Newbies - want to share your trees?

[ShadyStump]

Mulberry are nice, weird leaves. Can reduce somewhat.

Elm has potential, nice. Left the trunks too long though. I would cut right trunk shortest, maybe 1-2" from main trunk, then the left trunk second shortest, then middle one longest, maybe 3" from main trunk.

Pot choice worries me though lol. Coffee cans for the win aye

LOL, yeah an extremely tight budget for hobbies in this house. I also have a nice tea tin awaiting something to help it rust.
Really, the trunks on that elm were all several feet long to start. Trying to keep some foliage while it adapts to potted life.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Some of yall are not really noobs

I made the same observation. Thankfully we have Clorgan around, she has those kindergarden skills to help us cope with the rejection of not being allowed to enter the Elite Bonsai part of the forum.
I don't know what kind of Andraste vibe she's having, but I like it.

 

[Vali]

Some of yall are not really noobs

I wasn't expecting so much interest from so many experienced members. I'm really happy to see newbie friendly people.
Here's a burning bush, to keep things going. Crappy photo, I take them just for me, to keep track of the progress. The tree is really shitty, but I collected it just to see how this species is. I will collect better ones next spring because I have a lot of them in my garden and I also started an airlayer on a big trunk.

 

[sorce]

Drag em out!

I reckon this is less about getting advice, and more about knowing YOU are not the only one with a meager stick!

General Advice applicable to all?

Don't get attached to anything and learn everything you can from the materials posted.

Kill them on purpose!

You know, I been all proud to not have blown anything up in my kiln.
Then after blowing something up, I realized the only way to know what it sounds like when something blows up is to blow something up!

Now that I'm educated, I'll know when to shut the kiln down before bits of glazed blown up pots melt all over the kiln and ruin it completely.

Without blowing up a couple pots, my disaster could have been harmful to the tune of thousands of dollars.

Kill the shitty ones. Read BVF's stack ranking thread and have a progressive plan for the entire collection alongside individual trees.

Each student (tree) much reach a particular place before the entire class can go on a field trip.

A flame is liberating.

Sorce

 

[Johnathan]

I think "noob" I think 1 year or less. Maybe 2 depending on your exposure to the hobby.

I don't consider myself a noob, I consider myself and "beginner "..... past the stage of noob, able to walk in a garden center and pass trees up, not feel compelled to buy something. Willing to still learn and accept criticism and advice without taking it personally.

I think 1. Noob 2. Beginner 3. Intermediate 4. Advanced 5. Elite 6. Smoke (lol just all in good fun)

But I know for sure @Wires_Guy_wires is definitely not a noob lol

 

[sorce]

Truth truth.... repeated.

If we move or aquire a new species we are Newbs anew.
Only design Knowledge is permanent.

Horticulturally, especially in this changing climate, we all better know we are all Newbs every year, or failure is imminent.

Sorce

 

[Vali]

If we move or aquire a new species we are Newbs anew.

Why not expand it to new substrate or fertilizer? It's really easy to get in the newb category under these terms...I don't mind - more of us

 

[Johnathan]

You're a noob until you contribute to the burn pile!! Thats when you graduate to beginner. JOIN US!!!

The Burn Pile. Newbie Graduation.

Let's face it Newbs.... There comes a day when Everyone who will ever take this seriously realizes their material is terrible. S- shaped anything, anything with painted green moss, glued rocks, anything in a pot with an attached drip tray, 90% of Fukien Tea's, every Walmart ficus, anything...

www.bonsainut.com

 

[Clorgan]

Briefly read a few of these posts, they look fun! Will look properly in a bit, just trying to dig around in the juniper, so many roots?! Guessing this is a sign it may need repotting? Did really want to leave it till next year

 

[brentwood]

Here are a couple of mine, moving around while I clean the deck for sealing.. little Japanese black pine, trio of Junipers I've been working on. The most literati of the juniper I got at a club sales last year, trying to add some movement to the branches. The Nana is new stock, looking for direction still

B

 

[sorce]

Why not expand it to new substrate or fertilizer? It's really easy to get in the newb category under these terms...I don't mind - more of us

Amen! You are absolutely correct!

