Auk wrote:

What is your budget and do you have any idea what a real good trained bonsai costs?

Well I am not looking for anything exceptional. I might assume you can get a bonsai for a couple bucks to the thousands, but I just want something I can learn on. I read that it is very likely that a newby kills his first couple of trees, I am not planning to do that on an expensive bonsai.

Thank you for your recommendations.

If you want to truly learn, then you could take baby steps. Maybe just buy a cheap plant or tree (not mallsai or anything from a bonsai nursery, just some material from the local garden centre) and try to keep it alive, if it dies, then you only wasted a bit of money. If it lives, then you could practice styling on the tree, repot it, then you have a head start when developing material to become real bonsai.

He already has a small Juniper which he posted , this can be used to practise watering and keep it alive. After time you may just want to turn it into a Miniture .

All trees have merit if you take the time to look.

Craig wrote:

He already has a small Juniper which he posted , this can be used to practise watering and keep it alive. After time you may just want to turn it into a Miniture .

All trees have merit if you take the time to look.

Sorry, but that's nonsense.
No beginner is going to be able to create something like the examples you posted.
I think it's rather pointless to give such an advice.

Some of the Negativity on this forum is so unwarranted!Who said he can not do something with it ?, You.

Did I say he could turn into something Yet, no i didn't. You may well want to read it again.

This type of Starter is so common it's not funny, who cares if its good or not. The exercise in watering and caring is going to be of great benefit to any Future tree he aquires and begins caring for.
This particular juniper if managed to keep alive for a couple of years will teach much and maybe as i said earlier Maybe turned into small tree.

I leave all the good advice to you from now on . take care!

Craig wrote:

Some of the Negativity on this forum is so unwarranted!Who said he can not do something with it ?, You.

I prefer to call that 'realistic' rather than negative.

Did I say he could turn into something Yet, no i didn't.

Erm...

After time you may just want to turn it into a Miniture .

?


Imagine it concerned pets.
What if someone comes to a pet-forum, and asks:
"I've bought this green animal and I think it is a lizard. Maybe it's a frog. I know they like warmth so I've put it in a birdcage in the window sill in full sun. It's not moving and it smells funny. Is that normal"?

Would you not tell them to FIRST learn about pet care, study the animal they are buying, learn how to care for it, and create a suitable environment ?

I'm not negative, I'm just trying to help reduce the mass slaughter of innocent young trees.

Bob's advice was good. Don't waste money on overprized mallsai, just learn to grow a tree before you try to grow a bonsai.

I agree with you Auk, but when learning anything the rule of thumb is that 10% of the knowledge comes from research, 20% from mentoring and 70% from practicing or on the job learning. I think the term "mass slaughtering" is extremely out of place. I read that beginner bonsaists might kill a tree or two in the process, I have no intention of killing tens or thousands of trees. Im trying to get into this hobby because I love plants and trees and it would be a very fun and interensting way of interacting with them.

I agree that I should learn what bonsai is and how to take care of a tree but frankly, it is not a research that takes a week or a month, it takes days. So I think that a blend of all of the advice you have been giving me would be that I take care of my young Juniper, learn about it, appreciate it and if I can be honest, sooner than later I am going to be pruning it and wiring it. If I am able to create something beautiful which I appreciate, wether it is a bonsai, mallsai, or a shrub, I will be satisfacted. If I kill it the process, at least I will know what not do to my next tree. Id rather kill a 10 buck young Juniper than find an excellent starting material and kill it right away because I had never pruned or wired anything.

I really appreciate you guys giving the 20% of mentoring needed for free, I think is great that you are trying to break the barrier of the westernization and commercialization of this art.

patoestavillo wrote:

I think the term "mass slaughtering" is extremely out of place

Of course it is out of place, but I'm sure you saw the tongue-in-cheek.

BTW I was not referring to you, but to the industry of mass-produced mallsai.
They are sold per sea-container full. Monthly. By multiple nurseries.

You think you'll only kill 2? I think most bonsaiists have lost far more than that.

Learning to take care of trees indeed doesn't take months. Growing bonsai however is a lifetime study (OK, that may be exaggerated too, but what I mean is: even if you're an expert, there's always something new to learn. I have been trying to grow bonsai for many years, and I consider myself an amateur, not anything close to an expert).

One thing may not be clear - and that's my fault for not writing it - I do not advise you to not take care of your little juniper. It's a live plant, keep it alive and healthy. Maybe in a far future...
Just remember it's a small, fragile plant, no good material to practice on. Resist the urge to prune and wire it; you WILL kill it. Just let it grow and get bigger and stronger.

When you see it's doing well - the color stays fresh and green, you see new buds, branches start growing, you may want to consider trying to do your first steps. These would be minimal steps, it's still a small plant.

BTW could you give us a close up of the base of the tree and the trunk?

Craig wrote:

All trees have merit if you take the time to look.

Well... maybe, but there's a difference between wired cuttings and miniature bonsai.

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