What is your most important advice for Bonsai

[Alan Peck]

Your biggest enemy. ? Impatience.

[dansai]

Thanks everyone with your thoughts.

I pinched this from another thread. Thought this was just the sort of thing that does make me look at things a little differently. Thanks Alan

Try to use what is already there. Be very selective in what you dont want. DON'T RUSH. Strange to say but the tree will tell you the desired design that is hidden in there. Study it over many months and you will know what I mean. If you can draw your plans for it, thats good. It's a great feeling when the light finaly goes on in your head and you can 'see the tree'.

[Andrew Legg]

Don't teach beginners rules. Teach them horticulture and design theory and then take them out to look at trees, not bonsai!

[DavidWilloughby]

I think one of the best things a beginner can do is be themselves, learn about what interests you the most in the art of Bonsai and immerse yourself in it, but no matter how much reading one does, the experience gained by actually doing it yourself is priceless. Ask questions and lots of them as you go as there is no such thing as a stupid question, there's only stupid mistakes for not asking the question in the first place. Go at a pace that works for you, don't rush as Bonsai isn't a race.

By learning the basic principles of Bonsai, it will give one a great foundation to build upon. One cannot delve further into literature without understanding the alphabet, one cannot understand complex equations without understanding basic arithmetic.

Let your trees do the talking for you. With patience comes the rewards.

Its an interesting topic, although I will always consider myself a beginner.

Cheers

David

[Brian]

I personally feel that some bonsai people don't get the fact that their bonsai should look like a miniaturised version of a large tree.

[Rory]

I personally feel that some bonsai people don't get the fact that their bonsai should look like a miniaturised version of a large tree.

ah yes, but that opens a whole Pandora's box of issues. If the quest is to produce a 'bonsai' in the traditional sense, then it probably wont look a whole lot like a 'real' tree. However, if you want the bonsai to look like a tree, what tree do you mean, an actual tree of that variety, or tree in general. For example, a casuarina will never look like a traditional bonsai tree would in the wild, and so on and so on for many of our natives. Eucalyptus being an obvious example. But I presume you mean that some people bonsai their trees in an awkward looking sense, but I suppose, each to their own. In nature, you can often see reverse taper, long slender branches with minimal branching, odd sharp turns, double crossed branches etc etc. I mean, generally speaking, you wont find the majority of Australian natives with nice little pads of foliage neatly nestled into clumps like you would on a lot of bonsai.

[treeman]

I personally feel that some bonsai people don't get the fact that their bonsai should look like a miniaturised version of a large tree.

ah yes, but that opens a whole Pandora's box of issues. If the quest is to produce a 'bonsai' in the traditional sense, then it probably wont look a whole lot like a 'real' tree. However, if you want the bonsai to look like a tree, what tree do you mean, an actual tree of that variety, or tree in general. For example, a casuarina will never look like a traditional bonsai tree would in the wild, and so on and so on for many of our natives. Eucalyptus being an obvious example. But I presume you mean that some people bonsai their trees in an awkward looking sense, but I suppose, each to their own. In nature, you can often see reverse taper, long slender branches with minimal branching, odd sharp turns, double crossed branches etc etc. I mean, generally speaking, you wont find the majority of Australian natives with nice little pads of foliage neatly nestled into clumps like you would on a lot of bonsai.

I think what Brian means is that a bonsai (in the narrow sense) should look like a tree and not a shrub. Though as Murata said, ''The dignity of the years will accrue in the end''....even for a shrub I guess eg; flowering quince etc

[Rory]

Fair enough. I see what you mean.

[squizzy]

The most important advice I can think of is this.

Don't ever assume you are wrong with what you see in a tree but don't ever assume you are right either. Does that make sense?

Squizz

[Reece]

NEVER EVER even think about doing this....

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=18204

[Phoenix238]

NEVER EVER even think about doing this....

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=18204

Hahaha, excellent advise!

[EdwardH]

As Kimura said some years ago, make your bonsai look like a tree

[Mount Nasura]

As Kimura said some years ago, make your bonsai look like a tree

This has gone full circle! some of kimuras "Trees" look like modern sculpture! Which are out of this world as are amazing realistic trees...

[Boics]

I echo words already shared........

Let it grow let it grow let it grow!

If only I had taken this advise in my early years I would have some more mature looking specimens right now.

[Grant Bowie]

"Masterful Inactivity" seems to be the phrase many people are looking for.

Knowing when to do nothing(to your advantage).

Having enough trees to practice on without overdoing it on any single tree.

ie 32 pines.

Grant