Own up to the Facts Philosophy.

sorce

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I realized this morning that most of my method is based in this philosophy and that there are a few certain begginer stages that are inevitable, that when owned up to, will advance beginners collections quite fast.

3 beginner facts a beginner must own up to.

1. You will never stop looking for new/better material.
2. When you find new and better material your old material will become useless to you. (Less Sentimentals)
3. You will reach a point where you have too many trees.

This is why I so greatly appreciate BVF's thread on stack ranking. It is an inevitable necessity for our common goal of a nice collection, no matter your current definition of nice.

Phsycology says humans appreciate options, but suffer with too many. This is what leads me to own up to these facts, simply to lessen options, which uncovers more joy in the found focus.

With "soil wars" being a thing, step one for me was to own up to the fact that I certainly don't have time for that shit, so I limited my options and problems by owning up to my fact, that I will NEVER spend more than Napa 8822 costs, and much deeper into sustainability, don't trust Akadama and Pumice supply chains.

To avoid overwintering nonsense, which removes too much time from life, I owned up to the fact that I won't waste that time away from other more important things in life, including family and finding better trees.

There is an immense life lesson that runs directly parallel with this bonsai philosophy.

I don't think enough people own up to simple facts of themselves.

What is created then is this nonsensical atmosphere of humans trying to outdo one another, scheming in this attempt to get a 10/10, when without the scheming and one-upmanship, the scale increases to 1-100.

I think this is why we generally see so many "shitty" trees. Because most of them are alive in this false 1-10 scale, and the best of the best are freed and reaching the then visible scale to one hundred.

Expanding on the difficulty of this...

1. You will never stop looking for new/better material.
2. When you find new and better material your old material will become useless to you. (Less Sentimentals)
3. You will reach a point where you have too many trees.

The problem is, 2 gets lost when stuck in 1
and isn't realized till 3. Get to stack ranking fast.

Are there any difficult facts you owned up to that have brought you more joy?

Sorce
 

just.wing.it

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One fact that I've come to realize is that Dave Chappelle is quite possibly the greatest comedian in my lifetime.....and he brings me joy.

Also....I don't know if I have more joy or just less sorrow over this realization....but when I realized that I can't for the life of me keep Japanese Maples alive, so I gave up on them.

.....but deep down, I want to try again with the J Maps....
 

Forsoothe!

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Also....I don't know if I have more joy or just less sorrow over this realization....but when I realized that I can't for the life of me keep Japanese Maples alive, so I gave up on them.

.....but deep down, I want to try again with the J Maps....
No matter where you live, there is some species that is difficult or impossible to keep, and yet...
 

A. Gorilla

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One fact that I've come to realize is that Dave Chappelle is quite possibly the greatest comedian in my lifetime.....and he brings me joy.

Also....I don't know if I have more joy or just less sorrow over this realization....but when I realized that I can't for the life of me keep Japanese Maples alive, so I gave up on them.

.....but deep down, I want to try again with the J Maps....
Pwnt lol
 

HorseloverFat

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I was once told, everyone is valued, within yourself, by what they contribute and what they can do/provide for you.

And although, at first, this seems calloused and selfish.. but if you think of it in a MACRO scale.. like hands-across-america.. ALL the way around.. it makes perfect sense.. AS LONG as you “put in” and are “useful” to others.

I don’t WHOLE-HEARTEDLY agree with this philosophy, but feel we CAN learn something from it... I approach my plants in a similar way..

After growing 300-400 Rubrum seedlings.. I realize that, in a lot of cases.. it is PLANT specific.. not even SPECIES specific... SOME (A good majority, actually) rubrums are just never gonna be what we, as tiny tree practitioners, “want”... But I judge each plant/tree/shrub individually, by what I believe, It and I can accomplish together.. this is how I gauge that “what they contribute/can do for you” when it comes to greenstuffs.

🤓
 

just.wing.it

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I was once told, everyone is valued, within yourself, by what they contribute and what they can do/provide for you.

And although, at first, this seems calloused and selfish.. but if you think of it in a MACRO scale.. like hands-across-america.. ALL the way around.. it makes perfect sense.. AS LONG as you “put in” and are “useful” to others.

I don’t WHOLE-HEARTEDLY agree with this philosophy, but feel we CAN learn something from it... I approach my plants in a similar way..

After growing 300-400 Rubrum seedlings.. I realize that, in a lot of cases.. it is PLANT specific.. not even SPECIES specific... SOME (A good majority, actually) rubrums are just never gonna be what we, as tiny tree practitioners, “want”... But I judge each plant/tree/shrub individually, by what I believe, It and I can accomplish together.. this is how I gauge that “what they contribute/can do for you” when it comes to greenstuffs.

🤓
I think you're describing this weird foreign thing known as capitalism. 😎
 

HorseloverFat

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I think you're describing this weird foreign thing known as capitalism. 😎
Like when you sell your veggies by the road?

🤪🤓🤣

That’s MY ‘Merica...

Smoking a J with my married, EXTREMELY stereotypically gay cousin Dave.. selling veggies by the road. (Sidearm of course, but NEVER hoping to need it.. juuuust everyone ELSE here is armed.)

🤣
 

Katie0317

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I can keep azaleas alive, just have to purchase from the right people. And I will NEVER be tempted by another Fukien Tea!!
Is there a Fukien Tea story Carol?

Is something awful going to happen to mine?
 

ShadyStump

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I've personally realized that I'm better at finding bonsai than keeping them. I am a yamadori hunting machine!
This means that I have to force myself to be picky.
Not easy considering I REALLY resent pickiness because of my resentment of the overly picky people I've dealt with in my life.

That said, I also accept that both of those factors will change in time.
The complimentary flip side of @sorce's theory.
 

Cajunrider

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Like when you sell your veggies by the road?

🤪🤓🤣

That’s MY ‘Merica...

Smoking a J with my married, EXTREMELY stereotypically gay cousin Dave.. selling veggies by the road. (Sidearm of course, but NEVER hoping to need it.. juuuust everyone ELSE here is armed.)

🤣
My uncle in Loomis CA has kept a roadside fruit stands for 20 years with just a money box out there and bags of fruits with hand written price tags. People pay by the honor system. He said he never lost money and sometimes got more than he expected. When I asked him about it he laughed and said everyone in the neighborhood know that he doesn't need the money and will stop selling fruits if people steal.
That's the America I want to be everywhere.
 

Cajunrider

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1. You will never stop looking for new/better material.
2. When you find new and better material your old material will become useless to you. (Less Sentimentals)
3. You will reach a point where you have too many trees.

Are there any difficult facts you owned up to that have brought you more joy?
1. Is a given
2. That's when I give things or sell them cheap to others just so I don't have to deal with the upkeep or storage. Right now I have a 40 ft container filled with construction material that I need to get rid of. I can't give them to local charities, they don't want them. I hate to see them going to the dump when they still have inherent value.
3. My future living quarter forces that point of reality on me quick.

I can't ever be a bonsai master given other things in life that I value much more. Bonsai will forever be lagniappes for me. Things like changing an ugly ficus into something that looks pleasing to me is good enough.
But but... I will bust my butt just to develop a good bald cypress bonsai and a good BC forest too.
 
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