Newbies - want to share your trees?

[JBP_85]

It’s my sticks in a pot!

 

[qwerty Bonsai]

It’s my sticks in a pot!
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What are they, may I ask?

 

[JBP_85]

What are they, may I ask?

Pic 1: 2 x Trident Maples
Pic 2: Eastern Red Cedar
Pic 3: Bald Cypress
Pic 4: Trident Maple
Pic 5: Dawn Redwood

just getting started in the hobby so nothing too exciting yet but I have big plans lol.

 

[Teacup bonsai]

Dramatic lighting makes it look better...
Zelkova I got a few months ago(I obv didn’t start this tree, but has been good to practice wiring), was burnt to heck but looks ok now the leaves are off

Trident maple that still looks a mess, planning to do a good chop at the third turn in the spring.

This one I’m actually fairly excited about. An old high bush blueberry I got on clearance this year but has some interesting curves now it’s a bit thinned out. Thinking of connecting foliage from the 2 left branches and having a smaller section from the low trunk. Shoots snap really easy this late in the year, learned my (unfortunate) lesson on the first Azalea I tried earlier this fall....

 

[Noodles]

I'm a noob to bonsai and I've been keeping trees for about 3 years now.
I've never really owned a tree far along enough in it's styling that anyone outside the bonsai world would see it as a bonsai.
Found this little tree which forum members gave me a hand identifying as a dwarf alberta spruce, the sheer number of available branches to choose from made me impulse buy it on a hunch that I might be able to produce a reasonably convincing image with the first styling. I've been itching to try my hand at some intensive wiring and since it's just cheap replaceable nursery stock, I though ah what the hell who cares if I kill it!

Thinking after(if at all) the tree recovers, I'll jinn or remove the heavy branch on the bottom right in favour of swinging round some finer growth from the back and apply a tourniquet to regrow the nebari above the line of that huge ugly ass root!

I've probably committed all sorts of heinous bonsai sins but I'm stoked with how it's looking currently!

 

[Eckhoffw]

I'm a noob to bonsai and I've been keeping trees for about 3 years now.
I've never really owned a tree far along enough in it's styling that anyone outside the bonsai world would see it as a bonsai.
Found this little tree which forum members gave me a hand identifying as a dwarf alberta spruce, the sheer number of available branches to choose from made me impulse buy it on a hunch that I might be able to produce a reasonably convincing image with the first styling. I've been itching to try my hand at some intensive wiring and since it's just cheap replaceable nursery stock, I though ah what the hell who cares if I kill it!

Thinking after(if at all) the tree recovers, I'll jinn or remove the heavy branch on the bottom right in favour of swinging round some finer growth from the back and apply a tourniquet to regrow the nebari above the line of that huge ugly ass root!

I've probably committed all sorts of heinous bonsai sins but I'm stoked with how it's looking currently!
View attachment 354674View attachment 354675

I like what you’ve done with it! Best of luck with its survival. I’ve killed more than my fair share of these.

 

[Johnathan]

I'm a noob to bonsai and I've been keeping trees for about 3 years now.
I've never really owned a tree far along enough in it's styling that anyone outside the bonsai world would see it as a bonsai.
Found this little tree which forum members gave me a hand identifying as a dwarf alberta spruce, the sheer number of available branches to choose from made me impulse buy it on a hunch that I might be able to produce a reasonably convincing image with the first styling. I've been itching to try my hand at some intensive wiring and since it's just cheap replaceable nursery stock, I though ah what the hell who cares if I kill it!

Thinking after(if at all) the tree recovers, I'll jinn or remove the heavy branch on the bottom right in favour of swinging round some finer growth from the back and apply a tourniquet to regrow the nebari above the line of that huge ugly ass root!

