What is my/the expectation of the tree?

LanceMac10

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Some very thoughtful and introspective replies......I like to get a glimpse of a person's "inner-self"........







Personally, sticks in a pot make great accents for my beer can pictures!!:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
I'm thinking I'm old, just not an old fart.....:rolleyes:
 

justBonsai

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I'm only 20 so among the youngest bnutters here. I'm pursuing a degree at UCR with a full course-load as well as research in a lab. I have this window in college right now where I live on my own, but I still have some support from my parents and can go back home whenever I want. Because my "routine" is fairly stable I have been able to keep many trees. Bonsai has changed me for the better, and its something that value and appreciate greatly in my life. However I will be graduating in a year or so. By then I will likely move and go wherever I find work. I hope my future career path allows me to keep bonsai but it is very realistic that I may have to give it up for a number of years.

Many of my trees are long term projects requiring 5, 10, 15 or more years to really get into shape. In the worst scenario I will never see any of my trees to fruition. Because of this when I first started bonsai I wanted "instant trees." Stuff that would look good with minimal effort and time invested. My criteria in buying material was that it would only need 3 years to be completed. After practicing bonsai for a bit I quickly realized two things: 1) Mature material is something I cannot afford 2) It takes far more than 3 years to develop and refine material.

By this point I accepted that bonsai was a long term investment, but even then I found myself enjoying the hobby more and more. Its not so much as having a nice looking tree that makes bonsai enjoyable but developing the trees themselves. If I have the time and resources I will do bonsai whenever I can. I think my parents like bonsai too but they're at a stressful stage in their life--work is busy and they'll have to figure out how to retire as well as care for their aging parents. If I end up moving far from Southern California I cannot reasonably expect them to care for the trees for me. I can't foresee the future and its pointless to needlessly stress over it. As long as its possible I will develop and continue to work on my trees, but if not I'll have to accept that.

Best case scenario is that somehow my future career ends up being bonsai! :D:D:D:D
 

just.wing.it

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I try not to get too caught up in pondering about the future....though it's tough not too.
I just turned 30 last weekend, I don't expect to stop doing bonsai, ever.
My hope is that my daughter will appreciate it one day and have a real desire to learn about bonsai, and she can take my trees to 100 year mark!
But I agree with Vance, age is not everything. The way I see it, the only thing you can count on age for is maturity of your bark, and trunk thickness, because even in a small pot, they do put on a new layer each year.
For the short term, I expect my trees to bring me peace. Working on trees, whether it's wiring and styling, repotting, or just watering, is just about the most peaceful thing ever for me.
Peace.
 
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