Brand new , so I have a batch of the usual questions

[JohnW63]

After a recent visit to The Huntington Library and Botanical gardens, down here in Southern California, I started getting interested in bonsai and if I could actually grown something cool.

I purchased and read " The Bonsai Workshop" by Herb Gustafson, to get a better understanding of things. Lots of good info, but not all of my questions were answered.

I've been reading through the Evergreengardenworks.com articles as well.

I found a Bonsai nursery near me, which was a shock, considering I live in the "high desert" area of southern California. The guy had a big selection of bonsai to purchase and I tried to get some advice from him, but, he was a bit hard of hearing and I didn't speak Korean. Still, I learned a few things.

I found the nursery I have been buying my landscape trees has a little bonsai shed where the staff have been working on bonsai projects too. Been going there 16 years, and it never came up.

So, to my questions....

I live in the high desert of southern California. It gets above 100 degrees commonly in the summer and down around freezing and sometimes below, in the winter. On average the humidity is about 15%. It also is windy quite a lot. All that does reduce the list of landscape trees we can plant, and I'm sure it shrinks the selection of trees that can be used for bonsai. Given those conditions, what would you suggest ?

Most of Mr Kim's nursery was Junipers. I know Chinese Elm grows here, because I have two large ones in my back yard, but most nursery folks consider them more of a "weed tree" because they spread by seeds and roots to where you don't want them.

Is there a place with a decent starter tool kit that is worth the price ? I seen web sites that sell various brands, and I understand the good stuff comes from Japan. I just don't want to spend $300 on a set and find I am not cut out for bonsai. On that topic, should I get a concave cutter or knob cutter ?

Finally, what other books or web resources should I go find ? There are no clubs I could find unless I drive over 1.5 hours into Orange County.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Welcome.

1. First, grow what grows in your area and you'll have much better success starting out...you mentioned junipers and Chinese elms...2 great choices.

2. In absence of a club, go back to that nursery and offer to help in the bonsai area...if only to clean up and pull weeds to start with. This hobby is learned best by rolling up sleeves and getting hands dirty.

3. Basic tools to start with include a decent pair of pruning shears, knob cutters, and bonsai wire cutters. At first, most brands will be ok, links are to good options. Black metal is easier to sharpen than stainless, and is lower in price. Not cheap, but I still have my first knob cutter and wire cutters after almost 20 years...treated right, they'll last a long time.

4. Some great online resources include:

http://m.youtube.com/#/user/bjorval...desktop_uri=/user/bjorvalabonsai?blend=1&ob=5
http://bonsaitonight.com/
http://peterteabonsai.wordpress.com/#!/cover
http://crataegus.com/#!/cover
http://bonsai-japan.com/
http://tylersherrodbonsai.wordpress.com/#!/cover
http://www.kaizenbonsai.com/shop/bonsai_videos.php
http://japanesebonsaipots.net/#!/cover

Enjoy!

 

[edprocoat]

John welcome to the world of Bonsai ! You could not have found a better person to give you advice than Brian. All I can add is have fun and don't get too upset when you lose one, sadly its all part of the addiction.

Brian must be a little humble not to give you any links to the good info he has posted online about Bonsai, heres one to get you started www.youtube.com/watch?v=gneS2cYj91A

ed

 

[JohnW63]

Thanks for the links. I think the next to last one will be the most helpful. The more I read and learn, the more daunting it starts to seem. All the people spending years in Japan to become good at it, and how much it seems you need to understand to keep the tree growing well, all add up.

As far as what trees grow in my area, ... if left to nature, it would be Joshua Trees, Creosote, and " Rabbit Brush " with tumble weeds thrown in. Given enough soil amendment and water, there is a bigger list, if course. In my yard, I have the Chinese Elms, some Chinese Pistache ( which I also see called Pistachio, but I believe that is an incorrect name. ), Raywood ash, a Ginko Biloba, I have hopes for . and a line of Leyland Cyprus for a wind break. I also have a good sized Wisteria over my back porch, but Mr. Kim said those are more difficult. He has some 1 gallon junipers he said he would sell for 4 bucks each.

Outside the Elm, are any of these other trees good candidates to try and grow from clippings and turn into bonsai ?

 

[JohnW63]

Follow up on the tools.

When I get my starter trees to work on, can I use a good pair of regular garden shears to remove material for the basic shape, or will ALL branch removal be done with the knob cutters , even at the start ?

 

[Poink88]

My most used tool is a concave cutter. 2nd is a pair of shears. I just use a Stanley scissor (long) thought I have lots of "proper" bonsai shears. 3rd is a knob cutter.

I started with a small regular wire cutter (less than $2.00 from Home Depot). For now, it should suffice unless you really want to spend money on a bonsai wire cutter. You can always upgrade later.

IMHO, you can get away with just a good quality concave cutter and a nice home scissors for the first year. The rest can follow as you discover what you want/need.

For major branch removal, I use a pruning saw or lopper. I also have a small saw for more precision cuts. I've removed 2" or bigger branches with my concave cutter as well...just have to do it in steps.

For plants, best way I know is to look around your neighborhood...see what grows locally. You can cross check what you see with commonly used bonsai species online for suitability. I like collecting old hedges (like boxwood), maybe you can do the same. I take leads via Craigslist and even get curb side "trash tree" pick up while driving LOL

Good luck and welcome to the hobby!