Is Peter Adams JM book still up to date?

[bonsaichile]

Online stuff will always be a poor substitue for reading on a page. Our eyes and brains do not treat both medium the same, and true concentration is almost impossible to achieve staring at a screen

 

[theone420]

Online stuff will always be a poor substitue for reading on a page. Our eyes and brains do not treat both medium the same, and true concentration is almost impossible to achieve staring at a screen

sorry I cant follow that rule. I have to read something 20 times to get it right but if you show me once or twice I can replicate the result in most cases. never have been a book person. Some folks just got a different way of doing the learning.

 

[Clicio]

He had one of the best "eyes" for bonsai design to come along for deciduous trees and especially maples.

That is exactly what I am looking for, thanks, @rockm

 

[bonsaichile]

sorry I cant follow that rule. I have to read something 20 times to get it right but if you show me once or twice I can replicate the result in most cases. never have been a book person. Some folks just got a different way of doing the learning.

I feel for you. You are missing so much

 

[GrimLore]

sorry I cant follow that rule. I have to read something 20 times to get it right but if you show me once or twice I can replicate the result in most cases. never have been a book person. Some folks just got a different way of doing the learning.

I understand and respect that. People that come here with their plants, often for a weekend often have gone to meetings, demos, read a lot and are far more "inspired" when working on the plant themselves under guidance. Not for everyone but it is for many.

Grimmy

 

[theone420]

I feel for you. You are missing so much

Ouch!
I still listen to unabridged audio books and I have read the the Bonsai Today book on pines a few times as well as the Bonsai today magazines 12 and 20 about pines all for the 6 year contest. I do my research and never trust the first person I see online. I am just a different type of learner.
I will say dyslexia can be a bitch if you are trying to learn from books exclusively. You should try it some time. you may have noticed almost all of my posts get edited.

Thanks @GrimLore for the understanding. I feel no less inspired when working on my trees, maybe even more so because I see things visually much better than I can see in a book.

 

[bonsaichile]

Ouch!
I still listen to unabridged audio books and I have read the the Bonsai Today book on pines a few times as well as the Bonsai today magazines 12 and 20 about pines all for the 6 year contest. I do my research and never trust the first person I see online. I am just a different type of learner.
I will say dyslexia can be a bitch if you are trying to learn from books exclusively. You should try it some time.

I can understand dyslexia, of course. But when someone says, I am not much of a book person, I always feel bad for them: they are indeed missing a great deal. Just like I would miss a great deal if I didnt watch movies or listened to music.

 

[rockm]

sorry I cant follow that rule. I have to read something 20 times to get it right but if you show me once or twice I can replicate the result in most cases. never have been a book person. Some folks just got a different way of doing the learning.

Well, that's not really what we're talking about here with this book. The book is about design and how to handle stuff, NOT about repotting practices, et.

The ideas aren't limited to "replicating" practices. It's about how to think about designing maples--

BTW, you're hardly alone with reading and hands on experience. I can teach someone how to root prune effectively in five minutes of hands on instruction.

With A book --and ESPECIALLY online--you have no 'hands on." You may THINK you get hands on experience online, but uh uh, ain't so. It's an unfortunate and potentially determintal assumption these days. Just because you saw it online, does not mean you actually have experience actually DOING IT.

Presented with a tree IRL, things are VERY VERY different.

 

[theone420]

...... The book is about design and how to handle stuff, NOT about repotting practices, et.........

Oh. Well that is one thing I am trying to learn right now and it is tough with books and with video because they are very 2 dimensional even in video because the camera angle is almost never changed. I am in need of some good classes or meetings but I am stuck about 2 hours plus away from anything like that. I am trying to read "Principles of Bonsai Design by David De Groot" but it is a very hard read for me. I get it, but I just dont get it, if that makes sense. So my next step is going to be some sort of class on design principles or something I guess.

 

[Clicio]

Amazon, I trust you!

 

[theone420]

May 9th sure came fast!

 

[namnhi]

You make me buy one also. Will get it on Sunday.

 

[GrimLore]

Presented with a tree IRL, things are VERY VERY different.

100 percent with you on that. When people bring plants here for informal workshops they normally are club members somewhere, read all they can, go to demo's, and do videos. When most get here they have a decent amount of healthy plants that simply need to be worked on. Why? They have had them a few years but never tried all they have seen as they are unsure for many reasons. Man do they get dirty here And they carry that information home with new confidence

Grimmy

 

[BeebsBonsai]

I have this book. The first cover you posted. Its incredibly detailed and well illustrated with both hand drawn sketches for concepts and then photos for proof of concept.

I agree with most posts here, the soils are outdated from a modern perspective. Thats not to say that they cant be used successfully, just that they arent as perfectly suited as what modern artists use for maples now.

What i will say is, his sections on training trees (how to cut, when to cut, where to cut, when to apply wire, how to apply wire) are very detailed and helpful.

In addition, my version has a whole section describing different designs that can be used and shows how to create them, step by step, which i thoroughly enjoyed.

You aont be disappointed, it has been my favorite bonsai read since i picked it up a year ago. I constantly reference it. And peter adams was the western leader of japanese maples. The grandfather, if you will. I believe peter warren trained under his guidance at some point. Anybody know that for sure. I seem to remember hearing him discuss that on the maple mirai stream he was on.

Alex

 

[Clicio]

You wont be disappointed

Well, I am not.
It is really a thorough useful book, and I am glad I have it. I will never look at a maple the same way again.?

 

[markyscott]

Well, I am not.
It is really a thorough useful book, and I am glad I have it. I will never look at a maple the same way again.?

I’m glad you like it. There are many books that detail maintenance techniques, but there is shockingly little out there detailing development of hardwood Bonsai. Peter’s book is one of the best. I met him once when he and David Robinson were collaborating at elandan gardens.

 

[Clicio]

Peter’s book is one of the best.

Thank you and all bnuts that made me buy it!

 

[Bananaman]

I agree with most posts here, the soils are outdated from a modern perspective. Thats not to say that they cant be used successfully, just that they arent as perfectly suited as what modern artists use for maples now.
Alex

I would be most interested in knowing more on this subject. Can you explain the difference in outdated soils versus modern soils.

 

[Bananaman]

Where did Beebs go???

 

[BrightsideB]

The problem for a lot of people looking for information online is that "respected" sources CAN be dimwits--Not talking about Neil or the big names, but just take a look at the post on dumb bonsai videos. All of those people LOOK like they know what they're doing (with a few exceptions), but they haven't really got a clue. They just have a camera, some spare time and mostly inflated sense of their abilities.

Beginners and even those with enough experience to be dangerous haven't been doing bonsai for all that long and can't make an accurate assessment of the thousands of "instructional" videos, websites etc. that have sprung up online . Additionally, many of the "masters" such as Ryan Neil deal primarily with old collected conifers and not many deciduous trees (because those trees are in style at the moment), leaving a gap for those interested in deciduous trees.

Books (although some are pretty outdated on stuff like soil and technical stuff) don't really have a big problem with that. A publisher has to invest money in a book and generally don't pay for things that are complete horsehockey. Peter Adams books are primarily about the artistic end of things, which is more timeless than shifting understanding of soils and techniques. He had one of the best "eyes" for bonsai design to come along for deciduous trees and especially maples.

Hello, I am new to bonsai. And I am very interested in understanding the best way to keep a variety of tree's healthy. I don't want to invest in bad techniques. I was curious if you could refer me to some good literature on the topic. Thank you