palmbanks

Hi all,

This thread : http://forum.bonsaitalk.com/showthread.php?t=19483 is one of the best threads i have read on here in along time. It has inspired questions in my head that arnt exactly linked to the content of that thread, and so not to hijack, or ruin a quality running discussion i thought i would ask them in a new thread.

What i would like to discuss, if you lot are game, is where in the relationship of Bonsai Eduction does a forum like this fall?

It was said that having one teacher will only teach you how to think like them, and how to do what they do, but wont drive you to do something different. It was discussed that seeking information and guidance from more than one source is key in order to truly develop Bonsai, both as an individual, and as an art form in general.

Therefore, something like this should be a boling pot of bonsai knowledge and ideas. There is an absolute abundance of higly respected Bonsai people on this board, from all over the world. People with 2 months experiance, and people with decades. Some here are lucky enough to have studied with some of the greats or have had trees in highly prized exibitions. Sadly though (and i feel i am to be flamed for saying this) the knowledge does not seem to be being presented on this forum, and others like it, to the potential it could be.

An example is the "Bonsai tips and tecniques" section of this forum. The majority of it is people posting up pictures of there tree, with a problem, and then people responding with a few sentences advising what they would do, or what needs to be done. There are very few well documented examples of tecniques listed, along with photographs of the steps taken during the process. Detailed notes of how, what and why seem to be absent.

Granted, you can only respond to the question being asked, but am i the only one who thinks that that section is not really intended for asking questions on techniques specific to your individual tree, but more for finding info on tecniques in general?

Also with before and after shots of stylings. Here it is before i styled it. Here it is after.... what do you think? I think id like to know exaclty how you changed the position of that thick branch, or how that deadwood was created. Bending a major branch is hours of work, and cannot be summed up in 3 minutes while writing a few sentances, witout insulting the work done to the tree.

What i want to know is if the lack of the above due to the restrictions of the forums, or the desire of the posters? Do forums, and other internet based learning tools provide what is required for us to be able to share, teach and learn techniques with others, or is actual live instuction (bonsai group or teacher) the only way to do this. Can this forum be a sensi/master/teacher to us all? If not what is missing, what can be imporved, or why can it never be an adeqaute substitution for formal tutoring?

With forums like this, are the best Bonsai technique books yet to be written from content and ideas formed from sites like this?

** Please do not flame me for the above thoughts and opinions, i am not trying to cause any controversy, i am only seeking understanding, if anyone takes offence to anything above, i can assure you it is unintentional, i am terrible at wording things when i am typing with passion**

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