So I am totally new to bonsai, but there is just too much information.

Signal30 · Jun 1, 2016

Hello all.

So the interwebs makes it kind of tough to find any consistent information from what I am seeing. I would really like to get into the hobby, but I don't know where to start. I'm on Reddit often and their bonsai sub is not the most pleasant community with a bunch on rules just to try to make a post as well as not the most pleasant members.

I'm anxious to learn but there is so much information online and a lot of it is contradictory.

Should I buy a bonsai and learn to maintain it or get a shrub at my local nursery and try my initial attempts?

I went to a local nursery that actually sells bonsai and got played by buying a "starter" willow ficus cutting. I don't want to be played again so I'm hoping to learn a lot from here and get to know you all in this community.

Dorian Fourie · Jun 1, 2016

Hi Signal and welcome to a world of crazy.

You have grasped the first concept of a bonsai forum. You are going to get contradictory information from many sources but what works for one may not work for another. People do bonsai all over the world so it will be different times of the year, different seasons etc etc etc.

My suggestion would be to join a bonsai club. Have a look at if there is one in your area. That way you get to meet with like minded individuals. I only just a club 1 1/2 years ago even though I have been doing bonsai for 10 yrs. I learnt more in the last year then I had in the 9 previous.

Then I would buy a bonsai and learn to maintain. Look for a easy species to keep alive (depending on where you live) AND get some material to work on.

Keep us updated to your progress.

Signal30 · Jun 1, 2016

Well apparently my area has one of the oldest Bonsai societies in the US.

http://cincinnatibonsai.com/BSGC/Home.html

I suppose I should check them out. Unfortunately there forum never really took off.

jeanluc83 · Jun 1, 2016

Welcome.

Start by reading everything here.

Also fill in your location in your profile. So much of what is done in bonsai is region dependent.

Cypress187 · Jun 1, 2016

Signal30 said:
not the most pleasant members.

It's the same here, only a bit more crazy, welcome.

fourteener · Jun 1, 2016

I understand the confusion. 20 years ago when I started, I bought one book, it didn't contradict itself. Too many opinions makes for a tough beginning. Get in touch with your club. Buy one book, use one website to get a base level of knowledge. After you find out what is working for you, then you have a better filter on all the info that comes your way. I always want to be a learner, but a good base for all of that knowledge is important too.

Signal30 · Jun 1, 2016

jeanluc83 said:
Welcome.

Start by reading everything here.

Also fill in your location in your profile. So much of what is done in bonsai is region dependent.

A lot of information, thanks!

Signal30 · Jun 1, 2016

Cypress187 said:
It's the same here, only a bit more crazy, welcome.

I've been luring around here, the attitudes aren't too bad. The bonsai sub reddit has threads discussing as to why there are elitists and their right to be a-holes. Yeah...

Alain · Jun 1, 2016

Hi there and welcome,

@jeanluc83 is right: on Brent Watson website, articles sections, you will find a ton of general information about growing trees and growing trees for bonsai. The basics are here and they aren't really subject to debate.

Regarding the: 'to buy a bonsai or to buy a bonsai-ifiable tree?' I guess this is really up to you.
Personally I don't have the $ to buy a bonsai that I would like and I find it much more fun to try to do it myself.
If you choose to buy one then may be shoot for an easy species, that will like OH climate and that you won't kill in 3 months.

Otherwise regarding the difference of opinion between participants: I think that there is a consensus on most points (at least on this forum). For example regarding the timing of the work to do (consensus but variable depending of the climate), on how many injures a tree could take, on the general care to take depending on the species and so on...

I find that the real nightmare with 30 pages of 'each one is own recipes' appears only for a couple of topics but mainly the soils (check the threads about that, good luck!

).
Hence for those kind of topics you will have to form your own opinion and recipe, which will allow you to add a 31th page on the next thread on the subject

0soyoung · Jun 1, 2016

An interesting concept:

solution for too much info on web,
is to go to on-line forum(s).

yenling83 · Jun 1, 2016

Here's some great blogs to get you started.

https://crataegus.com/

https://bonsaitonight.com/

http://bonsaimirai.com/

http://www.phutu.com/

KennedyMarx · Jun 1, 2016

That subreddit isn't bad. All you have to do is read that beginners section on their wiki page:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Bonsai/wiki/walkthrough

Signal30 · Jun 1, 2016

KennedyMarx said:
That subreddit isn't bad. All you have to do is read that beginners section on their wiki page:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Bonsai/wiki/walkthrough

I wasn't really referring to their wiki page and it really wasn't their rules but their attitudes. Honestly I don't know why it's even a open sub since some of them would be happy to close it to members only. Just my opinion though.

rockm · Jun 1, 2016

Signal30 said:
I've been luring around here, the attitudes aren't too bad. The bonsai sub reddit has threads discussing as to why there are elitists and their right to be a-holes. Yeah...

Might be best to first learn about basic bonsai before going into elitist a-holes and such...