As the elite flail! Newbs win!

I tell the Sorceress this "equation" of mine all the time that says.....

You can jump on employment for $10 an hour, work a month and gross $1600, or spend 3 weeks looking for $40 an hour, work one week, and have the same $.

Same goes for being a noob.

The longer we know we are learning, the more we learn, and we can get the same amount of return with less work later.

I'm just moving into a new phase 8 to 10 years in.

Being Great doesn't make one great.

Being Realistic makes one great!

Sorce

 

[Clorgan]

I made the same observation. Thankfully we have Clorgan around, she has those kindergarden skills to help us cope with the rejection of not being allowed to enter the Elite Bonsai part of the forum.
I don't know what kind of Andraste vibe she's having, but I like it.

Definitely had to Google 'Andraste' (I teach year 1 - this sort of knowledge isn't in our curriculum ) I will absolutely take that though, cheers!!!

 

[Balbs]

I wasn't expecting so much interest from so many experienced members. I'm really happy to see newbie friendly people.
Here's a burning bush, to keep things going. Crappy photo, I take them just for me, to keep track of the progress. The tree is really shitty, but I collected it just to see how this species is. I will collect better ones next spring because I have a lot of them in my garden and I also started an airlayer on a big trunk.

That thing is looking good to me! I collected a burning bush earlier this year. Made a post on it and got a few responses. Still haven’t decided when/where to chop.

 

[Clorgan]

Drag em out!

I reckon this is less about getting advice, and more about knowing YOU are not the only one with a meager stick!

General Advice applicable to all?

Don't get attached to anything and learn everything you can from the materials posted.

Kill them on purpose!

You know, I been all proud to not have blown anything up in my kiln.
Then after blowing something up, I realized the only way to know what it sounds like when something blows up is to blow something up!

Now that I'm educated, I'll know when to shut the kiln down before bits of glazed blown up pots melt all over the kiln and ruin it completely.

Without blowing up a couple pots, my disaster could have been harmful to the tune of thousands of dollars.

Kill the shitty ones. Read BVF's stack ranking thread and have a progressive plan for the entire collection alongside individual trees.

Each student (tree) much reach a particular place before the entire class can go on a field trip.

A flame is liberating.

Sorce

Oh Sorce - I really don't understand everything you can say but I can tell it is wise stuff

 

[Clorgan]

You're a noob until you contribute to the burn pile!! Thats when you graduate to beginner. JOIN US!!!

The Burn Pile. Newbie Graduation.

Let's face it Newbs.... There comes a day when Everyone who will ever take this seriously realizes their material is terrible. S- shaped anything, anything with painted green moss, glued rocks, anything in a pot with an attached drip tray, 90% of Fukien Tea's, every Walmart ficus, anything...

www.bonsainut.com

I've probably got a couple I could sling in there

 

[Colorado]

I’ve been doing bonsai between 2 and 3 years. Definitely still a noob in my opinion.

Here’s one of my favorite noob projects:

Shohin Itoigawa juniper in a Sam Miller pot. Just repotted it this spring. I’ve been letting it grow wild to accumulate energy. It is putting out strong runners so I will likely style it in the fall, maybe next year:


Twisty little trunk. Live vein needs to be cleaned and deadwood treated with lime sulphur at some point.

 

[sorce]

repotting?

If you still only cleaned dead stuff, and it is rather full, I think you should Repot it, but not for a month or so.

Maybe even find a righteous bonsai pot for it.

This exercise, of repotting a bush into a bonsai pot them making it a tree, should be practiced more.

Too often, people weaken the trees with styling, then pot them, and they die.

This direction, is challenging to the "seeing the tree", because we are exercising "pairing a pot", before the "tree" exists. So it is challenging on every aspect except the horticulture! Which is prime for me cuz I don't like killing trees!



