Hello from NW Ohio

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macdad

Mame
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Location
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6a
Hello all. I am new to the art of bonsai and just wanted to introduce myself. I have zero experience, but I am enjoying all the learning.

I went crazy a few weeks ago and bought several boxwoods, a holly, and a "pre-bonsai" ficus. Now I just have to wait for the proper time of year to start cutting and shaping. That should give me plenty of time to learn how to care for the trees that I have before they have any sentimental value as a bonsai.

I am really looking to challenge my creative side with this new hobby. I am an engineer by trade, and most of my past hobbies are more technical in nature. There is plenty of science involved with bonsai, which excites me, but there is also the opportunity to create something beautiful. I hope that I am creative enough to make some beautiful bonsai trees in the future.
 
macdad said:
There is plenty of science involved with bonsai, which excites me, but there is also the opportunity to create something beautiful.
Click to expand...

Two of the MANY things I LOVE about this hobby. The perfect marriage of horticulture and art.

Welcome to a great hobby and also to great online forum!

Cory
 
Thanks all! Hopefully I can keep this fire burning through the winter months... I am looking forward to next spring. I have a tree that I will be performing a trunk chop on, and a lot of little plants that need shaping.

If I'm not careful, I'll end up with as many trees as Dario. :D
 
macdad said:
Thanks all! Hopefully I can keep this fire burning through the winter months... I am looking forward to next spring. I have a tree that I will be performing a trunk chop on, and a lot of little plants that need shaping.

If I'm not careful, I'll end up with as many trees as Dario. :D
Click to expand...

Then you will be selling some next year like Dario! :p Welcome aboard and for the record I am retired from the Scientific and Computer Industry. My Wife is still active as an Environmental Engineer - we both find although Bonsai "can" be complicated it can also be made to be very simple... If you find a happy medium you will be very happy! Take your time so you may enjoy ;)
 
Grimlore, thank you for the words of wisdom! One of my past hobbies was reef aquariums. There are many out there that will greatly over-complicate things. I was very successful maintaining a reef (including hard corals) while keeping things simple.
 
Welcome macdad. Before you start styling trees for bonsai. You will need to become familar with the 5 styles of bonsai. These styles are what almost every bonsai is based on. Even if they are loose interpretations. A tree is not just randomly trained into what ever shape, but rather these styles. Also, knowing what care the species of tree you have needs and how to prune it is important. Almost every species is pruned differently. Improper pruning can weaken and even kill a tree.

A good place to start is this site in the link below. There are many great articles. As mentioned, I would get to know othe 5 styles first. Then you can look up your the individual species on the site to find out how to prune them.

Good luck.

Rob

http://www.bonsai4me.com/
 
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Thanks Rob! That is a really good site. I started cutting on a few boxwoods before I really read up on them. I also bought a small False Cypress before I read about it. I read up on it when I got home and learned that it doesn't back bud on old wood. I will use it to simply learn how it reacts to pruning and pinching. It was only $6. Pretty small tree... Not really much potential as bonsai, just something to learn on.

I will probably focus on more forgiving trees to start with. That is why I am a little more drawn to deciduous trees.

I purchased a decent size elm that I will chop next spring. Hopefully that will give me plenty of opportunity to learn.
 
Great advise - also understand I have a lot of experience helping my Wife with tropicals for a long time. Five years ago I started to and continue to play with seedlings, saplings, and minor collections to understand the non-tropical... Yes I said five years and after this Winter with a lot of trees it will be six years... After all of that I now consider myself "ready" to obtain good stock and spend several more years learning techniques and styling... If you are going to dive in it just won't be fun - learn all you are interested in, how to keep it healthy and winter it and then go to step two or forever be lost in questions and dead trees.

Just me opinion and honest thoughts,

Grimmy
 
GrimLore said:
Great advise - also understand I have a lot of experience helping my ...If you are going to dive in it just won't be fun - learn all you are interested in, how to keep it healthy and winter it and then go to step two or forever be lost in questions and dead trees.

Just me opinion and honest thoughts,

Grimmy
Click to expand...

That is good advice. This is more of a marathon, not a sprint. Another point that you touched on here is wintering the trees. I am somewhat concerned about this. Watering plants in the winter is somewhat of an alien thought to me. Fortunately, we have smart phones that I can put reminders in, until I generate a good routine/habit.
 
During the week pm me and I can call you with valid Wintering advise in your area. Watering may or may not be a concern depending on where and how they are wintered, what they are in, and a few other factors. :cool:
 
welcome indeed from a former buckeye. Raised in Elyria, was the voice of radio in the sandusky, bellefontaine markets areas. My current bonsai buddy, is a retired Boeing engineer.
His ability to detail has been fun to mentor.He also builds a mean cedar display stand. Happy
to be of any help thru PMs or phone calls.
 
Hey, wanted to add my welcome, let me know if you need specific wintering advice for our climate.
 
FWIW only the fig will profit from indoor shelter in cold months.

All the winter hearty trees are going to snuggle into a bed or cold frame for a winters slumber.
 
Thanks Grimlore and JudyB. I will most likely take you up on that.

Coppice, That is why I plan on working mainly with trees that survive and thrive in the Ohio winters. Ultimately, I would love to have a nice Japanese Maple, but that is years down the road.

Also, I plan on holding all my plants (except the ficus) in an enclosed front porch. It is not heated. Would that be sufficient? Would it be too warm?

One other question that has eluded me... When we have a mild winter and the trees start to bud too early, what is the plan of action? This happens regularly with the large trees in my yard, but I am thinking they are far more able to handle the freezing after it starts to bud.
 
Beware of the enclosed front porch! It's probably going to heat up at some point, and then you'll have trees that awaken too early. You want to keep them cold and dormant as long as possible. That means frozen soil, and no sun. Trees don't want or need sun in their dormant period. I would choose garage or buried pots instead. They still may wake before they should with a prolonged warm snap late in winter, then you'll be doing the two-step (in and out) with the rest of us...
 
JudyB said:
Beware of the enclosed front porch! It's probably going to heat up at some point, and then you'll have trees that awaken too early. You want to keep them cold and dormant as long as possible. That means frozen soil, and no sun. Trees don't want or need sun in their dormant period. I would choose garage or buried pots instead. They still may wake before they should with a prolonged warm snap late in winter, then you'll be doing the two-step (in and out) with the rest of us...
Click to expand...

That is what I was afraid of. Well, I have some time to figure it out. I could always build some shelves in the garage... Not sure I am very keen on the buried pots for all the plants. Plenty of challenges! Exciting :)
 
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