President's Message

by Mike McCallion

A hobby or passion like ours is filled with opinions, and so it is not unlike most other things in our world in which people take a strong interest I would put forward that bonsai really is nothing but opinions. The more exposure I have to people, articles, books and workshops, the more I realize that there really is no single "right" way to do just about anything related to bonsai.

The topic of artistry, styling and good or bad bonsai is obviously a matter of opinion, as any art form is, and the discussion on this topic is endless. But the same holds true for the other aspects of "doing" bonsai.

How do you graft a branch on a Japanese maple? Should you use thread or approach, bud or scion? You can find articles and masters who are highly successful with all of these methods. Then again, some would say you would do better to just encourage a new bud near the desired spot.

When is the best time to wire? There is a champion for every season, and probably a book which tells you why that season is best. What is the best soil mix? Well, just ask our Journal editor if there are opinions on that topic. The article he published on soils in the last issue generated some strong responses.

The horticulture of bonsai, like the art, is always going to be something about which you will need form your own opinion as you develop your own practices.

This gets to the "who" question. Whose opinion should you be listening to? It obviously depends on the questions, because you want the opinion of someone whose knowledge is related to your situation. Similar growing conditions, similar species, watering habits, and goals - all of these things can make someone's opinion "close" to the knowledge you need.

So for starters, when you are looking for an opinion, try to get one as "close" to home as you can. The soil article by Dan Waitkus in the last TBS JOURNAL for example, probably works well for the fellow in Florida. But his growing conditions are radically different from ours. His soil mixes might work for you, but they might not. My soil mixes are unrelated to any of his, and my trees grow pretty well. And my soil mix is different from those of many other club members, and they also grow great, healthy trees.

While it is possible that there exists some "perfect, scientifically proven" bonsai mix, it will never accommodate all the varieties of watering, repotting and fertilizing habits each of us has embraced.

Make sure you evaluate why the source has the opinion it he does. Many authors express very conservative opinions about horticulture because they don't want people saying, "I did what you wrote, and my tree died". I use a soil-less mix because I want to be able to more easily take my trees across the border for workshops and lessons, and also because it seems to work with my excessive watering habits.

You need to gather many opinions so that you can better create one of your own. Guidance from books written by masters and professionals is great because it brings a world of experience to you in an easy to absorb fashion. The opinions of other new members are great because they are going through and asking questions you are encountering regularly. You need the opinions of our established senior members; they have worked through many of the questions and issues we face every season. Over the years of working with new members they have found ways to present their opinions in useful and easy to apply methods.

The Toronto Bonsai Society continues to look for the best information available and presents it to its members in the most relevant way possible.. This means we will continue to present you with as many opinions as we can find. Many are right; many are held for good reasons; and all are available to our members.

We are interested in YOUR opinions here in the TBS. Opinions on what, you might ask? Well, everything actually. What things have worked or failed for you with your trees? What trees do you find interesting or ugly? Where do you find inspiration for bonsai imagery? Which sessions do you find useful? Are there topics you want covered, or covered differently?

Your opinion is going to be the best one for you, and it might even be the best one for us.

Obviously we can't cover every topic in any given year. We might not get to a species you are interested in, but we are always trying to present the most interesting and important topics to as many people as possible. So once you've absorbed one of our sessions, get someone to give you their opinion of it, or the topic, or your trees. There's nothing we like better than to stand around and talk bonsai. If you don't get a chance to ask for opinions at a meeting, check out the new discussion forum on the website (click the button on the top left). It's something new we're trying (as a result of several opinions!) Please don't be too harsh on Dierk if you don't think it's the perfect forum, it's brand new and we're working out the details. He wants your opinion of it, and he has already gotten mine.