Lebiuqse
Seedling
I don't have any nurseries near me that have bonsais, how long will it take to grow one from a seed to a work of art? Where can I find seeds for some good starter trees? Any advice or knowledge welcome, thank you!
Help getting started
- Thread starter Lebiuqse
- Start date
Eckhoffw
Masterpiece
Start from plain ol’ nursery stock. I’d also stick with native plants to start.
Lebiuqse
Seedling
Okie thanks! 
Mikecheck123
Omono
My advice to all beginners: order a Chinese elm (a virtually indestructible species with great upside) online. Wigert's and Brussel's are reputable online dealers.
My hot take on seeds: playing around with seeds is only wrong when it's the only thing you're doing. You need to be building up your tree-rearing experience in the meantime so that when your seed becomes a sapling, you know how not to kill it.
My hot take on seeds: playing around with seeds is only wrong when it's the only thing you're doing. You need to be building up your tree-rearing experience in the meantime so that when your seed becomes a sapling, you know how not to kill it.
Lebiuqse
Seedling
So get a Chinese elm, gain the experience needed and then experiment with seeds as I am more experienced?
ShadyStump
Imperial Masterpiece
Almost any woody plant can be made into bonsai. Some are better than others, of course, but anything will do to start learning.
You can start some seeds, and while those grow you can work on any sapling you come across. Dig one out of your yard, buy something cheap at any nursery, whatever. The objective is to learn everything you can about how trees grow.
You can buy something online, as already mentioned, if you're interested in having a nicer tree, but if you want to create it yourself you can get anything at all and start working on it. Elms are great for beginners because they're tough as nails. Ficus are great too, and have the added bonus of surviving indoors during winter so you can enjoy it year round.
If you add a general location to your profile we can help you find something that will do best in your region.
You can start some seeds, and while those grow you can work on any sapling you come across. Dig one out of your yard, buy something cheap at any nursery, whatever. The objective is to learn everything you can about how trees grow.
You can buy something online, as already mentioned, if you're interested in having a nicer tree, but if you want to create it yourself you can get anything at all and start working on it. Elms are great for beginners because they're tough as nails. Ficus are great too, and have the added bonus of surviving indoors during winter so you can enjoy it year round.
If you add a general location to your profile we can help you find something that will do best in your region.
Lebiuqse
Seedling
In my area (Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA) the most common tree is the Rio Grande cottonwood, could I use that? They are easy to get if you walk on the river. Since they are native I am going to assume I should have little to no difficulty taking care if it in my climate. Is there a sort of target age/size for the sampling?
Shibui
Imperial Masterpiece
Bonsai from seed is a very slow journey. Think 10-30 years for a work of art bonsai and then decide whether you really want to start from seed.
I sow seed every year and have some great seed grown bonsai but always looking at long term development.
There are many other ways to start. Some have already been mentioned:
Nursery stock - already saves you 2-5 years compared to seed.
Cuttings - still a long road.
Layers - can ret roots on a thicker trunk so possibly saves 3-5 years. Trouble is finding suitable branches to layer. Not every branch will yield a great bonsai.
Transplants from garden or landscape - Many trees and shrubs transplant quite easily so you can start with a good trunk and save 5-10 years. Boxwood, azalea are 2 real easy ones that rae common in gardens. Some weedy species make good bonsai and may be found on vacant lots, roadsides, riverbanks, etc. House renovations, demolitions, etc are a good source as the owners/developers usually start with a new garden and scrap all the old plants.
Collect from wild grown trees - Yamadori means from the mountains and these trees are valued for their ancient appearance but also look on riverbanks, roadsides, etc. If you travel far enough and look hard enough you can find really nice, old, dwarfed trees. Not easy to find really good examples in the wild and, if the transplant survives, it will still take 3-10 years to develop a great bonsai. Seek help to learn the tricks to maximize success before you dig up old trees. Need permits to dig trees on public land.
I sow seed every year and have some great seed grown bonsai but always looking at long term development.
There are many other ways to start. Some have already been mentioned:
Nursery stock - already saves you 2-5 years compared to seed.
Cuttings - still a long road.
Layers - can ret roots on a thicker trunk so possibly saves 3-5 years. Trouble is finding suitable branches to layer. Not every branch will yield a great bonsai.
Transplants from garden or landscape - Many trees and shrubs transplant quite easily so you can start with a good trunk and save 5-10 years. Boxwood, azalea are 2 real easy ones that rae common in gardens. Some weedy species make good bonsai and may be found on vacant lots, roadsides, riverbanks, etc. House renovations, demolitions, etc are a good source as the owners/developers usually start with a new garden and scrap all the old plants.
Collect from wild grown trees - Yamadori means from the mountains and these trees are valued for their ancient appearance but also look on riverbanks, roadsides, etc. If you travel far enough and look hard enough you can find really nice, old, dwarfed trees. Not easy to find really good examples in the wild and, if the transplant survives, it will still take 3-10 years to develop a great bonsai. Seek help to learn the tricks to maximize success before you dig up old trees. Need permits to dig trees on public land.
Lebiuqse
Seedling
Woah thanks for all of the information, I’ll have to decide on what exactly I should be expecting for myself, im not all too sure of what I want but this definitely helps me find a path to what I can do to get to a point of deep satisfaction with my decisions. Thank you!!
ShadyStump
Imperial Masterpiece
There's still some debate around here as to whether or not cottonwood is best for bonsai, but it's great learning material one way or another.
@Hartinez is NM, and has been doing beautiful things with the common sagebrush you'll find in the countryside. The alder leaf mountain mahogany that you can find transplants very easily, and could also be great bonsai, though I've yet to see great examples.
