Bonsai forums a bad thing?

coh

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
5,781
Reaction score
6,822
Location
Rochester, NY
USDA Zone
6
I respect your opinion and agree 100%....

Me too. Don, did you ever find any pics of those euonymus that you had been working on for 5 years or so? Still would like to see them.

Chris
 

Bassistjon112

Seedling
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Location
Elizabethtown, PA
So much sensitivity here, it's like some people have never been on the internet before. Forums for hobbies are great to and help with becoming better at what ever it is your doing. Being rude is subjective. People seem to think they themselves are so high and mighty.
 
Messages
730
Reaction score
170
Location
Kentucky, USA
I think the bonsai forum is a great tool for sharing information. I dont always post but I read a lot of it and gain a lot from it including inspiration. At times i feel that some posters here are too eager to get angry or defensive when it really isn't warranted. This doesn't really bother me, just something I noticed. If a forum is getting you all worked up then maybe you are spending too much time on the internet.
 

Franky Bets

Seedling
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
OP, uninstall Google , burn your books, and any other stuff that gives knowledge or helps learning period.

Then think about your first post.

Im thankful ive lurked here, learning is good.
 

garywood

Chumono
Messages
945
Reaction score
713
Location
N. Alabama
USDA Zone
7
OP, uninstall Google , burn your books, and any other stuff that gives knowledge or helps learning period.

Then think about your first post.

Im thankful ive lurked here, learning is good.

Franky, what if 50% of everything every thing you learn is wrong? I'm not saying it is but what if? How do you discern the difference?
 

sorce

Nonsense Rascal
Messages
32,908
Reaction score
45,579
Location
Berwyn, Il
USDA Zone
6.2
Franky, what if 50% of everything every thing you learn is wrong? I'm not saying it is but what if? How do you discern the difference?

If 100% of ones knowledge is from forums. Then 50% is wrong.:p
 

coh

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
5,781
Reaction score
6,822
Location
Rochester, NY
USDA Zone
6
People like to criticize the "information" available on the forums, but it doesn't seem to be much different than what you find elsewhere. Read through some of the older books on bonsai and you'll find a lot of advice that differs from what is recommended today. And I've seen contradictory information provided by "masters"...Master A at a symposium says you can only wire a particular species at one time, Master B at another workshop says the complete opposite. One master uses turface, another swears that it is poison and will kill your trees.

I've had some members of the local club who have very healthy junipers tell me to keep junipers in full sun, while others (also with great looking junipers) have recommended a fair bit of shade.

What does this tell me? That the trees are overall more forgiving/tolerant than we give them credit for, and there are many "right" (or acceptable) answers. Few absolutes, as with most things. That's why I'm always wary when someone tells me you "have" to do it this or that way.

Chris
 

Bonsai Nut

Nuttier than your average Nut
Messages
12,421
Reaction score
27,874
Location
Charlotte area, North Carolina
USDA Zone
8a
Define "wrong". :)

I was only half kidding when I wrote earlier that bonsai is simply rules to be learned... so you can break them later.

My favorite quote from John Naka (paraphrased) is to not make your tree look like a bonsai, but make your tree look like a tree. Many of the "rules" we learn are to give the "impression" of age, of scale, of grandeur to trees that are only a foot or two tall. However like any art - the final work must be greater than the sum of the parts.

I have seen some bonsai that I did not like... and yet I could not discern anything that they did "wrong" with their design. Other bonsai I have seen that were (to me) amazing - and yet I could point to specific ways in which their designs were unconventional or even normally incorrect.

I know I am playing with your words atm and am reading outside of the original context of your post, but I truly believe there is a point where "wrong" can be "good".
 

garywood

Chumono
Messages
945
Reaction score
713
Location
N. Alabama
USDA Zone
7
Nut, I absolutely agree with you on design and esthetic appeal. But, bonsai as a forum, knows it encompasses more than design. This wonderful art, craft, hobby, addiction or whatever adjective used is so much more than design. From seed to 100's year old yamadori there are things (techniques) that either advance or retard development. This is where I question a forums effectiveness. Responses either way can be "right" or "wrong" depending on (what one knows) How does one know :)
 

