thams
Omono
So, I've been done the bonsai rabbit hole for a about 5 years now and I'm proud of the modest gains I've made in the hobby. I have a decent pottery collection and have picked up some solid foundation knowledge about bonsai basics - watering, soil, ferts, etc. BUT, I feel like I'm stalling a little. Since moving into my house with decent outdoor space, I've been focusing on collecting as much good material as possible to set myself up for some decent bonsai in 5-10 years. Developing interesting and mature (versus seedling or sticks in pots) material is keeping me interested in the hobby, but I don't really know where to go from here to develop my skills.
My ultimate goal is to begin showing and then maybe one day exhibit at the National show. For those of you who have excelled in the hobby, what did you find that really helped to propel you to the next level? Should I focus on certain species? Stick with either shohin or larger material? Become a jack of all trades? I plan to become more active in the ATL bonsai society, so that will likely help develop my skills some. Once my material become a bit better developed, I want to start posting here more for advice. I don't post often now because I'm not sure what posting pictures of raw stock would contribute to the collective knowledge pool. Maybe posting and interacting more often here (even though I lurk a lot) would build my skills. I don't know - any advice is welcome.
My ultimate goal is to begin showing and then maybe one day exhibit at the National show. For those of you who have excelled in the hobby, what did you find that really helped to propel you to the next level? Should I focus on certain species? Stick with either shohin or larger material? Become a jack of all trades? I plan to become more active in the ATL bonsai society, so that will likely help develop my skills some. Once my material become a bit better developed, I want to start posting here more for advice. I don't post often now because I'm not sure what posting pictures of raw stock would contribute to the collective knowledge pool. Maybe posting and interacting more often here (even though I lurk a lot) would build my skills. I don't know - any advice is welcome.