About our October Monthly meeting

As we are having a one-day ‘Bonsai Workshop’ at the Kothari Academy for Women at Kilpauk on 13th October(Saturday), our regular monthly meeting (usually held every second Saturday at the Children’s Green Park, Spurtank Road ) stands postponed to a later date.
Instead looking  forward to seeing you all at the Bonsai Workshop.
Topics covered include demonstrations of various Bonsai styles, pruning, shaping, wiring , repotting, selection of bonsai material etc. taught by eminent  Bonsai Artists.
To register for this  Workshop details are available here.

Monthly meeting

MONTHLY MEETING FOR SEPTEMBER 2012

This is to remind you that our next monthly meeting is on

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2012 AT 2 30 pm

at Children's Green Park, Chetpet, Chennai

Programme

1) Correction of plants brought by the members

2) How to create Adenium as a Bonsai - Ms Suseela Vergis

As Adenium grows well in Chennai, please do not miss this opportunity

3) Show & Tell

A fruiting Bonsai - Mr Sivaji

4) Discussions on planning the forth coming Bonsai Workshop on October 13, 2012 at Kothari Academy for Women, Kilpauk, Chennai.

Shall form 3 groups, based on the area we reside, to facilitate easy gathering, quick decisions and effective implementation.

5) Distribution of September issue of the News Letter

May I seek the presence of all members at this important meeting.

MONTHLY MEETING FOR AUGUST 2012

As announced earlier, our next monthly meeting will be held on Saturday, August 11, 2012 :

Time : 2 30 pm

Venue : Children’s Green Park, Spur Tank Road, Chetpet, Chennai. (Opp.Grand Sweets)

Agenda

2 30 pm – Styling of Bonsai plants brought by the members

3 00 pm – Show & Tell –  Plant of the month -  Mr Mahendra Lakhani

3 15 pm – Repotting into a bonsai pot – Ms Maria

3 30 pm – Demo on Air layering  –  Ms Molly Cherian

3 45 pm – Manuring of different types of Bonsai plants suitable for the current season – Ms Suseela Vergis

4 00  pm – Discussions on proposed ‘Bonsai Workshop cum Sale of plants’

Members are reminded to bring their own tools for styling.

 

PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS ARE WELCOME : Guest charge Rs 100/ per person

Article about Bodhi Bonsai Association in Indian Express Newspaper

This article was published in the Magazine section of the Indian Express, dated 29th Jul, 2012:

Nothing stunted about it

By Sunita Raghu

Seen through the lens of quirky imagination, the trees might well have fell prey to a similar madcap adventure that Lewis Carroll’s eponymous heroine experienced and ended up miniature in size. But then, the members of the Chennai Bodhi Bonsai Association might beg to differ. They have, after all, been assiduously nurturing this ancient Japanese art form — bonsai (meaning tree in a tray) — which for some has taken a good many years before their labour has borne fruit.

Given their collective passion for this miniature art form, a handful of people got together and set up the Chennai Bodhi Bonsai Association, a few years ago. Slowly and surely, the Association has grown in size with more and more people keen to explore this dramatic and creative art style.


The enthusiastic response received at a recently held bonsai exhibition at the Indo-Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry has left the club members elated. For the most part though, they meet up once every month, where they exchange information, hold demos and showcase their individual creations with appropriate feedback. Besides, regular workshops undertaken by bonsai masters such as the Nagercoil-based Ravindran, Jyoti Pandya and Peter Chan have also helped the members understand this art form better.


Different reasons might have got the Association members interested in bonsai, but there is no denying their steadfast love and enthusiasm for it. Club secretary Satya, an ex-IT professional, found that it was a perfect way to combat space restraints in flats and yet have plants and trees around. Club president Molly Cherian, who is also into Ikebana, was so fascinated by the bonsai gardens she saw in Japan that she decided to take it up. For Suseela Vergis, who loves horticulture and plants, gravitating towards bonsai was but natural and she has been nurturing her passion for the same for the last 37 years!


Bonsai is not an art that one learns in a hurry. Says Molly whose favourite is the ficus, “It requires considerable patience, sometimes it takes years to acquire the shape of a tree. One can grow it in a wide ceramic, mud or clay pot with appropriate potting mixtures. I know of a bonsai tree that is 500-years-old.” According to Satya, one needs nimble fingers and a little bit of manipulation to make the tree grow into the shape of your choice and adds, “I have lost a lot of plants but one learns through mistakes. Like for instance, we now know that ficus is best suited to Chennai’s climate.”  Bonsai also calls for a bit of creativity with one able to visualise how the tree will look, the shape of the branches, etc, adds Suseela, who has a collection of 300 bonsai trees which she grows on a farm on the city’s outskirts. Beginners begin to understand styles like wind-swept, cascading, forests, etc, informs Molly who claims that bonsai is a living art.


