First time you realized you accomplished bonsai?

[MaverickLancer]

I've been talking about this with some bonsai friends and the answers have been quite interesting thus far. And so I pose the same question to you bnuts:

When was the first time you realized that you truly accomplished bonsai?

Personally, I have yet to make that milestone. The idea of what constitutes real bonsai may differ, but to me, it will be when I have taken relatively raw material and transformed it into art entirely on my own. As a newbie, that may be quite a while.

 

[Cotyledon]

I thought I bonsai'd 5 years ago . But I was wrong

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

About every 5 years.

 

[Vance Wood]

I've been talking about this with some bonsai friends and the answers have been quite interesting thus far. And so I pose the same question to you bnuts:

When was the first time you realized that you truly accomplished bonsai?

Personally, I have yet to make that milestone. The idea of what constitutes real bonsai may differ, but to me, it will be when I have taken relatively raw material and transformed it into art entirely on my own. As a newbie, that may be quite a while.

When people come from miles away to look at your trees. For me that is recently.

 

[amcoffeegirl]

For me it's when I go to the next step. First reading everything you can. Then just trying to keep the tree alive. Then trimming and wiring. After a couple years you can see the true affects of what your care has done to the tree. If it's still alive. Seeing juvi foliage mature. Or seeing your vision for the tree come to life. It's a fun process but it takes a little bit to see it come together. Then you move to a new species and it starts all over.

 

[michaelj]

when I won my first blue ribbon for bonsai at my local fair.

 

[MaverickLancer]

when I won my first blue ribbon for bonsai at my local fair.

Did you compete at the OC fair this year? Saw a few bonsai as I was walking through the horticultural area.

Any pics of it?

 

[Smoke]

I havn't yet...but I'll keep you posted.

 

[michaelj]

Did you compete at the OC fair this year? Saw a few bonsai as I was walking through the horticultural area.

Any pics of it?

I don't have any photos yet, but the willow-leaf ficus this week was mine. I also had the 40 stem sweetgum.

 

[M. Frary]

I havn't yet...but I'll keep you posted.

Same here.

 

[sorce]

Small individual tasks.

Repotting successfully. (training pot)
Soil/watering combo.
Airlayers, Ground layers.
Healing branches nicely.
Patience.
Getting to know trees, (killing them)
Not buying or collecting Anything.
Meeting Friends!
Not having wife push everything off the sill. (I tell her they are supposed to look broken, g'head)
Becoming obsessed with pots.
Getting to a show.
Using only weak, natural, Dr.Earth pesticide very little.
Nurturing spider population.

When someone wants to overpay for a tree I made, that's when I'll feel wholly accomplished.

But then like @amcoffeegirl says,
New species.....start over!

Sorce

 

[Cypress187]

I repotted and kept a birch tree alive for 2 years now and it has more rammification

 

[Cadillactaste]

Getting my trees through our harsh winter...helped me take a step up the ladder on feeling I could possibly get this horticultural needs down. With our temps hitting -20F for a few weeks in the winter...seeing my trees wake up was one of the grandest things.

Repotting and seeing success...

Each step you do that has to do with the bonsai hobby...and success was made...is a step toward feeling good about where your headed.

There are losses...and I had a few with the tropical this winter when things out of my control. Arctic temps froze our propane tanks. Dropping my room for my tropics to 42F. Has me rethinking what direction I do wish to take my collection. I will keep the tropicals I have...but, I don't see me adding more to my collection. I honestly feel...if you learn from from the losses...then you really don't lose but gain knowledge in how you wish to proceed.

 

[Vin]

When I do, I'll post it as such. (but probably will be told otherwise)

 

[Cadillactaste]

If you really think about it...I would imagine just as a bonsai is forever growing and being worked...as is the bonsaiest that is doing the hobby. Would imagine that as long as they are doing bonsai...they are also growing in their ability. I am not sure one ever feels they are to the point they can't still continue to learn and grow. When you stop feeling you can learn...then you limit yourself in and of itself the ability to the person you could be.

At least that's my take on it. Some may differ...and that's fine as well. That's what is great about being an individual. We all see things through different eyes. But I think one would eventually hold themselves back...if they ever reached a point they felt an accomplished bonsaist.

 

[MACH5]

If you really think about it...I would imagine just as a bonsai is forever growing and being worked...as is the bonsaiest that is doing the hobby. Would imagine that as long as they are doing bonsai...they are also growing in their ability. I am not sure one ever feels they are to the point they can't still continue to learn and grow. When you stop feeling you can learn...then you limit yourself in and of itself the ability to the person you could be.

At least that's my take on it. Some may differ...and that's fine as well. That's what is great about being an individual. We all see things through different eyes. But I think one would eventually hold themselves back...if they ever reached a point they felt an accomplished bonsaist.

I agree with this statement. I do not think you ever do. Certainly will be forever true with me.

 

[drew33998]

I think that if you do achieve it with a tree, it is for a relative short period of time. You put years into material and you may have a moment where you finish style a tree and sit back and say "wow, that is what I have been working towards all these years." Yet like human beings, trees are constantly going through changes. The same tree could and would possibly look much different in a month and definitely a year. It's about application of the proper steps to get the same tree to an even better state years in the future. I like how Brian stated, "About every five years". That says a lot to me.

 

[LanceMac10]

I do much more watering than bonsai-ing..............

 

[Giga]

I feel I've actually accomplish a good knowledge base, diagnosing diseases, watering and wiring but bonsai'ing?-not sure it will ever happen as it's life long. Maybe I bonsai'ed when I can no longer raise a pair of scissors.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I like how Brian stated, "About every five years". That says a lot to me.

This could miss the mark, but let me try to elaborate on that a bit. I started bonsai in 1993, with the same stuff we all start with...S-curve juniper, cascade juniper, and a 5-tree forest, arranged multiple times until it was a 3-trunk, and finally 1 trunk, which also died. So I'm in my 5th 5-year "cycle". They're not nearly that precise, which is why this may miss the mark a bit.
From the first 5-year cycle around 93-95, my best trees (only) looked like this:

Stay with me for a few posts...