Glossary of terms

donkey

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Just a quick suggestion but how about having a glossary of terms for us newbies i sometimes have no idea as to what people are reffering :confused:unless there are pictures. Though i have found the is ishizuku shohin considered shohin very informative and edumacational.:)
 

grouper52

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Tree - the (hopefully still) living thing stuck in a bonsai pot.

Pot - the container the tree is stuck in.

Soil - dirt.

Roots - parts of the tree under the soil surface.

Surface roots - parts of the roots above the soil surface.

Base - the surface roots and the lower flare of the trunk (see below).

Trunk - the part of the tree that connects the roots and surface roots to the branches.

Branches - the thinner woody parts of the tree that come off the trunk.

Foliage - the tree's leaves or needles: that is, the green (sometimes other colors) most distal parts of the tree that fan out from the branches.

Flowers - the sexual parts. Often brightly colored.

Fruits - the seeds, covered with a thin or thick skin and pulp, used by the tree to propagate.

Buds - latent or growing clusters of tissue from which new growth emerges.

Heartwood - the inner, dense, dry, dead, structural wood.

Sapwood - the outer, softer, moist, quasi-living wood.

Cambium - the thin, green, living layer between the sapwood and the bark.

Bark - the thick, dead, outer covering of the roots, trunk and branches.

Deadwood features - exposed areas of sapwood and heartwood.

Watering - what we do to keep the tree alive.

Feeding - what we do to keep the tree healthy.

Styling - what we do to make the tree pretty.

Enjoying - what we do for ourselves.
 

Bill S

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Will do you subscribe to using only "western " terms??:p I ask because it seems some really like to stick with the Japanese, or Chinese version, not sure what I think about it myself.

We could keep this going, it's actuall not a bad idea especially for the noobs.

Nebari - Roots - parts of the tree under the soil surface

Ramification - Branches - the thinner woody parts of the tree that come off the trunk - often the more the better.

Soil - dirt - Ahhh! The stuff battles have formed after - sorry my editorial - this needs to be researched by anybody new, and some w/ "experiance" - as there are many ways to do it, but it really needs to be local specific, please do a search on soil recipies.

Jin, Shari, Euro etc. - Deadwood features - exposed areas of sapwood and heartwood.
 

grouper52

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Bill, perhaps we can also clear up the whole "size" controversy:

Trees in pots can be divided into five basic categories:

1. Itsy Bitsy.

2. Small.

3. Medium Sized.

4. Big.

5. Really Big.
 

milehigh_7

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One other thing that should be pointed out to the forum newbies. Some of our members can be a touch sarcastic. :D
 

donkey

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very informative grouper 52 thanks i am no longer in the shade i bow to your intelligence, but in all seriousness, Bills thanks this is the kind of thing i mean but these are the terms i already knew but maybe helpfull to others who are new to this sport. I have worked out most of the terms that are new to me by following the threads esp those with pictures but i feel a complete list of these funny words like Nebari and yamadori would be both useful and informative to myself and other newcomers.
 

donkey

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One other thing that should be pointed out to the forum newbies. Some of our members can be a touch sarcastic. :D

Bill, perhaps we can also clear up the whole "size" controversy:

Trees in pots can be divided into five basic categories:

1. Itsy Bitsy.

2. Small.

3. Medium Sized.

4. Big.

5. Really Big.

I take it f****ng huge is no longer classed as bonsai
 

jk_lewis

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At 72, I have only two size classifications for bonsai:

1. Liftable
2. Non-liftable
 
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Grampz's FAVORITE bonsai term...

In a nod to our dear and departed bonsai friend/mentor...

Fukinagashi: Windswept style


G was a happy dirty ol' man at heart... genteel civilities aside... so use your imagination. :p

V
 

donkey

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Fukinagashi thats a new one to me cheers what a great word fukinagashi souds a little rude or is that just me
 

rockm

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Real life size classifications:

"Ain't that a CUUUUTE widdle tree"

"Look, I can hold it in one hand"

"It's heavier than it looks"

"Wow, it IS heavier than it looks--I'm gonna have to use both hands to lift this"

"ERK, Honey, could you help me lift this?"

"DAMMIT, I think I screwed my back up..."

"Um, operator, could you send an ambulance to..."
 

rockm

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"Fukinagashi thats a new one to me cheers what a great word fukinagashi souds a little rude or is that just me"

Then don't look up "Ishitsuki" :D:D
 

grouper52

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very informative grouper 52 thanks i am no longer in the shade i bow to your intelligence, but in all seriousness, Bills thanks this is the kind of thing i mean but these are the terms i already knew but maybe helpfull to others who are new to this sport. I have worked out most of the terms that are new to me by following the threads esp those with pictures but i feel a complete list of these funny words like Nebari and yamadori would be both useful and informative to myself and other newcomers.

All kidding aside (What, ME?), it might work better if you just give us a list of the words you don't know, and those of us who do know can then chime in - you could then compile them for yourself and others and post the complete and growing (with edits) list here or elsewhere.

Nebari are the all-important visible surface roots.

Yamadori are wild collected trees. By extension/extrapolation, yardadori are trees collected from your or someone else's backyard, gutterdori are the ones you Scotish blokes dig out of rain gutters, Chevydori are the ones collected from the engine blocks of the rusted old cars in the front yards of our Southern brethren (JUST KIDDING you guys!! :eek:), etc.
 

donkey

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i think i may be getting the hang of this Kerbadori collected from the roadside ? Railadori etc......
 

grouper52

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Is there a specific bonsai term for oh sh## i've really Bal***d that up !

I believe that's simply referred to as "bonsai" - part of the game, unfortunately.

I forget which one of the famous masters is quoted as saying something like, "I've probably killed more world class trees than the total number of bonsai most people have ever seen."
 
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