In spite of the fact that bonsai art has flourished over the centuries, bonsai lovers have had to contend with the criticism that bonsai is cruel to the tree as it stunts their growth. Bristling at the unjustness of the comment, Satya says: “There is not an iota of truth in that. Pre-bonsais are collected from the wild and they are stunted right from the beginning. Then again there are plants struggling to grow in the crevices of walls, etc which we bring back home and nurture and beautify it. Same is the case with plants lying abandoned and neglected in the nurseries. We do not torture or kill but only lavish love and attention on the plant.”


For some, bonsai growing is of considerable therapeutic value, while for others a great stress buster. Says its oldest champion, Suseela whose favourite is the lively and colourful bougainvillea: “My bonsais are like my companions. In fact, they are said to reflect the personality of the owner.”  And signing off on a wry note adds, “Bougainvilleas have thorns too!”


Here is a link to this article on the Indian Express Website .

Monthly meeting on July 14th

Bodhi's Monthly meeting for July 2012 will be held on Saturday 14th July at the Children's Park , Spurtank Road (opp Grand Sweets ) Chennai .

The managing committee wants Bodhi to become a vibrant association and  wishes to  enhance its programs to benefit  existing members as well as attract new members .  Members can voice their specific interests & concerns if any which the managing committee can try  and implement.  To achieve this objective  it is proposed to have a exclusive session on the July meeting agenda  for  members to freely  express their thoughts about  progress made by  our association  and how we can improve . We request all members to attend and contribute actively in this session .
  
The Agenda for the meeting is as given below :

2.30 PM - 3.00   Assistance for  reshaping & Correcting  Bonsai Plants brought by members (please be early to use this time slot)
3.00 - 3.30  Demostration by Suseela on shaping & repotting a plant from Growth pot to a Bonsai pot .
3.30 - 4.00  Wiring Demo by  Fredrick J
4.00 - 4.30  Member's review session - for Bodhi's  Way forward 

Members are requested to attend and benefit from the interaction .

July Newsletter will be distributed . Members who cannot attend the meeting can request for soft copy of the newsletter and it will be sent by email

Persons interested in Bonsai and not yet members of Bodhi are welcome to attend  as Guest . Guest charges will be Rs 100/-

Plant of the Month :  Ficus   Benghalensis
by Suganthi Aiyaswamy (a member Bodhi Bonsai  Chennai.)


 Ficus  Benghalensis   is  commonly   known  as   Banyan. It  is  a large  and  extensive growing  tree of  the  Indian  sub--continent .Due to the  complex structure  of the roots and extensive  branching,  the banyan   is  used for creating  Bonsais.

Bonsai of Ficus Benghalensis

The  tree  produces  propogating  roots  which  grows  downwards,  these  aerial  roots  touch  the ground  and  grow  into  woody  trunks  that  become indistinguishable   from  the  main  trunk.

The  leaves  are  oval in shape,  thick  and  leathery   glossy green  with a    smooth  margin,  and a short
petiole. Young  leaves  have  an  attractive reddish  tinge  to  them.

Styles:
The  trees  can  be  trained  into  an  informal  upright  style or  can be placed  over  rocks

Soil :Red  earth,  sand  and  humus  in  equal amounts  work well for ficus, The  soil  should  be allowed to dry out  between  watering. Spray  or  mist  the leaves  .

Propagation: Soft  wood  cutting  planted  in  soil  takes  root  in  3 to 4 weeks   Young  trees  need  repotting  every year. Do  not  remove  more than  20%  of the roots.  Wiring  can be done  anytime  of  the  year, but  the  wires  should not be allowed  to remain  on  the  plant for more than  a few months  at a time

A banyan  starts its  life  when its seeds  germinate  in the cracks  and crevices  on structures  like  buildings  and  walls,  or  on  host  trees. As they  grow  they  strangle  the  host tree or building,  so  they  are  also  called   Strangler  Fig.

The  Banyan   Bonsai   is  favoured   by  a  lot  of Bonsai  growers  since  it  is easy  to   take  care.   The  aerial  roots   if properly  controlled  will   improve   the appearance  with  no  risk  of   them   spreading
outside  the  pot.


( This article is reproduced from April 2012 issue of 'Bodhi Bonsai News Letter' )

Omiya Bonsai Garden, Tokyo

The Omiya Bonsai Village about an hour from Central Tokyo, is a small area consisting of a dozen Bonsai gardens, each of which have thousands of exquisite bonsai, some of which are more than 500 year-old trees. (The Bonsai Village is closed on Thursdays). An annual bonsai festival is held there every year from May 3-5.


Here are some pictures:

Japanese Maple

Landscape Bonsai

Defoliated Bonsai

Cascading Arrangement

500 hundred year old bonsai

Wisteria Bonsai

Broom Style Bonsai

These pictures were taken at the 'Fuyo-en' Bonsai Garden on May 1st 2012. Here are some more pictures taken  on the same occasion. 

And here are some more beautiful bonsai from this wonderful bonsai garden near Tokyo.