Advice for newbie please

[Pablo88]

Hey everyone. I've recently become really keen on the idea of starting up a bonsai garden but lacking in any experience or know how. I work at a wholesale plant nursery and can get my hands on native trees from tube sock size up of some that have been in there pots for a lot longer than others. Can I use any of this stock I'm thinking of using ficus,melaluca, aracaria, brachy ace or something like that. Also does it matter if I use cheap plastic if I limit the height of the soil? I don't really care what it looks like at this stage. Also should I use slow release fert when potted? I've got that bonsai mix too. Finally I live in south east Queensland; what's the story about where to keep it? Shade house in full sun, part shade? Any suggestions or help would be appreciated.

[Jason]

Welcome to the site firstly Pablo! and to the wonderful world of bonsai

The best way to learn in my opinion (I am also still a newbie to bonsai), is to join a club. The information you will get there is invaluable to learning bonsai.

Also worth reading is the wiki page, which has a lot of helpful tips for a beginner: https://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index. ... =Main_Page

My only advice would be that each plant is different, so depending on what you choose for your first bonsai, will depend on the location and sun requirments. I'm not a queenslander myself, but have heard that ficus go well up that way, so that might be a place for you to start

[thoglette]

+1 and..
To paraphase someone wiser than myself (sorry, no attribution): once you are confident you can keep a certain plant alive then advanced stock will be much better than starting from ground zero.

Don't let that stop you starting with seedling and young stock ("whips"). And with access to a nursery you should be able to find "unsalable" items.

On species, in SE QLD : ficus and melaluca(ii?).

[Pablo88]

Thanks for that guys. I ended up going for a ficus. I had to trim a fair bit off his roots and chopped the top half his trunk off. I don't know if it'll live so I did some smaller back ups. Should they be put out in the sun after recent transplantation?

[Jason]

Thanks for that guys. I ended up going for a ficus. I had to trim a fair bit off his roots and chopped the top half his trunk off. I don't know if it'll live so I did some smaller back ups. Should they be put out in the sun after recent transplantation?

One of the best ways to learn is to just go and do it Only tip with that... dont' go and buy anything too expensive until you're sure you can keep it alive one of the first lessons I learnt lol

[Boics]

Best advised to work on Ficus during the warmer months.

Right now might be a fraction early but being up north you can likely get away with it.

By work - I mean root pruning / repotting etc.

My general rule is that if I'm unsure I don't go too hard - that means either slip pot (with little impact on roots) or very cosmetic trim with little disturbance.

Generally speaking branch cuts and trims won't result in a dead tree but a major root prune, bare rooting and repot can have disastrous effects at the wrong time.

You will quickly learn that cutting and chopping your tree's is often best left till much later in the Bonsai process....
Cutting and chopping too early often just slows your journey...

Best of luck and heaps of good info on the Wiki and by searching the forums!

[kcpoole]

Welcome Pablo and with ficus you will be OK

a few quick rules and you shdou be oK
Use a well drained mix. Does not really matter what, so long as water flows freely thru it
Water often, At least daily usually and more often if the mix starts to dry out to much.
After repotting, Keep warm this time of year and in full sun. Away from colder drying wind and use a mix of seasol. No ferts till 6 weeks or so.

Enjoy yourself and do not be afraid to experiment. just do not do so on expensive stock.
Get along to a club if you can, but if you do not. go and have a look at the local shows and demos they have on.

Ken

[davemc]

Welcome Pablo,maybe get yourself down to bonsai northside and say hi to tess and selby, that help you in the write direction.

[Pablo88]

Thanks heaps everyone. I was finding a lot of the info on the net was conflicting from person to person but these links seem more helpful. Cheers

[shibui]

You will probably still find that info is different from person to person Pablo. 10 different bonsai growers will have 10 different opinions on how best to do something which shows several things about bonsai - Australia is a big place and is different to much of the northern hemisphere so techniques and timing will be different and; there are lots of different ways to successfully grow bonsai.
Bonsai are really just plants in small pots so use the knowledge you already have about growing plants in pots and use that to sift out what appears to be appropriate for you in your area then be prepared to experiment a little to see what else can work.