Embarrasing Bonsai MISHAPS

ChrisM

the idea hit me here - http://forum.bonsaitalk.com/showpos...78&postcount=11

this could be fun if approached with good intentions.

this thread is for everyone to post stories of silly, stupid, downright ignorant, whatever, things that they have done while progressing in thier knowledge of bonsai. feel free to post any pictures of these instances with your stories. i have posted one quick story in the thread link above, but i am sure i have more. but, i will save myself further embarassment until others have subjected themselves to the same.

chris

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TreeBay

Hmmm mishaps!

I lost a very nice bougainvillea to frost. We had a particularly bad winter maybe 10 years ago and it coincided with my purchase of this bougie from Miami Tropical when they were out here for the joint BCI/GSBF Convention.

This could turn into a fish story, but suffice to say it was very large and very nice. We have quite a few bougies as foundation plantings and I had no idea that they were getting quite a lot of protection from exposed masonry chimneys and stucco, but they do when they're in the ground. In this case the 20 degree temperatures turned the foliage to the consistency of boiled spinach and the trunk got punky and reddish orange.

Hurts a lot come spring and everything leafs out except your newest acquisition! I have a photo around somewhere but I am hoping I don't run across it anytime soon - it always brings on depression.

Regards,

Matt

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MoSinister

After killing my first couple of mallsai, which turned me off to bonsai for a number of years, I decided I'd try again, only this time I'd make one myself! No expensive mallsai for me! Bought a juniper and plopped it into a nice pot my wife had bought. Even styled it—and this was all before I'd ever read a word about anything on bonsai. I thought I was soooo boss. Well, trees don't last long if you don't have holes in your pot to let the water drain out....

ChrisM

ouch, the drainage hole mistake. i have made that one too, found out that plants don't like to swim, the hard way.

matt, too bad about the bougie. was it the only one not in the ground?

chris

come on everyone, over 8000 members and only three of us have screwed up in the past?

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A bonsai is like a good marriage.You commit, for better or for worse, till death do you part. I DO!!!

BrianBay9

How about blindly trimming overgrown foliage and taking a piece of my hand out with the pruners?

Brian

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zube

I chopped the entire top off of one of my first pines. Needless to say, it did not bud back nicely as the maples had done. Luckily it was $5.99 nursery stock.
zube

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rowan57

I bought my first pair of general scissors, promptly used them in the garden to try and cut something too thick, promptly chipped the blade!! Still use them for root work as they still cut, got a new pair for general bonsai (NOT GARDEN lol) use

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RonMartin(deceased)

A while back I posted what was my most horrifying moment in bonsai (see http://forum.bonsaitalk.com/showthread.php?t=3380&highlight=trout )
Maybe it wasn't the dumbest thing I have ever done in bonsai but at the time I felt pretty silly. ;o)

Joanie

I haven't been in bonsai long enough to make a really interesting mistake, but there were the cuttings...

Having done a lot of trimming on my serissas, I carefully put each cutting into a good rooting medium, with a dip of root powder. The first time, I didn't feel that the rooting powder was sticking, so I dipped them in water first.... yep, a cakey mess. They all died. The second time, I did them properly but couldn't find my handy old spray bottle for daily misting. I used a spray bottle that was in the workshop, which had previously held denatured alcohol. I washed it throroughly, filled it with water, and sprayed them over the next week. They turned black and shrivelled up. Opening the bottle and taking a whiff, well, the denatured alcohol scent was once again strong inside the bottle. It must have permeated the plastic.

So for the price of a spray bottle (what, two bucks?) I lost about twenty nice little cuttings.

Third time, did everything right and they "took".

Joanie

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