Taking a Bonsai Break

[Carol 83]

I just bought a willow leaf ficus, because of the great stuff you do. Now who's going to tell me what to do with it? Wishing you the best of luck with your photography. In the short time I have been on this forum, I have learned a lot from you.

 

[rockm]

I'm more into the landscape photography side. I would definitely be willing to take pictures of trees for people if they'd like. Matt Ouwinga has been trying to get me out to his place for a couple months now. One day Matt!



Thank you, though I'm done with college! I'm the ripe age of 23 now and I'll have to move out at some point.


I've just recently started feeling bad about this hobby, in the sense of what we do to our trees. I had read somewhere that someone called bonsai "torturing" trees. What's everyone's take on that?

The "torturing trees" thing is plain silly and ignorant. Trees cannot be tortured. They are not sentient and have no human feelings. Trees have evolved to handle what nature throws at them. With bonsai, we ask no more of trees than nature does, yet strive to provide optimum resources for them to remain strong and vigorous. No one accuses nature of torturing anything. Why does she get a pass on such anthropomorphic silly accusations?

Trees don't feel. They have no emotions. Imposing random, emotionally-based, human-centric limits on other living things is fashionable these days. Those restrictions aim to corral other humans into like-mindedness and guilt. Common sense is losing ground everyday to this kind of thing. Don't let someone else's ignorance corral your common sense and greater knowledge...

 

[MACH5]

Good luck Ryan and hope to see you back practicing bonsai again!


Most of those folks that think it is tree cruelty, I would ask this: It these trees are tortured, why then can they (and do) outlive their wild counterparts? I have come across this sentiment and it is simply based on sheer ignorance as rockm said.

 

[f1pt4]

Hi Ryan, I started out a career in Professional photography when I was 23. Pro meaning that the majority (75%) of my annual income came from photography.

Fast forward 12 years. I retired from professional photography, and now for the past two year I'm in the trades.

Photography is one hell of a tough profession to make decent and consistent money from. For a number of reasons, which I can elaborate on if you wish. None of them are pretty.

Word of advice, keep photography fun. Shoot what brings you happiness and enjoyment. Don't make it a full fledged career without a backup plan. If you do go in it full time, get insurance. Don't sell yourself short. Believe in your skills.

I'll buy your tropical led lights off of you.

Best of luck.
Mike

 

[Redwood Ryan]

And I'm back into bonsai!

I guess I was just in a "funk", something I'm sure everyone has gotten at some point. Then I saw a picture of a Ficus for sale on one of the FB auction groups, and I relapsed.

As weird as it sounds, I looked at that picture of the tree like I looked at a picture of a girl I was really attracted to. And it's that attraction that drew me back into the art.

I don't want to give it up, I want more of it. I want to invest in quality tools now that I've got quality trees. I want to display trees at shows. I want to fully experience this entire hobby.


Ryan

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I was into raising Killie fish just before heading off to college, tried to keep that up, and found it just too difficult to drag fish tanks around as I moved from place to place, but I had a pomegranate that I was growing as "bonsai", and it survived all the moves. I was with me for another 40 years.

Anyway. my hope is you downsize your collection, but keep one or two, and keep all your better pots stored somewhere. Then when the bonsai bug gets stronger, you will have a couple older trees and be ready with all the tools and pots you've accumulated to get rolling again quickly.

I also collect orchids, every once in a while, it is good to "start over", you can then take your collection into a different direction, as your interests change.

Do try to pick one or two trees to keep. Downsize rather than quit.

Good luck no matter what you do

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

And I'm back into bonsai!

I guess I was just in a "funk", something I'm sure everyone has gotten at some point. Then I saw a picture of a Ficus for sale on one of the FB auction groups, and I relapsed.

As weird as it sounds, I looked at that picture of the tree like I looked at a picture of a girl I was really attracted to. And it's that attraction that drew me back into the art.

I don't want to give it up, I want more of it. I want to invest in quality tools now that I've got quality trees. I want to display trees at shows. I want to fully experience this entire hobby.


Ryan

Damn, our posts crossed. That was a quick break, 48 hours? Seriously though, should the funk hit again, consider cutting collection in half, get rid of trees with less potential, just keep the best, and the most interesting "projects" . That will free up time to do other things to keep your mind fresh, and more time to take better care of the "good ones".

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Damn, our posts crossed. That was a quick break, 48 hours? Seriously though, should the funk hit again, consider cutting collection in half, get rid of trees with less potential, just keep the best, and the most interesting "projects" . That will free up time to do other things to keep your mind fresh, and more time to take better care of the "good ones".

I suppose all it took was just some words of encouragement from you all to keep me going.

My collection has shrunk in size over the years. I've got less than 20 trees now. It's manageable.


Thanks for the support, friends.

 

[Paradox]

Most of those folks that think it is tree cruelty, I would ask this: It these trees are tortured, why then can they (and do) outlive their wild counterparts? I have come across this sentiment and it is simply based on sheer ignorance as rockm said.

I would also ask if they think mowing their lawn is torture to the grass.

