NATURAL Bonsai Progression Competition

terryb · Post by **terryb** » December 28th, 2018, 8:46 pm

Hey Beano,

Take a look here https://www.stateflora.sa.gov.au/buy-pl ... /catalogue

Rory · Post by **Rory** » December 29th, 2018, 6:14 pm

Update:

Root over rock is allowed, provided you do not attempt this until AFTER you clearly show the trunk is not greater than 1cm at the soil line.
Tanuki would be considered an unfair advantage. (Using foreign deadwood or imitation trunk materials)
Splitting trunks is allowed AFTER you clearly show the trunk is not greater than 1cm at the soil line.
Group plantings are encouraged but please clearly show EACH trunk width before placing trunks side by side. You can have them grouped prior, as long as they clearly aren’t a clump or connected in any way.

Beano · Post by **Beano** » December 29th, 2018, 7:07 pm

terryb wrote:Hey Beano,

Take a look here https://www.stateflora.sa.gov.au/buy-pl ... /catalogue

Thanks terryb, will have a look tomorrow!

MJL · Post by **MJL** » December 29th, 2018, 7:58 pm

That’s an excellent catalogue Terryb- thanks for the link.

Bonsai teaches me patience.

MJL · Post by **MJL** » December 30th, 2018, 12:02 pm

Hey - I hope everyone is well. I am down here on the Mornington Peninsula (VIC) surrounded by Moonah and Tea Tree. Very excited to have found these:

IMG_6099.jpg

For those in the know.... can I please confirm that it is ok re-pot these at this time of year? When I get back to Melbourne in a few days, I am thinking I will root prune (say 30%), light top prune and into deepish Bonsai training pots. Then morning sun only and keep moist at all times. Do you reckon that approach is ok? I have seedlings and a few younger trees.

As much as I have been being aggressive in my re-potting for the competition - I am actually more interested in keeping these alive! I love both these species.

Bonsai teaches me patience.

KIRKY · Post by **KIRKY** » December 30th, 2018, 12:17 pm

You can repot all of them now. I have been doing mine all week with no unhappy plants and most of mine I have bare rooted to get the nebari started right.
Cheers
Kirky

MJL · Post by **MJL** » December 30th, 2018, 12:23 pm

Thanks for the prompt response Kirky - much appreciated. [THUMBS UP SIGN]

Bonsai teaches me patience.

Beano · Post by **Beano** » December 30th, 2018, 12:33 pm

How do we feel about lignotubers and the 1cm rule? I’ve got some tiny tube stock but the entry point into soil is lignotuber coming in at 1.2cm.

Also I have made an impulse purchase of something at the native nursery and forgot to get a tag for it... I have no idea what it is. It is from State flora though which only sell native plants. Can I enter an unknown?

JimmyBanks · Post by **JimmyBanks** » December 30th, 2018, 1:26 pm

I went to the Native Nursery in Newport today and picked up 10 seedling tubes as well as a manna gum that should come under the 1cm rule... I was going to get an Acacia mearnsii “black wattle” but wasn’t sure how it would look with the folliage so decided against it. Went with mostly gums instead. Now I just have to figure out which one to enter into the comp...

This is the Manna Gum

Rory · Post by **Rory** » December 30th, 2018, 9:22 pm

Beano wrote:How do we feel about lignotubers and the 1cm rule? I’ve got some tiny tube stock but the entry point into soil is lignotuber coming in at 1.2cm.

Also I have made an impulse purchase of something at the native nursery and forgot to get a tag for it... I have no idea what it is. It is from State flora though which only sell native plants. Can I enter an unknown?

Dig below the surface, and see if the lignotuber is basically a bubble.
Often the trunk reverts back to a normal trunk below the lignotuber, which would be fine, otherwise it shouldn’t be allowed.

Re: question 2, if you Purchased it from a native nursery and they don’t sell exotics then it would be fine.

MJL · Post by **MJL** » December 31st, 2018, 8:13 am

I tried to explain to my beautiful wife that these native plants are for an online competition...

She muses with a reflection... ‘Actually Mark, it’s all about an excuse to buy more plants!”

True ....

IMG_6097.jpg

And one day I am going to use the piece of deadwood for a Phoenix graft ... not for the competition just because I’ve been inspired by Alpine and KC&R.

Bonsai teaches me patience.

Beano · Post by **Beano** » December 31st, 2018, 9:36 am

Hi Rory, I have another question. If my lignotuber does become skinny again and be eligible, I’m thinking of doing a twin planting (ie, like two trunk, they are separate plants but first progress photo would be planted as a twin trunk. Is this allowed?

If it is, I note that you have wrote a rule saying “if your entire entry dies” it’s out of the comp. so if one of the trees in the idea I propose dies but the other doesn’t, I interpret that rule to mean I can keep working on the live one for competition purposes?

Rory · Post by **Rory** » December 31st, 2018, 9:40 am

Beano wrote:Hi Rory, I have another question. If my lignotuber does become skinny again and be eligible, I’m thinking of doing a twin planting (ie, like two trunk, they are separate plants but first progress photo would be planted as a twin trunk. Is this allowed?

If it is, I note that you have wrote a rule saying “if your entire entry dies” it’s out of the comp. so if one of the trees in the idea I propose dies but the other doesn’t, I interpret that rule to mean I can keep working on the live one for competition purposes?

You would need to show that the trees are separate trees, but that would be fine.

Yes, if one dies, you can keep working on the other.

shibui · Post by **shibui** » December 31st, 2018, 9:44 am

Ah, Rory, I feel for you... Must nearly be tearing your hair out

Something that sounds so simple - competition with just a few rules

starts to become a minefield of 'what if?s' and 'what about?s

Good luck sorting all the ramifications out mate

Beano · Post by **Beano** » December 31st, 2018, 10:07 am

That’s true, Shibui. Rules are open to interpretation. I never would have thought I’d find myself asking questions as Rory’s initial post is very specific, but here I am. I was only asking as I was worried about doing the work already then having you see it and say no, which happened with KCARs entry. Once I do the work I’d want to leave it be and not interfere for a while, that’s why I’m checking.

While I’m checking, no one has said anything negative about my first entry, so I’m assuming cultivars of Australian native trees are allowed?

AusBonsai