Attending My First Local Club Meeting

[bleepblop]

Today I am going to be attending my first local bonsai club meeting. At the moment I do not have any trees I am working on so I have nothing to bring to show off.

I am looking forward to going and being able to get in contact with some of the local growers and to learn some things about bonsai. I am just not sure what to expect. I am thinking about bringing a notebook so I can get the people who attends information.

What other advice do you guys think is important for their first club meeting?

 

[irene_b]

You should get a membership booklet....
Just have fun!

 

[Tink32]

make sure you introduce yourself and let them know your new to bonsai. Most members can give you a rundown of the native trees that grow well in your area. My first meetings at my clubs was back in Feb. and im always getting volunteered to help work on members trees. which is cool cause it gives you hands on experience and to practice under somebody who has been in the hobby for a time.

it doesnt hurt to bring a notebook so you can write down info. I always take part in any raffles that the clubs might have, you might not always win but the money always benefits the clubs, especially when they can get a bonsai artist to come and do demos( Pauline Muth is doing a demo at my club meeting in may)

just enjoy yourself and have fun!!!

Tink

 

[HotAction]

Good for you. Clubs in my area have proved very beneficial. Clubs can also be a good avenue to get ahold of decent soil.

Dave

 

[crhabq]

beelpblop,
Ditto the good for you!
I think you"ll enjoy the club experience and find yourself climbing the learning curve much fast with than without.
Always use your own judgement on the advice you receive.
Always heed the advice of an invited master at a workshop.
Always learn at a club meeting.
Alway have at least a little fun at a club meeting.
Club meetings have, for me at least, felt that I don't have to go it alone, that I have someone whose been there before, and therefore can give the advise I need.\
Good luck, (and honestly, consider another screen name).
Ray

 

[bleepblop]

Thanks for all the tips guys. It was pretty neat. I met a lot of cool people who were very friendly.

Learned some stuff about maples. Pretty interesting. Will definitely attend next months meeting also.

 

[chansen]

Thanks for all the tips guys. It was pretty neat. I met a lot of cool people who were very friendly.

Learned some stuff about maples. Pretty interesting. Will definitely attend next months meeting also.

I was there too. It was the second time I've been (blue and yellow striped shirt).

I was a little skeptical about some of the suggestions offered. First off, I don't think that 70% organic 30% inorganic is a good mix of soil. I know that triple digit heat in the summer with single digit humidity, and the high elevation all contribute to really high evaporation rates. But, I've had good success using Boon's soil recipe substituting Akadama with turface. I haven't used Akadama before today (first bag, we'll see how it goes), but I've been using about 70%-80% inorganic with good success. I think a lot of it comes down to how you water. I set up an automatic watering system, so I can water them as often as I want even when I'm not home. Even when the summer is at it's hottest and driest I think there are better ways to compensate for the high evaporation instead of adding more organic components. You should also consider the weather in Park City. I don't know how hot it gets up there, but I doubt it's what we get down here in the valley. Good luck with things. If you have questions, I'm more than happy to share what I've learned.

Christian