The $30 dollar 30 minute junk pile Mugo pine.

[scottc]

Got a little pine in the junk pile at local nursery. $30 and 30 minutes later another Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Throw it on the front porch and see if it lives. Just wanted to practice before I ruin my JWP this spring. No cut paste so some Elmer’s glue did the trick.

 

[0soyoung]

Oh, gee .
I'm glad you had fun. Glad you've done in and not sit around in analysis paralysis.

Were I to deal with it from here, I would bend it into a 'ball' - see if I can now make a compact little tree. At this point it would likely kill it, but I would be learning something about making bonsai.
WTF, the damn thing might live after all.

 

[scottc]

Hey man. I needed something to practice wiring on. I found an ugly cheep tree. It came out kind of cool looking and I learned how to wrap not to tight and not to loose. Thanks for being a hole about it. This guy did the same but had a nicer tree.

You saying your better than this guy? I actually learned a lot. I picked a front, turned a branch into a new top. Learned to wire. Learned to cut a branch off a little deeper so when it heals it won’t scar so bad And I learned your mom raised an a$$hole

 

[GSCarlson]

Wow, that escalated quickly..

 

[scottc]

I just never get why some guys in forums have to talk sh!t on a newbies post. I had fun with a little tree that was headed for the trash. And I got in practice.

 

[0soyoung]

I just never get why some guys in forums have to talk sh!t on a newbies post. I had fun with a little tree that was headed for the trash. And I got in practice.

Spruce will back bud from stems without needles, mugo doesn't. So you will eventually see that your mugo has no future as anything other than as a pom-pom tree, unless you can bend those branches to compact the whole thing.

I talk like I am some sort of fucking expert because I've been down this path. It took me several years to see firsthand how mistaken most of my steps were.

So, yes, you're a bonsai genius. You copied what Ryan did with a spruce (that will back bud do that the foliage will fill in) with a mugo pine. You learned something. GOOD! There's a lot more to learn. Sorry your ego is so fragile. Maybe you shouldn't post until you've grown up a bit.

But then again, maybe I'm just an old fart talking shit to a noob. Hard to tell. Meanwhile, keep your enthusiasm and keep trying. Enjoy what you are doing. That's all that really matters.

 

[scottc]

See, you could have just said that in the beginning. You could have just said a mugo wont grow stuff behind (backbud) It was more to learn other things but maybe now I will try and bend it up like the moon pine in one of Hiroshiges prints. You can give advice without being an a$$hole. People do it all the time.

 

[0soyoung]

See, you could have just said that in the beginning. You could have just said a mugo wont grow stuff behind (backbud) It was more to learn other things but maybe now I will try and bend it up like the moon pine in one of Hiroshiges prints. You can give advice without being an a$$hole. People do it all the time.

Oh yeah ...

You could have just asked, Why? Instead of ...

 

[Adair M]

Ok, so you pruned and applied wire.

Your wiring, well, there’s definitely room for improvement. I suggest that you watch Colin Lewis’s free course on wiring at www.craftsy.com. It’s free, but you do have to register. Once in, search for “bonsai”. You’ll find it. Colin has some pay classes, but the wiring one is free.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Got a little pine in the junk pile at local nursery. $30 and 30 minutes later another Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Throw it on the front porch and see if it lives. Just wanted to practice before I ruin my JWP this spring. No cut paste so some Elmer’s glue did the trick.

I think the response you got was a result of the way you presented your thread. It sounded a little like "hey I chopped up a tree and let's see if it lives... oh well."

I know you wouldn't be here and wouldn't be posting if you didn't care about bonsai. So stop first and ask yourself... what was I attempting to accomplish? Did I accomplish it?

It's never a good idea to dive in and start hacking and slashing on material that you're not familiar with. I've done it - too many times - and it doesn't yield good results. It frustrates you and frustrates the tree Bonsai is an art form about patience and time. Nothing good happens fast. Make sure you think about what you're doing before you do it. I have trees in my garden even now that I don't understand. I research, I try to figure them out... and then I always move cautiously and planfully.

Ask yourself... if the tree lives what have you learned? If the tree dies, what have you learned?

 

[M. Frary]

You can give advice without being an a$$hole. People do it all the time.

You could take advice without being an asshole.
People do that all the time too.

 

[jeanluc83]

I'll offer some criticism. If I come across as a D-bag I really don't intend it. I am trying to give you a little different perspective.

Got a little pine in the junk pile at local nursery. $30 and 30 minutes later another Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Throw it on the front porch and see if it lives.

It is the air of "if it dies it doesn't matter because it was cheep" is what bugs me and I think that is what rubs people the wrong way. I can appreciate wanting to learn how far you can push a tree but when you intentionally pushing the tree past the point of no return what do you learn. You even hint that you have doubts it will survive so why did you do so much?

As a different way using this kind of material you could have thinned it out the obvious flaws and maybe set some of the structure. If the spring push was strong you could have considered repotting it next summer. You would have been still pushing the limits but in a much more controlled manner. By taking your time you would have several opportunities to learn and not just one. As it is now it will take one but likely two or three seasons to bounce back if it does indeed survive.

I don't mean to sound harsh but even your end result isn't that great. I you had ended up with a masterpiece at the end you might have been able to justify it. You even acknowledge this when you call it a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. You tried to style a tree that was just not ready. This is where the "instant" bonsai get a bad name. Again you could have taken some more time and nudged the tree into a better design over the course of several years.

To show that I'm not just blowing smoke, here (A $15 Mugo) is a cheep mugo that I got to learn on. I took a much more reserved approach and I still have the tree 4 years later. Looking back I even pushed it more than I should have at times but I learned the result. It is still not much to look at but I've learned much more than I would have if I tried to style it in one go.

 

[sorce]

Who broke the bunny pot?

Lol!

Oso is an asshat?

You're not young eh?


I was under the impression that as soon as Charlie Brown was mentioned with a tree....
The typer understands the path that has been laid!

I'm more against the bar branches than anything else.
I think partly because of all the over-handlebar bicycle accidents as a kid....
And because Only Colin Frasiers stache should be so ...Handlebarish...
But cool Fucking custom Harley Handlebars...you know what I mean?

Not like Fucking lowrider bicycle handlebars....

That's not to say I wouldn't wreck a Damn lowrider bicycle....
With the 10" sub on the trailer....

Oh....but you can still make a dope tree from that first branch...

Sorce

 

[Cadillactaste]

I suggest you research cross bar branches...and the results they bring.

 

[A. Gorilla]

All I'll add is that there are other internet venues which are "hug boxes" where you can put up anything and you'll get: "Good job, man. Looking good!"

But that encourages repetitive posts of everybody's stick-in-pot. The sheer volume dilutes the more talented individuals, who invariably don't bother anymore.

It's an encouraging sign anywhere, where there are competitive, cantankerous old fuckers who will tell you like it is.

That said, some individuals are still worthy of being on the simple ignore list.

 

[petegreg]

The before picture is missing.

 

[just.wing.it]

 

[Lazylightningny]

I haven't seen a good scrum on B-Nut like this in awhile. Everyone is so dang polite lately!

 

[sikadelic]

View attachment 173109
View attachment 173108

I can tell I have been watching way too much of the Office when I was wondering which episode Stanley wore that hat in. And then I smacked myself for offending the Legend of Chubs Peterson. Don't worry. I will discipline myself.

 

[Nybonsai12]

LOL. what a trainwreck.