anyone into bonsai?

[DemonHedgeMaster]

Sup guys I've been practising bonsai for 9 years,

 

after all this time the main piece of advice I have is grow birches!

 

They will recover from almost anything, including neglect!!

[TreePuncher]

Sorry to hear that welwell, that sucks, that's what im most worried about, putting in a huge amount of time and dedication to have one week negect finish them off.

 

I've just purchased a 8 year old Chinese elm from a bonsai nursery, bout 9" tall I think for £18, hasn't been delivered yet but will upload some pics when it arrives, should be this Friday. also have a English oak in a pot in my garden I might try play with...about 2ft tall now, has a lovely straight thick stem, dunno wether to try bonsai it more, or keep it as a "oak ball", as its perfecty round at the mo

 

So many options lol

Edited February 11, 2013 by TreePuncher
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[MATTMOSS]

I have a few books on Bonsai, but I havent the patience to spend doing one properly.

I grow trees from seed in the back yard, and prune them back every now and then re-pot them and trim the roots.

I have killed a few but i keep trying and i have a few on the go, all different species but as of yet nothing to write home about.

it takes a while i suppose

Great things to look at when they are old and have been done correctly.

[raker]

I`ve trained a few in the past.Quite an absorbing hobby.I was always looking for potential candidates for training and had some quite nice ones.

They are temporamental and prone to dieing very quickly if you dont keep your eye on them or rely on others while you are away.

There are some good books around which are worth a read.

[RTS1]

What kind of management do they need ? And where can I get one ?

 

 

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[RTS1]

Would you recomennd me growing my own ?

How long do they take to grow?

Which species would you suggest ?

Any advice appreciated .

 

 

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[TreePuncher]

I have little experience with them, but if you are a beginner like me then I shall tell you what I have read so far,

 

Depending on the space and facilities you can offer your new tree depends on which species, if you want a indoor variety then ficus bengimina is a good beginners species or Chinese elm has been suggested to me, if your looking to do more outdoor bonsai then almost any tree can be bonsai,

They are slow growing once in the stereotypical tiny pots, these are finishing pots to slow down growth, before this they are grown either in the ground or larger pots to encourage faster growth to get the main stem up to a trainable size, the bonsai I have just purchased is 8 years of and around 9" tall to give you a idea of growth/life, reading online they can live for many many years

[agg221]

The most important thing I found was to water with rainwater. Most species don't like the lime in hard water areas (such as Essex!).

 

I've had a few, all of which have since died. I found yew particularly good as it is relatively tough (until, as seems to have happened to many, someone else fails to water it while you're on holiday).

 

It's a bit of a trade-off really, between growing them fast in big pots and then training (commercial) and growing them slowly from the beginning. The latter gives more opportunity for shaping, but does take longer.

 

Alec

[TreePuncher]

my little elm arrived today, well packaged and ready for the spot i have prepared, lets hope it survives.

 

very impressed with the quality for the price.

[TreePuncher]

compare those pictures to this one,

 

this tree was from a "garden centre".....was smaller, less healthy and more expensive.....

 

 

sorry for the poor image quality