@Smoke this is the most real post of yours I have ever read. It DOES go a long way towards reframing my opinion of you as an individual. Thank you for this.
I have thought about starting threads on many of my trees. What holds me back is NOT fear of criticism or open discussion as many assume. It really is that I do not practice bonsai in any traditional sense. I have a 30 year old crassula my wife gave me when we were still just dating. I love and cherish that plant but I have always moved on cutting and thrown away the base whenever it outgrew my space. I've recently seen some rather impressive specimen that mine could have been had I grown it as bonsai instead of a weed. One has a 6" plus trunk! I don't regret it. I don't grow things to impress others. Much of my collection are from seed I picked up from or order specifically because of trees that I saw and remind me of time with family. I have live oak from that trip to New Orleans, gambelli oak from that time in Utah, a couple paper bark maple to remind me of that tree in the arboretum we saw on my daughter's band trip... The only real crossover from what I do and BNut is that if you Google pretty much anything about trees and tree horticulture...bonsai or not...BNut comes up.
Anyway
@Smoke, I have never had issue with your credibility or knowledge...you are clearly an accomplished individual. I have had issue with the way you often present yourself. There are ways to state opposing opinions that are closed and off-putting and there are ways to state opposing opinions that are open and thought provoking.
And for those who think me a troll and I should leave and never return...turns out it is as Smoke says. There does not appear to be anything that I can do to leave the community. I've asked for my account to be shut down and my username anonymized. Maybe it just hasn't worked its way through the system...but thus far my efforts to permanently leave this community have failed. Sorry!
It does make me wonder how nasty I'd have to get to get banned though
Oh you can get banned, and it seems multiple times in fact. I've seen it happen here.
I appreciate when someone has a reply and doesn't go all ape shit and start off by telling one what a dick they are...I always look at those posts and just ignore them because I see that person no different than I. If you wish to get your point across, show me how great a person you are, don't stoop to the level your accusing me of being.
This thread continues, and it is even today...it will probably last thru the weekend and fizzle out by Monday..Been here fifteen years, seen way too many of these confrontations. At least I can say I have not been involved in all of them, in fact not that many really.
Here is the deal about bonsai...there are two ways to do it.
The lazy, uninformed, uneducated, un-talented way
...and .... the correct way.
The two do not crossover. Its either on it's way to great bonsai, or it's gonna be a newbie thread forever. The person doing the posting, and the nasty behavior because someone may say something undesirable about their plant, is the one that has a razor edge to walk on, no one else. They can thank each person for input, they can give a simple thanks with the push of a button and type nothing, or they can become defensive and decide to argue about it. That choice comes from the poster, not the person that comes into the thread giving advice. If you don't want my advice. Then just say so, Thanks Al but I have my own ideas. From my perspective Ok your on your own. Why come here then?
If you post a tree and I come in and tell you it's a piece of shit, I don't tell you that cause I just wish to be a dick, I tell you that cause it's the truth. If this place has no room for telling the truth, why post trees here. If I tell a person their wasting their time, you can take that to the bank. If you feel differently, why are you posting here? If your reason to be here is to just post a shitty tree and take no criticism or advice, your just posting plants, (not bonsai) and taking up bandwidth.
There is a thread started here...https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/newbies-want-to-share-your-trees.44217/#post-754094
So far a couple people have posted.... I was going to make some suggestions for some, but decided it's not my place to say anything and just let them have their showcase. These are the quotes that stand out....
"hoping will survive to learn on"
"Nothing I would consider to be good material"
"will likely not have the knowledge to advise each other"
"point out all the daft mistakes we're making"
"all posting pretty sub-par trees together"
"I am afraid to do anything until winter"
"Some of them look sad"
"lot of info on here about developing cheap nursery stock"
I decided that there was absolutely no way I could say anything constructive to help any of these people. They already know what the stock looks like, they already know some may die, pretty sub par stuff, some look sad and me coming in and piling on is not going to move this stuff in a better direction. The future for these posters has to come from within. They have to change their mentality towards bonsai. I have no idea what the limitations are towards better material, may be lack of material where they live or most commonly, lack of money to buy proper material. Until those two things change, there will be no real advancement. Now I am willing to bet they already know that, that is why the thread is filled with so many caveats about the trees. In this case I felt it better to just let it go and let them have their place. Bothers me not.