Piñons are becoming very popular, but there's little information on caring for them and they can sometimes be finicky. Don't go digging up nice ones until you have a good grasp on them. I've killed some beautiful trees making that mistake. One seed junipers are pretty great, too. Not always the nicest foliage, but otherwise everything about them is perfect for bonsai. The Rocky Mountain juniper is earning a bad reputation because of it's foliage habits, but I personally feel that people are expecting the tree to do things it's not meant to do. You have to embrace it's weeping habit.
Willows can be fun, and you can literally just cut a section of branch you like and drop it in a bucket of water for a few months to make a new tree for yourself.
Ponderosa pine is becoming very popular as far as a long needle variety goes. I promise you'll find those damned Siberian elm cropping up everywhere. Those things are great for bonsai! Impossible to kill, tiny leaves, free material EVERYWHERE
That's just the tip of the iceberg.
I am only a few hours drive from you, and a similar climate. We have many of the same native species to play with, and now is prime tree hunting season. I have enough going on of my own right now or I'd offer to drive down and we could go hunting together.
Hartinez
Masterpiece
Hey there fellow Burqueno (even though you live in Rio Rancho, but im giving you a pass).
Heres my advice to get started locally.Stick to what grows here. Our winters can be cold and summers hot. Our water and soil is quite alkaline so mainstream bonsai trees will fair decent to quite poor here. Elms and junipers are a great place to start, then as you get better you can experiment with more. Ive tried quite a few times growing Japanese maple and trident maple and it has been a waste every time. Check out Plant World and jackelope for decent nursery stock. They have quite a few juniper varieties that can be made into decent bonsai with time.
Join the club in Abq. I rarely go to the meetings but for someone that is new, you can get a lot of info, plus they do sales and trades often. You may be able to source some decent starting material for your new hobby!
DO NOT COLLECT COTTONWOOD UNLESS YOU HAVE PERMISSION. In the bosque, the cottonwood is being out performed by non native trees and so you can get in a lot of trouble if you are digging wild cottonwood on public land. We want to keep those small cottonwoods intact for our future generations. YOU CAN however dig, Siberian elm, Russian olive or mulberry at any number. All three can make great trees and deal with our environment quite well. In particular, dig lots and lots of Siberian elm. Near bullet proof and you can practice all the various techniques you discover.
Good luck with it all and keep asking questions!
Some really good advise on this thread. The "problem" with developing bonsai is that it tends to be a very long process. And the younger the material we start with, the longer it will take. I think the advice was not just to get a Chinese elm, but to get one that has been grown for any number of years for bonsai. Brussel's bonsai is a great site, but I had sticker shock the first time I went there. It took me a while of buying all kinds of material to reach the conclusion that I should have started there. I would have saved money and had better trees had I started with Brussel's or something like them. Live and learn.
When I found better material, I swore off seedlings "forever". But now that I have a few trees that are further along, I find myself revisiting seedlings. I can grow out the seedlings for years and not be bored with bonsai as I have other things going on in the bonsai garden.
Spot on. When I had only seedlings, bonsai was like watching grass grow and I wasn't learning as much as I could.
Lebiuqse
Seedling
Is there a specific area to try hunting for a tree? I’m assuming just anywhere like sides of a road or in a area with a denser tree pop? I guess I should be asking where are you hunting for a tree?There's still some debate around here as to whether or not cottonwood is best for bonsai, but it's great learning material one way or another.
@Hartinez is NM, and has been doing beautiful things with the common sagebrush you'll find in the countryside. The alder leaf mountain mahogany that you can find transplants very easily, and could also be great bonsai, though I've yet to see great examples.
Piñons are becoming very popular, but there's little information on caring for them and they can sometimes be finicky. Don't go digging up nice ones until you have a good grasp on them. I've killed some beautiful trees making that mistake. One seed junipers are pretty great, too. Not always the nicest foliage, but otherwise everything about them is perfect for bonsai. The Rocky Mountain juniper is earning a bad reputation because of it's foliage habits, but I personally feel that people are expecting the tree to do things it's not meant to do. You have to embrace it's weeping habit.
Willows can be fun, and you can literally just cut a section of branch you like and drop it in a bucket of water for a few months to make a new tree for yourself.
Ponderosa pine is becoming very popular as far as a long needle variety goes. I promise you'll find those damned Siberian elm cropping up everywhere. Those things are great for bonsai! Impossible to kill, tiny leaves, free material EVERYWHERE
That's just the tip of the iceberg.
I am only a few hours drive from you, and a similar climate. We have many of the same native species to play with, and now is prime tree hunting season. I have enough going on of my own right now or I'd offer to drive down and we could go hunting together.
HorseloverFat
Squarepants with Conkers
Private property is always a good first go to if you know anyone that has land.
JackHammer
Chumono
A lifetime.
HorseloverFat
Squarepants with Conkers
This is a myth... Potentiated by old grumps.
Not a whole lifetime to see realistic results.
A life SENTENCE, maybe...
...show me a 10 year old seed-grown tree, grown with "Bonsai" in mind...
...it'll be a pretty damn nice tree.
I advocate for seed-growing HARD...
But, as pointed out, it can't be ALL you do... Or you will become dissatisfied.
(EDIT... I guess "work of art" here is subjective.. and your proposal of a lifetime... Would REALLY produce a grand "work of art", also.)
HorseloverFat
Squarepants with Conkers
This is good, some people will even PAY you to remove trees.
Gabler
Masterpiece
That’s a bit of an exaggeration, although I suppose it could also be a semantic issue with regard to how we respectively define ”work of art.” A masterpiece could take thirty years, but a good hobbyist-quality tree should take five to ten years, depending on the species.
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