Posted in Meetings

March 2024 Meeting

 
We’ve got a fun meeting coming up this Saturday! Ken Huth will be bringing maple seedlings(for purchase) and examples of all the future bonsai creations you can make with them. Bring your own soil, training pots, forest trays, interesting rocks, supplies, etc and create something cool with us!
Saturday March 23rd, 9:30am at Rockefeller Park Greenhouse. We’ll be working in the classroom but we’ve been granted permission to spill out into the main lobby to make sure everyone has room to work.
 
See you there!
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Posted in Meetings

January 2024 Meeting

Our first meeting of the year is Saturday January 27th at 9:30am. We have a special presentation lined up. Member Martin Reuben will give us a tutorial and demonstration on photographing bonsai at home. Tips and techniques will be shared for getting the best results using natural light and cellphone cameras so this will be accessible and useful for all. Some basic editing will also be shown. Members are invited to bring a tree to be photographed during the demo. The meeting will take place in the classroom at Rockefeller Park Greenhouse.

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Posted in Meetings

November 2023 Meeting


A quick administrative note: Beginning in 2024 we will start collecting annual dues in January instead of June. Anyone who joined or renewed in the last 3 months of 2023 will have their membership rolled over into 2024. Dues can be paid through our website or in person at a meeting. If you need to mail a check, please ask us for Marian’s address. 
 
This Saturday will be our final meeting of the year and it should be a lot of fun! First, we will get to see all the finished products of our accent pot making workshop. I’m told that all of them survived the glaze firing!
 
Second, we have a couple boxes of pots and misc. items that were donated to the club that Rob will be auctioning off. These are mainly low end smaller pots so if you’re just starting out or are growing out young material you should be able to get some good deals. 
 
Third, since we didn’t get a chance to talk over wintering last month, we will try to fit that in as well. 
 
There will not be a meeting in December. 
 
If we don’t see you, I hope everyone has a safe and restorative holiday season and look forward to another year of bonsai with you. 
 
-Adam Shank
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Posted in Meetings

October 2023 Meeting

Coming up this Saturday will be the follow up to our accent pot making workshop. Those that made a pot last month will have the opportunity to paint their work with glaze ahead of the final firing. This work should require much less explanation so we can also have some general discussion about the limits of fall bonsai work and winter storage strategies. So bring your questions, share your experience and if you’ve got a tree you’d like to share, bring that too!

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Posted in Meetings

September 2023 Meeting

Fall is knocking on our door and there’s still lots of bonsai to do! Make sure you’re fertilizing your trees! Think of them as hungry bears preparing for hibernation!
 
Our meeting this month and next will be a special accent pot making event. David Bennett will be leading a group of 12 members through building their own accent pots using slabs of clay. The workshop is full but I’ll be bringing some balls of clay to provide opportunity for others to make pinch pots as well. I want to devote as much time as possible for the activity but it will be hard not to discuss the recent U.S. National Exhibition in Rochester. I counted at least 20 Cleveland Bonsai Club members who made the trip to see all the amazing trees and shop the massive vendor area!
 
We will start the meeting promptly at 9:30am so don’t be late!
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Posted in Meetings Uncategorized

August 2023 Meeting

The practice of bonsai, especially outside of Japan is not a settled practice. We should always be exploring, learning and experimenting for ways to raise the level of our practice in our own back yards. As a suggested discussion topic, I’d like to invite you all to share something new you’ve been trying this year. It could be seedlings or cuttings you started, a new fertilizer or pest/disease mitigation, automatic watering system, a new tool, pruning technique/timing or maybe just a new species or tree you’ve added to your collection. Even though every garden is slightly different, we all grow our bonsai in the Northeast Ohio environment and can benefit from the collective experience that I hope you will share with the group.
 
Saturday August 26th 9:30-11:30am at Rockefeller Park Greenhouse. 
750 E. 88th St. Cleveland in the indoor classroom.
 
Hope to see you and learn from you!
-Adam Shank
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Posted in Meetings

July 2023 Meeting

Bring in a tree that’s lookin’ pretty to share with the group, or a tree that needs some post hardening pruning.


For those who are interested in propagation, CBC VP Adam Shank will be bringing in an Ezo Spruce to prune which will produce a lot of cuttings. Spruce cuttings are not easy to strike successfully but Ezo is fairly rare so if you’d like to try, bring a ziploc bag to collect some.

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Posted in Meetings

May 2023 Meeting

At our upcoming meeting this Saturday we will be prepping for our show which is next weekend.

Bring your tree if it needs touching up along with any questions you have about the show. If you are volunteering it would be great if you could join us as we go over the details and plans.
 
Meeting: Saturday May 27th 9:30 am
 
CBC Summer Show: June 3rd&4th

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Posted in Meetings

January 2023 Meeting

Happy New Year Everyone!

Our first meeting of the year is coming up on Saturday January 28th, 9:30am in the indoor classroom of Rockefeller Park Greenhouse.


To begin preparations for the upcoming spring repotting season, we will start with a discussion and workshop on kintsugi! Kintsugi refers to the Japanese tradition of repairing broken pottery using lacquer dusted with gold powder. In addition to keeping the item in service, making a decorative and functional repair allows the piece to tell the story of its history and reminds us to find beauty in imperfection.


For repairing bonsai ceramics that experience wide ranging outdoor temperatures, we must deviate a bit from tradition in our repairs. We will use quick-setting 2 part epoxy to effect a structurally sound and durable repair. I am hoping some members have broken or cracked pots to bring in and participate. Materials will be provided but if you’re planning to participate please send me a message to let me know.


Additionally, if anyone got a new bonsai tree for Christmas and would like to share it, or ask questions about care, please do.


Looking forward to seeing everyone again!


-Adam Shank, V.P.

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Posted in Meetings

August 2022 meeting

For this month’s meeting we will be doing a “Swap Meet” as suggested by Rob Giorgi. If you’ve got anything bonsai related you’d like to sell or just get rid of, bring it in! Or bring a tree to work on. 

The meeting is Saturday August 27th at 9:30am. Same location as usual, in the classroom at Rockefeller Park Greenhouse. 

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