New to Bonsai -- Any Minnesotans Around?

[kmaho]

Hello All!

I'm new to bonsai but have had an interest in it since highschool. My wife bought me my first tree (a small chinese elm, but not a mallsai) from the nursery last summer and I just spent the summer trying to focus on keeping it alive (had a close call when I went on vacation and forgot to try and find someone to water it!). As spring approaches, I'm hoping to get into my yard and dig up some saplings, take some air layers from the yard trees, and try my hand at cuttings to see about getting some more free material--even if I won't be able to actually work on it for a year or more, it's a good investment to try now I figure.

Are there any Minnesotans out there that might have some tips for me on good nurseries or places to pick up aggregates/supplies around here? I found the bonsai society, but they only have basics meetings right now where you have to bring your own material to work on and I don't really have enough going on to work on yet. Plus it's on the far side of the cities from me, so an hour plus each way which is hard to work with when you have a young children in the home.

Appreciate any local insights you all may have!

 

[LanceMac10]

@crust @fourteener come to mind right of the bat. Both experienced, and with high-end trees.

Good luck in your new "obsession"!!

 

[sorce]

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

 

[sparklemotion]

The Basics meetings are part class/part workshop. So you can show up without stuff to work on (you'll just get more out of it if you've got something going...like that elm ).

Keep your eye on the website for when they post the novice workshop schedules. Those are single weekend days, so hopefully one works out for you (and you'll walk out with a nice juni or tropical). The club also has a spring and a fall auction, on the weekend and open to the public. There was some very impressive material at the fall auction last year.

We don't have any "bonsai" nurseries around here. Some folks sell some specialty supplies at the general meetings (annealed copper, soil mixes, pots, ferts -- the Sumo Cakes guy is branching out into more general stuff, so I would expect he'd have more general supplies at the meetings too.) Group buys/orders are also occasionally arranged through the club -- either officially or just members wanting to split shipping. (speaking of which, I may know someone with a *ahem* sizeable number of anderson trays/bands on the way that maybe she'd be looking to recoup shipping costs on).

Besides online/the club:

• Como Conservatory Gift Shop - finished trees, some pots, not a great selection of either, but they have a pretty nice collection that is always at least partially on display
• Home Depot/Menards - nursery stock, pine bark, perlite, oil-dri (only at Menards)
• Bachmans - like the big boys but more varieties of nursery stock, some weird substrates: spaghum, cherrystone grit, bonsai-esque pots
• Gertens - probably a magical wonderland but honestly too far away for me. I'll probably drive down to check out their nursery stock selection around early-summer sale time this year though.
• O'reilly/NAPA - diatomaceous earth (opti-sorb/#8822 respectively)
• Ecogarden Supply (or the equivalent south metro hydroponics store) - bulk perlite, pumice, pond baskets, airpots, nursery pots, weird fertilizers (azomite), lights, heat mats
• Friends School Plant Sale - mother's day weekend @ state fairgrounds - nursery stock (lots of species/cultivars that I *never* see anywhere else in town.) Check the catalog before you go. Best selection friday, cheapest on Sunday.

 

[kmaho]

The Basics meetings are part class/part workshop. So you can show up without stuff to work on (you'll just get more out of it if you've got something going...like that elm ).

Keep your eye on the website for when they post the novice workshop schedules. Those are single weekend days, so hopefully one works out for you (and you'll walk out with a nice juni or tropical). The club also has a spring and a fall auction, on the weekend and open to the public. There was some very impressive material at the fall auction last year.

We don't have any "bonsai" nurseries around here. Some folks sell some specialty supplies at the general meetings (annealed copper, soil mixes, pots, ferts -- the Sumo Cakes guy is branching out into more general stuff, so I would expect he'd have more general supplies at the meetings too.) Group buys/orders are also occasionally arranged through the club -- either officially or just members wanting to split shipping. (speaking of which, I may know someone with a *ahem* sizeable number of anderson trays/bands on the way that maybe she'd be looking to recoup shipping costs on).

