sikadelic
Chumono
Just my 2 cents, check your local library. You may be surprised at what they have. Good luck!
advice and tips on where to begin
- Thread starter Rob625
- Start date
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
Get some trees and work them. Nothing like hands on trial and error. You can read till your eyes bleed but until you actually get a tree in front of you you will just be spinning your wheels.
I tend to do things a little differently. I push one till it dies and then back off a little on the next one. Not on purpose usually but sometimes I get a little overzealous in the trial and error thing.
I also recommend getting trees that are forgiving. Trees that can take a miscalculation on your part.
Depending on what you like I would recommend a juniper an elm or a trident maple. Pines are cool but not really a beginner tree.
I tend to do things a little differently. I push one till it dies and then back off a little on the next one. Not on purpose usually but sometimes I get a little overzealous in the trial and error thing.
I also recommend getting trees that are forgiving. Trees that can take a miscalculation on your part.
Depending on what you like I would recommend a juniper an elm or a trident maple. Pines are cool but not really a beginner tree.
Rob625
Seedling
Working 12s today and tomorrow. Hopefully Wednesday I can go pick something up. Lots of nurseries in my area. One of them has to have good stock.
The waiting is killing me. Im ready to start. I seem to want indoor tree but everywhere I read looks like they do better outside. I wonder if nurseries will sell tools I need or if I'll have to order online.
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
You can get evert tool you need from a hardware except for concave cutters and a pair of knob cutters.
And if truth be known you can get along just fine with a pair og good bypass cutters to start out with. Hell I've removed branches with wire cutters.
And if truth be known you can get along just fine with a pair og good bypass cutters to start out with. Hell I've removed branches with wire cutters.
grouper52
Masterpiece
Great advice has already been given. I will just say a few things to reinforce what's already been said.
There is a "Resources" tag at the top of this page, and a few topics there may be helpful to you as a beginner.
A lot of trees will die when under your care, even after you are good at this. Get used to it early on. Also, if you don't know, ask someone who is knowledgeable, and who is not involved in the sale, whether something you are thinking of buying is hard to keep alive as a bonsai in your climate.
Bonsai is a contact sport: you need to get some trees to wrestle with. Books will only take you so far, as will this forum. Ultimately, you will find that your trees will teach you more about what they nee to be healthy and beautiful than books or online advice.
Joining a local club can be an invaluable way to learn. bring a tree with you to every meeting, and get some feedback - especially from the more senior members.
Hope that helps.
There is a "Resources" tag at the top of this page, and a few topics there may be helpful to you as a beginner.
A lot of trees will die when under your care, even after you are good at this. Get used to it early on. Also, if you don't know, ask someone who is knowledgeable, and who is not involved in the sale, whether something you are thinking of buying is hard to keep alive as a bonsai in your climate.
Bonsai is a contact sport: you need to get some trees to wrestle with. Books will only take you so far, as will this forum. Ultimately, you will find that your trees will teach you more about what they nee to be healthy and beautiful than books or online advice.
Joining a local club can be an invaluable way to learn. bring a tree with you to every meeting, and get some feedback - especially from the more senior members.
Hope that helps.
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
grouper52
Masterpiece
This is very true, with one exception: When I was at Rob625's stage, a newby buying a lot of nursery material, I fell in love with my nicely-balanced, wood-handled, one-prong root hook. It remains to this day my favorite actual bonsai tool, although I still remain fond of my concave cutter, my jin pliers, and my little hemp whisk brush as well. Most of the rest of my stuff is from Home Depot.
Rob625
Seedling
Do nurseries usually carry the tool kits for bonsai or is that something I'd have to order online? Thanks for all the great advice everyone.
sharkman154
Seedling
I have seen shears once a while ago but never anything like concave cutters. I heard that the only "actual" bonsai tools you should get is a concave cutters and A wire cutters. The rest can break substituted and you collect tools as time goes on.
