A Little Background
I’m pretty sure that I’ve already mentioned my major hobbies on the site. Growing things, in particular bonsai, is one of my core activities. There are a couple of reasons why I’m drawn to this.
First, it is the antithesis of what I do for a living. The organic natural processes help me balance out a life that revolves around technology. Second, it gets me outside for little bits of time each day. This is especially important since I started working from home a few years ago. Finally, it requires discipline and patience. This is counter to how my brain typically works, so in a way it’s a type of mental exercise to help me perform better in other areas.
Why I Needed This
The workshop had a very reasonable price of $55 which I had available in my discretionary fund (my wife and I each have personal checking accounts separate from the main account where we funnel a set amount of money each month for fun). It also involved about six hours away from the house which was harder to do without feeling guilty due to the amount of time that work has been requiring the past couple of months.
Eventually, my mental health needs won and I reserved my spot. Being able to unplug for a good portion of the day and focus on learning something that didn’t involve computers was a huge relief. I was long past due for a little time for myself to re-establish balance.
The Class Itself
This class was centered around Fall maintenance work on Japanese Black Pine bonsai. The discussion did reach other topics such seasonal work for Spring and Summer as well as fertilization, but mostly we focused on the Fall work.
The first thing we did was to take a look at our trees and work on removing any old needles from the previous year’s growth. These are fairly easy to identify by the position on the branch and the fact that the color is starting to fade and may be yellowing.
After the old needles are clear, we can take a look at the new growth that developed during the summer and prune any excess shoots down to a pair. Ideally, we want a pair of shoots of equal strength that are sitting side by side instead of top to bottom.
Finally, we can get in and perform any wiring necessary to develop that shape of the tree. There was an afternoon session on wiring, but I had other obligations for the evening and needed to get home. I had already participated in the wiring class a couple of years ago and feel like I have that under control.
What I Took Home
Well, I didn’t take home another tree! It was tempting, but it’s really not a good time for me to make the kind of investment that it would take to get the kind of tree that I want next. Most of my trees are what I consider project trees. It will be several years before any of them are show worthy. Eventually, I’d like to add a bigger specimen that is mostly refined and just need minor adjustment and maintenance. That can be a costly endeavor, so for now it’s on the ‘one of these days’ list.
I also came home with a greatly reduced stress level. I wasn’t worried about email or work the entire time I was out. It also prepared me for a laid back night out with the family to the local minor league hockey game! Fun times.
Cheers,
-cb3