New to Bonsai in Flagstaff

[suztor]

Hello everyone! I'm Sue and the bonsai bug has bitten me!
I'll admit I'm an all over the place excited newbie.

I'm not really sure what inspired me to get started but I started with an elm seed starter kit and now I have several month old seedlings. Some are in grow out pots with potting soil, some are in bonsai pots with bonsai soil some are in tiny 1.5" terracotta pots with bonsai soil...so cute but so slow. They are starting their third set of leaves.

Then I saw my crab apple tree had a shoot coming from the bottom with roots. I planted it in bonsai soil and it wasn't too thrilled. I'm using a plant starter gel to get roots back on it, which is working! Not sure where to go from there though.

Then I got antsy and picked up Walmart juniper ( I know that's bad) and repotted it using the black gold bonsai mix. It seems to be pretty happy so far, its getting softer needles/leaves so I think its going to make it. I have a second juniper on the way from eves garden gifts $5.00 starter plant.

And I just saved a little umbrella tree from home depot for $2.00. The soil was bone dry but I repotted it with only a little bit of fresh soil and didn't disturb the root ball. And gave it a good watering. It has brightened up and things look good for it. I'm going to let it do its thing for a month or so but I also am trying to decide what to do with it. Are all umbrella trees bonsai-able? This one has irregular shaped leaves. Not sure if that's how it is or if from bad growing conditions.

Also I have some alligator juniper seed pods I'm working with and seeing how it goes. 5 are scored and planted in case they were already stratified and 5 are in the fridge. I know this is as long shot but its worth a try. I love the alligator juniper's bark. And gnarled way of growing.

I have this really nice lace rock that I want to do a root over rock thing with. But I know I'm new and I'm still working out watering of things. But its one of those ahhhhhh I wanna try everything!

Anyway hello! I'm Sue and I'm excited!

 

[Dirty Nails]

Anyway hello! I'm Sue and I'm excited!

Hi Sue ! Love the enthusiasm and Flagstaff.

 

[jason biggs]

awesome to see your enthusiasm - keep it up

 

[Poink88]

Welcome to B-Nut!

From one newbie to another...good luck!

I started a year and a half ago and took the other end of the spectrum starting with the biggest stock I can find and so glad I did.

Here is my collection 6 months into the hobby (a year ago).
http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthread.php?7700-My-plant-collection-(WARNING-picture-heavy)
I've added several more trees since.

 

[JudyB]

Hi Sue, and welcome! Once you figure out the watering, and what you like, you should look at getting a few more plants to keep you busy while your seeds grow. Starting from seed can be a really long (but rewarding ) process. Good luck and have fun!

 

[Tona]

Welcome to the addiction Sue!! This is a great forum!! Hope to see your trees posted one day!
Tona

 

[bonsaibp]

Welcome to the site and to bonsai. You should check out the Phoenix Bonsai Societies website-there's a wealth of info about growing bonsai in AZ.http://www.phoenixbonsai.com/
I don't think there are any clubs actually in Flagstaff.

 

[suztor]

Thanks for the warm welcome. I'll check out the phoenix bonsai society. Since no one in flagstaff does anything I find interesting :

I'll post some pics eventually. Once I clean things up, can't post photo evidence of my messy craft/plant/me room and the backyard.

So I have a few questions.

Do all umbrella plants end up getting the woody base after a while? Is there any non bonsai able one?

Do the juniper shrubs count in way of bonsai ? They are only $5 in a gallon bucket. And I have $10 left on my home depot gift card.

 

[rockm]

ANY plant that builds a perrenial woody trunk can be made into bonsai, including pines, maples and tropical plants like ficus and schefflera (umbrella tree).

Plants that make woody trunks take a while to do so. Schefflera can do so, but are known for their aerial roots and tropical feel (they're "indoor" bonsai for most people).
Take a look through this site for what can be done with them:

http://www.fukubonsai.com/

$5 garden center junipers are a mainstay of folks just starting out in bonsai to practice making and caring for bonsai.

Nothing interesting to do in Flagstaff? Not the town I remember, but that was a very long time ago...;-)

 

[lackhand]

Hi Sue,

I would definitely grab some $5 junipers and get to work on them. Try not to do too much so you don't kill them, and just encourage interesting growth. I have one I wired and then put lots of bends in to just let it thicken up for the year. Next year I'll add some more twists and turns and so on for several years, until it gets to a size or shape that inspires me to take it to the next level. I constantly hunt the garden sections at HD and Lowes and have found some nice starter material in their bargain area, and some that weren't on sale but had really nice trunks.

The Phoenix Bonsai Society website is a great resource, but your climate is definitely different, so the plant guide there might not be very helpful. You might be better off seeing if you can find info from a more similar climate like Colorado or Utah (somewhere else that actually gets snow and freezing weather). You could also contact the Phoenix club and see if they know of anybody up in Flagstaff that does bonsai, you might be able to find a mentor or even start a club up there.

If you decide to come to Phoenix for a meeting, maybe I'll see you there.

 

[jk_lewis]

Junipers are actually one of the most common plants used for bonsai and they are an ideal practice tree. Shefflera (umbrella tree) are used. Some have quite large leaves. In Flagstaff, yours will have to be grown indoors from about October to March.

I'm not sure how specifically helpful the Phoenix Bonsai Society site will be for you. The info there is 99% low desert plants, etc., and you're not in that kind of desert. But it is a very good bonsai site and will be useful for general bonsai information.

The closest bonsai club to you is in Payson, which is probably a couple of hours away from Flagstaff. I thought there was one in Flagstaff at one time, but . . . here is info on the Payson club:

Bonsai of Payson - Meets at 905 N. Hillcrest, Payson, first Monday, 7:00 pm. Larry Mueller, 905 N. Hillcrest, Payson, AZ. (602) 474-3370. Shows on Earth Day in April and at Pima County Fair in September.

Maybe you can visit.

I suggest you visit you local library and see what they have on bonsai. You can, of course, also buy a book or two. Here is a site for brief book reviews of many good beginner's books:

http://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t9869-mini-book-reviews-i-beginner-s-books

Harry Tomlinson's "The Complete Book of Bonsai" is a good starter book and it is easily found used at Amazon or Abebooks.com. Just remember that, like all books with "Complete" in the title, it isn't.

This juniper started out as a $5.00 plant from Lowes or Home Depot (I don't shop at WalMart), so have at it!