Historical Tree Spotlight / Donors and Their Trees – Al Nelson and His Coast Live Oak

Some bonsai just command presence. Such is the case for a coast live oak, or Quercus agrifolia, donated by Al Nelson to the collections at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. 

Nelson has become an expert in the care and training of coast live oak bonsai. He also has an oak at the Huntington Botanical Gardens in California. 

Nelson was first introduced to bonsai in the late 1970s during his lunch hour one day while working as a salesman. John Naka was giving a demonstration at a California Bonsai Society event, and Nelson was immediately hooked. He already gardened in his spare time, so he bought Naka’s newly published book on bonsai techniques and taught himself. 

“I attended various bonsai shows and took pictures of every single tree on black and white digital film, studied the photos and put them in a book,” Nelson said. 

After getting some feedback on his bonsai, he decided to take a hands-on lesson. Nelson began studying under Harry Hirao in the early 1980s and eventually became Naka’s student – a fantastic partnership that would last about 20 years – and joined his study group Nam Pu Kai. 

Nelson, Naka and Hirao spent many years collecting bonsai and scholar rocks together at Bixby Ranch in Santa Barbara County. There, Nelson fell in love with California oaks, which became his favorite specimen to work with and study. He has since collected hundreds of trees from the region. 

“They’re such magnificent trees to me because they struggle to survive,” he said. “They get blown over and all contorted.” 

The coast live oak at the Museum almost stayed hidden among the other gnarled branches and twisted trunks of Bixby Ranch. On one scouting expedition, Nelson spotted the tree, which was originally about 20 feet high with a beautiful base, but he decided digging it out would be too much work. After hunting around, he passed the tree again and gave in – he dug through rocky, tough soil for almost five hours to pull it from the ground. 

Nelson cut off the tap root, which was one-and-a-half times the tree’s height. He covered its base with wet rags and moss because, he said, the tree thirsts for water without the tap root. 

“The tree won’t get the water it needs, and you don’t want to dry it out,” Nelson said.

 Nelson with the coast live oak in 2005 (left) and 2016 (right)

The oak didn’t have a leaf on it when he brought it home, but a few sprouted after a couple of months, so he drove the tree to Naka’s house to see if it had bonsai potential. 

“John was really impressed,” Nelson said. “He said it was a magnificent tree and that one day it should be in the U.S. National Arboretum in D.C.”

Thirty years later, Naka’s proclamation came true. The oak has been housed in the North American Pavilion since 2016. Nelson has shown this oak at multiple demonstrations and, as the bonsai was 25 inches at the base at one point, Nelson had to lift it on and off tables with a hydraulic pump cart. 

He said one of the most common accolades for his coast live oak is how many “fronts” it has – the oak doesn’t necessarily need to be positioned a certain way to look like an excellent bonsai. Instead of selling his beautiful specimen, Nelson gives his bonsai to mentees or established institutions like the Museum.

“I want my trees to have a good home because it’s not about the money,” he said. “Even my students have their names on copper tags on my trees for when I croak. But I wanted to see this one in the Museum, especially since Naka praised it so long ago.” 

Former Curator Jack Sustic (left) with Nelson and the oak

Over the years Nelson has learned much about coast live oaks, like how they don’t grow well with wiring or that the branches grow down rather than out or up. 

Museum Curator Michael James said staff have been caring for the tree based on Nelson’s recommendations. The bonsai is kept in the Museum’s temperate greenhouse during the winter to simulate its native climate.

The oak receives a high volume of water and Miracid fertilizer, and the tree is almost completely defoliated after a healthy flush grows out in the spring.

“We might leave some leaves in the inner portions in weak areas and at the base of shoots,” James said. “We cut all the elongated shoots off and anything that is too straight or is not going in the direction that we want.”

He added that the haphazard drooping and arching branches seen on wild oaks can look incredible and he is trying to maintain a “billowy” appearance when training the tree. 

Nelson said he is thrilled that his oak at the Museum – his favorite bonsai – is looking strong. 

“I’m so happy it’s getting some nice and tender loving care,” he said.

Museum Curators: Jack Sustic

Jack Sustic at NBF’s annual reception in 2018.

“It’s almost as if my life path was leading, from the very beginning, to become curator.”

