When is enough enough?

[Fukien beech]

Hello bonsai people,

To be honest, my bonsai addiction is about to cause a divorce.

You are not alone in your love for bonsai

Good luck....maybe there should be bonsai anonymous sessions

[Graeme]

........................... Hello..................................I'm Graeme ...........................................................and I am a Bonsaiholic I have not been without a Bonsai for a long time.

[Jamie]

fukien beech said

maybe there should be bonsai anonymous sessions

there is... your on it

[Jan]

Jan, I suspect that your tough rural environment makes the need for discipline clear at a lot of different levels, just to survive. Us suburban softies just keep piling them into the back yard, and turning on the tap... Best of luck.

Gavin

How right you are, Gavin!

Untill Feb. this year water for all trees (orchard and shade trees around house and stock yards) was carted from a river (we are lucky to have one only 8 klm away). 1 ton of water is a cubic meter of water; so you can see carting water over rough bush tracks, and considering the "slosh" factor, meant a LOT of trips to give things survival rations. Water was also being carted to keep stock alive. Watercarting was a major part of the workload.

Happily, rain in Feb. put water into the house dam so now I can pump to trees and garden using our underground irrigation system. We're not out of drought (one of the few areas in NSW still in drought) but I'm sure happy not to be on the water carting roundabout for now.

Appreciate the blessings of water on tap Gavin, this "do-it-yourself" life style has its downside,

Jan

[Glenda]

Well guys, you will all be pleased to know yesterday was our local bonsai club meeting, and I took 12 plants and came home with 2, giving the other 10 away. I brought home no cuttings either - only because no one had anything I didn't have

Glenda

[Mojo Moyogi]

Hi Glenda and other confessed addicts. I am Mojo and I am heavily bonsai dependant.

As someone who accumulated hundreds of trees very early in my bonsai addiction and thinned those out, dramatically reduced wired and otherwise and battered many to change them from absolute junk to potential bonsai, built a decent core collection of 30 trees I was really happy with, decided to move to leave suburbia forever, selling all but 3 of my collection because I had figured out that I enjoy the process of going from immature trees with potential to bonsai in pots more than I enjoy pinching and refining what was already there and who is now wanting to build another even better better collection and maintain it in parallel with growing lots of trees...........I can sympathise with your pain.

While on the bonsai rollercoaster I came to realise some key things that may not be ideal for everyone, but I am happy to implement.

1) Need space? = Grow Shohin
2) Don't have thousands of $ to buy stock? = Grow Shohin
3) Can't wait 10 years just to grow a trunk? = Grow Shohin
4) Like walking upright, without a sore back? = Grow Shohin
5) Want to fit your trees in the car to go to a club meeting? = Grow Shohin
6) Don't have a Ute to go tree shopping? = Grow Shohin
7) Don't want to spend thousands of $ on pots (conditions apply here )? = Grow Shohin
8) Started bonsai after retirement and want good trees before you go toes up? = discover the fountain of youth or Grow Shohin
9) Ever wanted to repot 50 bonsai in a weekend? = Grow Shohin
10) Yearning for the days of the old watering can? = Grow Shohin

and my favourite
11) Want the chance to grow World Class bonsai in your lifetime, but are unfortunate to have been born Australian and not Japanese? = Grow Shohin

So there!

Cheers,
Mojo

Australian Shohin Bonsai Association by 2015 campaigner

[craigw60]

A very old friend of mine (now deceased) once gave me an invaluable piece of advise "leave some room for the good things you are going to get"
Craigw

[Jamie]

Hi Glenda and other confessed addicts. I am Mojo and I am heavily bonsai dependant.

As someone who accumulated hundreds of trees very early in my bonsai addiction and thinned those out, dramatically reduced wired and otherwise and battered many to change them from absolute junk to potential bonsai, built a decent core collection of 30 trees I was really happy with, decided to move to leave suburbia forever, selling all but 3 of my collection because I had figured out that I enjoy the process of going from immature trees with potential to bonsai in pots more than I enjoy pinching and refining what was already there and who is now wanting to build another even better better collection and maintain it in parallel with growing lots of trees...........I can sympathise with your pain.

While on the bonsai rollercoaster I came to realise some key things that may not be ideal for everyone, but I am happy to implement.

