Bonsai?

[Ethan]

Just finishing up a bowl of Sobrani, while doing some trimming/wire removal on one of my bonsai projects. Curious if anyone else is into this stuff, or if it's just me. Juniper purchased from Home Depot last year as a landscape shrub, and my first attempt at creating a cascade style bonsai from scratch. All the branches seem to have held their shape well after the wire came off, a task that proved much more challenging than I anticipated when I put it on there. I will definitely be using a different approach next time,lol. Either way I am pleased with the progress so far. Enjoy the pic, and maybe a good smoke on this beautiful afternoon.

 

[Call Me Late]

I’ve had a bonsai in the past and have been thinking of picking it up again. I have a Norfolk pine growing that I’m thinking of turning it into a bonsai. What resources have you used to learn?

 

[Chasing Embers]

I used to be into it more than I am now. Junipers are good material especially if you can find a dwarf Japanese juniper. Boxwoods and Japanese maples are good beginner plants as well. Some of the best material to work with though are local species that are acclimated to the local environment. Diagonal cutters make removing wire a snap and most species thrive in a substrate of 50/50 akadama soil and peat moss. Yours is looking great so far, the kengai style is a favorite but you may want to eventually transfer it to a tall narrow pot to highlight the falling cascade.

 

[anotherbob]

oh boy can't wait for the pic that we know is coming.

 

[unadoptedlamp]

Just finishing up a bowl of Sobrani, while doing some trimming/wire removal on one of my bonsai projects. Curious if anyone else is into this stuff, or if it's just me. Juniper purchased from Home Depot last year as a landscape shrub, and my first attempt at creating a cascade style bonsai from scratch. All the branches seem to have held their shape well after the wire came off, a task that proved much more challenging than I anticipated when I put it on there. I will definitely be using a different approach next time,lol. Either way I am pleased with the progress so far. Enjoy the pic, and maybe a good smoke on this beautiful afternoon. View attachment 95227

That's a beautiful job. Well done.

I like the container too. Really nice idea.

The stone that the crown is resting on breaks up the line to my eye, but that's just personal preference. It's also interesting that it is leaning on the stone, so I think it can go either way. Different when viewed in person too.

Great start to the hobby! You've done a fantastic job so far.

 

[Ethan]

I’ve had a bonsai in the past and have been thinking of picking it up again. I have a Norfolk pine growing that I’m thinking of turning it into a bonsai. What resources have you used to learn?

I have books from several different authors. A great youtube channel is from Peter Chan, excellent tutorials.

I used to be into it more than I am now. Junipers are good material especially if you can find a dwarf Japanese juniper. Boxwoods and Japanese maples are good beginner plants as well. Some of the best material to work with though are local species that are acclimated to the local environment. Diagonal cutters make removing wire a snap and most species thrive in a substrate of 50/50 akadama soil and peat moss. Yours is looking great so far, the kengai style is a favorite but you may want to eventually transfer it to a tall narrow pot to highlight the falling cascade.

I have had nothing but failures with Japanese Maples, they are such a classic though I will try again at some point. Currently I have Juniper, Dwarf Alberta spruce, Ficus, local maples, White Birch, and a Lavender wisteria I started from seed. All in different stages.

 

[Ethan]

That's a beautiful job. Well done.

I like the container too. Really nice idea.

The stone that the crown is resting on breaks up the line to my eye, but that's just personal preference. It's also interesting that it is leaning on the stone, so I think it can go either way. Different when viewed in person too.

Great start to the hobby! You've done a fantastic job so far.

Thank you!

 

[unadoptedlamp]

Beech trees make nice looking bonsai if you want to get away from the Japanese maples. A few different interesting species of beech to choose from, depending on your climate.

 

[Ethan]

Beech trees make nice looking bonsai if you want to get away from the Japanese maples. A few different interesting species of beech to choose from, depending on your climate.

Am up in Massachusetts. Got a wide variety of native staghorn sumac trees for material as well.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I have had nothing but failures with Japanese Maples

Look for a Beni Kawa(coral bark) maple. They seem to be the hardest of the lot. Their small leaves work well with bonsai culture and respond well to leaf pruning. Easily air layered as well.

 

[unadoptedlamp]

Am up in Massachusetts. Got a wide variety of native staghorn sumac trees for material as well.

Very nice. Looking forward to seeing what comes next!

 

[Chasing Embers]

Persian silk trees grow like weeds here. I keep meaning to try container cultivation with one.

 

[Ethan]

Persian silk trees grow like weeds here. I keep meaning to try container cultivation with one.

Sounds like a fun experiment. I left my azalea off the list, the largest in the collection. Grown in the ground for about 10 years before moving it to a pot.

 

[macaroni]

. . . Enjoy the pic, . . . .

So lovely! Thank you for blessing my day with this!
kindly
mike

 

[Chasing Embers]

Sounds like a fun experiment. I left my azalea off the list, the largest in the collection. Grown in the ground for about 10 years before moving it to a pot.

Good way to fatten the base and get good surface root development.? Another trick is to leave low branches on in the development phase and rotate them a few times per day. The plant will sense this as damage and will bulk up the areas being "attacked" causing a thicker base.

 

[irishearl]

Was into it with outdoor ones for awhile years ago. Had about 5 of them. But, my black thumb caused me to ditch the hobby. Should have known it would happen as I have a hard time keeping any houseplants healthy. Heck, I used to even kill succulents.

 

[stevecourtright]

I grow orchids and thought bonsai would be easy after that. I was wrong!! Nice work.

 

[Ethan]

I grow orchids and thought bonsai would be easy after that. I was wrong!! Nice work.

Are you still experimenting with bonsai?

 

[stevecourtright]

Are you still experimenting with bonsai?

Well no. I have quite a few hobbies, and not enough time for those. I might circle back when I stop working for a living, but no plans in the near future. Happy that others can make beautiful botanic miniatures.

 

[Chasing Embers]

To demystify things a bit for those not familiar with bonsai, the word itself just means plant in a tray. Chinese styles attempt to replicate animals and mythological creatures while Japanese styles attempt to create images in full grown form on a small scale. Bonsai can also vary in size from just a few inches up to 15-20 feet tall. The cultivation are often multi generational and some are hundreds of years old.