Collected American Beech

[Agr247]

Keep in mind I have been in bonsai for half a year, I have binge watched about every video I can get ahold of...and read a lot of material. If anyone has any advice they think I need, please feel free to add.

Be courageous, endure with patience Have Fun!

 

[The Barber]

Be courageous, endure with patience Have Fun!

Well said, thanks a lot for that.

 

[Wulfskaar]

I think that twin trunk one would be mine if I were there, but I'd get it in late winter/early spring.

 

[The Barber]

I think that twin trunk one would be mine if I were there, but I'd get it in late winter/early spring.

I'm well stocked on kanuma soil for spring, just saying, lol.

 

[rockm]

Keep in mind I have been in bonsai for half a year, I have binge watched about every video I can get ahold of...and read a lot of material. If anyone has any advice they think I need, please feel free to add

Some words of caution from a collector (and one that has dug A. beech)--don't make plans for anything you have just collected. Be courageous, but don't be reckless. Humility beats swagger in the long run...learn with that in mind.

The learning curve for collected trees is steep and long. Understand that just because the tree pushes new growth in the coming spring DOES NOT mean it has survived your collection efforts. The test comes the spring AFTER NEXT, when the tree has used accumulated reserves and is relying on you to provide it with adequate care. Three years along, you can start making design plans. Until then design plans are mostly futile.

Beech is not an easy tree to begin collecting with. It's S-L-O-W, very slow. Typically a single flush of growth in the spring and that's all you get. Pushing it doesn't help it. Let it go at its pace, not yours.

Also don't collect everything you see. It's a waste of your time and trees. Digging the best material you can find before you have learned how to care for it can waste your best material--and at six months, you have no idea of that, even with the videos and reading.

Lastly, don't believe much of any of the videos online. They're mostly junk. Find a local club or a reputable, knowledgeable vendor, both are vastly better sources of information and guidance. If you're not a local club member, become one. Ask if you can help experienced members with their spring repotting (you will learn more in 6 hours doing that than watching a thousand videos.

 

[BobbyLane]

Some words of caution from a collector (and one that has dug A. beech)--don't make plans for anything you have just collected. Be courageous, but don't be reckless. Humility beats swagger in the long run...learn with that in mind.

The learning curve for collected trees is steep and long. Understand that just because the tree pushes new growth in the coming spring DOES NOT mean it has survived your collection efforts. The test comes the spring AFTER NEXT, when the tree has used accumulated reserves and is relying on you to provide it with adequate care. Three years along, you can start making design plans. Until then design plans are mostly futile.

Beech is not an easy tree to begin collecting with. It's S-L-O-W, very slow. Typically a single flush of growth in the spring and that's all you get. Pushing it doesn't help it. Let it go at its pace, not yours.

Also don't collect everything you see. It's a waste of your time and trees. Digging the best material you can find before you have learned how to care for it can waste your best material--and at six months, you have no idea of that, even with the videos and reading.

Lastly, don't believe much of any of the videos online. They're mostly junk. Find a local club or a reputable, knowledgeable vendor, both are vastly better sources of information and guidance. If you're not a local club member, become one. Ask if you can help experienced members with their spring repotting (you will learn more in 6 hours doing that than watching a thousand videos.

Thats debatable. What if half the club members dont know what theyre doing either. I see this all the time, photos of club shows where most of the trees look like theyve never EVER been fully wired or styled properly, most were just content on keeping the tree alive, but when it came to actually bringing the tree to the next level, they didnt have a clue, just going through the motions, a little prune here n there to shape, doing the bare minimun. Trees not been repotted for ages, full of weeds, roots pushing tree out the pot. Ugly elephant roots left intact because they were too scared to cut anything off. Its one thing to have 'green fingers' and another thing to create bonsai that speak to people.

There is so much outstanding content online now and a lot of it is free. Its a little misleading to say its mostly 'junk' . There are plenty of reputable artists with great video content.

 

[BobbyLane]

What I agree on is not just collecting everything in site for the sake of it. In a post above I did suggest seeing if there is anything more interesting, because a lot of those have very similar trunk lines.

 

[rockm]

Thats debatable. What if half the club members dont know what theyre doing either. I see this all the time, photos of club shows where most of the trees look like theyve never EVER been fully wired or styled properly, most were just content on keeping the tree alive, but when it came to actually bringing the tree to the next level, they didnt have a clue, just going through the motions, a little prune here n there to shape, doing the bare minimun. Trees not been repotted for ages, full of weeds, roots pushing tree out the pot. Ugly elephant roots left intact because they were too scared to cut anything off. Its one thing to have 'green fingers' and another thing to create bonsai that speak to people.

There is so much outstanding content online now and a lot of it is free. Its a little misleading to say its mostly 'junk' . There are plenty of reputable artists with great video content.

