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Is it too soon to start repotting? (Please say no -- I got impatient)fuzzy_logic posted:repotted and tidied up my fat child. Pot is Sam Miller. Beautiful. If you get a chance, I'd be really curious to see what the roots of such a thicc boi in a small pot look like. For pots, how do you acquire them? Local shows/clubs? Are there any online sources that are reputable? I haven't had much luck looking at even my local specialty stores.
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Jan 28, 2020 18:13
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Hubis posted:Is it too soon to start repotting? (Please say no -- I got impatient) We didn't take any pictures while working on it this time but they were pretty ... normal? This tree's been in training for awhile and wasn't potbound so there was no big mat of roots on the bottom. Turns out we actually could've waited but it's worth it to get it in a nicer looking pot. We actually cut the root ball back really small, small enough to make me nervous but this tree is a beast and didn't even wilt slightly. For an idea of how hilariously tiny the rootball ends up being, this is a good comparison: https://bonsaitonight.com/2010/02/23/repotting-and-grafting-ume/ This pot in particular just straight up came from https://www.bonsaioutlet.com/american-handmade-bonsai-pots/ . The best way to acquire pots though is to make friends in the hobby, visit their houses for unrelated reasons, then sidle up to them and go "sayyyyyyy ... you using that tokoname for anything?" Professionals who do workshops at home tend to have shelves and shelves of leftover sales pots they might let you peruse. Shows will often have a small sales area too but I tend to find the selection limited, though there is the benefit of seeing them in person. The issue with this was I needed something very specific - glazed, pale in color, 9" by 6" ish and fairly deep. I kept an eye out at shows and sales for months but never found a combo I liked so I ordered that one off the internet. A lot of artists also have personal sites or are on facebook. For a cheap yixing or something you can get them wholesale or sometimes you'll get lucky at a regular nursery store and they'll have a few.
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Jan 28, 2020 22:03
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BonsaiOutlet seems to be cheaper through their amazon store. I think they were selling 10 packs of 8" plastic training pots for $27 there last I checked. They seem nice looking enough to me for home displaying if it's not like a gift or "showpiece" plant, but I'm also somebody with a bunch of indoor plants still in their garden center pots sitting in his living room. Also hi, bonsai thread. I lurked and maybe posted here a couple of times like 6 years ago. I've been gardening since I was a kid, and was always curious about bonsai but never got into the hobby. Then I found the Herons Bonsai/Peter Chan youtube stuff by accident in December and I've been playing through the back catalog while doing lab work. I've probably long-missed the cutoff for snagging good christmas season garden center rejects, but I'm excited to try my hand at torturing clearance-bin plants on the cheap. I wish cannabis weren't an annual so that I could bonsai it.
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Jan 30, 2020 02:25
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Electric Bugaloo posted:. I wish cannabis weren't an annual so that I could bonsai it. @us
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Jan 30, 2020 07:28
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Electric Bugaloo posted:I wish cannabis weren't an annual so that I could bonsai it. I have a friend who lives in DC (legalized growing for personal use) and I'm always amused at how our hobbies overlap. Anyways, I love watching Peter Chan just murder maples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEexxIDGVkw&t=180s Did some repotting -- in part because I got impatient, but also we've had some real warm spells in January, and the forecast looks to be more days in the 50's-60's within about two weeks so I'm a bit concerned about spring dropping early on us. New acquisitions (all raw): - A ~3gal Quince - A ~3gal Dawn Redwood - A ~1gal "Sango Kaku" (Coral Bark) Maple - A ~1gal "Miwaka Yatsubusa" Maple The Quince is going into a pond basket with bonsai soil to grow out some roots, then probably cutting back in mid-late summer as I decide on styling. The Redwood and maples are going into Air-Pots with a blend of nursery soil and pumice to grow out their roots and give them time to bulk up. The redwood I will probably just let go for 1-2 years, slip-pot into a larger air-pot, then let go for another 1-2 years. After that, root prune and transfer it to an Anderson tray to get the roots flat, and then style and transfer to a bonsai pot. The maples are both grafts, and while the grafts actually don't look too bad it's my understanding that it may get worse as the two trunk materials grow at slightly different rates. Either way, I'm planning on leaving them in air-pots to bulk out for a year, or two, then try to start air-layering off of them. I also dug up another wisteria sucker, so I'll probably give it a year or two to get it established in a pot then start thinking about styling. <jaws>We're going to need a bigger bench</jaws>
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Jan 30, 2020 18:11
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This year's big auction items, although I don't have the budget to bid this time around: https://bonsailakemerritt.com/mammoth-fundraiser/2020-mammoth-auction-items/ There's some weird stuff in there this year.
