Are these 4 species good for a first timer?

[fajfall]

I've read about bonsai for years here in Adelaide and I want to give it a go. I'm thinking of growing bonsai from the following seeds that I already have, so is this a good start?

- 3 x Illawarra flame trees
- 3 x Olive trees
- 3 x Eucalyptus
- 3 x Port Jackson Fig trees

I don't want to invest much yet in case I fail. I plan to use plastic takeaway containers as pots and regular compost for soil. Is it realistic to succeed this way? Is it too many or too few plants? I expect to stuff most of them up as I'm a "learn through mistakes" kind of person.

I can't join a bonsai club as my wife won't let me "waste time and money" on these things, unless perhaps I get good at it, so maybe this forum's a good source.

[Raging Bull]

Hi Fajfal and welcome! You've come to the right place, lots of helpful advice to be had here. I'm a newbie too, only joined at the beginning of this year.
Regarding your ambition to grow from seed,- by all means, but it's a long way 'round to get started. If you don't have much spare cash, go for a drive to the Adelaide hills or southern vales and look for feral olive trees growing by the roadside. They are tough as old boots so you can dig them and take them home for free. Plenty of them on the minor side-roads in the McLaren Vale- Willunga area. I used to live down south before moving to the Gold Coast. Other than that a quicker start is to buy a few tube-stock natives like callistemon or melaleucas, they are quite cheap from nurseries or the big green shed.
I'm sure others will also give you plenty of good advice.
Cheers,Frank.

[Sno]

Hi fajfall . yes it sounds feasible . It's not ideal . Make sure the containers have good drainage holes and add sand to your compost for drainage . The trick will be to not over water but keep the compost sand mixture moist . The other trick is to grow something that gives beautiful flowers for your wife . Growing bonsai from seed takes time but when you've done the time it is quite satisfying .

[fajfall]

Thanks a lot Raging Bull. For years I've actually harvested olives from feral trees for cooking, but park soil in the city is all contaminated so I've been wanting to venture farther for safe, healthy olives as food. I'll keep an eye out for small trees to take home too if I find a spot.

[Raging Bull]

A couple of other points,- tell the Missus that the only way to get good at something is to practise it. Get a bougainvillea for her to look at, they get good flowers and are also easy to bonsai. The species you mentioned, I don't know if eucalypts or the Illawarra flame are suitable, haven't tried them. The fig and olive are very suitable.
If you haven't been, Spirit of Bonsai on Anzac Hwy is worth a visit for inspiration on growing olives.

[shibui]

Port Jackson fig is one of the best trees for bonsai. Very hardy, quick growing, forgives pruning mistakes and can tolerate very hard pruning and severe root pruning.
Olives are also very hardy and tolerant of extreme pruning and root pruning. You can collect relatively large feral trees and cut them down to a smaller stump as the basis of your future bonsai. they are a bit slower to develop and can be a pain when they keep sending up suckers from the lignotuber so you really do need to do regular maintenance on these.
Eucs are quite difficult. Branches seem to die back to the trunk after pruning for me. There are some growers who have cracked the techniques needed and have really good bonsai eucs so it can be done, just not easy. Good bonsai eucs all seem to be larger at this stage. Worth trying because it is an iconic Aussie but don't be disheartened if your first attempts don't work out as well as expected.
Not sure about Illawarra Flame. It is a bit cold here for them to do well so I haven't tried.

You'll find lots of posts recommending larger containers to develop pre bonsai. The trouble with small containers is that the trees grow very slowly. It can take a lifetime to develop a bonsai in a small container. Most trees will grow faster in a larger container, or even grown in the ground, so you can achieve a similar result in just a few years. As you research you'll find that a great many of the impressive bonsai have come from larger plants cut down rather than small seedlings grown up slowly.

[kcpoole]

Check out this list in the wiki for the best starter trees.

Ken