Vance Wood

Lord Mugo
Messages
14,002
Reaction score
16,911
Location
Michigan
USDA Zone
5-6
SO------We are at a point where we are discussion throwing the baby out with the bath water? I think forums are a good thing. Interesting enough the individual who authored this thread has no problems posting elsewhere-----so what does that mean? Any-way, sure there are some tempers that flare and there are some stupid things said mistakenly advanced as making peace but there are many things that do occur for people that they may not have encountered any other way. Questions asked that need answers or at least contemplation, and many people are attempting to do things, and encouraged to do things that they may have not otherwise even thought possible.
 

michaelj

Chumono
Messages
950
Reaction score
1,157
Location
Orange County, CA
USDA Zone
10a
there's an old saying(actually started with the freemasons) it goes "Friends can be friends but don't discuss religion or politics" I feel something similar could be said for bonsai but more along the lines of "bonsai artists can be friends but we don't talk about soil or fertilizer"

Or IP law.
 

Paradox

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
9,339
Reaction score
11,414
Location
Long Island, NY
USDA Zone
7a
Franky, what if 50% of everything every thing you learn is wrong? I'm not saying it is but what if? How do you discern the difference?

I waded through conflicting info by doing more reading from many different sources (books and internet). After a while you begin to pick out the good from the bad and places where there is no absolute right or wrong, but rather different options.
 

Vance Wood

Lord Mugo
Messages
14,002
Reaction score
16,911
Location
Michigan
USDA Zone
5-6
I waded through conflicting info by doing more reading from many different sources (books and internet). After a while you begin to pick out the good from the bad and places where there is no absolute right or wrong, but rather different options.

It is for this reason I press people to post pictures of their work. Another old saying: Great claims demand great proof.
 

Poink88

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
8,968
Reaction score
119
Location
Austin, TX (Zone 8b)
USDA Zone
8b
I waded through conflicting info by doing more reading from many different sources (books and internet). After a while you begin to pick out the good from the bad and places where there is no absolute right or wrong, but rather different options.

I agree. Lots of info may be good but only for some scenario. After a while, your own filters (for your area, trees, weather, etc.) will kick in and discern which are good for you or not.
 

gjantzer

Yamadori
Messages
60
Reaction score
13
Location
Southern Oregon
USDA Zone
8b
From the original post: "We can learn lots of things from books and professional bonsai blogs, but putting it into practice is a whole different story. How many people spend more time on forums than actually working on their trees?"

Not to keep throwing stones or anything but I have two thoughts about the original post that related to my experiences in life:
1) Many people go to college to learn from books, teachers, peers, the internet, etc. Putting that info into practice is a whole different story. Why waste time in college if you could just get a job and start learning hands on? Ever wonder why it is so hard for so many college students to get a job right out of college? Perhaps you needed a knowledge base in a specific area before you knew how to proceed down your desired path? If thats you, see thought #2.
2) What kind of hands on bonsai experience do beginners pursue? Just grab the first tree you see that you like in a nursery, take it home, stick it in a pot that you like and start cutting? In my case I preferred to go hands on after a little bit of bonsai college. Spending a little time learning what plants to use, how to repot, when to cut etc. seemed a whole lot more productive to me than just grabbing a random plant and chopping away. There are no bonsai clubs in my town (well, i suppose we are an unofficial club of two at this point Rick) so this forum is my bonsai college. Going hands on without a knowledge base seems absurd, and there are dozens of very knowledgable members here willing to help educate us all. So why am I still here? Well, to borrow a line from Top Gun: "I will go hands on when I am God damn good and ready." (That line seems a little harsh but you get the idea)

So is this forum helpful? Absolutely!

And one question that is merely food for thought: If you wanted to learn about Mugo Pine Bonsai do you suppose you would be better off going hands on at your local club or reading every post written by Vance Wood three times? I know my answer……….
 

M. Frary

Bonsai Godzilla
Messages
14,307
Reaction score
22,116
Location
Mio Michigan
USDA Zone
4
I'll be reading the Vance Wood posts thank you.
 

Vance Wood

Lord Mugo
Messages
14,002
Reaction score
16,911
Location
Michigan
USDA Zone
5-6
I really do appreciate your opinion of what I do around here, but you know that I am just another schlub that does tree imitations, and thinks he has an obligation to talk about all of it.
 
Top Bottom