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masakuni developed (designed, invented) the first bonsai specific tools (ashinga shears and concave cutters), so it can fairly be said that they have been at it longer than anyone else. i own one pair of their concave cutters (a generous gift) and acknowledge they bring a certain "mojo" to the...

Thanks, all, for taking the time to respond. The above is helpful.

A friend is considering investing in a set of tools from the American Bonsai Tool & Supply Co. He asked me what I knew about their product (and reputation) which forced me to admit I had never heard of them. If anyone on this forum has direct experience with these tools, your comments/review...

I <3 Bushuan!

i asked ryan bell about the "fuji" stamp a couple of years back (noticing it on both koyo-s and ino-s) and was told: Good question. Yes, you'll see this mark on both Inos and Koyos. Westerners in the pot game call it the fuji stamp. It's actually the stamp of a nursery in Omiya who first...

well played. you may want to address the corner indents on the pot front and centre, by either building up to fill (with some marine putty) or drilling a small drainage hole through each one. that, or take exaggerated care when watering to fend off pooling in those built in reservoirs.

tofukuji employed a number of chop stamps, applied as pot size and style (and his mood that day) suggested. the story (apocryphal or not) behind this one goes that he was deep in his cups --- by which i mean, it were the liquor stamping. that said, potters do and did collaborate --- usually...

valid point

ditto hans, along with pavel slovak. http://www.bonsaivigi.cz/ despite my profound respect for most of the professionals cited in this post, hans and pavel work wonders with larch --- which represents about half my collection.

i'm in a much smaller urban centre than montreal and at least two of the family nurseries bring in tropical bonsai shipments a few times a year --- and i forever stumble across retusa in the big box stores. are you a member of the montreal club? if not, you might want to contact them for...

< s i g h >

i own as many bonsai books as any enthusiast and, after the initial read, most of them are left to collect dust on the bookshelf or tossed on the back of the toilet for the occasional perfunctory glance. the only ones I have read and re-read (cover to cover) are naka, koreshoff and lenz. of...

it isn't so much the heat that does them in, as the lack of dormancy enabling cold. summers often top 30C hereabouts and, with misting and regular watering, mine grow like gangbusters. BUT that is tempered with a long winter's rest through months dwelling between -20C and -30C. tonight's...

Nice story, nice pot. This just reinforces my conviction that Todd (at Sanctuary) is a decent, stand-up guy who's in it for the love of the trees and other people who love trees. Well done.

http://crataegus.com/

oh, sweet foetida

basically, what bill said. sanctuary bonsai & new england bonsai used to both feature nick's pots in their online catalogues, but it's been some time since i've seen any posted. that said, you might want to contact those vendors directly in case they have one collecting dust under a work bench...

ditto, the second of victrinia's proposed creams --- shallowest & ever so slightly flared walls. (straight walls would also work, if the pot's shallow enough) agree with cream and unglazed as flattering homes for willow leaves, and would add oribe. if you do elect to go with a rectangle...

yeah. the container-fetish-run-amok can hold its own on dario's recent "most expensive hobby" post. this wee sweetheart arrived today from japan --- and more on the way.

the second happiest day of a man's life is the day he buys a boat --- the happiest day is, of course, the day he sells it.

at the risk of sounding glib or (worse) coy, that depends on how much you want to spend. i've had good luck with the japanese nurseries on eBay, although some of them are inflating the hell out of their list prices for the west. you can also order directly from the tokoname website. for...

Also, plenty of sound ficus information on Jerry Meislik's web-page... http://www.bonsaihunk.us/

I have a pair of no.511 and no.20D, which have been in steady service for over two years --- about the same time I started using copper wire on my conifers. Both have done Yeoman's service. They are true work-horses AND a pleasure to hold...

crust. is your winter set up a converted garage/shed, large cold-bed or other? as time allows, i've been working on a winter bunker cold-bed that (if i ever complete the cussed thing) should allow me to winter some out of zone temperates --- but, your winter access/work remarks certainly ring...

i've bought directly from the site a few times and can vouch for their impeccable service. no customs or duties (into canada) and the shipping was both fast and affordable. they threw in a humble bonus goody each time and a sweet hand-written note. there's even free gift wrapping for those so...