Newbie Here.. Researching

[nrcheek]

Hey guys,
I'm a newbie looking forward to getting into Bonsai. Right now i'm doing all the researching I can, and trying to find the right Bonsai for me. Starting out I am wanting to do an all outside project of something that grows locally, Central/Southern Indiana, as well as probably a ficus, which i've read are probably the best to start with since they are so tough.
Just thought i'd throw my name out there and say hey!... now back to my researching.
Any tips or advice you may have for me is more than welcome

 

[JudyB]

Well nrcheek, maples are pretty forgiving and easy if you get the right kind... but Chinese Elm are pretty indestructible to start with. And they really have nice attributes, such as small leaves and interesting bark. You can get decent starts pretty cheap, and like I said, it's pretty hard to go wrong with them if you have any horticultural skills.

Good that you are doing research first!
welcome.

 

[nrcheek]

Judy would you recommend going to a nursery and buying a tree,, then chopping it back ? thats what i've heard on other sites.. A question to that would be, what would it look like when it starts to grow back.. wouldn't it be awkward with a larger trunk and sprouts coming out the top? I could post pics as the sprouts come up, and ask for advice as to what to trim up, but it seems like it would be rather awkward to do. Anyone have a good link to walk me thru that process?
Thanks again

 

[rockm]

Good question. It's kind of a chicken and egg thing with what to start with.

Starting with nursery stock and cutting it down then re-growing it into bonsai is one way to do it. Buying a "ready made" bonsai from a QUALITY supplier (not roadside or at the mall) is another.

Personally, I started with ready made and would recommend starting that way. If you start with nursery material, you basically have to spend a few years bringing that material back into shape. That is, you really aren't doing bonsai as much as you are regrowing substantial portions of a tree or shrub.

With a "finished" (and finished is relative, since bonsai grow and are ever-developing) bonsai you do get to "do" bonsai and have something that you will find attractive (and will therefore be more likely to care for it) than a cut down nursery tree that will look a lot like Charlie Brown's Christmas tree than a bonsai for a while.

Judy's suggestion for Chinese Elm is excellent--they have to be kept outside. Ficus is also good for places with limited access to outdoor space.

 

[nrcheek]

Thanks Rock,
I appreciate the quick feedback! I'll have to get looking. I'm looking for a Ficus that I can bring in to my room when its colder, but could also set out on the patio during the day when the suns not scorching!
And I think i'd go with a an elm or maple to stay outside :0 Do you guys plant your bonsai completely in the ground like a "typical" tree? or keep it in the pot? (your outside bonsai's)
Thanks

 

[berobinson82]

Hello nrcheek,

I am also a neophyte but wanted to talk to you about your research. When I first got involved, I was devouring as much information as I could find online. The members of the club I joined often told me to read everything I could... I wish they had told me to read books/magazines. Sounds obvious now. I was relying on the internet WAY too much and the info out there is spotty and often times, not so accurate. I picked up quite a few magazines. Check out Stone Lantern for a collection you can start to acquire... I wish they had full archives. There are books like John Naka's (2 actually) that will put a lot of basic information in one place. Remember to filter the information for your USDA zone. Californians might accidently give you the wrong season to perform work if you are in New York and not careful. SPeaking of which, your forum profile has a spot to fill out your location.. Not a bad idea.

Remember there is more than one way to skin a cat. Brian Van Fleet is a member of this site. He once gave another newbie some advice which I saved for this kind of event:

Brian Van Fleet:
Advice? Read everything you can get your hands on, contemplate your trees, take your time. Think in terms of seasons and years, not weeks and months. Everyone has an opinion; listen to people whose trees you appreciate.

Listen to people who's trees you appreciate. That made it much easier for me to wrap my head around conflicting information.

I thanked you then Brian, allow me to do so again.

Welcome and have fun. Posting pics seems to earn more replies around here

 

[nrcheek]

thanks a lot berobinson
I'm looking forward to getting my first bonsai, and I may even find a sappling just to grow, knowing eventually it will become a bonsai. That'd be very cool to me to grow old with something and be able to tell ppl exactly how old it is but for now i just need to get my hands on one!

 

[berobinson82]

thanks a lot berobinson
I'm looking forward to getting my first bonsai, and I may even find a sappling just to grow, knowing eventually it will become a bonsai. That'd be very cool to me to grow old with something and be able to tell ppl exactly how old it is but for now i just need to get my hands on one!

rockm, per usual, gives good advice. I started with a bunch of nursery stock and still acquire it from time to time. It's low risk low reward stuff. You're going to kill plants at first. I think it's better to kill a $20 shrub than a $200 pre-bonsai.

On the other hand, once you start to progress, you'll be stuck with a bunch of "junk" that will never amount to much. But that education from styling and keeping healthy potted plants is invaluable. Also, ebay.

 

[rockm]

"Do you guys plant your bonsai completely in the ground like a "typical" tree? or keep it in the pot? (your outside bonsai's)"

Not sure what you mean. Bonsai aren't grown outside in the ground as bonsai (they are put back in the ground occasionally to accelerate growth and in winter they can be mulched or covered in the ground along with their pots to protect against frost)

A bonsai is not a bonsai without a pot. A bonsai in the ground is just a tree ;-) or a bonsai in training. Bonsai literally means "tray planting."

It gets complicated though. For instance most bonsai are not grown into bonsai. They are cut down to size from larger trees that have probably been in the ground. That is, many begin their lives in the wild, at a garden, or at a nursery, in the ground.

Those stock trees are sculpted into bonsai--just like a stone is chiseled and cut into a sculpture. Sculpture, however, is only substracting material from a larger stone. Bonsai not only subtracts through pruning (both extreme and light) but also adds to its structure through growth.

Bonsai stock can be obtained through many sources, from extreme raw stock originating in nurseries and the wild, to specifically-cultivated stock from a specialist bonsai nursery. From all those sources, beginning material can be gathered, from seeds to massive trunks that can be regrown into bonsai.

An example of a wild collected Ponderosa pine being made into bonsai:
http://bssjblog.blogspot.com/2012/04/woodstock-v-repotting-very-old.html

 

[jk_lewis]

I wish they had told me to read books/magazines. Sounds obvious now. I was relying on the internet WAY too much and the info out there is spotty and often times, not so accurate.

GREAT advice! The I'net is fun -- and useful -- but much too often it is the blind leading the blind.

And memorize Brian's advice. If you want a bonsai NOW! then this sport may not be for you.

 

[nrcheek]

thanks guys how well does ebay tend to work with delivering a bonsai?

 

[JudyB]

depends on the vendor. There are some good ones and some not so good. Read the reviews.....Ask the vendor what the return policy is, and what happens if the tree arrives damaged...

 

[milehigh_7]

If I might add just a little... You can quite literally buy years by getting good trunks on stock you start with. At the start keep in mind that a 1" trunk will only be a 6" tall bonsai. (There are many exceptions but this is the basic starting point). If you start with a cutting or seedling you are talking years to get to even 1". This can lead to SERIOUS frustration. When thinking about how much stock with good trunks cost, weigh it in terms of buying years of someone else's time.