Page 42 - BSAM 2015 Q1

Top left; Jay, posing with the side he enjoyed the most. He selected the side where the major rocks formed strong vertical lines.
Top right; The other side turned out well, too. I liked the way that the extended Dwarf Schefflera roots complimented the landscape design’s vertical lines.
Middle and Bottom; Taking apart the saikei was completed in a fraction of the time that it took to put it together.
in a fraction of the time that it took to put it together. Trees were repaired and prepared to travel as it was too cold to ship. Jay got to work with several batches of the cornstarch keto-tsuchi and learned how to adjust it to make it stiffer to create thin sheets that are easy to shape but able to hold ideal fast-draining granular media. He now knows how to reduce the stickiness of the keto-tsuchi by dusting it with fine coco-peat and pumice granules and how easy it is to attach Java and Kyoto moss to give it a finished appearance.
Two weeks later, I got an e-mail from Jay that he’s already applying the lessons that he learned and is even developing a modified technique that he’ll use with his beautiful oval Chinese marble display tray. He’s cut circular pieces of Plexiglas and bonded two sheets with spacers between. He’s drilled a large number of holes that will snuggly hold the heavy wire extensions and this will allow him to position his rocks with a lot more options compared to the method we used. The first photos were great and I look forward to a burst of innovation and progress.
Jay began quite a few years ago following traditional temperate climate concepts. Like Jerry Meislik and others in Michigan bonsai, Jay had begun to grow ficus with a track-mounted, high intensity, metal halide lamp. Since participating in our Tropical and True Indoor Bonsai community, Jay has blossomed and is a contributing editor of the monthly e-mail Journal posted on the www.fukubonsai.com website. I believe he has the enthusiasm and ability to make other saikei innovations. Progress is being made in America’s contribution to international bonsai!
the opportunity to contribute. I believe that his own efforts will take a giant leap forward. Jay is sculpturing a harder type of rock but is using an innovative “hyper-tufa” material to build a dense base that will allow drilling holes to grasp heavy wire to extend the heights if desired.
Jay’s trees are still in earlier stages of training so he got to work with some older more refined trees that will go with him to Michigan to allow him to jump ahead as he works on houseplant bonsai-saikei until winter is over and he can start applying his experience to his outdoor bonsai. Taking apart the saikei was completed
40 | BCI | April/May/June 2015