Bonsai Care Index?

[Kodama]

Hey BNuts!
Just curious if anyone knows of a resource where you can look up your tree type and climate zone and it will give you a seasonal care chart of what work can be done in that zone by the season? I have a couple books with general seasonal care chart for a few species but none address local climate. I believe experience will ultimately be the real teacher. However, as a beginner I find myself searching alot of sites, books, videos and separate material trying to put the pieces together in which this site has been the best resource so far. Just didn't know if there is another resource out there that would advise by zone as a general simple guide? Should one be built? Would it be used? Thoughts?

 

[Shibui]

Good luck with finding such a resource. It is commonly known that when you ask 6 bonsai people the same question you are likely to get 7 different answers so there is little hope of getting a coherent resource on seasonal tasks for a single tree let alone a whole lot of species.
The real truth is that care can vary quite a lot from one place to another.
There also seems to be multiple successful ways to mange most trees. Many of them survive despite what we do rather than because of it.
There are also new ways regularly emerging that can make traditional care obsolete.

i think the best way is to glean what you can and try to find a common thread to start with then don't be afraid to experiment looking for improvements.

 

[Pj86]

The best resource I have found to compare climates is this website https://weatherspark.com/ . When I get suggestions from a person in another climate zone I typically compare their seasonal weather to gauge timing.

 

[Dav4]

Advice from experienced hobbyists in/near your location is best, followed by your own experience as you learn to read and understand what your trees are telling you to do, or to not do, at any given time of year.

 

[mrcasey]

Hey BNuts!
Just curious if anyone knows of a resource where you can look up your tree type and climate zone and it will give you a seasonal care chart of what work can be done in that zone by the season? I have a couple books with general seasonal care chart for a few species but none address local climate. I believe experience will ultimately be the real teacher. However, as a beginner I find myself searching alot of sites, books, videos and separate material trying to put the pieces together in which this site has been the best resource so far. Just didn't know if there is another resource out there that would advise by zone as a general simple guide? Should one be built? Would it be used? Thoughts?

I've long wanted to see something like this too. The Bonsai Society Of Portland has an extensive calendar for the Pacific Northwest area. One might be able to guess/extrapolate to one's climate (if similar enough). Bonsai+Calendar+Detail.pdf (squarespace.com)

 

[Kodama]

The best resource I have found to compare climates is this website https://weatherspark.com/ . When I get suggestions from a person in another climate zone I typically compare their seasonal weather to gauge timing.

Wow...this is a good one that really breaks it down. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Kodama]

I've long wanted to see something like this too. The Bonsai Society Of Portland has an extensive calendar for the Pacific Northwest area. One might be able to guess/extrapolate to one's climate (if similar enough). Bonsai+Calendar+Detail.pdf (squarespace.com)

Yes, something like this would be nice if available for all zones but in a website easy searchable format.

 

[Kodama]

Advice from experienced hobbyists in/near your location is best, followed by your own experience as you learn to read and understand what your trees are telling you to do, or to not do, at any given time of year.

Yeah would love to join a local club but I think i'm the only one in this little microclimate town that is studying this art...lol

 

[Kodama]

Good luck with finding such a resource. It is commonly known that when you ask 6 bonsai people the same question you are likely to get 7 different answers so there is little hope of getting a coherent resource on seasonal tasks for a single tree let alone a whole lot of species.
The real truth is that care can vary quite a lot from one place to another.
There also seems to be multiple successful ways to mange most trees. Many of them survive despite what we do rather than because of it.
There are also new ways regularly emerging that can make traditional care obsolete.

i think the best way is to glean what you can and try to find a common thread to start with then don't be afraid to experiment looking for improvements.

Good info..thanks for sharing. I can surely appreciate those gems of higher level knowledge but as a beginner I feel I do not have the right base to start from by looking at the basic care guides without considering my local zone. I know what works in one area may not work in another so it can be real misleading. It should be all common sense but the deeper I dive the more I find.

 

[Cadillactaste]

Here is a list of bonsai clubs in the USA. I'm very rural with no club near...BUT...you never know. Never hurts to check...it may surprise you with one closer than you think.

Bonsai Clubs – USA

Bonsai Clubs – USA Click on each state on the map to view the directory of bonsai clubs for that state, or just scroll down the page.This information is provided as a courtesy to the bonsai c…

www.absbonsai.org

 

[MrWunderful]

My bonsai study opened up immensely when I stopped looking for outside sources to tell me what to do and when to do it, and started paying attention to specific trees.

Took about 10 years before I realized it. I too wanted a specific calendar, but following “guides” caused me to kill trees.

 

[Cadillactaste]

My bonsai study opened up immensely when I stopped looking for outside sources to tell me what to do and when to do it, and started paying attention to specific trees.

Took about 10 years before I realized it. I too wanted a specific calendar, but following “guides” caused me to kill trees.

Agreed...guides are just that...a ballpark. You need to pay attention to what the tree is saying. Location can change when we do repots for specific trees in general. Strength of a tree...can post pone some techniques in focusing on getting a tree healthy to be able to handle what we apply in our hobby.

 

[Kodama]

Makes sense and thanks for sharing your insight. I will work towards that tree whispering level but I'm only a 2nd year beginner and still trying to understand the basics.