bonsaiTALK Community - View Single Post

Bart, haven't seen you before. Amusing comments, especially the first about selling the trees with no potential.

OK, here's what I'm struggling with. We all know that, whatever the difficulties and length of time involved, Bonsai can be grown from seed. I know this to be a fact, having seen a J. Black Pine grown from seed by Kimura in a copy of "Bonsai Today" a while back. Does this mean that year old seedlings are therefor pre-bonsai or potensai? Seeds themselves? I'd say not.

It also seems to me that stock quite unsuitable or not even close to being ready for initial styling can be developed into credible or even great pre-bonsai or potensai material. An article on the development of J. Black Pine seedlings in BT, the work of Glenn "Ripsgreentrees" and what I see in my own back yard certainly convinces me of that.

I've always thought that "pre-bonsai" and "potensai" were pretty much synonyms and signified trees or material that was clearly ready or close to ready for initial styling and potting in a bonsai pot. It normally does not have a fully developed or ramified branch structure, but does have something approaching an adequate trunk and nebarri, features much more time consuming to develop than branches. Good pre-bonsai material also has a good root system, suitable for potting, though this is somewhat more given to deviation from the ideal. As mentioned earlier, it is of a species or cultivar suitable for Bonsai.

Myself, I find the development of "Potensai" (by this definition) a fascinating activity, though much disparaged by many of the more experienced or gifted practitioners. I can well understand their contempt for it. If I were capable of batting .356 in the major leagues, I doubt that I'd be interested in Softball at the annual church picnic. For me, however, it allows me to indulge my love of growing and developing trees without any of the pressure of developing highly refined Bonsai works of art. My little trees develop and improve little by little, year by year and I continue to have faith that they will become genuine bonsai when their time comes.

Fred

31-Aug-2003	#10
FredL Banned 08JUN2005 Join Date: Dec-2001 Location: Benton County Country: USA USDA Zone: 6 AHS Heat Zone: ? Posts: 1,099	Bart, haven't seen you before. Amusing comments, especially the first about selling the trees with no potential. OK, here's what I'm struggling with. We all know that, whatever the difficulties and length of time involved, Bonsai can be grown from seed. I know this to be a fact, having seen a J. Black Pine grown from seed by Kimura in a copy of "Bonsai Today" a while back. Does this mean that year old seedlings are therefor pre-bonsai or potensai? Seeds themselves? I'd say not. It also seems to me that stock quite unsuitable or not even close to being ready for initial styling can be developed into credible or even great pre-bonsai or potensai material. An article on the development of J. Black Pine seedlings in BT, the work of Glenn "Ripsgreentrees" and what I see in my own back yard certainly convinces me of that. I've always thought that "pre-bonsai" and "potensai" were pretty much synonyms and signified trees or material that was clearly ready or close to ready for initial styling and potting in a bonsai pot. It normally does not have a fully developed or ramified branch structure, but does have something approaching an adequate trunk and nebarri, features much more time consuming to develop than branches. Good pre-bonsai material also has a good root system, suitable for potting, though this is somewhat more given to deviation from the ideal. As mentioned earlier, it is of a species or cultivar suitable for Bonsai. Myself, I find the development of "Potensai" (by this definition) a fascinating activity, though much disparaged by many of the more experienced or gifted practitioners. I can well understand their contempt for it. If I were capable of batting .356 in the major leagues, I doubt that I'd be interested in Softball at the annual church picnic. For me, however, it allows me to indulge my love of growing and developing trees without any of the pressure of developing highly refined Bonsai works of art. My little trees develop and improve little by little, year by year and I continue to have faith that they will become genuine bonsai when their time comes. Fred