Bonsai educational guide, and picture gallery. (to make batter get hooked on bonsai)

[Starfish]

I've wanted to do this before, but didn't think anyone would read it. I don't really know if anyone will, but what the hay, HEY?

I decided to start this thread because this way I can compile info on the subject of Bonsai, all together, and this will act as a preliminary outline of subject matter for my website info. And batter wanted to know my background on the subject cause he thinks it's cool, but little does he know I am reeling him in to make him a Bonsai junkie. He already is hooked on gardening....
So, basically, I am killing many birds with stones and such.

Okay, I first thought I'd sucker everyone's attention with some pics, but I have to say a few things first. Don't worry, I will be posting pics, intermittantly while covering the subjects within bonsai, for those of you lookieloos who don't care about the details of the artform. However, This will become very detailed overtime.

Bonsai is not hard to do, it just requires some background knowledge and lots of love and patience.

Right now, I will outline what is to come so that you can know what I am getting at ahead of time.
The most important skills to have, if you are going to attempt bonsai are....

Horticulturally:
Proper Species ID and cultural requirment knowledge of your tree
Proper pruning skills
Understanding proper fertalization practices and timing.
An understanding of basic the properties of Soil.
Tree Physiology
Wiring skills
Repotting skills

Artistically:
Having a basic understanding of the different habits of bonsai form.
A basic understanding of the fundamentals of design. (grouping, angular advantage to give a visual effect, etc.)
Good perception of what effects natural forces have on trees.

I will talk about these things in detail over time.


If you think about it, this isn't really that much, even though each area involoves sub concepts.

"So Gretchie, I want to have a bonsai. I want one NOW! But don't want to pay 100's of dollars. What do I do?"

About starting a bonsai.....
If you are going to start from scratch (germinating a seed) for your first bonsai, you will be holy disenchanted in one year and likely to stop caring. Your tree won't be "cool" looking for 3-5 years and it is sort of annoying for those who want effect immediatly. Going against starting a tree from seed or cutting isn't really a principle of the art form, and it actually contradicts the philosophy that it is important to have patience and be mindful of all stages of the life of the plant, but I suggest a method of going about it that aids in your gaining gratification and developing a sense of the overall appreciation of the phases of life of a bonsai.


"So? What does this mean?"

Go to your local garden center this fall. Buy a Juniper that is under 2 ft tall in a nursury pot that is in somewhat natural looking shape (un pruned).

Do Not repot this tree into a bonsai pot, but rather spend the autumn looking into the INNER shape of the tree. Spend time getting familiar with the branching pattern. Get an idea in your mind of a way to prune it to take on the shape of a mature tree.

Start to prune on your tree (do not do this if you don't know proper tree pruning. It is very specific and I'll cover that matter tonight on my next post.) Do this gradually over the course of two weeks.

Overwinter this tree in a sheltered but natural location, away from biting winds, in it's nursury pot, and mulched with some
straw or whatever.

Seek out an appropriate pot for this tree over the winter, and buy it. (mail order, whatever). In the Spring then, you'll be able to repot it, (with the method knowledge you'll get from this) and then top it off with some moss spores and you're good to go. (there is more to that but you know..



"So, How the fuck am I supposed to learn about all this nature cycle crap if I cheat at doing bonsai, Ms. Know-it-all?"

Well, that is up to you. Do you want to get 'into' everything about bonsai, or do you want to just have one "instant" bonsai, or would you like to have a true bonsai also.
A great deal of rewarding satisfaction come from both methods and both are worth doing, it is just about the individual decision to go on with learning and growing with your trees.


PIC TIME!!!!!

Here is a 8 year old Juniper (Juniperus sp.) that was created by this method. It was 3 years old when we bought it, and it is now quite magnificent. It is easy to maintain, and we love it.
It is rather rewarding to have.

Here it has dormant moss on it's soil surface, but the next pic will be of the moss now that it is not dormant.

 

[Starfish]

Here is the moss on it now.




I am going to post the pruning info later tonight, but first I'd like to eat a late dinnerr and then smoke a lot of reefer before I do.

I will post all of my 'instant' bonsai, then my true bonsai later.

 

[Starfish]

Acer palmatum 'West grove' in nursury container.

 

[Starfish]

Here it is in it's bonsai pot, with 1/3 foliar pruning, but not wired.

 

[Starfish]

Okay, Now, I am going to show you this tree and it is my most favorite.


It was a container grown tree, and it cost me a pretty penny.
It is an Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) 'Sharp's pygmy' and is an 18 year old tree.

It is in ground in this photo because the pot it was in got broken and I had to have it kept in the ground for the summer. I just potted it into it's new pot today, but havn't taken pics yet. I will tomorrow.

It hasn't go the crown growth that I want it to have, but that will come on and take form over the next two years.

 

[batter]

WOW!!

i didnt realize there was soooo much to it.
i think it is cool but i know , for sure, i wouldnt have the patience to try and attempt this stuff.
i find this quite interesting to say the least. well done Starfish!