— Jack Sustic

Sustic has just retired from his two-year stint as National Bonsai Foundation co-president and 19 years as a board member, leaving an extensive and inspiring legacy at the Museum – including 12 cumulative years as Museum curator. Therefore, it’s only fitting we pay homage to him in our next Museum Curators spotlight. 

His “path” to bonsai curator began indirectly during his youth. Sustic had heard references to bonsai in films like Karate Kid, but he first saw a real bonsai in the mid-1980s when he was serving in Korea as a U.S. Army soldier before college. He said the bonsai immediately captivated him, and upon returning to the U.S. at Fort McClellan, Alabama, Sustic joined the Alabama Bonsai Society.

The club jumpstarted his love for bonsai and plants in general, and Sustic soon graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in horticulture. He scored his first plant care job at the Riverbanks Zoo and Botanical Garden in South Carolina, during which he applied for the U.S. National Arboretum’s internship at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum.

In 1996, Sustic served as the Museum intern for six months under Curators Bob Drechsler and Warren Hill. He returned to South Carolina after his internship wrapped up but was soon chosen for the Assistant Curator position, taking over as curator after Hill retired. Sustic served as curator from 2001 to 2005 and returned in 2008 to preside over the Museum for another eight years. 

“It was such an honor to be part of that collection, but with that honor comes responsibility,” Sustic said. 

Sustic and volunteer Dr. Joe Gutierrez repotting the Yamaki pine.

Accomplishments as Curator and Co-President

Sustic helped to establish many perennial programs and relationships at the Museum and NBF. He pioneered the formation of NBF’s National Bonsai Hall of Fame, which currently includes three members: John Naka, Yuji Yoshimura and Bill Valavanis.

“It was something I thought the Museum and the U.S. bonsai community needed in order to honor and recognize these bonsai masters’ valuable contributions to the art,” he said. 

Sustic is credited with planting the seeds to grow the Museum’s Sister Museum relationship with the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum after he visited their site in Saitama, Japan. Sustic also formed the Consortium of Public Bonsai Curators as a way for bonsai artists and leaders to share information about how they share, cultivate and protect their bonsai collections. 

“The consortium serves to help each other and each public collection. I’m very proud of that,” he said. 

From left to right: Former Curators Jim Hughes, Bob Drechsler, Jack Sustic and current Curator Michael James.

Sustic’s Bonsai Inspirations

Sustic met an array of friends and teachers throughout his nearly 20 years at the Museum. 

“Being curator has allowed me to get to know, work with and befriend people around the world who have been part of the Museum,” Sustic said. “The kindness that all these people share is wonderful.”

Among that company is Felix Laughlin, appointed as NBF’s third president as Sustic began his internship in 1996. Sustic eventually joined Laughlin as co-president from 2018 to 2020. 

“I was really lucky to have one NBF president the entire time I was at the Museum and really lucky it was Felix,” Sustic said. “He is such a wonderful guy, and we worked really well together.”

Sustic learned the art of bonsai from many people, but he most prominently drew inspiration and learned from bonsai master John Naka, who visited the Museum every year to work on trees, especially his world-renowned “Goshin.” Sustic also visited Naka in California to work on trees in Naka’s backyard. 

“Looking back now, I wish I had paid more attention,” he said. “It went by too fast, but those were wonderful experiences. I learned a lot from John, so his influence was huge on me.”

Sustic also learned from Harry Hirao and traveled to Saburo Kato’s bonsai nursery in Japan called Mansei En, during which he received one-on-one training from Kato. With their help, he excelled as a leader and friend throughout his years of dedication to the Museum. 

“I distinctly remember telling Bob Drechsler, ‘I don’t know how you can be curator. I could never do it,’” Sustic said. “Fortunately, over time I learned the ropes, and eventually I took it over. I considered it a real honor and privilege to have been the steward of those trees, and I still feel that way.”

Sustic adds the final touches on a trident maple prior to an official state visit by the Japanese Prime Minister in 2012.

NBF Co-Presidents to Step Down After Two Years of Joint Leadership

As of August 20, Jack Sustic and Felix Laughlin will be leaving their roles as co-presidents of the National Bonsai Foundation.

Jack Sustic

Felix Laughlin

Laughlin has been an inspiring and dedicated member of the bonsai community. He was one of six founders who formed NBF in 1982 and became president in 1996, with Sustic joining as co-president in 2018.

