I spotted this PJ fig at my first Bonsai show in 2018, I took a picture and sent it to my girlfriend saying how cool it was, she replied to buy it, so $50 later, I did. As most here at Ausbonsai will know, it was only a few weeks until I was full on obsessed with this awesome hobby.
When I got it home I knew I didn't like the big wound at the base, so I mounded some soil up around it and covered it with paper to stop it washing away each time I watered.
The following year and a half I proceeded through the 'must have every species' phase and purchased hundreds of tubestock and a few larger nursery trees, pictures are lacking through this time but I did a repot early 2019 and removed the tap root and a good proportion of the big ugly roots. I also went through the 'pruning it far too often' phase so it never had much of a chance to build vigour.
Fast forward to early 2020 and I had at least learnt to let it run a bit to gain strength and also to cut the top much harder and more often than the bottom.
I was initially, and still am, attracted to this trees non fig like elegance. I have tried hard to keep this aesthetic but I feel I am starting to lose this battle. This is probably another phase I am passing through, let's call it the 'fighting a plants genetics' phase.
Here it is after its late autumn trim this year. I am still experimenting to find the right balance of keeping enough foliage through winter to keep the roots happy and not too much so that the top gets enough sunlight and airflow to avoid fungal diseases. At this point in time the lower branches aren't part of the future design but I did wire two of them, firstly just as practice but also just in case I decide to keep them later, at least they will start with some movement.
The only other tree I've bought that was remotely close to a bonsai was a really nice beech from PeterB when he moved back to the UK. It was growing well and I was loving the style I was starting to eek out with a few wiring sessions but sadly it didn't wake up in spring 2020. I know beech leaf out late so I left it until summer but by then it was obvious it had succumbed.
Over the first year I have had quite a few plants die from a mysterious wilting disease and I think the beech might've got it too. This mystery disease might be a post for another day. I have since learnt to sterilise my tools between every tree and I've had no new trees die from this disease for the last 18months. Since then I have really focussed on improving my horticultural care and have forced myself not to buy any good trees until I am confident of keeping them alive. I feel I am at that point now, so over the next year I'll buy a few better trees and start to practice more advanced styling techniques.
Whilst I've been waiting for my trees to grow, I've been learning as much as I can about bonsai. The last 18months I have been more and more focussed on the intricacies of design and display, which has naturally lead to me becoming obsessed with ceramics. The next post will feature a few virtual repots and my beginner thoughts of what works or doesn't. I have also been dabbling in making my own pots as a way to better understand and learn about ceramics. I will post about my pottery adventures in due course, again, once I feel I actually have something worthy to add.