As for me I picked up this kit days ago and it's made a worlds difference. ( mostly just the knob cutters, concave cutters and the wire cutters)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000I...i+tool+kit&dpPl=1&dpID=51JsFkE+pUL&ref=plSrch
jeanluc83
Omono
You might find something but you'll likely find better prices online. Like others have said you really don't need much when you are starting out.
Rob625
Seedling
Thank you. I was looking at a similar set on Amazon for 77$. I'll probably wait for father's day and throw some gift cards at it. first order of business this week is getting a tree. We have an over population of rabbits. Maybe I should get a BB gun too so they don't eat my tree before I have the chance to kill it myself.
sharkman154
Seedling
Thank you. I was looking at a similar set on Amazon for 77$. I'll probably wait for father's day and throw some gift cards at it. first order of business this week is getting a tree. We have an over population of rabbits. Maybe I should get a BB gun too so they don't eat my tree before I have the chance to kill it myself.
And then invite us over for a feast and we'll help with the tree, haha
Tieball
Masterpiece
Early on I relied on the Bonsai Survival Guide by Colin Lewis. I also used the book Bonsai by Werner M. Busch for practical backyard tree potential. Another good beginner book is Growing & Displaying Bonsai by Colin Lewis and Neil Sutherland....this is a very practical step by step book with good examples.
Have fun and enjoy your time....and it's okay to screw up a tree early on....I'm pretty sure we all did that....maybe more than once. I can confirm that I did....several times....but I learned more trying.
Have fun and enjoy your time....and it's okay to screw up a tree early on....I'm pretty sure we all did that....maybe more than once. I can confirm that I did....several times....but I learned more trying.
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Rob625
Seedling
Thanks tieball. I always like getting a bunch of books on something im interested in. Watching YouTube videos too until I can get to a nursery. I think I want a juniper to start with.
And sharkman I'm firing up the grill if I get any rabbits. I'll let ya know
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
We shake and bake the bunnies. Boil them a little first. Yum.
grouper52
Masterpiece
That's the one I started with too. Pretty good place to begin, as I recall.
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
Well if you fellers is eating rabbit, I'm in!
Minooka? It aint that far!
12's? That will dictate YOUR soil mix. You want to water once a day, or more. Oildry (Napa8822) serves our climate well.
Tools? Most sets have stuff you don't need.
http://kaneshin.shop.multilingualcart.com/index_en_jpy.html
I don't know if you're south enough to stay out of our pocket of global cooling, but with these winters of late, don't get no sis ass trees! And have a plan for winter, an easy plan!
You got a lot of growers down there too yes? Like, great expanses of planted trees for sale to nurseries?
Make them your friends!
Oh, and us too, but we are Crazy!
Welcome to it!
Sorce
Minooka? It aint that far!
12's? That will dictate YOUR soil mix. You want to water once a day, or more. Oildry (Napa8822) serves our climate well.
Tools? Most sets have stuff you don't need.
http://kaneshin.shop.multilingualcart.com/index_en_jpy.html
I don't know if you're south enough to stay out of our pocket of global cooling, but with these winters of late, don't get no sis ass trees! And have a plan for winter, an easy plan!
You got a lot of growers down there too yes? Like, great expanses of planted trees for sale to nurseries?
Make them your friends!
Oh, and us too, but we are Crazy!
Welcome to it!
Sorce
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
And. ....nice Avatar!
Des Plaines ? Kank?
Rabbit and walleye?
Sorce
Des Plaines ? Kank?
Rabbit and walleye?
Sorce
Rob625
Seedling
Hey source
I'm probably only 50-60 minutes from you Minooka boarders Joliet on the west. Climate is probably the same. We get just as cold as Chicago area. You probably get more lake effect snow though.
It seems like we have a lot of nurseries around here that has fields of trees planted and that just dont get them delivered by trucks. Manhattan/ New Lenox area maybe Plainfield/Naperville are my best bet.
Rob
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