Total Noob

[Jessf]

Hey guys, I am a super beginner. You will scoff at me because I got turned on to bonsai when I bought one of those silly $6 "Grow from Seed" kits at a novelty shop, but now I have a very healthy one month old jack pine seedling that is just beginning to send out its second needles, and a pretty little two (?) year old juniper that I got from a bonsai dealer online (bonsaiboy.com) for practicing with. The juniper was practically jumping out of its nursery pot when I got it so I had to repot it immediately and I am waiting for it to get a bit more settled before I start messing with it any more. I will post pictures of both little baby trees soon; maybe tomorrow.

My question for now is, since I obviously need to get another tree RIGHT AWAY to have more experience with different species and more fun ways to get my hands dirty and mess around, how do I convince my spouse to let me spend more money on a thing that I don't seeeeem to be giving more than five minutes of attention to per day?

PS-- I have been researching like crazy and this forum has been an unbelievable help to me! You guys are awesome!

Do you have a backyard or access to one? I'd suggest growing a few native trees if you can, and in the ground. Do a little research on what native trees grow well in your area and perhaps find or buy a few seedlings and plant them in a growing bed.

 

[rosieface]

Thanks for all the advice, guys! The good news is, I have patience and restraint, and can limit myself to checking on my tree a couple times a day to make sure it's still doing okay for now.

The bad news is, I actually don't have a lot of space right now; I live in a second-story apartment and have a balcony that gets good light, but even though there is some ground that I would almost certainly be welcome to plant in, I'd be nervous about doing it because my landlord is a dingbat and I never know when he might get a wild hair up his ass about "landscaping."

I think right now, the plan is to get through the summer (which is the busy season at my job anyway), get the juniper pruned and hopefully wired (is late summer/early fall a bad time to do that?) and get myself a deciduous tree to work on as well--the hubby seems to really like the pictures he's seen of Japanese maples in all the books, so I'm leaning that direction. Of course, I'm a girl so I'd like something with flowers, but all in good time.

I'll keep you posted on my progress! Thanks again!

 

[Specialkayme]

If a deciduous tree is something you are interested, namely a Japanese Maple, might I suggest waiting till spring and getting one from Home Depot. Not the best trees, but usually like $15-30, are already established (although not bonsai) and are always local. Either that, or a nice Trident Maple (usually good for beginners).

I would also suggest acquiring a deciduous tree in the spring, as opposed to the fall. It's a shame to acquire a tree, watch it go dormant, and then never watch it come back due to a miscalculation that you made (or an inherent problem with the tree that you didn't notice). When you acquire it in the spring, you at least get a full growing season to watch the trees habits, see what it needs, and you are better off taking care of it from that point in time. At least that applies to the first tree or two. After that you should have a good handle on it (timing and all).

 

[daveskib]

How to tell your spouse

I never ask..i just tell her "i've had that tree for years...don't you remember"...

 

[007]

If a deciduous tree is something you are interested, namely a Japanese Maple, might I suggest waiting till spring and getting one from Home Depot. Not the best trees, but usually like $15-30, are already established (although not bonsai) and are always local. Either that, or a nice Trident Maple (usually good for beginners).

I would also suggest acquiring a deciduous tree in the spring, as opposed to the fall. It's a shame to acquire a tree, watch it go dormant, and then never watch it come back due to a miscalculation that you made (or an inherent problem with the tree that you didn't notice). When you acquire it in the spring, you at least get a full growing season to watch the trees habits, see what it needs, and you are better off taking care of it from that point in time. At least that applies to the first tree or two. After that you should have a good handle on it (timing and all).

Depending on the exposure of your balcony, Tridents get cooked pretty quick in L.A. without any sort of shade cloth (at least mine do). There aren't many maples around here period . . . I dont know if I have ever seen one in a nursery. I think a great deciduous tree for this area is a chinese elm. Cheap, easy to grow, and WIDELY available. All my elms have done phenomenally well in SoCal.

I should also add that I wasn't suggesting to do away with reading . . . just that hands on experience will provide more in the long run. Its one thing to see pictures of someone grafting a pine bud onto a new leader . . . its a WHOLE 'nuther ball of wax all together to try and implement it.

I would also strongly recommend joining a club. There are lots in the SoCal area, I'm sure . . . there you will get access to local experts on climate, seasons, species, and the general aspects of the hobby.

 

[treebeard55]

...
The easiest way I know for her to convince her husband to spend more money on it is to show him how much she truly enjoys this hobby. ...

As a husband, I say that's right on the money. Specialkayme, you're either a man who's giving away secrets or a woman who has men figured out scarily well!

 

[treebeard55]

...
I would also strongly recommend joining a club. There are lots in the SoCal area, I'm sure . . . there you will get access to local experts on climate, seasons, species, and the general aspects of the hobby.

Another "Hear, hear!" Local people can also advise you on what does well in your climate vs what gets "cooked," or needs constant watering, or is otherwise an extra challenge.

You might consider a tropical tree as your next purchase, one of the more tolerant ones like Ficus microcarpa. It could stay outdoors much of the year there. You would have to be able to give it adequate conditions in winter, of course. (Wait -- does LA have a winter? )

 

[rosieface]

LA does have a winter, and it's deceptive--there's no snow, but something about being right between a desert and an ocean makes the cold bite more. Or maybe I'm just a delicate southern flower.

I think the idea of getting a tropical next is a really good one, especially because I have such limited space and there are tropicals that can be babied into living (mostly) indoors; the plan is to pick something out after Labor Day to celebrate the summer being over, so I have two months to think about it.

 

[rock]

My question for now is, ...how do I convince my spouse to let me spend more money on a thing that I don't seeeeem to be giving more than five minutes of attention to per day?

So was she really really mad, when you bought that tree??

Kidding,

That was a crack up. So so-Cal eh, you got to check out

Chikugo-en , Gardena

Bit of a mind blower

 

[Bill S]

It's OK honnnneeey it was on sale, I saved a huge amount of money.

I second Bonsai Barry, there are a number of types of ficus that would work well for you. Pretty easy to work with as well.

If you have to get flowers, go for a Serrissa snow rose.