Since NBF’s founding, the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum at the U.S. National Arboretum has become a world-renowned center for the art of bonsai, penjing and related art forms. During that period, the Museum has expanded from a single pavilion displaying the 53 bonsai given in 1976 to the American people by Japan as Bicentennial Gift to include multiple pavilions, exhibition buildings and courtyards presenting North American bonsai, Chinese penjing, tropical bonsai, and viewing stones.

Sustic began his bonsai career as a Museum intern in 1996. He then served as curator twice – from 2001 to 2005 and 2008 to 2016 – and has served on the NBF Board of Directors for 19 years. Sustic has spent many long hours caring for some of the most prized parts of our collections, including the Yamaki pine. 

 As co-presidents, Sustic and Laughlin have led many projects and improvements to both the Museum and NBF operations. Under their supervision, the Museum was voted “Best Place To Take An Out-Of-Towner” and “Best Museum Off The National Mall” in multiple Washington City Paper Best of D.C. polls.

 The pair have both demonstrated their personal commitment to the spread of bonsai appreciation through their various leadership positions in national and global organizations, like the World Bonsai Friendship Federation and WBFF’s North American regional representative organization, the North American Bonsai Federation.

Laughlin served as chairman of the World Bonsai Friendship Federation from 2001 to 2005, and organized the 5th World Bonsai Convention held in Washington, D.C. in 2005. Sustic served as the chairman of that successful World Bonsai Convention. Sustic is currently serving as the North American Bonsai Federation president and a WBFF director.

Sustic and Laughlin have been driving forces of peace and friendship who amplify the voices of bonsai novices and artists around the world and helped pave the way for bonsai care and appreciation for years to come. NBF is incredibly grateful for the co-presidents’ leadership and dedication to the Museum and the art of bonsai.

Through their combined work in the bonsai world, Sustic and Laughlin have instilled a lasting legacy of goodwill and love for bonsai. NBF wishes the two the best in their endeavors and thanks them for being an asset in the world of bonsai.

Learn more about NBF’s new leadership here.

WE INVITE YOU TO LEAVE A MESSAGE ABOUT FELIX AND/OR JACK BELOW!

Bonsai Teaches Us Respect for All Life

Dear Friends of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum,

In this time of global pandemic and awakening to end racial injustice, we look forward to the reopening of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum so again we all can walk among the majestic and inspiring bonsai and penjing waiting for us there.

Our hearts are heavy for those hurting around the nation and the world, and we hope that you and your family are safe and healthy. We give thanks for those bonsai masters like John Naka, Yuji Yoshimura and Saburo Kato who were instrumental in creating the Museum and taught us the true meaning of bonsai. As Saburo Kato once said:

“From bonsai we receive peace of mind, health, and a life’s pursuit. We can also learn generosity, patience and even philosophy about life. We have also had the good fortune to make friends of all nationalities and races with whom we share a mutual trust and respect. This is all thanks to bonsai.”

The core values of bonsai, which we strive to uphold at the National Bonsai Foundation, are rooted in promoting and fostering world peace and respect for all life. Together we can take comfort in the art of bonsai to encourage inclusivity, empathy and peace throughout the world.

In Solidarity,

Felix Laughlin and Jack Sustic
NBF Co-Presidents

Bonsai Basics: Soil and Fertilization Techniques

Bonsai Basics is a NEW blog series dedicated to providing beginner’s tips, tool recommendations and facts about basic bonsai tasks. Thanks to all of our readers who recommended we start doing this on our 2019 survey!

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As the repotting season continues, you might be thinking about switching up your soil and fertilizer. But with so many brands and options available, how do you know which is the best for your bonsai? 

NBF Co-President Jack Sustic spoke with us about the myriad choices for the second installment of our Bonsai Basics blog series. Sustic said there isn’t a panacea to rely upon – if you ask 10 people what their preferred mix is, you’ll get different answers from each.  

“Bonsai soil is no different than Grandma’s biscuit recipe – all the grandmas have a different one and it is better than the other grandmas’ recipes,” he said. 

The type of soil you need first depends on the tree you’re working on. Sustic said deciduous trees typically like soils that retain moisture well, while evergreens like pines and junipers prefer slightly drier mixtures. But don’t be mistaken – using a drier mixture doesn’t mean you should adjust the amount of water you’re giving the tree because the soil types absorb water differently.

