Gonna Get Into the Hobby

[OneEyeMan]

Hello all.
Been watching some You Tube videos and am hooked on the beauty and grace of these trees.
I'd like to start growing something but really don't want to jump down the rabbit hole of research just yet.
I'm a minimalist at heart and would like to start with only the bare essentials.
Obviously, I need a seedling to start with.
I assume I can just start it in a regular pot in regular soil to let it grow a bit before putting it in a Bonsai pot with special soil, right?
What's the best, most forgiving tree for a beginner to start with?
What tools will I need right up front?
Can I use good sharp regular scissors to do pruning with?
What kind of wire do I need to train brench growth.
How do I pick the size of bonsai pot when it's time to repot?
What soil should I repot into?
What kind of mesh do I use to cover the drainage holes?
Links to good suppliers are always appreciated.
And please post up your own pride and joys to inspire me.
I'm sure most of these questions have already been asked so if there's a similar thread, please point me there.
BTW I'm in Northwest NJ.
Thanks all

Reply

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

I'm a minimalist at heart and would like to start with only the bare essentials.

If I were you, I would save a couple hundred dollars instead, and buy one larger tree instead of a seedling.
Yes, you can start in a regular pot.
The special soil would be a blend of bonsai soils, like pumice and pine bark fines.
The best and most forgiving tree are different from one another. Because "best" is usually a combination of difficulty and execution, and most forgiving is least difficult. A procumbens nana juniper is right in the middle: both forgiving and easy to work with, and a "true" bonsai in the sense that execution can be very, very well done.
The tools you need up front are hands, chopsticks, scissors, gardening wire (aluminium or coated) for wiring the plant into the pot and thicker 3-6mm aluminium or copper wire for the trunk and branches.
any mesh will work for the pot holes, as long as the holes have a 1mm or bigger diameter. Otherwise they cake up with mud too fast.
You pick a pot that fits the design. This is subjective.

I think that answers most of your questions! Welcome to the hobby and the forum!

And keep in mind we will remember you said once you were a minimalist, but we are very forgiving if you end up with five benches and a crowded garden floor full of plants! As happened to all of us :-D

 

[dmwphoto]

Make sure you understand the difference between indoor and outdoor plants

 

[Attmos]

Hello all.
Been watching some You Tube videos and am hooked on the beauty and grace of these trees.
I'd like to start growing something but really don't want to jump down the rabbit hole of research just yet.
I'm a minimalist at heart and would like to start with only the bare essentials.
Obviously, I need a seedling to start with.
I assume I can just start it in a regular pot in regular soil to let it grow a bit before putting it in a Bonsai pot with special soil, right?
What's the best, most forgiving tree for a beginner to start with?
What tools will I need right up front?
Can I use good sharp regular scissors to do pruning with?
What kind of wire do I need to train brench growth.
How do I pick the size of bonsai pot when it's time to repot?
What soil should I repot into?
What kind of mesh do I use to cover the drainage holes?
Links to good suppliers are always appreciated.
And please post up your own pride and joys to inspire me.
I'm sure most of these questions have already been asked so if there's a similar thread, please point me there.
BTW I'm in Northwest NJ.
Thanks all

Reply

I've just started too. It's a lot to take in once you get involved....

 

[Barbells and bonsai]

Bald cypress are my favorite but apparently those are rare where you live.

 

[NeedlesAndLeaves]

Hello all.
Been watching some You Tube videos and am hooked on the beauty and grace of these trees.
I'd like to start growing something but really don't want to jump down the rabbit hole of research just yet.
I'm a minimalist at heart and would like to start with only the bare essentials.
Obviously, I need a seedling to start with.
I assume I can just start it in a regular pot in regular soil to let it grow a bit before putting it in a Bonsai pot with special soil, right?
What's the best, most forgiving tree for a beginner to start with?
What tools will I need right up front?
Can I use good sharp regular scissors to do pruning with?
What kind of wire do I need to train brench growth.
How do I pick the size of bonsai pot when it's time to repot?
What soil should I repot into?
What kind of mesh do I use to cover the drainage holes?
Links to good suppliers are always appreciated.
And please post up your own pride and joys to inspire me.
I'm sure most of these questions have already been asked so if there's a similar thread, please point me there.
BTW I'm in Northwest NJ.
Thanks all

Reply

Chinese Elm for example is a nice species to make a start with the hobby and to start learning some techniques.
Forgiving and fast growing tree

Youtube, books and articles are nice sources of information. Same like this forum which is a gold mine if you dive in to it!

 

[Michael P]

Where do you live? Like politics, all bonsai advice is local.

 

[WIlliam_Butler_Yeets]

lol i dunno how long the minimalism idea is gonna hold up, i got interested in bonsai this past spring and i have about a dozen now (though mostly all still in the growing out phase)

 

[pandacular]

I can appreciate the enthusiasm and the wave of questions! I won’t take a stab at answering those questions directly as Guy Wires covered that well, but I think you’ll find a lot of good resources here. Additionally, I’d look for in person mentors, ideally a club.

It would help others help you on this forum if you add your location to your profile. Settings > Your Account > Account Details.

There is likely far more value than you think currently in a tree that is established as a bonsai—in a roughly correct sized pot with good bonsai soil, possibly some styling done to it already. Starting with trees from nurseries or other sources can get you started, but working with material that was prepared for bonsai by others will get you much much farther. This can either be “pre-bonsai” plants, trees that have begun early phase training (notably, been potted correctly) or it can simply trees someone else is moving along from their collection. Many of my best trees in fact were purchased people I found on here.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Welcome. There are some very active bonsai clubs in NJ. Great Swamp may be relatively close to you if you are in northwestern NJ. As for species, If you want to start with a few key species, I would try to find:

Juniper (shimpaku or itoigawa are often considered gold standard species)
Pine (Consider our native pitch pine, or japanese black pine)
Maple (Japanese maple or trident maple are standard species. Here in NJ native species like red maple can also be used)
Elm (chinese elm is fool proof)

These are all trees which would remain outside year round.

 

[plant_dr]

Welcome to the hobby and to the forum!