 

[april-wine]

moreeeeeeeeee starfish......sheesh a little tease......here i am soaking it all up.....i need more i tell you.....moreeee......thank you

 

[Starfish]

It's cool batter. It has taken years and is highly involved. I just used you as an excuse to set up a preliminary outline for myself, to help me with my website. It is rather complicated isn't it? I just deal with so much information in general for the vast expanses of Horticulture and Botony, that this stuff seems like a small portion to me.




I had to do some crap around here just now, but here is some more....

This is a European Hornbeam and it is a true bonsai, started from seed and trained from the start. This tree is 5 years old and is 7 inches tall. It is going to be amazing by the time it is 10 years old.

 

[Starfish]

More of it.....


This is a similar shot, but the sun was overhead and it is brighter.

Also, I did a pruning on it, and reduced it a tiny bit.

It is nearing the time that I wire them for the winter to set the stucture for the Spring growth. (I don't wire in Spring too much... there is so much active growth happening that you can girdle (cut off) the limbs and cause damage to the vascular system.

Okay, well.... This is the better shot...

 

[Starfish]

This is an Azalea (Rhododendron sp.) 'Hot Shot' bonsai.

 

[Starfish]

I am so happy to be able to share this crap, and I am going to be getting a memory stick for my camera so that I can hold more pics at a time, and then I am going to go to this bonsai garden right over the border in Michigan and take pictures of all of the cool bonsai.




This is an Austrian pine (Pinus nigra) that is a true bonsai.

It is one of 11 Austrian pines that I am training. These won't look 'old' for another 10 years or so... once they are around 15.

 

[Starfish]

These two trees are developing in these terra cotta pots but will one day be in a large clay tray, with 3 other trees. (I have to make it myself so It will be a while. )

 

[Starfish]

Ben & Jerry are gods.


These trees have all been growing in these pots for some time, to restrict their growth and development. I am in the process of potting them up in bonsai pots now.

 

[Starfish]

About those two Spruce trees....

I mean something like this but on a larger scale with rock sculpting, and irish moss growing in the full sun areas and red and green moss growing in the shade. I am even considering making it have a "lake" to the scaping, and doing a little water pond for my fish to live in during the summer.
Needless to say, It will become a feature in the garden of whever we live at the time.

 

[lavender]

 

[Never]

But, can you eat them?

 

[Starfish]

Lavender, I will get my quartz out and start to send that vibe down yonder.

I am a driven person. I am really striving to leave my neices and nephews a legacy of sorts. They are all really into nature stuff, so this is the one thing I know that could go on for them, after I am gone. I am building bonsai page for them to learn from so that when they inherit these trees, they'll know what to do for them.

I just realized that my garden looks like crap in most of these pics, but many are from Spring, and I don't have a lot going on in spring in my garden. I am working on a plan, but I am having to root shrubs (I am poor and have to do everything the hard way) to make a planting around the peremeter of my yard so it isn't so open and ugly. I like things to be lush and private. Once I get the shrubs in, then I'll plant a nice varying garden.

I may put up some unrelated pics if I am so inclined.





One more of that juniper, this on the stand in the 'garden', and the rest will have to wait till I take pictures of them.


Night all.

 

[Starfish]

But, can you eat them?

I am laughing so hard that I am going to pee. That was nice to hear.


Oh, and yes... many things try and eat them all of the time. It is a nonstop battle against Conifer sawfly larva.

Bastards.

Never, are you a bastard?

 

[Desert Amazon]

 

[batter]

i think it is cool.
i like that juniper tree.
that bonsai stuff looks great Starfish!
i think you are doing a great job.

 

[Mortto56]

"Some really nice trees!"

Hello Starfish!

I would like to congradulate you on your Bonsai's.I know how much work you must have in them.

I began an interest in Bonsai 3 years ago.I started out by buying a coupe of books on the subject.Then when spring come around,I gathered some seeds from a maple tree that is in my yard.I planted 2 starting trays full of seeds.About 90% of them come up.But I lost 1 tray of them,when a squrrel knocked one of the trays over one night.That really "PISSED" me off.Out of the original 100 seeds I planted,I have 14 trees left,which are now 3 years old.Each year,I plant 2 trays of seeds.So I'm starting to get a good number of trees going.

I keep my trees in a raised garden box over the winter,fulled with sand.But this year,right when my trees where starting to leaf out,a deer came along,and ate all the new leafs off.I thought they where all going to die.But you know what?every one of them came back with more and smaller leafs.It was like leaf pruning,but to the extreme extent.

I work with a lady that became interested in Bonsai this last year.So I traded her some of my Maples and a book I had for some Pine trees she had.She gave me 4 Pines.I planted 1 in the ground,and the other 3 in pots.I don't know what went wrong,but the three in the pots did'nt make it.I'll have to try and figure out what went wrong.But thats part of doing Bonsai's.Learn as you go.

I'd send some pics of mine,but I don't have a digital camera yet,(maybe for Christmas).

Well keep up the great work,and do you have your web site up yet?

I'll yak at you later.

