AusBonsai

Hey guys, I'm just new to the world of bonsai..the other day I purchased my first seedling (buxus box) just for a trial run to learn some basics. It may or may not have been the best species to start with, however that is not my main concern. I have done some reading into bonsai pruning etc. however i'm in the middle of exams, so I probably am not off to the greatest of starts. I was just hoping that some kind members would give me some advise on how I should begin my bonsai. Questions I have are should I cut some branches now? which branches? etc.
Any advice would be helpful

Hi Dyson...welcome to the addiction.

First lesson...BONSAI....not bonzai

Second tip...read heaps of books and if you can...go to some BONSAI classes. Look at as many pictures as you can of styled trees and trees in the process of being styled.

There is a wealth of information on this and many other sites about styling trees. Have a read first and then see if you can put your thoughts here for some opinions.

Most of all....enjoy yourself....

G'day and welcome! Give me 5 minutes and I'll do a virt for you of what I would do.

cosmo: thanks, does anyone know of any bonsai classes in melbourne? i'm in the south-eastern suburbs

There are plenty of places in Melbourne for classes

Welcome to Ausbonsai enjoy the addiction

G'day again!

Since your new, I wouldn't bother/attempt wiring a branch yet. Instead get some line, string, preferable synthetic then tie down the branches. When you bring them down it will fill out your tree and allow new growth to develop.

You'll find you plant is very young and immature. After 12 years of bonsai I am only just starting to realize now, if I want a perfect bonsai I must start from the beginning and spend the plants life molding it to conform with the image I want it to represent.


You have picked a good point in this plants life to start forming it. Keep it short, defoliate it regularly and keep pulling those branches down. When you are comfortable, buy some bonsai wire and start putting movement into those branches that you have pulled down.



I hope this has helped a little, barely scrapped the surface... Ask some more specific questions and we may be able to help.

Dyson, not being a Melbourne resident I am not sure of what is near you, but there are plenty of clubs. I was over in May, at the Mornington peninsula club very helpful people. We had a ball I conducted workshops. Which is always fun, and what you need to do as soon as possible
I am sure they would make you welcome. By your comments transport might be a problem.

Now to your tree it has very few branches at the moment, and the first and second ones up the trunk are opposite and coming off at the same level.
This will cause the trunk to swell at that point which is not good.
What Mitchell has shown to do is fine. However you will have to make a choice as to which branches to keep. The thicker ones low on the tree and getting thinner as you go up the trunk.

I hope that helps in some way. Oh by the way welcome to the affliction, enjoy yourself and be rewarded with nice tree's.

Cheers Pup

Hi Dyson,
Welcome to Ausbonsai.
When you come along to a club meeting you will see wonderful trees, demonstrations and lots of people who are most willing to share their knowledge. Your timing is poor as most clubs are winding down for xmas.
3 clubs to consider.
Yarra Valley Bonsai Club,
Glen Waverley Bonsai Club,
Bonsai Society of Victoria. (my club, which has monthly meetings in Kew)
If you like the BSV idea I suggest you wait till Jan 24th when there is a great demonstration scheduled, come in say hello and take a seat, you can simply watch as part of an audience of 40 or 50 people.

Ask if you need details on any of the clubs

Welcome mate,

Please let us know where you are in melb and we will connect you with the right people to get you to a club. Like Gerard mentioned there are two out your way, Yarra Valley Bonsai Society (YVBS) and Bonsai society of Victoria (BSV) both of which i think are very good club (i am biased towards YVBS )

YVBS has the world renowned Lindsey Farr doing a talk at the next meeting on Tueday the 9th November and you are more then welcome to come along and speak to like minded indiviuals and learn along the way.

Anyway, once again, welcome to the great world of bonsai.

Thanks for the advice mitchell. I just had a quick fiddle and pulled two of the branches down..hopefully this is some progress, however from some things I have read..the two bottom branches are probably too close together. I didnt pull down the upper branches as this was just a quick job..I shall do a better job when I go on holidays (only two more exams to go!!)

Gerard, Glen Waverly bonsai club sounds like it might be my best bet distance wise! thanks for the help!

Boo yeah!! Half way to a nice Bonsai!!

This new shot you put up, shows the "bar branching" is not as bad as it seemed. Before it looked like it would create issues, now it seems if you were working towards a smal shohin tree this may not be a problem. This is good as we don't want to have to cut off unnecessary growth atm.

Buxus is a great plant for bonsai, when you/the tree feels ready we can remove all leaves on the tree, each time we do this they will grow back smaller. Don't do that now though, we need the leaves for growth/health atm.

hi mate

welcome to the forum firstly as has been said plenty of info and helpful people!

mate, If I have any advice for someone just getting into bonsai, if your going to buy small starter plants like this which is fine and is good as they are cheap, but they dont give much to work with, if you buy these little ones I would also advise to buy a few trees at one go, and get one at least with a few years behind it and has some size and options, you dont need to spend a fortune on stock, you could get a workable tree for $15-$30 and make a nice little tree out of them.

get to a club, get plenty of books and read, read, read. dont be afraid to ask questions either, thats one of the great things about the forum

good luck

Quick question guys,
If I move the seedling to a larger pot (to encourage quicker growth) as suggested in another post, should I still try to pull the branches down or is that of no concern during the growing phase. Also, should I still prune the top branches so that the energy is going into the lower sacrifice branches?
Thanks,
Have a good weekend!