Bonsai Newbie in need of Help.

LifeNomad

I am a Bonsai Newbie, I have had a juniper Bonsai...died, I have had a ficus Bonsai...died.

So two years ago I was told of the Korean Hornbeam, and how rugged and easy it is to keep alive. I purchased one from my local Bonsai Nursery from stock. It looked pretty thin....and still does. I am really clueless to styling trees, conifer / deciduous, so I just keep it living and pruning shoots to first 2 leaves.
Below are pictures:
Front
Front (close)
Rear
Side
Trunk

I had a quick burst of energy, so I decided to try out a Boxwood Bonsai. I purchased a small one from my Local Lowe's. I just got home today and I pruned it a little bit, and tried to open up the foilage. I am not sure if I am going in the right direction with this one.
Below are pictures:
Front
Front (close)
Rear
Side
Trunk

Please, ANY tips, help, criticism, guidance, whatever would be GREATLY appreciated. I have tried this Bonsai thing for about 3 years now. I have taken a class, an Indoor Bonsai class, however I do not feel like I learned WHY things were done...ex: repotting. The class taught me HOW to do it, but not in the greater picture. I really don't know how to "style" these trees correctly. I look at nature and trees constantly...I know what nice trees look like....but I cannot make mine look as good as ol mother nature.

Thank you everyone in advance!
Alex Thomas
State College, PA

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pioneersnt

Welcome Alex.


Colin Lewis published a good book "Bonsai, a care manual" that explains many of the questions you have. How trees grow, why and how to prune both roots and branches. As well as info on particular species of popular plants for bonsai.

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watchndsky

I've never gotten into boxwoods but I love hornbeams -
I would put the trunk in the ground to thicken it up a bit - I wouldnt be too concerned with styling branches etc, as the trunk could use a little more focus. Just let the thing grow, and read up on how and when to prune and how to style. Dont be in a rush to make too many cuts yet -theres alot of material to absorb first. Fortunately, you picked popular species that have lots of info on the net. Below are articles that you might interested in.

http://www.bonsai4me.com/AdvTech/AT...ksforbonsai.htm
http://www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Carpinus.html
http://www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Buxus.html

Googling 'bonsai hornbeam' should give you plenty of pics to look at for ideas. Same with the boxwood. For now, I would concentrate on making sure you had the basics covered, watering, soil types, etc - styling is a moot point on stock thats not healthy.

Ive had several trees over the years but never had a "real" collection until I bought my house 2 years ago- and the biggest advice I can give is READ READ READ. I was way too eager to start pruning and styling early on and killed/wasted a couple along the way. Theres a lot of info on the net, save it your pc and refer to it often. For books, my 3 recommendations are the two John Naka "Bonsai Bibles" and Bonsai, its art history philosphy by Deborah Koreshoff - they are not cheap though - thats why I always look online first.

Just my 2 cents, others may have some of their own.

LifeNomad

I own a few books, most of which I got at a local Bonsai Nursery. I understand that repotting and rootpruning needs to be done to promote the trunk and root sytems. I understand that by means of pruning and pinching, growth can be forced back onto the tree, "back-budding". I know the importance of water "if its moist an inch down, dont water, otherwise, water." I know that fertilizing is an important task aswell, once every 2 months in growing season(I use organic cakes).

I guess my big question is...how to know what to remove and what not to remove. If I look at a tree...I find it very hard to know which limbs to keep and which to remove. I look at many pictures of Bonsai in the species I am working with, but I still have a hard time... any tried and true tips?

rockm

"I guess my big question is...how to know what to remove and what not to remove."

The answer is experience, on-the job training AND looking at ALOT of "finished" bonsai. What branches would make the tree look most like a tree?

LifeNomad

So there really is no "formula" to give the appearance of a fullsize tree in a small size. Its more of a learned-trait?

watchndsky

If your looking for hard fast rules here are a few.

http://www.evergreengardenworks.com/rules.htm