack in the
akadama, Mark emphasized the need to insert the stick and rotate it, not just poke and poke it
in at many locations, thus doing unnecessary damage to the roots. After the akadama had been
compacted, Mark watered the tree until the water draining from the pot no longer contained
"silt" from the potting material. He cautioned us to be sure that we didn't place newly repotted
trees where the water would freeze (for at least three weeks).
After his demonstration, Mark offered trees, pots, wire and potting "soil" for sale.