Chat, Chill and Learn

 By Vijaya Rao

It was a Saturday morning and while the sun was up, we at Bodhi were fully charged to meet all our friends and exchange notes. We did not have to check our Wi-Fi or call the more tech savvy ones at home for help to scrunch our faces into the screen to get a partial view of people and plants. After entering into the open armed club house of Defense Colony Institute fully masked, shaking our sterile hands we gently slipped into hugs, pulled our masks down and dug our hands into mud. Corona was not permitted to enter where Nature lovers ruled the roost.

Getting down to business it was demo time and notes were jotted down either on paper or into our memories to be put to good use. The first was by Dr.Yogesh and Suseela on designing a raw material into bonsai. The basics were brushed up by the seniors while the new commers intently observed the steps to be followed. We saw a wild grown Fukien tree transform into an upcoming bonsai of beautiful trunk curvature with all the unnecessary branches knocked off. The cuttings won’t survive so some young shoots that had roots were quickly picked up by us.

The next demo was by Sheela who brought a few tall Ashoka saplings which were picked from the wayside and made to catch root in a pot. These were placed in forest style with the thick trunked ones in front and the others behind in a slightly asymmetrical manner on uneven ground to create depth. What was missing is Sita pining for Rama under one of the trees - a scene from the epic Ramayana?

Tanuki by Ramkumar and Vijaya was quite a challenge as the master here on this subject was sitting pretty before us. Help! Help! and Suseela appeared with a treated casuarina root and a leggy ficus that was fixed into it to create a beautiful Tanuki. Vijaya did the talking while Ram and Suseela brought the Dead wood to life - Phoenix Graft is what the westerners aptly named it. This was auctioned in American style in a very interesting way by Ram for Rs.2850/- The proceeds went to the club while our new member Lalitha was the lucky winner. Ram had a Tanuki made by him in a different style where he had fixed 4 to 5 Premnas into holes and hollows in the wood which was displayed along with the exhibits of our members.

We were unstoppable with eyeing what to sell or buy from our own supplies when Raja entered with a truck load of flowering Adeniums. Crazy pick and choose happened while our hearts took over our brains and while we kept mouthing ‘enough’ our hands grabbed a few.

 Did we get hungry? Of course, we did! After having polished Sangeetha’s supposedly mini meals in a mega box we chatted some time away planning our next meet until the arrival of Chocolate cake and thattai followed by tea. We huffed and puffed and carried our loot and exhibits into our respective transports and left gleaming away to glory.

Cheers to our defense colony friends Molly, Sheela, Alice and Nirmala for their passionate and warm hospitality.

FLAT TOPPED BONSAI : by Sheela Babu

When we think about African savannahs, what comes before you is large stretches of grasslands dotted with the iconic flat topped Acacia trees. There are several species of this. 

They are tall , flat canopied and small leaved in structure. The scientists who have studied these trees are not totally sure how they get this shape but they do come to the conclusion that environment has played a major part in this. 

Three major reasons they say is 

1) the frequent fires of the dry grass, 

2) the herbivores like the giraffe which feed on the leaves and 

3) the abundant sunlight in these regions which the wide canopies capture for their growth. 

These factors have made these trees to adapt and grow tall with the canopies on top for their survival. 

Trees most suitable to mimic this flat topped style are 1. Brazilian rain tree 2.premna 3. Feuken tea and 5. hedge plants like Duranta

Bald cypress and Japanese black pine are also suitable for this style though it is not easily available here.

The Baobab trees also known as upside-down trees are also flat topped by nature. They can also make good bonsais. 

Any way you get rid of mealy bugs in soil ?

 Compiled by Thomas George.

Best I think to do change the soil. Add fungicide to the new soil. Wash out the roots and spray  monocrotohos and also wash the pot if you are using the same pot. This is what I would do... in case you want to use the reuse the soil later date, sun dry for a week spray

When should'nt I fertilize my bonsai?

 Compiled by Thomas George.