 

[Adair M]

Interesting comments about how much longer trees live as bonsai than as wild trees...

There are Sierra Junipers many centuries if not thousands of years old. Not to mention the Bristlecones...

I don't think anyone has been keeping bonsai that long.

 

[just.wing.it]

Don't quit... if you did have to take a long break, find somewhere to plant your trees in the ground, till your ready to come back...
Glad to see your back in action.

 

[sorce]

"Siiiiike!", Redwood Ryan!

Haha....

He was just bullshitting!

Back in......the Hammock.....again!

Sorce

 

[YukiShiro]

Interesting comments about how much longer trees live as bonsai than as wild trees...

There are Sierra Junipers many centuries if not thousands of years old. Not to mention the Bristlecones...

I don't think anyone has been keeping bonsai that long.

statistics come into play here, those century old junipers growing on the mountains, how many of the same seed batch from the same mother plant germinated and how many of those made it from seedling to young plant stage and how many of those made it to maturity and how many became ancient? get that ratio and then go and look at bonsai nurseries that grow raw stock, I guess the figures would look a lot better for the ratios from seedling to mature, because the nurseryman have money invested in those stages. Then for the mature to ancient stage the figures would look better than nature up until about 50 years old, I see a lot of old collections fading into oblivion if there aren't any people to take those old trees and help them along. So I think only the very best bonsai trees get to make it there, who would keep tending a 60 year old bonsai if it was rubbish and couldn't be changed into a awesome tree within a acceptable time frame, well if you are just playing around like me enjoying the hobby with all it's bells and whistles then maybe the bad trees will have a chance, the bad trees wouldn't have a chance with any professional, to them time is money and a respected name even more so.

so there is my take on life expectancy of wild trees vs bonsai
only speculating though

best regards
Herman

 

[namnhi]

...very funny. I believe this is the 999th time Ryan trying to get away from Bonsai. I think the longest time that he actually stay away from bonsai is one week that he had the brain surgery.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

...very funny. I believe this is the 999th time Ryan trying to get away from Bonsai. I think the longest time that he actually stay away from bonsai is one week that he had the brain surgery.

Hahaha that is very true! Though I do remember repotting a tree while I still had stitches in my head. I also took a trip up to Meehan's with a friend while I had staples in my head. Gave them a good scare

 

[YukiShiro]

keep at it Ryan,

I know a lot of people that did bonsai in the distant past and started again recently that wanted to kick themselves for leaving the hobby.
that thought of how well developed would my trees have been had I not quit back then eats them up alive. you are good at what you do, don't stop dude!
you don't know me but I read your ficus threads all the time, would be a crying shame if someone of your knowledge walks out

best regards
Herman

 

[Timbo]

I'm not a tree hugger by any means unless i'm picking up 50 pounds of dirt. I don't think bonsai is anywhere close to torture. One thing i don't feel right about though is taking what i think is a nice tree and making deadwood out of a live tree. To each their own and i'm not telling anyone to not do it, but it never feels right to me to take a cypress and put a foot of carved dead wood in it. In my belief God made the trees, wildlife and we should be wise to treat living creatures well....but i won't worship them either like peta does. Part of life is enjoying nature in many ways.

 

[rockm]

I'm not a tree hugger by any means unless i'm picking up 50 pounds of dirt. I don't think bonsai is anywhere close to torture. One thing i don't feel right about though is taking what i think is a nice tree and making deadwood out of a live tree. To each their own and i'm not telling anyone to not do it, but it never feels right to me to take a cypress and put a foot of carved dead wood in it. In my belief God made the trees, wildlife and we should be wise to treat living creatures well....but i won't worship them either like peta does. Part of life is enjoying nature in many ways.

Sounds like it's only a matter of making yourself feel better and possibly superior to people who do make deadwood.

You trunk chop and air layered your cypress right?. Both are as damaging as making deadwood, perhaps more so. The tree doesn't give a fig if you air layer--which is basically girdling the trunk to force the tree to desperately make an entirely new set of roots because it will die if it doesn't--or make deadwood. It can more easily compartmentalize the deadwood than it can an air layer.

So stop looking down at the people who make deadwood on trees, you've done much worse if anyone's keeping score.

 

[Anthony]

Sifu,

read up on the shorter lived trees, see what is written.

About to discover that on the Gmelina - supposedly 50 years. Ours 35 years.
Let you know.
Good Day
Anthony

* BUT you should know by now I would normally have back up information.

 

[Timbo]

Sounds like it's only a matter of making yourself feel better and possibly superior to people who do make deadwood.

You trunk chop and air layered your cypress right?. Both are as damaging as making deadwood, perhaps more so. The tree doesn't give a fig if you air layer--which is basically girdling the trunk to force the tree to desperately make an entirely new set of roots because it will die if it doesn't--or make deadwood. It can more easily compartmentalize the deadwood than it can an air layer.

So stop looking down at the people who make deadwood on trees, you've done much worse if anyone's keeping score.

Really not sure if you read it, felling guilty or just like being a complete jerk/idiot but i dunno what your problem is.
Seems you are just looking down on me trying to make yourself look better.