bonsaiTALK Community - View Single Post - Bare Basics fo what you need to start bonsai

Well, there's my suggestion. It probably deserves some explanation.

I could do a lot with the tools pictured. Most basic pruning tasks on small material can be performed adequately with the garden shears shown. The chopsticks are used instead of a root hook to comb out roots prior to repotting, and to work the soil into place after repotting. You can even use them to test the dampness of the soil. The twine is used as a poor substitute for wire, to anchor trees firmly into pots.

That said, a few comments on where to go next.

1. I'd probably want to get a little bit of wire of a relatively low gauge (1.5mm?) to use to tie down the rootball. The twine isn't so great for this. A small allotment of wire would run roughly $6-$10 for enough to tie down the rootball of a number of trees and have some left over for wiring branches

2. I'd want a root hook if I was going to be working with anything rootbound or large. Again, these are cheap - see www.treebay.com

3. I cannot overstate the value of a decent pair of concave cutters. You really can do a lot of things with these, and one's ability to prune well increases immensely. Again, see www.treebay.com - you can probably get a concave cutter for under $50.

Best regards,
Old Mister

2-Jun-2002	#3
Carl_Bergstrom Old Mister Crow Join Date: May-2002 Location: Seattle, WA. Country: USA USDA Zone: 8 AHS Heat Zone: 2 Posts: 3,197	Re: Bare Basics fo what you need to start bonsai Well, there's my suggestion. It probably deserves some explanation. I could do a lot with the tools pictured. Most basic pruning tasks on small material can be performed adequately with the garden shears shown. The chopsticks are used instead of a root hook to comb out roots prior to repotting, and to work the soil into place after repotting. You can even use them to test the dampness of the soil. The twine is used as a poor substitute for wire, to anchor trees firmly into pots. That said, a few comments on where to go next. 1. I'd probably want to get a little bit of wire of a relatively low gauge (1.5mm?) to use to tie down the rootball. The twine isn't so great for this. A small allotment of wire would run roughly $6-$10 for enough to tie down the rootball of a number of trees and have some left over for wiring branches 2. I'd want a root hook if I was going to be working with anything rootbound or large. Again, these are cheap - see www.treebay.com 3. I cannot overstate the value of a decent pair of concave cutters. You really can do a lot of things with these, and one's ability to prune well increases immensely. Again, see www.treebay.com - you can probably get a concave cutter for under $50. Best regards, Old Mister __________________ In love with trees