“If you put an evergreen in a mix that’s extra dry and you don’t water it that much, it could be dangerous for the tree,” Sustic said. “If we have a deciduous tree in a mix that retains water pretty well and we have a conifer in a mix that drains really well, I end up watering them the same.”

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The chemistry of it all

Soils are amalgamations of nutrients and materials like sand or bark. Some bonsai artists buy premixed soil formulas and others forge their own. 

Sustic usually prefers to mix his own from local ingredients, first sifting the finer particles from a store-bought potting mix, then adding pine bark and a combination of filter sand and pumice in ratios dependent on the type of tree that needs soil. The more sand and pumice you add to a mix, the faster water will drain from the soil, Sustic said. 

“The goal here is to have good drainage, and I don't want the real fine stuff in the potting mix to clog up the drainage holes,” he said. “Maybe I'll have one part sand in a deciduous mix, and I’ll add two parts for the pine because it likes to be a little drier.” 

But Sustic said someone new to bonsai who is only repotting once every two or three years would find buying a bag of soil the easiest method. Akadama, a type of clay soil from Japan, is the best performing premixed bonsai soil and will last years for people with small bonsai, like shohin.

When determining which soil will suit your bonsai best, Sustic’s main piece of advice is simply to avoid any heavy mixes. Sifting out fine particles from premixed soil is a must to ensure that your soil drains well and keeps your bonsai healthy, he said.

“Sand doesn’t hold nutrients very well at all,” Sustic said. “If you planted a tree in sand, you would have to fertilize it a lot because it doesn’t hold the nutrients. Potting mix and pine bark hold a lot of nutrients.”

The nitty gritty of fertilization

Fertilization techniques also range far and wide. 

Sustic uses a combination of fertilizers, switching up his materials with the seasons. He tosses rapeseed fertilizer pellets on his evergreens in the winter. But he fertilizes with Miracid, a liquid that he mixes with water, once deciduous trees have budded out in the spring and summer to help make up for the high pH levels in his water. 

Some people use organic fertilizers, like cakes or a fish emulsion, to prevent salt from building up in their soil, which can happen with commercial fertilizer and is dangerous for your trees.

“Salt can inhibit the tree's uptake of water, so the tree can’t transpire as fast,” he said. “The most common sign of salt damage is burned leaf margins.”

But Sustic said incorporating the horticulture technique of fertigation, or mixing fertilizer into water and flushing the soil with each watering, eases his worries about salt build up. He added that commercial brand fertilizer, like Miracid or Peters, immediately provides nutrition for bonsai, while organic mixes can take longer to produce an effect. Sustic often cuts the suggested measurement in half to avoid excessive fertilization and uncontrollable growth.

“If they say one tablespoon per gallon I use half a tablespoon per gallon,” he said. “I want them to be healthy but not growing too fast.”

Now that you’re equipped with soil and fertilizer knowledge, you’re ready to help your bonsai grow strong. Share your progress by tagging us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!

Bonsai Basics: Repotting Techniques and Tools

Bonsai Basics is a NEW blog series dedicated to providing beginner’s tips, tool recommendations and facts about basic bonsai tasks.
Thanks to all of our readers who recommended we start doing this on our 2019 survey!

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Photo Credit: Bonsai Empire

There’s the holiday season, spring cleaning season and back-to-school season – but as a bonsai beginner, there’s one season you should really familiarize yourself with: repotting season. 

You might have a lot of questions about when to repot, what to use to repot and how repotting works. We spoke with NBF Co-President Felix Laughlin about the basic tools and steps you need to get your repotting off to a great start this spring.

“We’re at the critical point where most bonsai are about to leaf out if they haven’t already,” Laughlin said. “This is when the bonsai are the healthiest for repotting and cutting back roots.” 

He said younger bonsai should be repotted each year, but more developed trees can wait longer. 

“Repotting is like renewing the life of the tree and giving it a chance to live a lot longer than it would growing in the ground,” Laughlin said. “That’s why you have 1,000 year bonsai – repotting helps bonsai roots not wrap around the pot, get old and stop feeding the tree.” 

How to Tackle Repotting

An eight-piece tool kit featuring the snips, three-pronged ranks, sickle and pliers discussed below. Available on bonsaioutlet.com for $69.95.

The first step to repotting your bonsai is cutting the wires tying the tree into the pot. Grab your root hook and transplanting sickle or scythe – a curved, sharp saw or cutting edge – and saw or cut around the edge of the pot to remove the root ball without tearing it apart.