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Feb 11, 2020 01:19
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I have no experience growing any bonsai trees or anything, but I just had the realization that I will probably be at my job for years and that I would like some kind of plants to live on my desk. Since my office is probably going to be the same temperature year-round, would growing a bonsai tree be a reasonable option? If so, what kind? Would the ficus, as mentioned in the OP, be good enough, or is it too high maintenance?
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Feb 14, 2020 16:25
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 Hi I'm your new tree and I'm so happy to see you, come right in!
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Feb 14, 2020 16:54
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BONESAWWWWWW posted:I have no experience growing any bonsai trees or anything, but I just had the realization that I will probably be at my job for years and that I would like some kind of plants to live on my desk. I got a ficus a few months ago for my office and it is extremely happy. Just don't forget to water it. I had to go on travel for a week and my tree didn't get any water that week. It subsequently dropped to thirds of its leaves. It's back to normal now, but I got one of these pots for it, which takes care of its water for at least a week (I'll probably get poo poo from this crowd for it not being a traditional pot, but my ficus seems to love it): https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...d=1581696516434
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Feb 14, 2020 17:09
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BONESAWWWWWW posted:I have no experience growing any bonsai trees or anything, but I just had the realization that I will probably be at my job for years and that I would like some kind of plants to live on my desk. I bought a biggish ficus (maybe 2' tall) about four years ago with the intention of turning it into a bonsai tree. I've basically been letting the trunk thicken since then; I'm finally happy with the thickness of the trunk, so I intend to lop off the top soon and try to really do something with it. The neat thing about a ficus is that you can turn trimmed branches into more ficuses. Just jam them into another pot and they seem to take root pretty readily. My one plant has turned into four by now. They're also pretty low-maintenance; despite being tropical plants, they seem to stand up to my occasionally sporadic watering schedule well. In the summer, I like to put them out on the porch where they can get better sun, but they should have no trouble being 100% indoor plants. Portulacaria afra is also a good indoor plant, but it's a succulent so it looks a little different.
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Feb 14, 2020 17:10
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So what about lighting? My desk at the moment has 0 natural light. One day this may change but let's assume it won't. 2' seems rather high to sit on my desk, which is the ideal situation as I have little floor space available to me but lots of desk space. If it were shorter (I guess this is the whole point of doing bonsai) I could easily put it on my desk and get one of those small desk grow lights. Would that do me any good?
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Feb 14, 2020 17:23
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Nettle Soup posted:
It kind of looks like a cactus I love it
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Feb 14, 2020 17:46
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My root over brick continues very well, fig roots are hardy and pretty   I've been trying to grow out some new leaves for the coming winter and he slows down a bit in the cold I'm not sure how visable it is, but his root system has been pushing the brick around too, which has been kinda cool
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Feb 20, 2020 09:30
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I don't want to jinx it, but I think this guy made it through the air layering process. This was the first time I layered the whole top off a tree and I was really nervous that the tree wouldn't survive, but hey, it's been alive for a year now, so that's cool. This spring I will sever it and start on the ebihara method.
Crocoduck fucked around with this message at 02:16 on Feb 24, 2020 |
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Feb 24, 2020 02:14
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^^ That's looking good. I'm not sure I'm ready for air layering. Jestery your tree really looks good, quite unique. Which company is generally considered to make good quality bonsai tools?
