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Should I take this class?

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Should I take this class?

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27-May-2002	#1
kalei bonsaiTALK Neophyte Join Date: May-2002 Posts: 8	Should I take this class? I met a person at a local nursery, and after talking with them, an employee overheard our conversation and convinced them to teach a class. I need all the help I can get, and would love to attend, but I'm a bit sceptical. This person claimes to have been formaly trained as a child in Japan, but most of what they told me is contradictory, or at least out of line with everything I've read. They claim to not only be able to reduce leaf size, but also flower and fruit size significantly through training. They also talked about uprooting and then soaking the small potensai(the entire plant) in water for 24 hours or more, and then tying the roots an/or trunk in knots. I was also told to use no soil, only spagnum moss with a wick to keep it moist. If the class was cheaper, I would be more open minded. Has any one heard of such techniques? I would like to attend the class, but would like to hear what you all think before I lay out the cash. Thanks

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27-May-2002	#2
TreeBay Tips:5¢ Advice:Free *MODERATOR GROUP* Join Date: Aug-2001 Location: Silicon Valley Country: USA USDA Zone: 9 AHS Heat Zone: 4 Posts: 9,745	Re: Should I take this class? whacky! Fruit and flower size is in the genetics and can't be altered by cultivation methods. Leaf size can. Tying the roots in knots is not something you would find in any bonsai book or website I've seen But sometimes the trunk is wrapped with wire and "squashed" to get a wild appearance. You can find some of these trees in the *Gallery* if you search on squashed. One of the forum members here does use exclusively sphagnum. I haven't tried it myself. I'm familiar with wick watering too. What you have here is a collection of very unusual practices which I wouldn't recommend for any beginner, but personally, I would be willing to pay just for the entertainment value! Regards, Matt __________________ Want to be a seller on bonsaiAUCTIONS? Get authorized today! bonsaiTALK: Over 100,005.36 Megabytes Served this Month!

27-May-2002	#3
ripsgreentree bonsaiTALK Master Chief Join Date: Sep-2001 Location: Fresno, CA Country: U.S.A USDA Zone: 9 AHS Heat Zone: ? Posts: 1,260	Re: Should I take this class? Kalei: If I were you I would save my money and talk to matt and other advanced bonsiasts on this and or other forums. The things that you have mentioned do not sound like any technique that I would use on my bonsai. Also it would help if you found some good books on bonsai. One of the quickest here in the USA is found in almost every hardware store. It is the Sunset bonsai book, you can find it in the how too book section of your local hardware store. By asking you have saved yourself time trouble and money. ripsgreentree __________________ ripsgreentree It requires an open hand to give and to recieve.

27-May-2002	#4
Tony bonsaiTALK Master Craftsman Join Date: Jan-2002 Country: USA USDA Zone: 7 AHS Heat Zone: ? Posts: 861	Re: Should I take this class? That sounds like the advanced mallsai class. Did he mention anything about braiding golf balls into the trunks?

28-May-2002	#5
kalei bonsaiTALK Neophyte Join Date: May-2002 Posts: 8	Re: Should I take this class? Thanks for your replies. You all have helped confirm what I was thinking. Being so new at this, I thought I should run it by you guys before I wrote it off. Yes, I have had my nose in several books, including the Sunset. That's why I was thinking I might not want to hand over fifty bucks for this. Then again, just because I've read a book..... Thanks again everyone. btw- I just picked up a copy of 'The Living Art of Bonsai' by Amy Liang. Wow, what a beautiful book!

28-May-2002	#6
jackmickelberg(deceased) Bonsai Shiva - Member Emeritus Join Date: Apr-2002 Location: Tupelo Country: USA USDA Zone: 7 AHS Heat Zone: ? Posts: 134	Re: Should I take this class? I don't know... if you can afford it without going without food, you might want to take the class. Just take everything with a grain of salt. But if you pick up a few good care tips, who knows? Might be worth it. Plus, I REALLY want to know what they're teaching! Capt. Jack

29-May-2002	#7
zeb ONLY artistic talents... Join Date: Mar-2002 Location: Espoo Country: Finland USDA Zone: 5 AHS Heat Zone: ? Posts: 328	Re: Should I take this class? Matt, According to a bonsai book of mine, the flowers of some cherries can be made smaller. Unfortunately the book doesn't tell how! Zeb __________________ Two men were walking down a road. The one on the left was interested in bonsai. The one on the right had no money either.

29-May-2002	#8
TreeBay Tips:5¢ Advice:Free *MODERATOR GROUP* Join Date: Aug-2001 Location: Silicon Valley Country: USA USDA Zone: 9 AHS Heat Zone: 4 Posts: 9,745	Re: Should I take this class? I believe you could affect the bloom size to a degree with cultivation, and perhaps even the affect the fruiting, but it is not going to be a significant as the changes in leaf and branch size. For example, the apples on a bonsai might be 1/2 to 2/3 the size of the typical apple. They won't be the size of crabapples or anything like that. Bonsai orange trees won't carry tiny oranges, like a Golden Bean Kumquat. That's what makes kumquat popular for bonsai and orange unpopular; and crabapples and cotonesaster popular whereas common table apples are actually rarely seen as bonsai. Chinese quince are often displayed with what many would consider out-of-scale fruits, but that is just the size they are. Maybe half as big as a garden tree, but still huge for the tree. Failing to leave room to extract the fruit is a common error in growing fruiting quince! I've seen only minor variation in the bloom size of satsuki azalea, whether it is placed in the ground, large container or bonsai pot. __________________ Want to be a seller on bonsaiAUCTIONS? Get authorized today! bonsaiTALK: Over 100,005.36 Megabytes Served this Month!

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