I've probably committed all sorts of heinous bonsai sins but I'm stoked with how it's looking currently!
View attachment 354674View attachment 354675

I suggest putting that wire to use and bending those trunks so they aren't so straight

 

[Dryad]

Newbie here! Attached below is a pic of my first ever bonsai, a chinese elm gifted to me in 2019... technically my only bonsai considering my 20+ other trees are still in the trunk-building phase.
I pretty much spent the first year just trying to keep it alive, slowly understanding its flaws and figuring out how to remedy them. Its previous owner certainly took the 'S' shape to another level!



Was pleasantly surprised by its beautiful fall colours, although it decided not to show them the following year. (Brought indoors purely for photography purposes).



Come summer 2020, following a much needed repot in March, I decided it was time to do some tidying up. I had a general idea of where I wanted the foliage pads to emerge, but I was still nervous to cut back too much.



This winter I took the plunge and cut back the leggy and straight branches, hoping to rebuild them in the coming years to give them interesting, naturalistic movement. While I still feel like an absolute newb, at least now I'm a newb courageous enough to experiment (and thus, learn!).



Note: If anyone has advice on growing out the branches which I've reduced in the above pic, lemme know.

 

[Eckhoffw]

This is too funny! I saw the first part of your post -with your first pics-I guess my phone didn’t load all of it. Quick made this
Only to later say the rest of your post. Great job!

 

[Darran]

This is my little indoor tree (serrisa) my partner brought me for Christmas, and one of a few unknown shoots grown from a pack of seeds in a bonsai kit...no idea what these will end up as.

looking for an outside tree or three now to learn on......

 

[Noodles]

I suggest putting that wire to use and bending those trunks so they aren't so straight

I tried (hence the wire) but unfortunately the bottom 2/3rds of the trunk ain't gonna budge. At least not without supplies and experience that I don't have haha. I don't hate the straight trunks though, a lot of conifers grow in a similar manner

 

[HorseloverFat]

This is my little indoor tree (serrisa) my partner brought me for Christmas, and one of a few unknown shoots grown from a pack of seeds in a bonsai kit...no idea what these will end up as.

looking for an outside tree or three now to learn on......

Cool lil’ Serissa. I like these.
They can go outdoors, too.. as long as temps don’t go below (personally choosing) 50-55DegF.

Also. Yes! More trees!!!! Nurseries are gettin’ ready to take the chains off the gates(My part of the world)... Also collection time, for me, is right around the corner.. THIS is exciting.

Do you have access to “wilderness”... or even... “Nice yard”... hell, even “Overgrown yard” can sometimes work.

 

[HorseloverFat]

I tried (hence the wire) but unfortunately the bottom 2/3rds of the trunk ain't gonna budge. At least not without supplies and experience that I don't have haha. I don't hate the straight trunks though, a lot of conifers grow in a similar manner

I’d use a double-clamp apparatus... but then I’d have to unwire.

 

[Darran]

Cool lil’ Serissa. I like these.
They can go outdoors, too.. as long as temps don’t go below (personally choosing) 50-55DegF.

Also. Yes! More trees!!!! Nurseries are gettin’ ready to take the chains off the gates(My part of the world)... Also collection time, for me, is right around the corner.. THIS is exciting.

Do you have access to “wilderness”... or even... “Nice yard”... hell, even “Overgrown yard” can sometimes work.

Temps are too cold here in the UK for this tree to go outside, maybe for a few weeks in the summer.

I have a large forest on my back door not sure there is anything there for collection, or if indeed you can collect on Cannock Chase.

I have a garden it’s small, but I am on the look out for two or three trees to have a go with. Just as a beginner hard to choose the right tree unless you pay for an established one then it’s a lot of money for a beginner to experiment on.

 

[HorseloverFat]

Temps are too cold here in the UK for this tree to go outside, maybe for a few weeks in the summer.

I have a large forest on my back door not sure there is anything there for collection, or if indeed you can collect on Cannock Chase.