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Feb 29, 2020 11:40
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bessantj posted:^^ That's looking good. I'm not sure I'm ready for air layering. Jestery your tree really looks good, quite unique. I've used kaneshin, kiku, masakuni, Josh Roth, American bonsai tools, and they've all struck me as good quality products. I'm not sure I could pass the pepsi challenge on any of them honestly. Tian makes good entry level tools that won't break the bank. Uhh yeah. I dunno man. See what you can get for cheap.
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Mar 1, 2020 21:51
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Crocoduck posted:I've used kaneshin, kiku, masakuni, Josh Roth, American bonsai tools, and they've all struck me as good quality products. I'm not sure I could pass the pepsi challenge on any of them honestly. Tian makes good entry level tools that won't break the bank. Uhh yeah. I dunno man. See what you can get for cheap. Thank you very much.
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Mar 1, 2020 22:18
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bessantj posted:Thank you very much. Not gonna lie, Masakuni are kinda pure sex now that I think about it...
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Mar 3, 2020 04:18
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Crocoduck posted:Not gonna lie, Masakuni are kinda pure sex now that I think about it... Holy moly at those prices they'd better be!
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Mar 3, 2020 14:07
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I'm guessing this is a matter of preference, but Stainless vs High Carbon?bessantj posted:Holy moly at those prices they'd better be! Yeah sex is great and all, but have you ever tried a pair of really sharp scissors?
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Mar 3, 2020 14:21
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Hubis posted:I'm guessing this is a matter of preference, but Stainless vs High Carbon? What's the difference? (Apart from the obvious I mean.) I've been having a look at some tools on line and now I have a job I think i'm going to buy some half decent ones and have a practise with them while saving up for the ones that look like they'll last a life time.
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Mar 3, 2020 14:47
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bessantj posted:What's the difference? (Apart from the obvious I mean.) Stainless won't corrode, wheras high carbon you have to baby a lot more in terms of drying, oiling, etc. High Carbon, on the other hand, should hold a sharper edge/hold an edge for longer, so require less maintenance on that front (I suspect). I have no idea for certain, though. My guess is that at the very very high end High Carbon is preferred for the consistently better cutting surface, and given that you are already operating at a level where you are probably sanitizing your tools constantly anyways the added cleaning isn't much of an impact. But I'm not sure how much better it actually is than stainless, or where the quality breakpoint is. Full disclosure: I'm still in the "nice pair of secateurs and some needle nosed plyers" stage of bonsai tools, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt.
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Mar 3, 2020 15:20
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I sterilise tools with bleach, which is a strong argument for stainless steel.
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Mar 3, 2020 15:41
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Platystemon posted:I sterilise tools with bleach, which is a strong argument for stainless steel. loving scrub, doesn’t even have an autoclave in their house 
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Mar 3, 2020 15:44
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Hubis posted:Stainless won't corrode, wheras high carbon you have to baby a lot more in terms of drying, oiling, etc. High Carbon, on the other hand, should hold a sharper edge/hold an edge for longer, so require less maintenance on that front (I suspect). I have no idea for certain, though. I run a couple Tian snips and they are a huge step up imo from basic gardening secateurs (but probably not necessary for what I do, I say use what you have and can afford)
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Mar 3, 2020 16:44
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Harry Potter on Ice posted:I run a couple Tian snips and they are a huge step up imo from basic gardening secateurs (but probably not necessary for what I do, I say use what you have and can afford) Yeah, between the bypass pruners for general pruning, long-nosed snippers for fine work, and razor saw for large cuts (not really necessary so far) and a and cultivator and chopstick for root work I can pretty much get the job done. I rely on a pair of needle-nosed pliers and diagonal cutters for wire work, which probably feels like the least optimal part of my current setup. It's worth noting that I am not really doing anything that isn't extremely "pre-bonsai" so my pruning is mostly just chops and directing growth, rather than anything that requires more delicacy. From what I've learned watching Peter Chan (drink!) you can do a hell of a lot with basic secaturs, the other tools just make it easier. The big things he seems to think can't be easily substituted are: 1) Concave Branch Cutters (or what I think he refers to as "combination cutters" which I think are both a branch cutter and knob-cutter in one) for leaving concave wounds that will heal over more quickly 2) Wire Cutters which I understand are way better than general purpose tools for removing wires without damaging the branches (although from the pictures they look pretty much like general old diagonal cutters to me). 3) Jin/Deadwood Tools (although this gets into advanced territory, and again it really seems like a decent pair of needle-nosed pliers could work in a pinch). The one other thing I don't have that I really should probably acquire is a dedicated pair of root pruning shears -- not because they need to have some special properties for the task, but just to avoid the wear-and-tear of cutting through gritty roots on my main tools. So my plan is to probably find a decent set of stainless tools that cover those bases sometime this year (or hint heavily at various gift-giving seasons) and build my collection from there as needs dictate.
