when/how to re-pot pre bonsai from nursery

keith_barbuti

when/how to re-pot pre bonsai from nursery

Bonsai newbie and new to this forum. I just bought some pre-bonsai junipers that are currently residing in nursery pots. I'm just looking for some advice on when/how to re-pot these guys so I can begin there training. thank you - your help is greatly appreciated!

- keith.

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PatArizona

Check this out Keith...

TO THE BEGINNERS OUT THERE:

You will ask many questions and receive many answers...read the responses. There is sooo much to learn, and some structure to the learning would really be better than the shot-gun approach.

Maybe the following will help...

One thing that you should learn at the earliest possible is patience. The more you learn about bonsai, the more you will realize the importance of being patient. You cannot be taught patience by someone else...but you must learn to be patient.

There are five things (plus NEXT, below) that a beginner should do, right at the start:

· Read…read…read…then read some more.
· Join a local club.
· Take a beginner’s class.
· Learn the importance of being patient.
· Look at additional learning resources.

Read... Read... Read...Go to your local library and read every book on bonsai that you can put your hands on. In the US, the book most often recommended for beginners is BONSAI, published by Sunset...an excellent first book for beginners. Be sure to get the 2003 edition. Among my favorite authors are: Herb Gustafson, Deborah Koreshoff, Colin Lewis, David DeGroot, and John Naka...and, there are more. The more you read, the better prepared you will be to ask questions here, or at your local club...in Step 2.

Join a Local Club…Here is where you can get the best advice available, since the local club members are the ones who are raising bonsai in YOUR geographical area. The local club can help you avoid the pitfalls that you may encounter when you get advice from, maybe, half way around the world. Many things in bonsai are pretty much universal, but you need to know what it takes to keep a bonsai healthy in your location...be it Tucson, San Francisco, Sidney, London, or Toronto. There are many more benefits to being a member of a local club. You can find local clubs worldwide at www.bonsai-bci.com/. Most clubs meet once a month…plus additional activities.

Take a Beginners Class…This is where you formally begin learning the basics, like selecting a nursery plant, which plant to start with, identifying the front, branch trimming, wiring, and on and on. You will begin to learn what works best for your area, what tools you need, and how to use them, etc. A good beginners class will get you off to a good start.

Learn the Importance of Being Patient…One thing that you should learn at the earliest possible is patience. The more you learn about bonsai, the more you will realize the importance of being paitient. You cannot be taught patience by someone else...but you must learn to be patient.

Additional Learning Resources…Look at the American Bonsai Society web site at www.absbonsai.org. Check out the ABS Correspondence Course and watch for the ABS Learning Seminars 2007 (look at the set of beginner's courses).

Next…The bonsaiTALK Forum has a lot to offer. Check it out thoroughly.

It just might be to your advantage to do all of these things before you ever buy a nursery plant.

Did I say “Learn the Importance of Being Patient”?.

Having said all this, welcome the wonderful obsession, I mean world, of bonsai!


Pat

__________________
BONSAI isn't about surviving in a storm, rather, how to dance in the rain.
THE ONLY WAY: Always remember, and don't ever forget, that whatever you read here is not cast in concrete... the intent of any advice is to help. In no way should you feel that I’m saying that my way is the only way…heaven forbid! I've seen far too much of the "my way or the highway" attitude in bonsai as well as in other areas of life.

taipan(deceased)

I work on my junipers in their nursery pots then shift them to bonsai pots after a few months rest.

Cut the rim off the nursery pot to see the trunk line better.

Either repot your tree or work on it...your choice!

Happy growing
TAI