Then use a three-pronged root rake to scrape the bottom of the root ball, removing soil and exposing the downward-growing roots.  For root balls removed from deep pots, you may first need to use the curved sickle or a saw to cut off the bottom portion of the root ball.

Next you’ll want to use some scissors or hand snips to cut back the exposed roots, including those growing laterally around the sides of the root ball. You might use bent-nose tweezers and a root hook to help untangle the roots.

This seven-piece tool kit includes: root cutters, root rake, sickle, angled scissors, broom, bent-nose tweezers and root hook. Available on bonsaitonight.com.for $135.

But pay attention to which kind of bonsai you’re working on. Laughlin advises that the roots of deciduous bonsai can be cut back harder than those of evergreen bonsai. 

“It’s a balancing act,” Laughlin said. “You want to rejuvenate the roots without diminishing the ability of the tree to recover.”

Next, place some fresh soil into your pot and tie the tree back in with wire, pliers and wire cutters. Laughlin said any pair of pliers from a hardware store will work, but some technical bonsai pliers offer more precision – though they cost more. 

Watch bonsai master Boon Manakitivipart as he demonstrates some of these repotting steps and illustrates the use of the repotting tools. 

Sickles, three-pronged root rakes and root hooks generally each sell for around $10.  Laughlin likes the Okatsune heavy-duty hand snips, which can be found at Bonsai Outlet for $40. 

“They’re top-notch Japanese shears that are great for cutting heavy roots and getting the root ball back down to where you want it,” Laughlin said.

Bonsai tools can rack up a lengthy bill, but Laughlin said you can cap your costs at about $100 if you do your research. He said not many brick and mortars offer kits with all the tools he discussed, but you can find reasonably priced starter sets or individual tools on sites like Amazon, Bonsai Tonight, Bonsai Learning Center, Stone Lantern, Bonsai Outlet and Brussel's Bonsai.  

When Should You Start Repotting?

NBF Co-President Jack Sustic works with NBF board member Dr. Joe Gutierrez to repot a bonsai.

NBF Co-President Jack Sustic said you’ll want to repot deciduous trees first, which grow more vigorously and sooner than conifers, which are generally ready for repotting in late April. 

Sustic said the repotting season can change depending on where you live – someone in South Carolina might be done with repotting for the year but someone in Michigan could just be getting started. Sustic says to start repotting once buds have started to swell up and gain a bit of color. 

For Sustic, the frequency of repotting depends on the tree itself. Your bonsai likely needs repotting if water sits on the soil and doesn’t drain well or if the overall health of the tree is poor.

“I look at it from a horticulture standpoint,” Sustic said. “Questions like, ‘Is the tree healthy, is it growing, is the soil draining well?’ Ultimately, the tree will tell you when it’s ready to be repotted.”

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Check out our Youtube page for a demonstration by Danny Coffey repotting a boulevard cypress.

NBF Board Member Passes Away at 94

Jack Wells, middle, while volunteering at the Museum in the late 1990s with (right to left) David Gavin, Jack Cardon, former assistant bonsai curator Dan Chiplis and Warren Hill.

The National Bonsai Foundation is sad to announce the passing of former Board of Directors member Jack Wells. 

Wells was an establishing member of NBF in 1982, served on the Board for many years and previously held the top post at the Potomac Bonsai Society. 

“Jack’s dedication to and history of the Museum was evident from the start,” NBF Co-Presidents Felix Laughlin and Jack Sustic said in a letter to NBF board members. “As a friend, mentor to many and bonsai leader, Jack played a significant role in the development and appreciation of the art of bonsai in our nation’s capital.”

Jack and his wife Kathi at an NBF reception in 2011 talking to the U.S. National Arboretum’s then-Director Tom Elias.

Born in Independence, Oregon in 1925, Jack grew up on the family farm which eventually became a century farm. He graduated from Oregon State University in 1951 from the College of Agricultural Sciences with a major in horticulture, according to his obituary.

Through the International Foreign Youth Exchange program, Wells traveled to Bolivia where he discovered his love for agriculture. While working with the USDA as an Agriculture Marketing and Seed Specialist, Wells traveled to 68 different countries to educate on agriculture improvement techniques. He also worked for the American Seed Trade Association, according to his obituary.

He is survived by his wife Kathi, four children, two stepchildren and 16 grandchildren, his obituary states.