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Mar 3, 2020 23:35
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bessantj posted:Holy moly at those prices they'd better be! I picked up an eleven piece kit, never been used, for $200.
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Mar 4, 2020 01:39
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These are my go to little shears, I'm told the used to be old dressmaking shears from Japan Truth be told they aren't fantastic for anything twiggy , but they are nice to have as a dedicated set 
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Mar 4, 2020 12:35
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Jestery posted:These are my go to little shears, I'm told the used to be old dressmaking shears from Japan I DO want a pair of those nifty spring shears, if only for the Japanese authenticity of it
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Mar 4, 2020 14:43
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I have a pair of shears similar to those and I use them for probably 95% of the trimming I do. They're fantastic.
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Mar 4, 2020 19:16
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Thought this was an appropriate thread to share this: https://twitter.com/HoooAW/status/1235878479234727936
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Mar 9, 2020 21:40
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There is a similar thing on a tree near my house This tree grows little gumnuts on thin branches , and sometimes they don't fall off and kinda get stuck for the next few.years of its life  
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Mar 10, 2020 22:25
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Mauro Stemberger is at my place y'all, updates to follow tomorrow evening.
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Mar 12, 2020 01:48
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Crocoduck posted:Mauro Stemberger is at my place y'all, updates to follow tomorrow evening. Dafuq?? 
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Mar 12, 2020 01:52
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Hubis posted:Dafuq?? Fuuuuuuuuck guys I'm so loving tired, we worked from morning until night on my trees. Repotted...four trees, did nine approach grafts, 10 root grafts, severed the palmatum air layer, blah, blah, blah. Tomorrow Mauro needs help wiring another client's tree so I will be his assistant for that. Pics will be posted on Saturday.
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Mar 13, 2020 01:59
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So Mauro asked me to wire his client's tree before he styled it. Here are the before and after shots... and after 
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Mar 14, 2020 04:42
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Crocoduck posted:So Mauro asked me to wire his client's tree before he styled it. Here are the before and after shots... I thought this was a larch but man it's just a fuckoff huge pine isn't it? How long did that take?
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Mar 14, 2020 05:02
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fuzzy_logic posted:I thought this was a larch but man it's just a fuckoff huge pine isn't it? How long did that take? Scott's pine, it took us around eight hours. Mauro is a fast as gently caress wirer, the other guy apprenticed in Japan for five years, so I was the neophyte and got ripped on for being slow. :p
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Mar 14, 2020 05:45
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Crocoduck posted:So Mauro asked me to wire his client's tree before he styled it. Here are the before and after shots... That is super cool
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Mar 18, 2020 16:31
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Goddamnit! I was watching this online shop to grab some conifer/maple saplings cheap. They were available up until like last week too. Guess everybody else had the same idea whatwith this virus and all that. Fuckin snapped up all the 4-6’ pines and regular bonsai specimens and whatnot lickety split!
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Mar 19, 2020 18:56
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