AusBonsai

Sleeping great Bodhi. Loving the crisp mornings and clear autumn days. English Elms buttery gold to pale orange. Thinking about putting a Dwarf Chinese Elm in the coolroom for a few nights to see if I can break it out of the "I'm an evergreen" mentality .

Writing what you mean on the internet is a balancing act, isn't it. The Aussie in me is a believer that the best conversations you can have are face to face, over a beer. The little bit of Scotsman in my blood me from long, long ago prefers the shot of whiskey, and the "git on yer feet lad, tell 'em what they need to hear" approach. If only one of my alter-egos could type at 60 wpm

Cheers,
Mojo

bodhidharma wrote:Not sleeping Moj? All very valid points, and yes, this is what the forum is about. If an opinion is asked it should be accepted, even if it is not what we want to hear.

That would be great if it went both ways But some think there is only one way. Thier way.

Bretts wrote:That would be great if it went both ways But some think there is only one way. Thier way.

Yeah, i know Bretts, but we both know that we have to be compassionate in our approach with people that have that mental handicap.

Another post bites the dust cos it was not what ( I wanted to hear) that is why I do not bother now.

When I was starting I would have loved the correct advice. My trees would be so much better now.

This is just my no one else's

Pup

Just an update, this is the pot I got for this pomegranate. It's nothing special just wanted something in a pot rather than a polystyrene box

When does the pomegranate flower and fruit? I have had one for a number of years and never seen either. I also have a cutting from my original one planted in the garden and it has never flowered/fruited either. Both grow pretty strongly. Will they flower up here?

As someone new to the game, I don't want any of my plants in a black nursery pot, colander or foam seafood esky!

I also know from reading..reading..reading this forum that I have no idea what I am talking about and black nursery pots,colanders and foam eskys is the best thing you can do to any potential bonsai that you would like to improve and develop. Actually.. They are essential!!!

It's just that, (and I am sure that all you experts that have commented on this post can remember) when you are a beginner, just starting out in Bonsai and don't know what you are doing, You get your first few plants and you just really want them to be bonsai. They can be crappy looking tree's that aren't even bonsai if you put them to the sword of the true rules of bonsai, but, to the beginner...


"It aint a bonsai if it isn't in a bonsai pot!"


Just my from someone who knows nothing about growing a bonsai from scratch

Goff,

One of the tricks I have been taught when choosing the location of a tree in a pot is to make use of negative space. With your tree, the low 1st branch is on the right, and if you plan to make that branch dominant and the lowest by wiring it down a bit, then consider a change of planting side. I've done a virt where I have plumped up your foliage a bit to make what I'm saying a bit more obvious. This way the gap between the foliage and the pot adds to the composition a bit and makes it seem more balanced. Of course, that's the theory anyway!
At the moment I find the pot too bold and in my face, but I think as the tree develops more foliage that will change. I think it will grow into it's pot a bit like a kid who grows into his school uniform

Cheers,

Andrew

Shinkitai wrote:When does the pomegranate flower and fruit? I have had one for a number of years and never seen either. I also have a cutting from my original one planted in the garden and it has never flowered/fruited either. Both grow pretty strongly. Will they flower up here?

I have one at home in flower now, It too is like this one from goff, (ie too small and needs to be in a collander). My reasoning is that I have 2 others in the ground to grow on, so I letting this one flower so I can enjoy them

@ Bebbas. Pup Summed it up quite succinctly above. To paraphrase him, The ONLY way to develop quality trees, is to grow them on in larger pots or the ground to develop the trunk and roots. Then reduce the pots size over a few years and develop the branching, then the foliage.

Instant Bonsai is a myth and as can been seen from the various competitions here, Trying to push a tree faster will result in many dying or just doing nothing for a long time. The winners of the development comps will be the ones that pick a tree that already has the process above done largely by natural development

From good trained stock, it will in most cases take 5 years to produce a tree that can be called Bonsai. From and untrained stock tree look at a few years more.

I tell all newbies, to buy not 1 but 2 trees at a time. By all means, put 1 in Bonsai pot so you can enjoy it, but put the other one in a collander or the ground for the day that you realise that Mogi and Pup ar correct. By then you will have trees ready to lift and make into Bonsai.

Ken

Great idea Ken - Buy 2 at the same time I will have to start doing that as I am also in a hurry to see it as a bonsai but also wanting to grow it at the same time.