Recent retiree new to bonsai

[Paradox]

We were all very eager when we first started so you're not alone.
There is a lot of good (and bad) info on the web, but you've found a good place here.

There are also some great books available.
Some great ones for a beginner are the Bonsai Survival Manual, Bonsai Workshop, The Secret Techniques of Bonsai, Complete Book of Bonsai all available at Amazon.

The pink yarn comment made me laugh. I'm not a fan of pink either.
If you don't like pink then go with orange. You can get orange flagging tape at Home Depot if you don't want to explain yarn of any color.

 

[jimur]

We were all very eager when we first started so you're not alone.
There is a lot of good (and bad) info on the web, but you've found a good place here.

There are also some great books available.
Some great ones for a beginner are the Bonsai Survival Manual, Bonsai Workshop, The Secret Techniques of Bonsai, Complete Book of Bonsai all available at Amazon.

The pink yarn comment made me laugh. I'm not a fan of pink either.
If you don't like pink then go with orange. You can get orange flagging tape at Home Depot if you don't want to explain yarn of any color.

I agree. This seems a great place to begin and everyone seems knowledgeable as well as helpful. I did pick up two of the books you mention at the library, Survival Manual, and Complete book of Bonsai. Those and what I'm reading here will keep me busy a while no doubt. Being in TENNESSEE and a NCAA football fan, the color orange is becoming more and more distasteful as late. I may just opt for logging the GPS cords. and take the hi-tech path.

 

[rockm]

"This entire venture is really rather comical for me. I'm sure most of my friends would be shocked. It seems, over the years, I've developed more an "image" of being a man's man among them.
Now I must confront the same with artistic little trees, cute miniature containers, and 200 acres of trees banded with pink yarn? Oh the woes of early retirement."

Bonsai in Japan has been, and continues to be, very much a man's man kind of thing. Major sports figures own collections, as do corporate leaders there. Old, venerated trees are trophies there, like race horses are here. Some prime examples of older refined bonsai can cost millions of dollars.

FWIW, most westerners think of bonsai as "cute little (emphasis on little) trees." Bonsai ISN'T, nor was it ever, supposed to be cute or little, really. Those little junipers sold by roadside vendors and are to bonsai as what a moped is to a Harley.

Below is a link to one of the bonsai collections at the National Arboretum in Washington D.C. Most of these trees in this gallery are native or landscape species dug from pastures, mountains,swamps, roadsides, deserts, beaches and yards by U.S. bonsaiists. None is really "cute" and the majority is far from little. The largest of these can weigh more than a man and top out at over five feet tall. The picture of the first group in the gallery (foemina juniper) makes it look tiny. It is not. All of the trees in the composition are over three feet tall, the tallest almost five. The trees were dug from landscapes in So. Cal. in the early 60's

http://www.bonsai-nbf.org/site/north_american.html

I have large collected trees myself. My largest tree (which was dug out of a patch of Texas rangeland) weighs well over 100 lbs. I don't have any trees that weigh under 10 lbs, most are over 30. I have to stay in relatively good shape just to be able to lift them to perform maintenance and regular chores.

And, FWIW, if your friends think you're a "sissy" for liking bonsai, ask them to come with you to dig up a tree to make into a bonsai. Tree collecting can be dangerous and painful. Depending on where you live, snakes, cattle or other wildlife (including alligators) can ruin your day, even before you develop a hernia excavating a bonsai candidate.

 

[Poink88]

Actually I think I would prefer the discarded shrubs approach along with the possibility of wild collected small and or scrub specimens.

That's how I am doing it. Costs very little and you get "a lot" of tree.

I have access to a couple hundred acres of woodland with a couple of abandoned home sites which might be good for a "dig your own" venture as well.

Your prospecting area sounds like my bonsai collecting heaven.

 

[berobinson82]

What a great time of year to catch the bug. You can spend this winter studying and acquiring materials and come out swinging in Spring. Welcome! Stick around a while. Every now and then BVF makes punch and rockm will play the piano.

 

[coppice]

OK ok, use some blaze orange yarn if it'll help your self image.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I agree. This seems a great place to begin and everyone seems knowledgeable as well as helpful. I did pick up two of the books you mention at the library, Survival Manual, and Complete book of Bonsai. Those and what I'm reading here will keep me busy a while no doubt. Being in TENNESSEE and a NCAA football fan, the color orange is becoming more and more distasteful as late. I may just opt for logging the GPS cords. and take the hi-tech path.

Crimson would work nicely....

 

[Martin Sweeney]

Brian,

Blue and Gold, or Green might be best (for the time being at least)......

Regards,
Martin

 

[jkd2572]

I would probably use aggie maroon for the string.

 

[Martin Sweeney]

jkd,

Maroon might actually be the best, but we'll never know for sure.

Regards,
Martin

 

[jimur]

Bonsai in Japan has been, and continues to be, very much a man's man kind of thing.

Nothing unmanly about Bonsai at all. I don't admit it to everyone, but I have done some quilting also. Thanks for the link.

 

[jimur]

Green, Crimson, Maroon, and Blue and Gold no less! Green could prove hard to find at times, my neighbor suggests Crimson frequently these days, Maroon still seems to clash a little, unfortunately the Orange has not been an aid to the image as late and has become too stained in black and blue from recent years to cover with just one coat of Blue and Gold!
Think I'll stick with the GPS for now although Crimson is very tempting.