......

typed that a while ago. It didn't send!

New...

understand everything

Some of it is meant to hit later! Always!

I believe people learn best from their mistakes, this allows them to make the mistakes, and in doing so, recall the lesson at THAT time.

Preventing your mistakes is preventing your advancement.

When you make the mistake, I want you to be like, "oh that motherfu@ker".

Solving the riddles makes the soul greater, and a greater soul learns more, due to its larger capacity for greatness.

Sorce

 

[Oterra]

I can relate Source... I have several pencil thick Acer Ginnala behind the garage. They are long term works in progress. Currently trying to find the limits of fertilizing. Oh, and I contributed a rather large Tri Color Beech to the burn pile this spring. 8"tree, root pruned, good soil, good temps, just didn't like the move. I was more irritated than my customer.

 

[Clorgan]

If you still only cleaned dead stuff, and it is rather full, I think you should Repot it, but not for a month or so.

Maybe even find a righteous bonsai pot for it.

This exercise, of repotting a bush into a bonsai pot them making it a tree, should be practiced more.

Too often, people weaken the trees with styling, then pot them, and they die.

This direction, is challenging to the "seeing the tree", because we are exercising "pairing a pot", before the "tree" exists. So it is challenging on every aspect except the horticulture! Which is prime for me cuz I don't like killing trees!



......

typed that a while ago. It didn't send!

New...



Some of it is meant to hit later! Always!

I believe people learn best from their mistakes, this allows them to make the mistakes, and in doing so, recall the lesson at THAT time.

Preventing your mistakes is preventing your advancement.

When you make the mistake, I want you to be like, "oh that motherfu@ker".

Solving the riddles makes the soul greater, and a greater soul learns more, due to its larger capacity for greatness.

Sorce

I love this - I'll look back on these in years to come and think, oh yeah I get the guy now!

Well I took off a bit more than dead stuff, but not too much I don't think but possibly too much to then repot too? Attached a photo. I've been advised to wire, and I do see the merits of doing that, but I'm wary for a few reasons

1. I actually think this could be an alright tree - I don't want to mess it up!
2. I want to fully know my plan before I wire - I'm still learning about styles
3. I am keen to repot, in a bonsai pot as I'm not too bothered about thickening the trunk, think it's already alright. But again, I'd need to look into what size bonsai pot, finally find out how to make a denent bonsai mix and general repotting stuff (trimming roots etc)

All this stuff will take a while to research and get my head around though, which then might mean it's too late to repot anyway.

It's all tricky stuff!

 

[sorce]

I love this - I'll look back on these in years to come and think, oh yeah I get the guy now!

Well I took off a bit more than dead stuff, but not too much I don't think but possibly too much to then repot too? Attached a photo. Did I've been advised to wire, and I do see the merits of doing that, but I'm wary for a few reasons

1. I actually think this could be an alright tree - I don't want to mess it up!
2. I want to fully know my plan before I wire - I'm still learning about styles
3. I am keen to repot, in a bonsai pot as I'm not too bothered about thickening the trunk, think it's already alright. But again, I'd need to look into what size bonsai pot, finally find out how to make a denent bonsai mix and general repotting stuff (trimming roots etc)

All this stuff will take a while to research and get my head around though, which then might mean it's too late to repot anyway.

It's all tricky stuff!

You're golden!

Your apprehension is at a great level.

The best thing about a juniper, is they are not going to make you hurry at all!
Let a maple go too long and you'll have reverse taper and unfixable holes
Let a juniper go too long and you have some beautiful Deadwood to display, and maybe a bit more work for yourself, but they lose potential at the slowest rate!

I'm going to Repot 1-3 or mine that look just like that this year.
One equally healthy, and one certainly less healthy.

I'll be safe to do one the first full moon after the solstice, and one the next, so you can follow right along with the same actions if you like. Watch the first, then we can get yours did along side the second. A few days before the full moon of August.

I haven't lost a tree like this yet. So I'd even buy ya a new one of it failed!

Sorce