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First attempt at a forest Bonsai! 7 years 6 months ago #26135

  • Organic Chris
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Hopefully this turns out well. I cut off the deep root, like I was told. Shallow soil, mixed with an organic fertilizer so they don't run out of nutrients.

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First attempt at a forest Bonsai! 7 years 6 months ago #26136

  • Auk
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Have you actually done any research about bonsai, read a book, looked up some sites, watched a few movies?

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First attempt at a forest Bonsai! 7 years 6 months ago #26156

  • Organic Chris
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Yes to all. I have 12 books on bonsai techniques and styles and care. I am constantly watching videos of people who have been doing this for many years. I belong to 5 bonsai "clubs" and pages where I can discuss bonsai with other people.
This all being said, I lack the proper pots, and tools, but, according to everyone I have spoken to about it, including a guy who owns a bonsai shop here in NY with bonsai trees he started as a kid, 30 years ago (Absolutely INCREDIBLE bonsai. Like, I was in awe) they said that you don't start pruning, trimming, wiring, or doing anything other than watering them for at least a year until the branches and trunk are a little stronger.
The mimosa trees in that picture are fresh out of the ground in my neighbor's back yard. I also collected pine cones to 5 different pines, and cones to 3 different cypress, and some junipers, and I have the ones that needed stratification in the fridge now.
When I pulled the mimosa trees out of the ground, I cut off the long tap root, and I left the thin stragglers. That is what I was told to do to slow down the growth process and keep them growing at a slow and steady rate.
So, that is what I did. Then I took some soil that I made from a mixture of natural soil outside, pearlite, sand, peat moss, and soon I will be getting Lava rock, as I was told this is better than pearlite.
I'm an organic gardener. So, everything I have is related to organic Gardening. I've loved the bonsai trees for a very long time, and this year made the decision to start my own Bonsai collection.
I've had many people tell me "Oh, you're going to give up before you get close". And, I just laugh. I know it takes MANY years to get a really nice Bonsai. But, that is why I am doing this. I live a very stressful life. Many different things factor into that which I am not going to bore everyone by posting on here. But, growing things is my one thing that relieves all stress. Tending to my many gardens, and watching my little pine tree growing and soon, the Bonsai, are things which relax me, and give me joy to watch and even learn from. You can learn so much from trees just by watching them.
I have a small Pine tree that I started from a seed growing right now. It is about 2 months old, and I just recently cut the tap root off, that way it will slow the growth down, and I can train it as it gets older. I have it growing slightly on an angle, not much, but enough to notice, and I intend on having it curve when it gets bigger. I saw one like that in the Bonsai shop, and it looked REALLY cool. So, I'm going to try to mimic it.
So, when I said I Have NO idea what I was doing, I was referring to the way it looked. I've seen other people's forest Bonsai set ups, and mine does not look anything like theirs. But, it is just temporary right now. As the trees grow, I will move them to a real Bonsai clay pot (I prefer clay over plastic), and I am going to try something I haven't seen done yet, and make a bowl out of wood, use an organic waterproof-er, and use that as a bonsai pot, as I think that would be absolutely incredible.
I will post more pictures of the different trees i'm starting soon.

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First attempt at a forest Bonsai! 7 years 6 months ago #26157

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Here is another few pictures of some trees I have.
1 & 2: Mimosa that I took out of the ground. A little older, and bigger, and I cut the tap root off, took some of my organic rooting powder to make the small stragglers a little stronger, and placed it in a pot to strengthen.
3 & 4: My little pine tree that I started from a seed.







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First attempt at a forest Bonsai! 7 years 6 months ago #26159

  • Auk
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If you have 12 books, watch videos and belong to 5 clubs, you surely must have picked up somewhere that this way you do not grow bonsai - and certainly not a bonsai forest.

You don't need bonsai pots, you don't need bonsai soil. First thing you need to be doing is simply growing trees. Separately, not all of them in one pot, but preferably in the ground.
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First attempt at a forest Bonsai! 7 years 6 months ago #26181

  • Mimo
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Hi Chris.
You better listen to AUK, he knows what he´s talking about :)
I, as a very beginner tried to put my first forest together out of a bit older saplings.
This is very first one I did, just to have them together and planned to restyle it later in a proper bonsai pot or a stone slab.



1 year later, the roots were so tangled together that I wasn´t able to separeta them without radical cuts.
So I won´t grow trees for a fututre forest together again at so close distance from one another.
Only if you want to keep the layout and you have trees of the final size you desire and you are only building the ramifications as I did with the trees from first forest and a few more saplings planted in this penjing one year later.

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First attempt at a forest Bonsai! 7 years 5 months ago #26344

  • Mossy moss
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Just because someone has a higher rank, doesn't mean they're always better.

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First attempt at a forest Bonsai! 7 years 5 months ago #26348

  • Auk
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Just because someone has a higher rank, doesn't mean they're always better.

Exactly what I always say. The status of a forum member doesn't say much. Don't trust the advice, listen to others second opinions and do your own research.
However, it is pretty safe to assume someone with an elite or a platinum status has far more knowledge and experience than someone who visits the forum for the first time and doesn't know how to grow bonsai from seed.

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First attempt at a forest Bonsai! 7 years 5 months ago #26369

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I would personally look at how many 'thank you's they've received and compare that to how many posts they have

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First attempt at a forest Bonsai! 7 years 5 months ago #26370

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I would personally look at how many 'thank you's they've received and compare that to how many posts they have


And the winner is.... Kristof!

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