I read a thing about using Bradford Pear and Black Locust as bonsai. Anyone familiar or should I ask that in a different forum?

 

[JudyB]

I read a thing about using Bradford Pear and Black Locust as bonsai. Anyone familiar or should I ask that in a different forum?

You could do a search on this forum. If you put in bradford pear, and it doesn't give you results, try just pear... I know JKL has the nicest pear tree, that he grew from seed. I covet that tree... Otherwise yes, please start your own thread for this question.

 

[Tieball]

Welcome to both...bonsai and retirement

First off...welcome to retirement...life without performanced-managed objectives and deadlines everyday. Enjoy...in good health and not-so-good health. It's all good.

Second...welcome to Bonsainut...there is a great deal to learn from some incredibly experienced members. Spend time here learning techniques and deciding what your next bigger tree(s) might be. I like diciduous trees. I see them in nature all around me and walks become a new journey to explore how trees respond to changes in the environment around them. From storm damage and drought to the utility crew cutting...trees manage an interesting life...in all seasons of the year. Interesting walks never seem to end. A lot of fun and satisfaction can be achieved with the bonsai journey. Walks become quests for interesting tree directions...and in the process...great ideas that encourage your new bonsai interest.

If you're interested in digging deep into tree-life this is an excellent book to consider: The Growing Tree by Brayton F. Wilson. I picked up my copy as a used book from Amazon.

If you're a good social media user connect with thousands interested in bonsai around the world on Facebook. You'll fine interesting bonsai characters in every corner of the world and in the process get a glimpse of their surroundings, culture and the bonsai trees they keep. This interest will fill in lots of gaps in the day.

John...Also a newly retired guy.

 

[jimur]

First off...welcome to retirement...life without performanced-managed objectives and deadlines everyday. Enjoy...in good health and not-so-good health. It's all good.

Second...welcome to Bonsainut...there is a great deal to learn from some incredibly experienced members.

John...Also a newly retired guy.

Thanx John, and you are correct lot's of great info and knowledge here and those walks are getting more interesting daily.

 

[coppice]

Pear buds back, is deciduous, & blooms. (all good things IMO).

If orchard pear have a short coming it is fruit size does not reduce. As a plus, you'll have nursery and orchard stock to shop from.

I'm going to tilt for pear as project stock.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Welcome to the forum.

I use Crime Scene tape to mark trees on some property in my family. Just for fun I have drawn the odd chalk silhouette.

I too am recently retired. I found I can spend 4 hours a day just reading new posts on the several bonsai forums I follow. This forum is quite active, a good one. Internet Bonsai Club http://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/forum is another good forum, with a fair number of members that cross over, but each forum has its own constellations of great artists who post. Check gallery pages of both and see what I mean.

If you ever find yourself wanting to work on your trees, and you know that you have really done all you should to what you have, and should really leave them grow a while. That is a sure sign you need more trees. I think a collection somewhere north of 50 is a good collection. Enough trees that if a few need to be left a lone to grow a year, you have others you can work on.

Myself I view a $100 tree as expensive, I'm living on a fixed income after all. But the discussion about spend more for a good tree is valid. My collection is mixed. Lots of inexpensive or collected myself material, some from seed, and half a dozen trees that I plunked down several hundreds for. The expensive ones are a real joy to work with, but I wasn't comfortable plunking down big money until after I had kept the cheap stuff alive for a number of years.

Knowing how much I enjoy working on quality stock, I do recommend planning for getting some when you feel ready to, but first get your horticultural chops under your belt, and keep a few trees going for several years first.

So welcome to the club.

 

[Tieball]

Had a great chuckle...

Welcome to the forum.

I use Crime Scene tape to mark trees on some property in my family. Just for fun I have drawn the odd chalk silhouette.

That is so funny! Perfect.

 

[amcoffeegirl]

Winter is the perfect time to do your Bonsai homework. invest in some bonsai tools. Read books and scan the internet. adopt a tropical tree to keep your interest until spring. start a collection of pots and imagine the type of tree you would like to see in that pot. learn about soil mixes and buy some. in spring go to the home depot and pick up a couple pro nanas in one gallon pots. they sell them for like $5-$7 each. Go ahead and prune a few to your desired shape. it is very rewarding to style your own tree. they are very forgiving in 70 degree weather. good luck. dont be afraid to kill a few trees. just learn from it.

 

[Tieball]

Excellent winter advice

Winter is the perfect time to do your Bonsai homework.

You are correct...winter is perfect for bonsai homework and planning. A great time to enjoy the process of planning the order of tree branch pruning, digging up ground growing trees and root pruning as needed ( I have to move a few this year...getting kicked out of my wife's garden area), and then the idea of potting up a tree. Winter is the time to pour through any books, mark specific pages of interest for the upcoming season and spend time on the web in search of techniques. BonsaiNut provides a great resource for learning from many experienced people on a huge variety of subjects...personally, I am a visual person so really appreciate the posted photographs and progressive direction.

One quest this winter is how to marry a rock and some roots of a seedling (roots unknown until spring really when dormancy breaks). In my northern zone and the idea of 70 degree days is several months away...there are many below zero days yet ahead.