New Juniper need advice!

Ashbarns9999

Postulate : v assume to be true as the basis of an argument or theory.

The best advice I can offer the owner of this tree is enjoy what you have here, be proud of your achievement. Most of us started out with stock very similar to this and progressed to better and better material as our understanding of bonsai grew.

If at all possible get involved with a bonsai club or a person with enough knowledge to get you to the next level. Keep yourself focussed as to what you wish to gain from growing little trees in pots. Read as much as you can on the subject, watch videos/dvds by people with a great knowledge of bonsai. The local library is a good place to start.

The people offering advice on this thread all have your best interests at heart because they remember when they first started out on this great adventure and they are just trying to fast track you (in the nicest way) to a higher understanding. You will achieve that but not before you make the mistakes or triumphs that we all did.


My very best wishes......... Ash

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anttal63

no ryan not at all no hostility intended. i got your point but you have misunderstood mine. i should have used the word "had" bad techninique or "had" not practised. did not mean to offend your current status of guitar playing. or bonsai for that matter. ease up son dont go soft on me.

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anttal63

[QUOTE=Ashbarns9999]Postulate : v assume to be true as the basis of an argument or theory.

thanks ash can always rely on you. a little lesson in the kings english for me.

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Mcspeed

I'll take a quick stab at at least one thing I see wrong from the beginning, so that someone from a newbie standpoint can learn. the first thing I saw was that you cut off a lot of shoots and branching close in to the trunk and branches, this is the stuff you learn not to cut off, so branches can be grown as they should, and thicken the trunk as we want. Also timing is an issue here, you said had to because of it being root bound, thats the point you say hmm next spring.


Do you have an idea of the style you want this tree to take on as it developes, this is a point that needs to be addressed before any real work begins on a tree.??

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Enjoy this day.
Bill

LifterCatcher

They dont scare and wont scare me away, im just glad for once its not sugar coated. Bonsai is here to stay!

FIrst of all I want to say thanks to everyone that poseted and I do NOT take anything said personal or get offended. I find all of your post very informative and really do take it to heart. I understand 100% that this little tree will not be a great Bonsai well not in my life time any way. However the tree was purchsed just to get a little practice in. My first couple of post about this tree might read that I feel that this is a great bonsai but I think I was just excited to get my hands dirty


I have found a local Bonsai Club and I will be joing at there next meeting I can't wait. They will start back up In sept, this will help me get hands on advice on where to start and how to start.

I feel that this thread has a lot of good information for someone just starting out, I understand that Bonsai is not an overnight thing and this thread helps to elaborate on that fact.


Once again thanks for all the help and advice.

Chris

RyanFrye

Chris,
That is a great attitude to have. I am so glad that you took my criticism the way it was intended. I can totally understand working on this tree for the sake of practicing. And, since you know that this tree will never be anything great in your life time you are further along than I was when I first started.

Best regards,
Ryan

anttal63

well done chris.

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lakestreetvice

First of all, I think it's great that there is a variety of opinions about this whole situation. As a newbie, I can attest to just wanting to get your hands dirty, and ending up with crap stock... especially on my budget. They way I look at it, crap stock is a wonderful way to figure out the technical aspects of this art form.

From my limited experience, this is the advice that I would offer, based on what I have done. I do have one Home Depot plant, probably dead, but worth experimenting on, and one good tree that I got for $20 at the local bonsai nursery. The way I see it, if the combination of $30 that I spent on both of these trees leaves me with a dead Home Depot plant and a bonsai that doesn't look quite right... at least I learned something about the art from this investment... as long as I don't screw up the next $20 installment...

RyanFrye

Absolutely agreed!

The problem arises when folks purchase crap stock and put all of their bonsai hopes and dreams into it and think that one day it will be worthy of the title "bonsai".