How to be a successful bonsai beginner

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

Great advice. I live in the Deep South. I’ve tried several times to grow Japanese larches and to no avail…EVER! Why is this such a problem?

Larch are hardy trees that can adapt to climates with cool summers and cold winters, but they don't tolerate hot climates, especially when combined with high humidity. Cool trees for sure. For the record I should be following "the species that will grow in your climate rule", and I will learn the hard way.

 

[Joe Dupre']

I was looking at a video about maples. It seems the USDA zones are skewed towards cold hardiness, not heat tolerance. That gets kind of dicey around zones 9 and 10. Some trees need a certain number of chill hours to flourish. Not too many apple trees in South Louisiana.

 

[Bonsai Forest]

You'd think that now that I know it all I wouldn't have any more failures. Actually, I still try to grow things that I should be smart enough to avoid, and the outcomes are pretty predictable. It's like being told to marry the plain girl that can cook and clean give you healthy kids.
And then looking for her hanging out in bar?

The fig family includes all the tropical figs all of which are bulletproof and there are many different leaf shapes for good plants to overwinter as houseplants. Mulberry is in the same family and is a bulletproof hardy tree. The whole family grows fast, takes drastic work without pouting too much and are available nearly everywhere. Mulberry is native to NA and they are seeded by birds regularly, so just look around the yard. Don't be fooled by the big leaves which are shaped like the state of Michigan because they reduce and get frilly at the same time. You are lucky to live where you can have a Tamarack forest of trees you can collect anywhere up north from Midland north. Just drive up M31, M37 or US 131, watch the skyline and look for low areas. Take your boots. I'll let others offer other trees for beginners, except @sorce who has already blown it with Mugo Pine, which is not easy to keep alive unless you never work on them.

See you at Meijer Gardens in May!

“If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life”

 

[Gabler]

I was looking at a video about maples. It seems the USDA zones are skewed towards cold hardiness, not heat tolerance. That gets kind of dicey around zones 9 and 10. Some trees need a certain number of chill hours to flourish. Not too many apple trees in South Louisiana.

That's all they ever were to begin with. The zones have nothing to do with heat. It's just a rating that corresponds to the average lowest temperature each winter. In zone 7, the lowest temperature each winter tends to dip as low as 0°F. In zone 8, it's 10°F, etc.

 

[Mad Tabby]

That's all they ever were to begin with. The zones have nothing to do with heat. It's just a rating that corresponds to the average lowest temperature each winter. In zone 7, the lowest temperature each winter tends to dip as low as 0°F. In zone 8, it's 10°F, etc.

Okay, but usually when I look at the plants itself, I get a range. For example apples are generally 4-8 meaning 9 is too warm.

That being said it’s just a start. There’s a lot of plants that cannot take the Chinooks off the Rockies because they’ll take that warm week in January as time to start growing only to be killed by the -40 the next week. So all the plants we grow have to be light triggered for growing as opposed to warmth.

 

[xray]

While you are on the topic of zones and heat.
When reading about maples need partial shade and be careful with afternoon sun.
Do that also apply to zone 5a where I live as well? I Imagine sun is stronger closer to equator, but I might be totally wrong here.