1° Livello, 3a sessione

It’s pre-summer and I had the third session of the Bonsai University in Italy.

This third session (3a sessione) was held in May the 18-19 from 9:30-17:00 and the topic were:
Theories:
cutting and pruning, watering and fertilization
the botanical point of view of Bonsai
diseased and their treatment

Practice:
maintenance work of project 1 and 2: pruning and fertilization for the summer

At the same time Crespi held the 2nd edition of his Satzuki Bonsai Festival and in this occasion some of the most famous Bonsai artist was Guest for demonstration and workshops. More in a following post.

Pre-summer is in general already very hot in Italy, so I was expecting a really hot week-end. Luckily for us the weather was lousy; can you imagine how hot it could be in a greenhouse with no air conditioning! We had rain, again. And cold, again. How long do we have to wait for the nice weather, Europe is still waiting!
The session was, as usual, really interesting and informative. Master Kajiwara is always endeavours to explain the best way possible. He wants to be sure everybody understands his explications.
We had lots of theory: botanic, fertilization, cutting and pruning but for the most of us the best part was watering. It’s seems an easy task but is not. Water is for a bonsai much more than a liquid element, it’s perspiration and also transpiration. The doses of water are very important as well. We learned that a bonsai has to be watered three times in the morning and depending on the weather conditions or by checking the forecast it can be one, two or three times. Off course every plant is different and every country is different, just as every garden or balcony is different, so in order to archive the best watering dose for your plant, everybody has to make they own experience and find the best possible recipe for his own.
Not an easy task but manageable.

Have a nice day

…love, Melanie!!

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1° Livello, 2a sessione

The second session (2a sessione) of my ongoing goal was held in March the 9-10  at the Bonsai University in Milan, Italy.

Theorie:
root pruning and depotting
styling and development of deciduous

Practice:
spring maintenence work
depotting project no.1
project no.2: styling a deciduous tree from nursery stock

Over the years, I participated at different workshops but was very disappointed with some, mostly because of the lack of quality. My intention was to archive more knowledge about bonsai and bonsai care in general. My intention was to achieve more knowledge about bonsais and bonsai care in general. At the end of the day I generally drove home with a new plant but without learning something I didn’t know already.

Not at the Università del Bonsai!! The quality of information you archive only by the theory is massive. For example: did you know that the roots you see are not really the roots that nourish the plant? Or that is better to do a soft depotting without remove lot of soil or worse hosing the tree? Or that you always have to respect the fullness of the plant? Well this and lot’s of other questions ware answered on this session.

This are the kind of workshopt/courses I really appreciate.

We had to spring prune, root prune and depotting a maple, but instead we worked on a olive, witch ist not quite the same but give the same satisfactions. I was very pleased with the result I archived on my little tree.

What do you think?

I have chossen this side for my front because the trunk seems very old and because the nebari is nicer.

This is the back. As you can see the nebari is not as good as the front size.

This is the position I have chosen for my litte Olive tree

This is the final result.

Have a nice day

…love, Melanie!!

1° Livello, 1a sessione

Like I write in the beginning of January I started the Bonsai University at Crespi Bonsai in Italy and I want to share my impressions.

The first session (1a sessione) was held in January the 19-20 from 9:30-17:00.
Mr. Crespi introduced us to the teachers and held a short speech, then Master Mr. Nobuyuki Kajiwara welcome us to the university and we started with theory the all day. On Sunday we had to style our first tree, a juniperus chinensis under the supervision of Nobu (Mr. Kajawara nickname).

The auditorium is really nice and roomy but it was a bit cold, well we are in the middle of winter after all! The class is big, we are more than 20 student and only 2 women, well not a surprise considering that the bonsai world is dominated by men.

Everything can be purchased at the Centro: finished bonsai, pre-bonsai, tools, pots, ground… everything you may need to work and care a bonsai and much more. The Centro has even a Bonsai Museum witch we visited. Really nice tree and each season they change the display of some of them.

I was really positive impressed about the quality of the course, and seeing forward for the next session.

Have a nice day
…love, Melanie!

Bonsai: preview 2013

2013 will be the year of Bonsai for me. I am starting in January with the first course at the “Università del Bonsai” at the Centro Bonsai Crespi in Parabiago, Milan Italy. This course goes for 4 lessons troughed the year, then I will continue to care to my trees by going to Workshops to my first master at Bonsai Mollet in Riggisberg, Switzerland. But I think the highlight this year will be the Swiss Bonsai Show in Lugano, Switzerland.