Good Morning... some pointers to bonsai lovers

 Compiled by Thomas George

Placement of plants:

1. Ideal area where to place your plants is south facing  as you get plenty of sunshine

2. Round and square pots, place your plant in the center of the pot.

3. Oval and rectangle pots, place your plant to the left or right end of the pot say one third length of  container. This would add beauty to composition.

Bonsai tips for the day

 Compiled by Thomas George

1. Select small leaf plants for bonsai.. or needle plant like casuarina
 
2. Chose a plant that is suitable to Chennai climate.

3. Plants that you will be able to reduce the leaf size by defoliation

4. Look at structure first and establish that well.

5. Feed the plant well and let it grow in a growth pot in the initial few years

I think it better to go slow on feed after defoliation as the next set of leaves will be bigger than the last...

I think it is better to defoliate little before the growth season. Then give a little  feed to the plant so it grows well in the growth season

6. Avoid wiring when the plant and soil are wet. Wire when the soil is completely dry.

7. Defoliate during growth season of the plant

Tigerbark Ficus

by Latha Rao

 Tigerbark ficus is a cultivar of Microcarpa. There are many cultivars and varieties like Chinese Banyan and Indian Laurel.

It was discovered in 1970 by a grower in southern part of Taiwan and was named after the grower’s nickname “Kim M’ng” which means blonde or golden hair in taiwanese dialect for his blonde hair.

When the communists took over mainland China the nationkists retreated to a nationalist controlled group of islands called Kinmen in Taiwan strait.Kinmen means Golden Gate in local taiwanese hence the plant came to be known as Golden Gate or Golden Hair Ficus.

Since the newly discovered cultivsr has conspicuous white blotches and stripes in the bark of young trees which look like tiger stripes the name Tiger Bark ficus became a  popular alternate name in Taiwanese. The whitish stripes would fade ad the tree grew older.

Note:- Cultivars are plant types that have been grown by humans for a particular trait such as taste, colour, bark, smell, shape etc.,.

PROPOGATION

    a) CUTTINGS – Can be grown from cuttings. Can be planted at any time of the year.

Highest success during spring.

    b) SEEDS – Works easily in most cases.

    c) PURCHASE A GROWING PLANT –

Can purchase pre-bonsai material, pre-styled. Such plants will be well tended and of good quality.

FERTILIZING

These species can be fed fertilizers on a weekly basis or once in 15 days.

Liquid fertilizers or organic fertilizer pellets can be applied.

PRUNING

---Pruning should be done by pruning back to two leaves after six to eight leaves have grown.

WIRING

Wiring of thin to medium -strong branches is easy as they are flexible. But, they must be checked regularly as they cut into bark very quickly.

Strong branches should be shaped using guy-wires because they can be left on the tree for a much longer period.

--They react well to grafting of branches, roots and to other grafting techniques.

--Under suitable conditions even aerial roots can be taken from one part of the tree and grafted in a different position.

--For faster closing of large wounds, young plants, shoots or aerial roots can be grafted across the wound.

-- Formation of aerial roots requires 100% humidity which can also be created artificially using glass covers or transparent sheets.

WATERING

Water normally.

Give water generously whenever the soil gets slightly dry. It can take occasional over/under watering.

        ◦ Soft water with room temperature

        ◦ Daily misting to maintain humidity. Do not overdo.

REPOTTING

Repotting can be done during Spring, every other year ., once in two to three years.

It tolerates root pruning very well.

POSITION

It can be grown ad indoor bonsai. It cannot endure frost. It can be kept outside in summer if temperatures are above 15 degree C.

Should be kept in full sunlight whether inside or outside house. Shade is unfavourable.

These plants can endure low humidity due to thick waxy leaves bit they prefer high humidity and very high humidity to develop aerial roots.

PESTS

Scale os the only common pest problem and this can be handled with dormant oil sprays:

Neem oil sprays

Insecticide.

Spray soak the plant. Smother the scaled part including the soil.After it dries scrape off the dead scales. Treat for 2-3 times depending on the severity.