I have a garden it’s small, but I am on the look out for two or three trees to have a go with. Just as a beginner hard to choose the right tree unless you pay for an established one then it’s a lot of money for a beginner to experiment on.

My Serissas live outdoors for the mid-spring through Autumn.. and it’s pretty cold here, too. Just got BACK above 0DegF a couple days ago.

But if you’d like it to survive indoors, solely, it’s one of those species that IS “do-able”

Now, for the “which tree” “which state of development” “For a beginner” situation..

There a many options available for you. I believe (If not “tree hunting” savage-style) that maybe “meeting in the middle” and purchasing a nice piece of landscape nursery material.. and attempting an initial shaping/pruning/styling based on the attributes that “drew” you to the tree, might be a good “way to go”. Tis’ a good choice. not too pricey.. lots of options... established root(sometimes rootbound, though). Plenty of “...from Nursery Stock“ Videos available, as well.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Thinking after(if at all) the tree recovers, I'll jinn or remove the heavy branch on the bottom right in favour of swinging round some finer growth from the back and apply a tourniquet to regrow the nebari above the line of that huge ugly ass root!

I've probably committed all sorts of heinous bonsai sins but I'm stoked with how it's looking currently!

Good first first go at this lil guy!

A couple thoughts.

At this point your horticultural technique is going to be of para mount importance. You’ve cut off a huge amount of solar panels, and the tree will not like this at first. Plan the steps that you will do to get this prebonsai to bounce back and recover strength so that it will back bud. This may take a couple of years. Along the way you can chop the arching root.

Style. If you desire to keep this style, I’d look at pushing the growth down overall. On the left branch past the reverse taper and maybe make it the lowest branch. On the center, below the reverse taper. On the right sub branch I’d keep it, yet lower. Two branches would look

Since it’s a spruce, it seems the nebari is good enough at this time. I’ve haven’t heard about a successful ground layer of these trees myself. I know that some spruces may do so reluctantly. Some have simply grown over tourniquets. Here’s an idea. Try to see if you can root cuttings while you are waiting for the tree to get healthy again. If this works, ground layering might have a chance, but you could attempt some in arch (approach) grafting to build the nebari without sacrificing the tree.

cheers
DSD sends

 

[Darran]

My Serissas live outdoors for the mid-spring through Autumn.. and it’s pretty cold here, too. Just got BACK above 0DegF a couple days ago.

But if you’d like it to survive indoors, solely, it’s one of those species that IS “do-able”

Now, for the “which tree” “which state of development” “For a beginner” situation..

There a many options available for you. I believe (If not “tree hunting” savage-style) that maybe “meeting in the middle” and purchasing a nice piece of landscape nursery material.. and attempting an initial shaping/pruning/styling based on the attributes that “drew” you to the tree, might be a good “way to go”. Tis’ a good choice. not too pricey.. lots of options... established root(sometimes rootbound, though). Plenty of “...from Nursery Stock“ Videos available, as well.

Plan to let the serrisa outside for the late spring summer months when there is a much less risk of frost. Our summers average 20-25 degrees but can drop cold at night.

The forest where I live is mainly Corsican and Scot’s pine, silver birch and beech. It’s an area of outstanding natural beauty, so I don’t think they allow harvesting.

im going to look at some of the material on this site then maybe start as you say with some nursery stock.

 

[cwilhelm]

It started with an elm
[...]
I think I've finally found a lifelong hobby!

The trees are nice, but can we talk for a moment about your flying cat?

 

[Clorgan]

The trees are nice, but can we talk for a moment about your flying cat?

Many magical things occur in my garden

 

[Johnathan]

I tried (hence the wire) but unfortunately the bottom 2/3rds of the trunk ain't gonna budge. At least not without supplies and experience that I don't have haha. I don't hate the straight trunks though, a lot of conifers grow in a similar manner

Indeed they do. The wire just threw me off since there was not a ton of movement. The overall transformation is fantastic and I like it.

Have you tried copper wire?