 

[april-wine]

wow, stars in eyes.....thanks for sharing starfish.....you have peaked my interest, ........can't wait for more......

 

[Starfish]

Thank you folks for the appreciation, and it is so cool that others are into seeing this stuff.

DA,
I had an epiphany about how to deal with any aprehension on getting into this subject, while doing the dishes just now.... jumped on here to post about it, and Mortto only reinforced my epiphany with his post by saying the bit about 'learning as you go'.
More on that in a second..

Mortto,
I am so thrilled to know that there is another active bonsai enthusiast on the board. It appears that April-Wine may be getting involved if we help her get started and learn some basics..... I know what you felt when you lost those seedlings and pines. It is sad, but it is really part of the process. I was told by the director of the Hort program I am in, that you will enivitaby have a 5% loss in all horticulture ventures. I believe that to be a fair and true statement.

When you mentioned your Maples getting munched on, it immediatly reminded me of a principle of bonsai used for all trees within the Acer (Maple) Genus. Because they will put on successive flushes of foiliage, they can completly defoliate in summer and have a beautiful set of leaves smaller leaves (like you said) come on for the rest of the season and it even makes for two years worth of growth in one year and enhances the color of the leaves in autumn.

Right now, I have a Maple that I did a 'leaf trimming' (what this act is called in bonsai books) on, just about 3 weeks ago. It is still bare, but it will put out a flush of leaves (the buds are swelling now) and they will be very vibrant. I did this a little late in the season, and really shouldn't be done after June 21, but I did this to another Maple last year (the one that I will put up next), and it flushed the most amazing flush of leaves, and it's Spring leaf size was just as small this year as the flush last fall. There are other species that that applies to also but I don't know them by heart, but could find out down the road. Too bad this didn't work for all trees.

My Bonsai site hasn't been put together, because I have the proirity of making an online Herbarium for an independant study project required for my degree. I've been collecting pictures for over 6 months now, and I am almost done compiling photos for that. Until I see how much room on my site that is going to suck up, I can't do anything else yet. But it will all come together soon, and I'll be sure to link it to this thread once it is done.

I will always be a member of this website, so I will gladly say that I will hope to see pics of your bonsai sometime in the future, when you get a camera.

Okay, MY EPIPHANY:
I realize this info all sounds like a lot, and I also realize that can be overwhelming and put people off, but the one thing I know is that just because something can be indepth, doesn't mean it isn't functional or do-able on a simpiler level.... Also, that what you may learn today, and in the near future, you can always use later if you decide to do so.

Key thing about the point of simplicity on this matter:
.... Since, just because there is a lot of knowledge to be had on any subject and it doesn't mean that it has to be gained in an instant to make a go of it, then I believe anyone can do this if they wanted to. Wanting to and doing don't count always though, I know that, and that is totally cool (I want to do everything... but HA! lol) so that is why we have places for people to go and enjoy seeing these things and appreciating them for what they are. Those of you who do that are artists too... Artists of love.

So, All I am getting at is, that if someone really wanted to do it, but was scared by the details, then I say.. go slow. One could start with that one juniper I mentioned. See if you can keep it alive. If not, try one more time, and if it dies, try just growing flowers instead!

If bonsai seems too indepth, than it probably is when made to be a big deal, but it is also simple in the fact that aside from... Pruning, Wireing, WATERING!!!, Feeding, Disease and pest prevention and treatment, and adequate Overwintering.... God and the tree do all of the rest.

"Fear not the Bonsai, for nature is on your side."~Starfish

Trees acclimate themselves to the amount of room they have to grow in, very readily... That is why trees can grow in the cracks of cliffs, where soil particles settle. There are trees in the forest that are no more than 4 ft tall and will be that way for a good 10 years before they get a real chance to grow tall. A 10 year old tree out in an open field will be taller than 4 ft because it has the room to do so.

They conserve and they know when to slow down the growth. Stunting the growth of a tree is easy. Caring for them is easy too, if you know the basics, and you love to watch these trees age.

I just don't want anyone who thinks that this is hard to learn and do, to not see that there is a way to make it easy once you know a thing or two.

You never know what you may pick up from this thread overtime.


Okay, I can't put up a pic yet, because I have to unload them from my camera, and ready them to be posted, but the pics I took came out great and I am going to share with you my secret for amazingly easy moss farming too.

Before hand though, I must do a ton of housework and get ready for the coming week at school. After that crap, I'll post more.

 

[Guest]

But these only work in the 5th dimension.... growing these trees, that is. Now let's see more, Fishie!




(-Myst)

 

[Never]

Starfish:
"I am laughing so hard that I am going to pee. That was nice to hear.


Oh, and yes... many things try and eat them all of the time. It is a nonstop battle against Conifer sawfly larva.

Bastards.

Never, are you a bastard?"

Literally, yes. Though lavender has tried to tell me otherwise on occation.
I like growing ivy, pumpkins and blackberries, you just toss a few seeds on the lawn and next summer your neighbor two houses down is out in the heat busting their hump trying to trim down the ivy, pumpkins and blackberries.