willw86
Yamadori
Hello Nuts
A little background:
My name is Will. I am a 22-year old IT student. I have been interested in bonsai since about age 16, but have only been "serious" for the last 4-5 months. My dad is outdoorsy and I was in the Boy Scouts, so I feel at home in the woods. I can identify almost all the native trees in my area and some ornamental varieties. I really started to appreciate the beauty of trees while working at a summer camp, where we had 1000+ acres of forest, most notably a large patch of old-growth Eastern Hemlocks. I volunteered with the Forest Service treating the hemlocks with imidacloprid to help fight the wooly adelgids (a pest in the aphid family which is threatening the hemlocks). At some point in high school, I was reading a gardening book from my grandmother and the section about Olive trees mentioned that they were good for bonsai. That sparked a little something in the back of my head. I read a few books from the library and a lot of websites, then I bought and killed a few trees. Eventually I started working, and then moved out for college. Miniatures trees ended up on the back burner.
Starting in 2018, I decided to up my act and eliminate some really self-destructive habits that I developed. Got my grades up. Turns out not being reckless left me with nothing to do and I realized I needed a hobby. I started researching bonsai again. I created an account on BN so I could view the pictures, then started lurking in the forums. I started to buy some trees. First one was a sapling Fortunella hindsii (Hong Kong Kumquat) which is still going strong and has put on some decent growth in the past few months. Really enjoy that tree. My collection has grown to about 15 trees, most of which are pre-bonsai. I have an indoor growing setup that is working pretty well. Trees were outside until mid-September. I now know this was a little early to bring them in, but they all seem reasonably happy.
I have 2 American holly saplings that I am growing out, but I am mostly interested in tropical trees for now, especially Ficus. I have 2 'Golden Gate' retusas, a 'Kiki' benj, and a 'Too Little' benj. I also just ordered a nicer 'Green Gem' microcarpa that I am very excited to get. I like having my own little slice of the tropics.
TL;DR - I am pretty young and have dabbled/been interested in bonsai for a few years. I now have about 15 trees. I like Ficus.
Anyway, to get to the point, if you could give your past self some advice about bonsai when you were beginning the hobby, what would it be? Be as specific or as general as you like. I realize that I have to make my own mistakes and learn my own lessons. But I would certainly appreciate any advice/tips you would like to pass on to a novice.
Also, any book recommendations?
Thanks so much!
Will
A little background:
My name is Will. I am a 22-year old IT student. I have been interested in bonsai since about age 16, but have only been "serious" for the last 4-5 months. My dad is outdoorsy and I was in the Boy Scouts, so I feel at home in the woods. I can identify almost all the native trees in my area and some ornamental varieties. I really started to appreciate the beauty of trees while working at a summer camp, where we had 1000+ acres of forest, most notably a large patch of old-growth Eastern Hemlocks. I volunteered with the Forest Service treating the hemlocks with imidacloprid to help fight the wooly adelgids (a pest in the aphid family which is threatening the hemlocks). At some point in high school, I was reading a gardening book from my grandmother and the section about Olive trees mentioned that they were good for bonsai. That sparked a little something in the back of my head. I read a few books from the library and a lot of websites, then I bought and killed a few trees. Eventually I started working, and then moved out for college. Miniatures trees ended up on the back burner.
Starting in 2018, I decided to up my act and eliminate some really self-destructive habits that I developed. Got my grades up. Turns out not being reckless left me with nothing to do and I realized I needed a hobby. I started researching bonsai again. I created an account on BN so I could view the pictures, then started lurking in the forums. I started to buy some trees. First one was a sapling Fortunella hindsii (Hong Kong Kumquat) which is still going strong and has put on some decent growth in the past few months. Really enjoy that tree. My collection has grown to about 15 trees, most of which are pre-bonsai. I have an indoor growing setup that is working pretty well. Trees were outside until mid-September. I now know this was a little early to bring them in, but they all seem reasonably happy.
I have 2 American holly saplings that I am growing out, but I am mostly interested in tropical trees for now, especially Ficus. I have 2 'Golden Gate' retusas, a 'Kiki' benj, and a 'Too Little' benj. I also just ordered a nicer 'Green Gem' microcarpa that I am very excited to get. I like having my own little slice of the tropics.
TL;DR - I am pretty young and have dabbled/been interested in bonsai for a few years. I now have about 15 trees. I like Ficus.
Anyway, to get to the point, if you could give your past self some advice about bonsai when you were beginning the hobby, what would it be? Be as specific or as general as you like. I realize that I have to make my own mistakes and learn my own lessons. But I would certainly appreciate any advice/tips you would like to pass on to a novice.
Also, any book recommendations?
Thanks so much!
Will