1) Need space? = Grow Shohin
2) Don't have thousands of $ to buy stock? = Grow Shohin
3) Can't wait 10 years just to grow a trunk? = Grow Shohin
4) Like walking upright, without a sore back? = Grow Shohin
5) Want to fit your trees in the car to go to a club meeting? = Grow Shohin
6) Don't have a Ute to go tree shopping? = Grow Shohin
7) Don't want to spend thousands of $ on pots (conditions apply here )? = Grow Shohin
8) Started bonsai after retirement and want good trees before you go toes up? = discover the fountain of youth or Grow Shohin
9) Ever wanted to repot 50 bonsai in a weekend? = Grow Shohin
10) Yearning for the days of the old watering can? = Grow Shohin

and my favourite
11) Want the chance to grow World Class bonsai in your lifetime, but are unfortunate to have been born Australian and not Japanese? = Grow Shohin

So there!

Cheers,
Mojo

Australian Shohin Bonsai Association by 2015 campaigner

thats a crack up Mojo

where do I sign for the ASBA ???

[Mojo Moyogi]

where do I sign for the ASBA ???

Here I hope, perhaps we should start a thread, get some momentum behind the concept. I think Australia is ready and shohin may even be the shot in the arm that Australian native bonsai needs to be on a similar footing to exotic species. Jamie perhaps you could help start a fire with me?

Cheers,
Mojo

[Glenda]

I like this idea too, for several reasons. The main reason is being female I need to be able to lift the trees. Another is because of my age, I don't want to wait 10 years to grow a trunk. I am actually leaning more towards mame, but shohin is good too.

Glenda

[MattA]

Mojo good list of reasons... I agree it would be just what native bonsai needs, opening up soo many more possible varieties. I have been doing alot of experimenting with the smaller woody sub-shrubs & unnoticed things in amongst the grass. Most have minute leaves making them ideal for shohin and moreso as mame. This is a recently acquired Hibbertia vestita (prostrate form), overall height is just 7cm with room to fill out & still be a mame.

PICT0143.JPG

The only thing I can say in favour of Omono bonsai... they may be too big to take to the club or a show but thats one of the pluses in my books, noone can steal it and you get to enjoy it all to yourself without any negative comment for not sharing "its just too big to bring to the show, sorry (not)". They may not be finished in my lifetime but should be advanced enough for someone to consider worthwhile enough to spend another 30,40,50yrs to bring to fruition. As I have said many times before, its not about finishing them but getting them started.

A collection full of trees that just need pinching & maintaining would drive me nuts.... I love finding yamadori & getting it on the road again, working some to completion but mostly moving them on once well on the way to make room for something new that is better or I dont have yet. If its commonly available I dont bother taking cuttings (mega layers or cuttings to make instant stock are an exception). Always have more than one of anything incase of accidents/ natural death. If its rare, hard to get or unusual as bonsai take every possible cutting/seed to get them into circulation.

I always have plenty of extra bits & pieces to give away to those who are keen to get started, something they havent seen or cant get. A friends 12yr old nephew has gotten interested in bonsai so he is coming over this week to pick himself a few trees from my benches to take home, I think I can spare about oohhh a hundred or so LOL A number of years ago I bought a load of shohin size pots really cheap from an importer for the same reasons, so the kid will be taking a few of them with him as well.

Let the bonsaicoaster continue till I am carted away in a cardboard box

Matt

Edit:- forgot photo

[Glenda]

:............This is a recently acquired Hibbertia vestita (prostrate form), overall height is just 7cm with room to fill out & still be a mame............Matt

Care to share a photo, Matt?

Glenda

[MelaQuin]

I have a small but reasonable size inner city back yard and my object has always been to have the garden 75% and the bonsai 25% so I don't propagate. Any cuttings go into the otto bin. As well as minimising visual clutter it is a lot easier only having 60 pots to water daily. But that does not mean I am not exempt from temptation. I recently sold about 16 of my trees to try to get the count to 50 and I almost made it. But at the weekend sale I sold 10 trees and bought 3. I am not sorry but too many trees simply have too much potential.

After 10 years in this obsession I have weeded out quite a number of trees that don't tempt me at all. Japanese maples I snap off branches so easily it is criminal so I don't even look at those. Crabapples and swamp cypress are too rampant so I leave those alone. Crepe myrtles get mouldy in my yard. That still leaves a lot that are desirable and it is hard. I just said NO to an azalea and too late saw it. Common flower but LOVELY trunk. However, I don't really need it. I didn't attend a favourite monthly workshop because it was moved to a bonsai nursery and I honestly didn't want 3-4 hours at a good nursery with so much temptation. So I stayed home and spent hours working on my existing trees and didn't increase my collection.

Temptation and potential are hard to resist but over time you do weed out certain species. However, keeping the numbers down I find a CONSTANT battle.

[Michael]

hi glenda


if u no longer wont those cuttings post them up here im sure some new growers will take them of ur hands with glee they are younger than us old buggers and will soon take them to a new level

to be sure to be sure ah



mick

[Glenda]

That is a possibility

Glenda