Forum/ group advice: Make sure the one offering advice. Is knowledgable to offer it. Don't be afraid to search the info in the search engine. To make sure there are others offering similar advice. Eventually, you know who to take their word to the bank.
Best advice given to me...by a friend in the UK. If you ever make it to a class where you work your tree. It's okay to say, "Let me chew over that. Make sure that's where I see the tree going." He offered it up. Because he wish he had said that himself one day. He instead allowed a well known bonsai artist to remove the direction he had...and go in another direction. Oh, it was still a nice tree, but he lost part of himself in that change. The tree was never the same. He ended up selling it. Because it made him sad every time he looked at it. Advice and direction is always accepted, with the understanding that you chew it over and make sure it is the vision you see yourself.
Darlene, this one hits home for me. One should always double check advise, even my advice. Also I did a workshop in September, and still feel really bad for one of the participants, a newbie to the hobby, they looked like they were going to cry when the ''artist'' went at their tree. It was awful by the time the workshop was over. One must say ''No'' sometimes.
There are some things that took a while to learn, but I wouldn't do differently. That's because, like a few others, I started this pre-Internet. I had to learn by doing and seeking out actual people. Wouldn't change that at all, even though it took some time. I would not change my decision to buy a developed bonsai as one of my first trees (it taught me more than a long list of sticks in pots and it taught me all of that in a couple of years--funny how fear of explaining to your spouse why that expensive tree died will motivate you) I would not buy ANY "indoor" trees. they are a complete waste of time and money and are just disappointing
This is good Mark. Yes, fear of loosing an expensive tree is a good motivator to take the time and LEARN. You are absolutely right, sticks in pots will not teach you the full range of techniques. And I am one of the big advocates for starting trees from seed. But you are absolutely right, sticks teach you the basics of horticulture, but not a whole lot of bonsai. You need mature, more developed trees to learn the majority of bonsai techniques, sticks in pots won't do it. Second, to really get the best out of sticks in pots, you need to know what you need in a mature bonsai, and train for it. In reality, it is experienced, ''journeyman or master'' level bonsai people who SHOULD be starting at least some batches of sticks in pots to develop for bonsai. Because they will know how to stay on top of the flaws easiest to correct in very immature material. So I keep starting batches of seed, hopefully I will be able to pass around some nice material for others to continue some day.
For those that don't know me, I started ''goofing around'' with bonsai in 1972 or 1973 and got serious, taking classes in 2002 or 2004. Have always had a few trees since starting in 1973. My big wish is that I would have started taking classes earlier, and had started buying more mature stock. I keep wondering how my trees would look if I had taken classes in the 1980's, rather than waiting until the next century. When I started, I read every book I could find on bonsai, and thought that was ''good enough''. I had no problem learning other subjects from books, (today that would be the internet) I did not grasp the importance of the 4 dimensional aspects of bonsai. Yes, spacial, and TIME. I did not see the time aspects. I always assumed that all the cool techniques you read about were done on any age material. Sticks in pots got the ''mature tree'' techniques. It don't work that way. So to all that have so far only learned about bonsai from the internet, please, do yourself a favor. Take a class, a one day class, or a series of classes through time. If you can't do that, at least make a point of traveling to shows, study trees on display. Go to the demonstrations. Make it a weekend ''vacation'' destination. It will help your bonsai immensely. Second, while I'm all for sticks in pots, as early as you can, invest in more mature material. A mature tree will teach you more about what to do to develop a stick in a pot than a stick in a pot will ever tell you about how to develop a mature tree.
And have fun, it is supposed to be a relaxing hobby. Have a sense of humor. Laugh and enjoy both your successes and failures.. It won't all go the way you want it to.
