Here's a question

[Rockwellbonsai]

Hi,
I have a question.
How do you learn..... Patience?
It sounds weird, and their probably isn't an answer.
But how did you guys learn it? Or are still learning it?
Thanks,
Porter

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Some people provide many good opportunities to practice patience.

Interesting statistic: this is the 22nd thread you've started in your first month here.

 

[Rockwellbonsai]

Oops,
Looks like I need to focus on ACTUAL bonsai instead of researching.
I'll take a break for a while.

 

[Judge]

No need for a break we have no one policing this site , EXCEPT !!!

 

[Dav4]

Ingredients/recipe for developing patience in bonsai: 1) kill many trees by overworking them, or working them at the wrong time of year, etc, 2) REALIZE that you killed many trees by overworking them or working them at the wrong time of year, 3) LEARN from your mistakes and stay in the hobby (many won't).

 

[Rockwellbonsai]

Thanks dav4!
I will take that into consideration.
And I've killed plenty of trees. And learned

 

[Judge]

Patience is something you need, when you are doing something you don't enjoy.

 

[Rockwellbonsai]

Well I do enjoy bonsai. For the past 3 years.
I just need to be patient when it comes to repotting, and timing of year, etc.
Thanks,
Porter

 

[chansen]

I just need to be patient when it comes to repotting, and timing of year, etc.
Porter

Spend lots of money on something, work it at the wrong time of year, and you'll learn

 

[Stan Kengai]

Instead of blowing all of your cash $10, $20, $30 at a time on seedlings and nursery material, save up (even if it takes 6 months or a year) and buy a nice piece material for $200+. You'll be far less likely to mistreat it.

I'm sure we've all had that newbie enthusiasm. What tempered it for me was comparing plants worked at the correct time of year to those worked incorrectly. It makes a world of difference.

 

[Rockwellbonsai]

Hi,
I think your right. It's easy for me to make a good amount of cash since I work hard every week.
I found a big japanese black pine in my area in a tokoname pot for $150. Its big.
Should I buy it?
Thanks,
Porter

 

[tmpgh]

You should only buy a tree you consider nice if you promise yourself to read first, ask questions second, actually listen to the answers third, then do the work on it. That's how you learn patience. By practicing patience.

 

[timetravel_0]

Ingredients/recipe for developing patience in bonsai: 1) kill many trees by overworking them, or working them at the wrong time of year, etc, 2) REALIZE that you killed many trees by overworking them or working them at the wrong time of year, 3) LEARN from your mistakes and stay in the hobby (many won't).

Best advice in the thread. Figure out and learn for yourself why you have to wait until the correct time of the year.

Being relatively new to this (about a year), I've learned already about overworking [dead Alberta Spruce], and I've learned about doing stuff in the wrong season [damaged Italian Cypress].

Spend lots of money on something, work it at the wrong time of year, and you'll learn

Best way to be one-and-done with the hobby. I'd quit too if I blew a wad of cash on a diminutive new piece of firewood.

Instead of blowing all of your cash $10, $20, $30 at a time on seedlings and nursery material, save up (even if it takes 6 months or a year) and buy a nice piece material for $200+. You'll be far less likely to mistreat it.

Out of my limited experience, I disagree. I can learn on cheap nursery stock and figure out what is "too much" and only be out $6 at a time.

I'm sure we've all had that newbie enthusiasm. What tempered it for me was comparing plants worked at the correct time of year to those worked incorrectly. It makes a world of difference.

$6 nursery stock is best for this. Set up legitimate controlled experiments.

I've taken the path of having small, cheap $6 trees and what I consider to be "better" still low-end stock... the $20 and $30 nursery stock. I have doubles of quite a few- I can learn off the cheap stuff with no regards, then apply what I find to work on the more "expensive" stuff.

 

[QuintinBonsai]

Find other ways to keep yourself occupied. I love to draw, play videogames, listen to music, and browse plant nurseries in my spare time. Besides watering, fertilizing, checking for pests/diseases, it's best if you just leave them be. If you're constantly hovering over them, you'll only stress yourself. You have other hobbies I presume? Cartoons? Fishing? Reading? Sports? Cooking?

 

[coh]

Instead of blowing all of your cash $10, $20, $30 at a time on seedlings and nursery material, save up (even if it takes 6 months or a year) and buy a nice piece material for $200+. You'll be far less likely to mistreat it.

I'm sure we've all had that newbie enthusiasm. What tempered it for me was comparing plants worked at the correct time of year to those worked incorrectly. It makes a world of difference.

I would take this one step further - buy one or a few "expensive" pieces (see below) AND a bunch of cheaper starters, nursery plants, seedlings. This way you can satisfy your urge to tinker on the cheap stuff.

As to what "expensive" is...not saying to spend $1000 or even $200 necessarily, just enough that when you get that urge to do something "questionable", you'll think twice or three times first.

I lost one of my most expensive trees 2 winters ago and it certainly woke me up!

Chris

 

[Dirty Nails]

Hi,
I think your right. It's easy for me to make a good amount of cash since I work hard every week.
I found a big japanese black pine in my area in a tokoname pot for $150. Its big.
Should I buy it?
Thanks,
Porter

Yes, absolutely buy it.

 

[cascade]

Patience

Count the leafs, when you defoliate a tree. Recount, when you pick them off the floor. Bless every one of them, when you discard them.

Best,
Dorothy

 

[bonsairxmd]

It's probably good that the Internet (and forums) did not exist when I was 14 y/o. My patience was zero and my ambitions were sky high. Lol. .

 

[M. Frary]

I have lots of trees of all kinds. That way I have something to do to a tree or trees most of the time.
I also have 3 other hobbies that require patience to learn proficiently: Tournament bass fishing. Playing guitar and practicing Taekwondo.
All of these things and bonsai have taught me immense patience.
The best way to learn patience is to be patient and patience will come.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Look for volunteer seedlings. Like elms, maples and oaks growing out of a parking posts. You can plant an army of them in a garden bed. Survival of the fittest. Or get some tropicals and rig up cheap 100w led chips on CPU coolers from ebay. Soldering will teach you patience, and then you won't need it when they go "little shop of horrors" on you.

Watering, I suppose is the best teacher of patience.. But not over-watering of course.