More good blogs:
https://www.bonsai-nbf.org/blogs/
http://www.treethepeople.com/tag/danny-coffey/
https://www.bonsai-nbf.org/category/curator-apprentice-blog/

Redwood Ryan · Jun 1, 2016

Signal30 said:
I've been luring around here, the attitudes aren't too bad. The bonsai sub reddit has threads discussing as to why there are elitists and their right to be a-holes. Yeah...

Yeah avoid that sub at all costs. Lots of elitist a-holes there. This is a good place, lots of helpful people.

jomawa · Jun 1, 2016

Info from an infant bonsaist (one who has made the leap into this crazy thing called bonsai. They/we often begin with what is commonly called "stick in pot" or someone else's good intentioned gift of a "malsai") to a preinfant bonsaist (one who wants a bonsai but just ain't got it yet).

Try to understand most people are attracted to bonsai when they see one or some, but they have no concept of the decade/decades of time and effort and knowledge required to create that or those bonsai.

Many/most of the bonsai open to viewing have had at least a decade of care to shape and keep the bonsai alive (watering, fertilizing, debugging, sunning, whacking, gowing, whacking, growing..., ground growing, transplanting, root flattening, de-candleing, de-leafing, etc, etc) to the point of "show" quality.

Most of the annual processes of growing/crafting the bonsai are rarely seen except in forums such as bnut. Good place to be while pondering bonsai.

Also try to understand the difference between crafting a deciduous tree (takes repeat years of whacking and growing back out and whacking and growing back out...) as opposed to evergreens which can oftentimes be whacked in one sitting into a showable bonsai (to friends at least).

My suggestion, take six months to a year and continue on this path of wise decision making into bonsai, get enough info to appropriately understand what species just might be able to live in your climate, especially through winter. Learn the requirements to craft a bonsai, evergreen or deciduous, and determine whether you're up to the task. This will help place you in the six month to a year mode cycle often required for crafting a bonsai. But if you are like so many others and you gotta have it now and you want it to be show quality, simply take $4397.95 (plus or minus) out of savings and get the one to show off.

Oh, and welcome to crazy, even though you haven't jumped off the cliff like the rest of us into bonsai hell.

Signal30 · Jun 1, 2016

rockm said:
Might be best to first learn about basic bonsai before going into elitist a-holes and such...

More good blogs:
https://www.bonsai-nbf.org/blogs/
http://www.treethepeople.com/tag/danny-coffey/
https://www.bonsai-nbf.org/category/curator-apprentice-blog/

Doesn't matter what your into. I've done scale model building as well as photography for years, elitism was in all of them to a certain degree when it comes to online forums. Regardless thanks for the links.

yenling83 · Jun 1, 2016

Some others -Tree the People is also great

https://peterteabonsai.wordpress.com/

http://bonsaiboon.com/

https://reelbonsai.wordpress.com/

https://tylersherrodbonsai.wordpress.com/

https://johnmiltonbonsai.wordpress.com/

rockm · Jun 1, 2016

Signal30 said:
Doesn't matter what your into. I've done scale model building as well as photography for years, elitism was in all of them to a certain degree when it comes to online forums. Regardless thanks for the links.

Yeah, ok...

Signal30 · Jun 1, 2016

jomawa said:
Info from an infant bonsaist (one who has made the leap into this crazy thing called bonsai. They/we often begin with what is commonly called "stick in pot" or someone else's good intentioned gift of a "malsai") to a preinfant bonsaist (one who wants a bonsai but just ain't got it yet).

Try to understand most people are attracted to bonsai when they see one or some, but they have no concept of the decade/decades of time and effort and knowledge required to create that or those bonsai.

Many/most of the bonsai open to viewing have had at least a decade of care to shape and keep the bonsai alive (watering, fertilizing, debugging, sunning, whacking, gowing, whacking, growing..., ground growing, transplanting, root flattening, de-candleing, de-leafing, etc, etc) to the point of "show" quality.

Most of the annual processes of growing/crafting the bonsai are rarely seen except in forums such as bnut. Good place to be while pondering bonsai.

Also try to understand the difference between crafting a deciduous tree (takes repeat years of whacking and growing back out and whacking and growing back out...) as opposed to evergreens which can oftentimes be whacked in one sitting into a showable bonsai (to friends at least).

My suggestion, take six months to a year and continue on this path of wise decision making into bonsai, get enough info to appropriately understand what species just might be able to live in your climate, especially through winter. Learn the requirements to craft a bonsai, evergreen or deciduous, and determine whether you're up to the task. This will help place you in the six month to a year mode cycle often required for crafting a bonsai. But if you are like so many others and you gotta have it now and you want it to be show quality, simply take $4397.95 (plus or minus) out of savings and get the one to show off.

Oh, and welcome to crazy, even though you haven't jumped off the cliff like the rest of us into bonsai hell.

Thanks! There is a bonsai society where I live. I will check out one of their monthly meetings and see how it looks.

So I am totally new to bonsai, but there is just too much information.

Seedling

Chumono

Seedling

Omono

Masterpiece

Omono

Seedling

Seedling

Omono

Imperial Masterpiece

Omono

Omono

Seedling

Spuds Moyogi

Masterpiece

Shohin

Seedling

Omono

Spuds Moyogi

Seedling

Similar threads