They call me "Mr. Moss"

Hahahaha! Looks like I've picked up a nickname at the BSSJ..."Mr. Moss" Hahahaha!

I really felt it today at Dombrovski's. He wanted to take some pictures, but needed to run out and get some film so I asked what I could do while he was gone...he asked me to moss this bonsai:

This bonsai is a pair of Acers growing over a smattering of dramatic rocks with some ferns.  Ski said he did not moss at the most recent re-potting and, after looking over last week's crab apples he really liked the attention to detail I paid on the moss. (They don't call me Mr. Moss for nothin')

So I offered to collect up some moss from the ground, (the stuff grows like crazy on the ground at his place), but he suggested I take nice bits from all the other trees so as not to risk contaminating the tree with either carpet grass or likewise. So I gathered up a handful from various trees. Now you have to understand I'm just a little bonsai grasshopper. How dare I rip up moss from the timeless green velvet laying under masterpieces I would otherwise dare not touch without an extremely good reason...and here is Ski telling me "just chunk some moss out of there and put it in this one."

 Easy for you to say, pal...

So with a deep breath I pluck and pinch and scrape carefully from various trees until I have a good handful. I put the first couple pieces on and instinct quickly took over. For the next hour or so, I placed dozens of tiny dime-sized clumps of moss on the surface; distributed evenly but without any discernable order. Keep in mind there's a process, you can't just slap it on there. Do it right, and your eye is never attracted to focus a single clump. In this way, a bit of "perceptual closure" occurs such that the moss appears to be growing naturally, but not exactly covering the whole surface like a carpet. That's just not how moss grows in the forest, and if it were done that way you'd say "a person did that" which is what, in many cases, modern American bonsai tries to avoid at all costs.

Anyway, over the next several weeks, the little clumps will grow vigorously and spread across the surface of the bonsai soil and grow together, forming a natural looking network of moss clumps you'd swear took years to grow there.

So today I mossed a masterpiece...in some small way I am now part of that bonsai and it is part of me. Sure Dombrovski could have done it in his sleep, but he didn't....I did. And I don't have words for the pride I feel... not for having done it, but for having been trusted to do it by a guy who really doesn't like anyone getting near his trees, let alone touching them, let alone digging in them.

It hasn't taken Dombrovski long to let me know he appreciates what I've brought to the table. That, in having selected him I honor him; and having agreed, he honors me even more.

He gave me "the book" today; the notebook containing his daily notes for the past 10 years. It's all there: soil compositions, pot selection, fertilization routine, sketches, bench plans. Odd little scribbles with no relation to bonsai, stains, water damage. The damned thing used to be a spiral notebook, now it's held together with duct tape. 10 years of living bonsai, every day, all day with so many trees there is always something to do and you can never really "catch up".

What a freakin' life! No wonder he doesn't have a phone, that would just complicate things unnecessarily.

Ron Lang, master potter

I was privileged to meet Ron Lang this weekend at the Brandywine Bonsai Club meeting. Ron is a ceramics artist, expert, professor and wouldn't you now it, a bonsai potter. He gave a really insightful presentation to the club about what constitutes a method in terms of bonsai pot selection. Did I say that right? The point being that any bonsai enthusiast can chuck a tree in a pot...but to raise that choice to a considered and complimentary statement in harmony with the overall expression of that particular bonsai is, well...important. At least to me it is...at least to me it's something I am interested in learning about as I progress.

Ron Lang, master potter, gave a presentation on how to do that...not in terms of hard fast rules mind you...but in terms of things to consider when selecting the right pot to help us along the path towards making the statement we want to make. As with all things bonsai, there are technical considerations that influence the range of possible choices we have, yet, ultimately those choices are aesthetic. Ron covered the technical points with good detail, then demonstrated how consciously varying our choices on these technical parameters (overall size, shape, wall profile, color, texture, etc) play into the aesthetic outcomes we, and others, see.

So that was interesting...interesting enough for me to drop a few bucks on some new pots and consider Ron's pots for bonsai. It also looks like his smaller semi-cascade pots could be nice for orchids as well. I potted up an orchid in one of the pots I bought, so we'll see how it goes.

light, hope & tiny little trees...

I am pleased to announce some developments that give me great hope for real growth and attainment in the practice of bonsai.

First, my "Growing Moss for Bonsai" presentation at the October meeting of the Bonsai Society of South Jersey was readily enjoyed by all. I received positive feedback from the other members publicly and privately. Consider this; I lectured to bonsai enthusiasts (some twice my age) for a solid hour about a subject that would put most people to sleep in mere minutes...

Thanks Fairegarden for this pic, one of many I used in my presentation for inspiration!

The group was enthusiastic, asked poignant questions and seemed really engaged. After the presentation, I then moved on to a demonstration of how to actually cultivate / grow / store collected moss in shallow dishes.

Second, I will begin volunteering with Ski Dombrowski this coming week. It's fall maintenance and re-potting time, and I offered my help to Ski with the hopes of watching the master at work and learning everything I can. Looks like we'll be repotting, un-wiring and wiring dozens of crab apples and quince...I can't wait. Ski also invited me to join him as his guest at the October meeting of the Brandywine Bonsai Society. Apparently, Ron Lang (Int'l bonsai potter extraordinaire) will be in attendance and Ski wanted to make the introduction.

AND, if that weren't enough, I've gotten the green light on developing the community website for the Bonsai Society of South Jersey. So, I bought http://www.southjerseybonsai.com/ on behalf of the club and have begun developing the site with basic capabilities. It's a labor of love...

and errr, the deck is getting there...plans have expanded to include lighting, extended patio cover and a 50 gallon rain hog rainwater storage system. Come spring I'll have a killer bonsai garden, folks. Just you wait and see...

There you have it, things are picking up and I feel I am approaching my proper sphere in bonsai.

The real learning can begin...

Free falling

It's fall...

It's getting colder and very wet, and some trees are setting buds. Orchids and tropicals are now indoors. I have a strong drive to get started on fall clean-up / winter prep, but it's just too wet and well, the backyard deck is still under construction.

It's a quiet time to reflect and watch the leaves change color as the wheels turn again in preparation for another season.

I may very well plant mums in desperation...

:)