For Gawd's sake, they know more than the person with no experience. this is a silly comment.

As for the junk comment, I stand by it, especially for beginners. Sure reputable artists have great video (sometimes) but if you're unfamiliar with who's who and can't tell the reputable ones from the shills, this fact doesn't do you much good...

 

[BobbyLane]

It's really not an essential requirement to go to a club to learn bonsai, but you keep pushing it. Times done changed, there is plenty of reliable information online. You definitely don't need a club or a teacher.

 

[Dogestoevsky]

Great slice of nature you have there @The Barber , you’ve got me feeling jealous! American beech are so beautiful. Enjoy the start of your bonsai journey, and please keep us updated!

 

[The Barber]

What I agree on is not just collecting everything in site for the sake of it. In a post above I did suggest seeing if there is anything more interesting, because a lot of those have very similar trunk lines.

I haven't collected anything near the best, taking a sampling of species with potential to learn from before I go and murder a tree that will leave me with regret.

On a side note, I've learned that trees on steep hills have stupid long tap roots that go parallel deep into the hill before feeder roots are formed. This oak was one such tree, hopefully it survives, but had very little feeder roots other than the huge tap root which runs all the way to the base of this pot. I would have gone further into the hill had i known. Diameter at the base is about soda can size.

 

[rockm]

It's really not an essential requirement to go to a club to learn bonsai, but you keep pushing it. Times done changed, there is plenty of reliable information online. You definitely don't need a club or a teacher.

No it's not. I learned without being in a club or anything online back in the 90's. That learning was accelerated by having a teacher (friends who own a bonsai nursery) and joining a club. Got free trees, discounted pots, learned who was using what soil and where to get things LOCALLY--which is a critical piece of the learning puzzle. I can say that having teachers and club resources sped up my learning by ten fold. Didn't understand how drastically you could reduce roots until I stood next to someone who actually knew WTF they were doing and watched. Online content at least the good stuff, can only go so far. They don't have to deal with the aftermath of what they're professing. A teacher IRL, can do that and explain in specifics what to do.

Sorry, nothing compares to in-person learning, club or teacher.

 

[SilverCeder]

Collected early this past spring in my woods. It’s almost ridiculous in size, but I thought, what the heck? It took most of summer to push new buds. I guess we’ll find out this next spring!

 

[Joe Dupre']

Collected early this past spring in my woods. It’s almost ridiculous in size, but I thought, what the heck? It took most of summer to push new buds. I guess we’ll find out this next spring!

Yep, that's a bruiser alright. Good find. NOW, comes the hard part..........waiting for the 4-5 years it'll take to grow enough branches to do something with. I've been there many times. It's exciting and exhausting at the same time. Looking forward to the adventure.

 

[SilverCeder]

I can’t help myself just thinking how this could look in 5-7 years…. It’s a monster…. But yeah, who knows…. Why not try? Lol

 

[The Barber]

Collected early this past spring in my woods. It’s almost ridiculous in size, but I thought, what the heck? It took most of summer to push new buds. I guess we’ll find out this next spring!

Going to definitely take some time to develop taper on that brute, keep us updated as it develops. Curious what your plans are for it.

Yep, that's a bruiser alright. Good find. NOW, comes the hard part..........waiting for the 4-5 years it'll take to grow enough branches to do something with. I've been there many times. It's exciting and exhausting at the same time. Looking forward to the adventure.

I found one the other day that is pretty amazing that I can't wait to collect and share...looking forward to grabbing it.

Currently trying to work on this 16'x24' greenhouse I am building. Weather keeps holding me back sadly, along with work and the Thanksgiving holiday today. Hoping to get the joists all hung tomorrow.

I use to be into coral propagation in saltwater tanks, would import from Indonesia. Growing out colonies of coral can take years, as can the development of color under grow lights. Watching a half inch fragment of coral encrust the rock, then branch into a colony the size of a small basketball over the span of years was what I enjoyed. Similarly I enjoy the development of the trees, their growth, season changes, etc. It gives us something to look forward to, which tends to be limited to vacations, and holidays(maybe). Trees are constantly changing, and in most of our career driven lives I believe most us. I mean, did you ever look forward to spring as much as you do now? Plus, who wants quick and easy, if all we wanted was a tree to look at in a pot, we'd all have the realistic looking fake bonsai.

 

[SilverCeder]

One thing bonsai has taught me is patience…. And I have a ways to go…. A beech that size…. That portion has to be the bottom 1/3…. At least…. So I’m looking at a 4 to 5 foot tree if it lives. Which would still be pretty cool!

 

[Agr247]

While getting my routine “Fix”... this glorious pine!

 

[The Barber]

While getting my routine “Fix”... this glorious pine!

I think you might have posted this in the wrong place...

 

[misfit11]

I think you might have posted this in the wrong place...

Also, not a pine