First week of bonsai

[J-dub]

Just finally started learning about Bonsai this week ordered myself a 8 inch ficus from Brussels through Amazon, excited to style it when it comes, as it will be my first time. Also dug up what I found out later was referred to as yamadori, it was a random unknown shrub species out of the yard that I thought looked cool at the base , it's a triple trunk with a fat base and cool roots, cut off the 3 trunks about 7in or so tall from where they meet at the stump! Also my dad ordered me this nice book. Ordered what I will call pruning paint for now, and some wire also

 

[Carol 83]

Welcome to the forum and the hobby. Lots of good people and information here.

 

[Michael P]

You are off to a good start! Please put your location in your profile--everyone will be able to give you much better advice. And if there is a bonsai club in your area, join it. There are details of care that vary greatly in different climates. You can only get these from local bonsai enthusiasts.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Share some pictures of the yardadori!

 

[delta6]

"Yardadori" (depending on the species) are good to practice on coz it's free. Let it regain its health first (for about a year depending on its health) before you do any hard wiring coz that's stressful for the tree. The general rule (to be on the safe side) is to do one insult a year but depending on your experience and the tree's health, you can do both in one year without any problem. I certainly did this 5 years ago all in one season (light root pruning, heavy foliage pruning and heavy wiring with some jins here and there) and all 4 juniper trees are thriving well. Juniper trees are very resilient at least in my case. For the most part, it's always about the health of the tree first before we do any aesthetical intervention.

Also, it is best to look at bonsai qualities before you collect anything. Not all collected trees can be considered "Yamadori". It has to have bonsai qualities to be considered one. Although, the meaning of the word means collected tree but in Japan (when I visited some nurseries ages ago), the term "Yamadori" isn't given lightly. It has to show some great bonsai qualities to be considered one. Since then, everytime I see pictures of "Yamadori" here in the US, that's the first thing I look for and honestly, not all have very good bonsai qualities (can be subjective). You can Google "great bonsai qualities" and that will give you a general idea.

Anyway, enjoy the journey. This taught me patience ever since I started this hobby over 30 years ago. Bonsai is all about patience and doing things the right way and at the right time. Get more books, research online and watch videos - It'll help you a lot in your journey. There is Mirai as well..they have some good modules that you can check out. It is normal to make mistakes and possibly kill a tree. Don't let that discourage you but let it be learning lesson. Even after 30 years, I am still learning something new. It almost feel like it is an endless journey

* get to a local club too and maybe have a sensei to teach you a thing or two..that'll expedite things for you as well. Good luck.

 

[J-dub]

You are off to a good start! Please put your location in your profile--everyone will be able to give you much better advice. And if there is a bonsai club in your area, join it. There are details of care that vary greatly in different climates. You can only get these from local bonsai enthusiasts.

Got it put in there didn't even know how to at first haha

 

[delta6]

Good vid to watch.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Welcome Aboard Bonsai Nut.

A bonsai voyage isn’t always smooth sailing, but there is a lot of adventure and much to learn!

Cheers
DSD sends