Besides online/the club:

• Como Conservatory Gift Shop - finished trees, some pots, not a great selection of either, but they have a pretty nice collection that is always at least partially on display
• Home Depot/Menards - nursery stock, pine bark, perlite, oil-dri (only at Menards)
• Bachmans - like the big boys but more varieties of nursery stock, some weird substrates: spaghum, cherrystone grit, bonsai-esque pots
• Gertens - probably a magical wonderland but honestly too far away for me. I'll probably drive down to check out their nursery stock selection around early-summer sale time this year though.
• O'reilly/NAPA - diatomaceous earth (opti-sorb/#8822 respectively)
• Ecogarden Supply (or the equivalent south metro hydroponics store) - bulk perlite, pumice, pond baskets, airpots, nursery pots, weird fertilizers (azomite), lights, heat mats
• Friends School Plant Sale - mother's day weekend @ state fairgrounds - nursery stock (lots of species/cultivars that I *never* see anywhere else in town.) Check the catalog before you go. Best selection friday, cheapest on Sunday.

Thanks for the info Sparkle, I'll have to reconsider the basics meeting, though I'd prefer to get that intro class in first for the credit towards membership. xD

I knew there weren't any bonsai nurseries around, as I've searched extensively, but I figured some of the normal nurseries might have better tree stock than others. Good to know about the mother's day sale especially. That's something I'd surely have missed. I'll have to put a reminder in my calendar so I don't miss it. Also, "magical wonderland" sounds great... that's not too far from me.

I've hit up the conservatory a few times. Nice to have the zoo and the trees there together. Something for the kids, something for me. Prices on their stuff is pretty steep, but the collection is beautiful and inspiring!

 

[sparklemotion]

Thanks for the info Sparkle, I'll have to reconsider the basics meeting, though I'd prefer to get that intro class in first for the credit towards membership. xD

I knew there weren't any bonsai nurseries around, as I've searched extensively, but I figured some of the normal nurseries might have better tree stock than others. Good to know about the mother's day sale especially. That's something I'd surely have missed. I'll have to put a reminder in my calendar so I don't miss it. Also, "magical wonderland" sounds great... that's not too far from me.

I was at a general meeting last year where more than one person joked about going through most of a year of Basics before finally joining, nobody checks membership status at the class. But Prior Lake --> Roseville on a weekday evening rush hour doesn't sound like much fun to me so I see your situation.

And to be clear, I haven't heard anything in particular about Gertens being good for bonsai stock, but they are one of the last few big nurseries around so I'd imagine they'd be better for cold-hardy stock than Home Depot (which, btw, has 4" scheffleras for $2.50 as of yesterday if you're into tropicals at all -- The Quarry location also had older ficus benjaminas with decent trunks (1.5") for $15)

 

[Steve21]

I’ve gotten a trees from Gertens. You have to do a lot of searching to find worthwhile material, but their selection is huge. They have a clearance section in the back corner, undesirable plants for landscape use, which often means some desirable bonsai traits.....pennies on the dollar. I recommend checking it out once the temp is above zero.

 

[sparklemotion]

Just FYI, @Steve21 and @kmaho the MN Bonsai society's new website is up, and the 2018 Novice Workshops are open for signups (they usually sell out about a month in advance). $75 for a tree (nursery stock from Wigert's/Brussels), pot, wire, substrate and 1 year membership ($40).

http://minnesotabonsaisociety.org/product-category/workshops/

 

[kmaho]

Thanks, @sparklemotion . I was planning on doing that, but it's so late in the year that I feel like it'll be a waste. I hope to have other trees by then and decided to just join the group and am going to go to the basics classes once a month. Trying to find a tree to bring to March's basics class for repotting now! Hard this time of year, lol. I'm 99.9% positive my elm is dead, so that won't due any more.

 

[Steve21]

Thanks for the info!

 

[sparklemotion]

Trying to find a tree to bring to March's basics class for repotting now! Hard this time of year, lol. I'm 99.9% positive my elm is dead, so that won't due any more.

I've been struggling with that too -- I have tropicals that could use repotting, but I worry about massive root work right now (even though they stay warm and under lights). The temperate trees will probably all still be frozen . I hope your elm isn't dead! It's probably worth continuing to care for it for another few weeks and bringing it to BB on the 20th. Otherwise, you could also bring it to the general meeting this Tuesday.

Van (main instructor dude) will have a few "extra" trees for folks to practice on, but I may just see what the big boxes have got for junipers the weekend before.