boredom to bonsai- a cheap starter tree for beginners

[Jamie]

hey kids

this is a little juniper i put together this arvo out of boredom. i had a look through what sort of stock i had and pots and this is what come out of it

i had to use the kink in the trunk to its full extent it was to much to straighten out and i think it was to much of a feature to ignore.

all up twenty minutes from stock tree to wired and potted.

Junfront.jpg

Sidejun.jpg

Junrear.jpg

i will eventually add a shari down the trunk and get it feeding of one live vein, thats down the track though.


jamie

[Glenda]

Looking good for 20 minutes work, Jamie.

[Jamie]

thanks glenda,

i acutally posted this to show beginners that bonsai can be simple and not overly expensive, now this is still a tree very much needing development, but all up to get something reasonably pleasing it doesnt have to be expensive or hard. this little one is an $8 tree from a standard nursery, just a whip basically, a 3 year old struck cutting, a $7 pot and a bit of soil that i had

overall in a couple of years this will be a nice little tree with the shari going onto it and a live vein thickening up

jamie

[Ron]

thanks glenda,

...this little one is an $8 tree from a standard nursery, just a whip basically, a 3 year old struck cutting, a $7 pot and a bit of soil that i had

As I said on another topic, Jamie, that's certainly a lesson I've learned. When I saw what I could've bought at Nesci's for what I've spent on eBay etc. .... and still had money in the bank.

I'm sure that what've you done today is all many eBay sellers do then put them up $60 or whatever.

And Ray agreed today that it probably does the bonsai community a real disservice by turning newcomers off.

Ron

[Jamie]

I'm sure that what've you done today is all many eBay sellers do then put them up $60 or whatever.

exactly right ron, this is why i have put this up, if beginners are after this type of tree with a "mallsai" look, instead of paying the outrageous price some vendors (ebay) are selling these trees for, why not go out and give it a bash yourself you will find that you can do it and it will be more rewarding as you will get some hands on experience with wiring, styling and potting up


jamie

[Rugg]

Wow thats great
How much of a kink was in it before you wired it?
Any before shots?

I think I'm going nursery shopping on the weekend

[paddles]

easy to bend a juniper.....

[Jamie]

easy to bend a juniper.....

Wow thats great
How much of a kink was in it before you wired it?
Any before shots?

I think I'm going nursery shopping on the weekend

sorry mate, no before shots but i can get another one to show you a complete pictorial if you like, it wont be until later this week though. that kink was just a slight bend in the trunk that i used to accentuate it, actually looking at it again that wiring is really crap i should of taken a bit more care its not a good look in showing beginners how they can do something.

honestly it is more rewarding for beginners to do something like this hands on then buy those expensive mallsai like trees. as long as you can keep a tree alive there is no reason you cant get these done without an issue.

speaking of the tree it has settled in the pot quite nicely and is pushing new growth too, i am pinching the tips at the moment aswell, i will update the thread when there is more to show.

easy to bend a juniper.....

yes it is easy to bend a juniper but these young ones also dont give much warning before they do go, it is a feel thing. i am still snapping the young ones going to far. that is with the yamadori style shimpaku i am doing though so that is more extreme bends too

jamie

[Ron]

.... i should of taken a bit more care its not a good look in showing beginners how they can do something.

Yep, bloody awful. You've done gone and turned me right off Bonsai.

Will the golf shop trade in Bonsai trees?

[Jamie]

dunno if the golf shop will but i will take em off ya hands for a left hand driver

i will fix it just for you asap ron

[Ron]

.... i will take em off ya hands for a left hand driver

Somehow I can't see Bonsai as something I'll get bored with: my obsession seems to grow daily. I even have Bonsai dreams just about every night.

Now I'm not a religious person but finding this in the bush yesterday just had to be some kind of sign. Just imagine - new to Bonsai and finds a s/s turntable in the bush. Weird, mate, really weird.

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=3772

[Mojo Moyogi]

i acutally posted this to show beginners that bonsai can be simple and not overly expensive, now this is still a tree very much needing development, but all up to get something reasonably pleasing it doesnt have to be expensive or hard. this little one is an $8 tree from a standard nursery, just a whip basically, a 3 year old struck cutting, a $7 pot and a bit of soil that i had

jamie

Jamie, I would like to point out to those new to bonsai, that ideally you should have saved $7 and potted this tree into a 20cm plastic pot or even better, into a seed tray or open ground and leave it growing freely for at least 3 years.

Believe me, I still own my first tree from 13 years ago, it was very similar to this, and over a decade later it is still light years away from being a decent tree, because it has spent the majority of it's life in a bonsai pot.

The moral of my story is don't waste 10 years or more turning an $8 Juniper into a $30 juniper. Or waste 10 years or more filling your backyard with them.

Cheers
Mojo Moyogi

[Jamie]

thank mojo,

a very good point. the idea behind this was to show that the mallsai that are purchased can be done easily and quite quickly, giving some hands on experience and a lot cheaper.

i do however however completly agree with what you have said about getting them to grow on in ground or in grow boxes. at a beginner stage though it is also good to have something that you can look at or work on in a pot while these trees are gaining size and age.

it took me ages before i stopped buying trees and putting them in bonsai pots. 90% of those trees are now out of pots and in the grow boxes. but if i did that 3-4 years ago, they would be in pots now or close to it.

so yes, it is definately a good idea for those that are new to get trees growing on, that way you arent spending hundreds of dollars on stock trees, or spending it on overpriced potted mallsai type trees. but if you have some trees in pots to work on while the others are ground or box growing, it will keep the interest up

[Mojo Moyogi]

Jamie, we need to start an appeal for donations to the National Bonsai Inprovement Fund. It works like this, the Fund buys a bunch of hammers and gives one to every bonsai beginner in the country.

Every month the beginner goes out into the yard and smashes a pot of any one tree that is under a thumb thickness in trunk diameter. Once the tree is forcibly removed from it's pot, it is placed into a styro box.

Improvement of Australian bonsai is assured .

Cheers,
A tongue in cheek
Mojo Moyogi

[Jamie]

of any one tree that is under a thumb thickness in trunk diameter

A tongue in cheek
Mojo Moyogi

what about mame trees


ps. on a serious note, i do agree that the mallsai sellers really need to stop selling these seedlings in pots, passing them off as bonsai and making a fortune of these poor people and then the tree carking it because they have given them wrong information, the poor tree is generally in crap soil and the thing is half dead to beging with (moreso on the juniper side of things) and telling them they are an indoor tree that will be fine with a couple of hours sun. i think that is the biggest problem we have. its not the beginner its the merchandisers that sell them.
and i am not having a crack at the bonsai nurseries that do have starter trees in pots as at least they have had proper care and when sold are given proper instruction. plus the starter trees i have seen in bonsai nurseries in pots, or a beginners bonsai if you want to say are of a half decent size to be in a pot for a small tree, that just needs some development. not the seedlings we see in the places like bunnings. and thats the biggest rip i have ever seen.

ok i have had my whinge about that

that would definately be a good fund to start though mojo


jamie