Everything we need to know about bonsai, our fathers taught us..

Will_Heath

While going up in the upper sticks of Michigan I was raised by a father who I thought was a complete and total idiot. As the years go by I now realize more and more just how much of a true genius he really was. Although he did not coin the one-liners he gave in terms of advice, he seemed to have a knack for saving the ones that made the most sense and using them at precisely the right moment for maximum impact. I am sure that most of you had similar fathers who used the same lines…

Although he didn’t grow bonsai, some of the lessons he taught seem to directly apply. The following are just a small sampling of these bits of advice and how I relate them to the art of bonsai.


If you’re not going to do it right, don’t do it at all.

This was a lesson hard learned when I was younger but led to a work ethic that I am proud of. It also speaks volumes about the art of bonsai in respect to every task or decision that we make concerning our trees. This simple oft-repeated statement has stopped me from rushing though a styling and from jury-rigging things just to say it is done. It has also prevented me from hiding bad chops, potting in a bonsai pot to soon, using inferior soil, etc.


If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well.

Almost exactly the same thing as above, yet with a slight change. This has been my guide when selecting stock, mixing soils, pruning, buying tools, and trimming trees.


If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Oh, how many times this has saved me years of work. Sometimes before breaking out those cutters, it pays to set back for a few days or months and make sure there is actually a flaw before you go and create a bigger one.


You look like someone beat you with an ugly stick

Besides many years of fearing the ugly stick I learned that even a ugly stick had a use.


Anyone else have a few sayings from their fathers that applies to bonsai?


Will

Advertisement

_MaX_

That's it!!! Nothing different comes up to my mind about father sayings, but that's very true that those 'little' life lessons really apply to bonsais! And almost to everything!

Follow them and your success rate will increase significantly!

Max

__________________
"Eternal companions!
The human being appeared
because the tree was already there;
it will disappear when the tree will no longer be."
-Edgar Cayce

Attila

It's funny, last night I thought about the exact same thing. I used to grow orchids, but have no greenhouse (these are rare, wild orchids, only collectors have them). Every winter I had to take them into my house and bring them out in the spring.
Last night as I took them out from their winter quarters one more time, I've decided to get rid of them. I realized that you either grow them as they should be grown, creating an optimal environment, or forget this mess. I know how to grow bonsai and getting better at it every year, so I will stick to what I do best.

My father never gave me any advice, but he absolutely loves plants, I probably got that from him.

Candy_J_Shirey

Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.

A good painter need not give a name to his picture, a bad one must.

A handfull of patience is worth a bushel of brains.

Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.

He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.

By learning you will teach; by teaching you will learn.

Measure twice, cut once.

Every road has two directions.

Deliberate often--decide once.

First deserve, and then desire.

From a thorn comes a rose, and from a rose comes a thorn.

Do not be in a hurry to tie what you cannot untie.

All things good to know are difficult to learn.

Listen or your tongue will keep you deaf.

Don't speak unless you can improve on the silence.

Ask the experienced rather than the learned.

He who undertakes too much seldom succeeds.

Man has responsiblity, not power.

If youth but had the knowledge and old age the strength.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Let him make use of instinct who cannot make use of reason.

Vision without action is a daydream. Action with without vision is a nightmare.

Be happy while you're living, for you're a long time dead.

Will_Heath

Perfect!

And I almost forgot my all time favorite....


"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for life."

This very subject gets a lot of heat sometimes when it is expected of you just to hand over knowledge instead of showing someone how to obtain it themselves....


Will

mkonig

Isn't it funny how you never quite apreciate these words of wisdom until later on in life.
Here are a few of my late Dad's favourites:

There is no such thing as bad weather, just wear apropriate clothing.

If you are big enough to accept praise for your achievement you schould be big enough to admit your mistakes.

The earlier you start, the more time you will have to finish.

Stand up for what you believe, but don't be a fool and accept that others will do the same. You will have to learn to agree to disagree.

Everyone makes mistakes, the secret is to learn from them. Making the same mistake twice is bordering on stupidity.

Regards

Mike

__________________
I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person

Bonsainut

Give a man some fish emulsion and he feeds his trees for a day. Teach a man to make fish emulsion and he will smell funny.

__________________
Keep growing,---'Nut



Lethal Use of Farce

Alasdair

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat all day drinking beer."

"Squirrels aren't cute and furry, they're speedbumps in disguise."

Ok, so maybe my dad hasn't given me anything overly useful, but it always brings a smile to my face.

Al

__________________
I can feel another "I wish that was my tree" moment coming on...
Currently studying BSc Plant Biology at the Universty of Wales, Aberystwyth

tuckerg

isnt it funny that when you become a father yourself,your fathers idiotic saying suddenly ring true