Beginner here, just introducing myself

F0E

Seedling
Messages
6
Reaction score
10
Location
Virginia
USDA Zone
7
Hello. I’ve always greatly appreciated bonsai, but have only recently begun thinking about it more seriously. I don’t have any trees yet, and I’m operating on a slim budget, but I’m trying to learn as much as I can before I start. I currently live in an apartment in Virginia and have an empty balcony that I hope to populate with bonsai. The name foe might seem contentious or combative but I’m far more amiable and easygoing than the name implies. I’m here to learn, share my journey, and maybe make a few stupid jokes along the way.

Interests: I’m fascinated by most tree species but have a particular appreciation for junipers and I’m very fond of the cascading and windswept bonsai designs. I like unconventional stuff, trees that look gnarly, ugly, and twisted, like they’ve had a messed up life and suffered through trauma or something. Makes em more relatable, for me at least. I love seeing bonsai that started as a half-dead tree stump and I’m very interested in the concept of air layering.

Plans/Questions: I do not want to start from seed or a store-bought bonsai. I'm trying to start from seedlings, cuttings, air layering, etc. It’s currently late summer here in Virginia, and I wish my interest in bonsai had peeked several months earlier so I could have taken cuts or dug up seedlings at a more ideal time. Here are the things I’m considering for the upcoming weeks.

I need a juniper. I could buy a seedling from a nursery… but I’m broke and I’d really like to start with a thick trunk (I know, typical American looking for fast results). There is a common juniper nearby that I would like to try air layering. I understand that junipers are not ideal for this process, and this is not the ideal time of year. Is this an absolutely stupid endeavor or should I go for it?

I would also like to try air layering or cutting a clone from a full grown nearby eastern redbud that has some sentimental value to me. Same question- Is that feasible?

I was looking at the Mosser Lee Airlayer Grow Kit as a cheap all-in-one purchase for my air layering needs. Any opinions on this product?

There’s a sweetgum seedling about chest high that I’ve had my eyes on and I’m also looking at some smaller oak and maple seedlings.

Thanks to anyone who has bothered to read this post. I look forward to our future conversations and I’m excited to finally start goofing around with tiny trees.
 

F0E

Seedling
Messages
6
Reaction score
10
Location
Virginia
USDA Zone
7
Hey, someone has to fund Bezos' cock rocket. Nah, you're right, I should find an alternative distributor.

I really like your pottery work Sorce. I had a pottery class a couple years back and I loved it. Professor said I was a natural. It'd be great to get back into ceramics and make my own bonzai pots but I don't currently have the means to do so.
 

Gr8tfuldad

Chumono
Messages
560
Reaction score
458
Location
NJ Pines
USDA Zone
7b
🤗 Welcome. Peter Chan didn’t buy a tree for 8 years while he learning bonsai. There are plenty of trees in your area available for collection.
 
  • Like
Reactions: F0E

Deep Sea Diver

Masterpiece
Messages
4,412
Reaction score
9,120
Location
Bothell, WA
USDA Zone
8b
Welcome aboard to BNut!

I think you will have a great time chatting up the folks here. Juniper is a really wise choice for you balcony. If it were me, I’d find my way to your local nurseries to check out whats’s possible. You don’t have to buy anything as your budget is flatlined, but this will give you a chance to scope out material and see what’s out there.

Another idea is to check out local and neighborhood construction sites as they come up. In these situations, the answer is always no if you dont ask, so if you see something on site, stick a shovel in your vehicle and don’t be too shy to ask.

We have a city tree and plant salvage co op network out here where home and construction sites post opportunities to salvage material to be removed. You may have one by you.

My last suggestion involves our neighborhood landscaper. We asked him about opportunities to take material he was removing. He said yes as it saves him haulage fees.

Welcome aboard again and good hunting!

cheers
DSD sends
 

Michael P

Omono
Messages
1,206
Reaction score
1,840
Location
Dallas, Texas, AHS heat zone 9
USDA Zone
8a
Welcome! A few quick reactions to your post:

What direction does your balcony face? This tells us how much sun it gets and helps guide your species choices.

Beginners are often strongly attracted to cascade and windswept styles--I certainly was. But these are difficult styles to master. This doesn't mean you shouldn't try, but at the same time try something easier so you don't become frustrated.

The common native juniper in your region is Juniperus virginiana, aka Eastern red cedar. This species has some disadvantages for good bonsai, but you can learn on it so collect several if yoi have the opportunity. Redbud also has difficulties: large leaves, long internodes, and it hates having its roots pruned. The sweetgum, oaks, and maples are better choices.

You said your budget is zero and I respect that. But if you can scrape together $8-$10 for a 1 gallon nursery juniper from a big box store it will give you something to work on while the collected trees recover for a year.

