wire marks etc

[Potawatomi13]

I ain't GRUMPY you silly bastige!
Now GET OFF MY DAMN LAWN !!!!

And don't toss no damn akadama in my grave !!!

Hear, Hear!

 

[Potawatomi13]

Ryan Neil tells me wire grow in/scars something he and students regularly do on pines/ROUGH barked trees. Will grow out and add character to bark.
Not any fan of attempt to grow outside trees indoors! Winter protection for outdoor trees can be cover pots up to rim on ground(dig in)and mulch over soil in pots. Make sure not allowed to dry out.
As for indoor trees always ficus, citrus, other indoor woody house plants. Native hardy trees include Ponderosa, Limber Pine, Western White Pine, Sugar Pine, Whitebark Pine, Lodgepole, Aspen, among others. If able to afford suggest signing up for Bonsai Mirai Live feed and view the many archived videos and if possible visit Ryans place for eye opening delightful experience.

 

[sorce]

wire grow in/scars

I've never witnessed wire marks remain where I thought they may...

Also...simple observation can prevent wire marks.

Whereas, improper pruning can lead to ugly that never goes away. And can not be avoided with simple observation. Pruning is a skill that must be practiced and learned.

Backwards world in effect.

"Pruning is a easy gardening chore which doesn't need much attention."

"Wiring is an unfamiliar Bonsai chore so it needs much attention."

So yes!

Go to Mirai and learn the importance of pruning!

Get unconfused with Resorces to make better trees.

Sorce

 

[August44]

I wanted to follow up on my progress with the bonsai world. I purchased a few indoor bonsai and then bought some "grow light" to help me out with bad sun exposure in my house. Soon found out that a huge % of these supposed grow lights are an absolute joke. They tip my light meter at 200-500. A dark, cloudy day is 500-700 here. I think someone said they were about worthless earlier in the thread. You can buy some that are very good if you want to spend hundreds, but I didn't want to go that way. Then I decided to go to the Mountains that were very close and collect. I collected some very nice Lodgepole ( Pinus Contorta ), some Western Larch ( Larix occidentalis ) also known as Tamarack) and at last, this last weekend at 8000' tromping through snow banks and rain I collected some 5 needle, Whitebark Pines ( Pinus Albicaulis ). They are all in grow pots now and most are budding and coming to life after the long winter under a lot of snow. some if not most of these do not see daylight 3-5 months of the year. I will see about getting some pictures to post. Just wanted you to know that I was still alive and well in NE Oregon. I appreciated all of the help, and suggestions from members here. Tough to do this with no mentors at all close. Peter

 

[stevek]

peter, I like what leo told you, a lot in a nutshell. i'd stick to what you can get as landscape material, for your area, in your local nurseries and play with them. don't look at the foilage, that can be fixed. look for a trunk with character. even off the discard pile, other peoples garbage is our treasure, and it's usually cheap. here in nj, 30 *,I put my stuff on the ground, cover the pot with mulch, and protect the trees from the wind with burlap or something else, they don't need the light when they're dorment, no leaves on deciduous, and conifers even green are dorment. wind is our worst enemy in winter. the mulch is to regulate the freezing and thawing of the roots, we want the roots to freeze, just like their cousins in the woods.a nice ficus or Schiff, indoors will keep you happy during the winters inside. yeah we don't want wire marks, but there are some ways to help speed up their removal. stevek

 

[August44]

I tried a number of nurseries and did not find much that really spoke to me. I did get a nice Hebe Canadian Hemlock, a thornless Double Take Quince, and a Jersey Jewel Japanese Holly that I purchased and I think will be fun. All of the pines etc were way to big...here anyway and I am not a lover of Juniper. Info on winter storage was good. Are you saying that anything in dormancy does not need light? If it got really cold I could store them in my crawlspace under my house where it never freezes

 

[stevek]

a lot of people store them in unheated garages, very cold, little light, they go thru the winter season cycle. personally I don't, they still get light outside. they still need water once in a while so they don't dry out, so you have to check them too during the winter. stevek.

 

[Melospiza]

Grow lights are meant for marijuana. I know, many will disagree here. Nothing competes with the sun. When you google grow lights, you're reading about pot rooms. The reason people dont grow extremely high quality bonsai inside, is the same reason we dont grow white pines in Florida. We prefer things that grow in our climate, instead.

Think about age 73. Now you are 75. Now you have 25 trees. Now you have to keep bringing them in and out. Why? A lot of men your age exit bonsai because of the "work" of moving the trees.

Indoor, your tree will live. Probably. Outdoors, it will *grow* and *thrive*. If you want something to grow fast, indoor light is the opposite way to do it.

What species should you go for? I dont know. I'm zone 9, I'm literally zero help there. What I hope you take away from my typing is that trees are meant to be outdoors, that's where they grow the best, and stick to species in your area.

"indoor bonsais" are something that is advertised to the novice to get them interested in something that might not force them to be outside away from their smartphones.

I agree with your response except for the last sentence about smartphones. The real reason that indoor bonsais sell so well is because a lot of people, especially younger people don't have houses with yards or even balconies, and have to make do with what they can grow inside.

 

[sorce]

no mentors at all close.

Keep looking they're around!

Of winter protection. ..

You want to avoid confusion.

A local tree without any protection being easiest.
Working your way up to some coastal pines...that need protection....but not too much....blah blah...

They talk about chill hours....
Which is BS where I'm from...since cold can begin in October. Or not till January.
And can end ....after 2-3 pretend endings between February And April...
From April to June.

So while it may matter to the tree....
It is really of no concern to us.

Light...light is the CONSTANT factor that remains more consistent for the trees to decide what to do.

While depriving them of light HAS worked...
I believe it only makes our jobs harder...
(See "bonsai 2 step")
Fuck that!

The trees need that information along with the temperature information to most appropriately know what to do.

Snow Dark...is also not the same as Human Dark.

Snow melts and trees know how much.
They know the difference, or maybe worse...are looking for the difference in water, humidity,transpiration rate, and light
That snow naturally provides.

We "mist" and it is thought about....

Yet we fail to Think about the difference in humidity and moisture levels and transpiration of a tree in a dark wintering location that may then believe it is protected with moist snow.

It's just confusing.

Less Confusion = More Success.

Sorce