Good luck!
 

F0E

Seedling
Messages
6
Reaction score
10
Location
Virginia
USDA Zone
7
Thank you all for the warm welcome.

You've made a lot of great suggestions Diver, I wouldn't have thought about construction sites.

Michael P, my balcony faces southeast, so I believe it typically gets direct sunlight until about noon-1pm. And yeah, the more I've read about redbud makes me think that's not the route for me to go at this point. I'm just drawn to those pink blooms in spring.

My budget isn't necessarily zero, but I'm definitely trying to limit the spending. The price of pots, soil, a good pair of pruners, aluminum wire, etc is adding up. I might see what Lowes or a local nursery has.
 

Michael P

Omono
Messages
1,206
Reaction score
1,840
Location
Dallas, Texas, AHS heat zone 9
USDA Zone
8a
Southeast is good, with direct sun but some protection from hot afternoons. It also will be protected in the winter.

You can improvise many bonsai supplies in the beginning. Plastic nursery pots can be shortened to give more bonsai pot-like dimensions. Terracotta azalea pots or bulb pans are available in garden centers but may take some looking. A good and inexpensive bonsai soil can be made from a coarse potting soil or fine pine bark mulch and NAPA Floor Dry 8822. (NAPA is a national auto-supply chain.) Aluminum wire is sold in farm stores for electric fences. At first, ordinary bypass garden pruners will work. My favorite bonsai scissors are https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002WGINOK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 They are better than my Japanese carbon steel scissors.
 

F0E

Seedling
Messages
6
Reaction score
10
Location
Virginia
USDA Zone
7
I've managed to get a good amount of supplies together and have decided to start off with one of those mail order bonsai sets of 3 windswept pre-bonsai junipers. They showed up in a soggy box planted in some kind of mystery mix soil. I let them chill in the pots and soil they came in for a couple weeks. They look a little rough, some of the tips have turned brown, idk if it's from the trip here or from the weird soil they were in.

I recently transfered them to bigger pots with a mix of about 50/50 fox farm ocean forest and sifted perlite, a mix In which I've successfully grown other things in the past. Hopefully they can grow some roots and get bigger before I start shaping next year and eventually transfer to bonsai pots with some more proper soil. Idk, we'll see how they do. My dumb ass is probably killing them lol.

I bought some cheap bonsai fertilizer pellets but haven't fed em yet. It's been about 2-3 weeks since getting the plants.

On a more interesting note, a huge praying mantis has decided to post up as my little plant guardian. Pretty cool.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20210903_124451720_HDR.jpg
    IMG_20210903_124451720_HDR.jpg
    252.7 KB · Views: 20
  • IMG_20210903_124359797_HDR.jpg
    IMG_20210903_124359797_HDR.jpg
    254.8 KB · Views: 19

cbroad

Omono
Messages
1,685
Reaction score
1,970
Location
Richmond, VA
USDA Zone
7a
Hi from RVA!

Nice starts! Looks like the mantis is keeping your plants clean!

Potting soil and perlite is my go-to for growing out trees, about 50/50. Good medium between water holding capacity and letting enough oxygen into the soil, works well for our heat here so I don't have to water multiple times a day.
 
  • Like
Reactions: F0E

Deep Sea Diver

Masterpiece
Messages
4,412
Reaction score
9,120
Location
Bothell, WA
USDA Zone
8b
Welcome Aboard @F0E!

Juniper is a good place to start. Not sure about your media mix… it looks like a basic nursery mix, but if that’s what you are confident in to grow out your trees in, ok with me. You’ll likely hear plenty of opinions on this point here, for sure. The hardest part for me with a pseudo nursery blend…and I have plenty of trees in nursery blends growing out….is the difference in watering frequency and fertilization application in peat based blends vs the free flowing bonsai medias. I tend to do more misting then watering with plants in these blends.

At some point when you feel your trees are ready to move to later stages of development, you’ll want to move to a bonsai mix.

Welcome aboard once again!

cheers
DSD sends
 
  • Like
Reactions: F0E

F0E

Seedling
Messages
6
Reaction score
10
Location
Virginia
USDA Zone
7
Hello cbroad. I like Richmond, it's a fun place to visit. Lots of street art and good food.

Deep sea diver, thanks for your response. I'm far too much of a novice to be confident about anything I'm doing lol but ocean forest/perlite just seemed simple, affordable, and familiar. I have noticed that it does retain water for quite some time and I'm terrified of root rot.

I know there are a lot of conflicting opinions on soil and it definitely makes it hard for someone like me to make up their mind. Also I am aware that I'll need a good bonsai mix once I move to a bonsai pot and begin shaping, and I should have plenty of time to settle on something while these plants grow out. Just hoping I don't kill em in the meantime.
 
Top Bottom