Looking for info

H

Hobbes

Sapling
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Location
Florida/Wisconsin
USDA Zone
9/5
Hi all! I've been interested in bonsai for years and finally have the time so I'm jumping in. I've been reading a lot on this site and I'm still quite lost with all the terms and basic concepts. Even the "newbie" forum seems to be geared to people who already have some basic knowledge.

So, I'm looming for some websites for reliable info for beginners. Basic techniques, terminology etc. I've seen this one recommended quite a
bithttps://www.evergreengardenworks.com/bonsaibe.htm . Anywhere else come to mind? I can obviously do a Google search, but being new, I won't know if any particular site is displaying good info... I've been in the reef aquarium hobby for about two decades and there is a LOT of bad info out there. Thanks in advance!
 
Welcome.
There are numerous threads on this already, like this one.
http://www.bonsainut.com/posts/386245/

There are listings of great books, blogs, YouTube tutorials, vendors etc. Use the search feature.

Also, update your profile to include your general location or USDA zone so members here can best reply specific to your climate.
 
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Learning the basics of bonsai is essential from day one. A lesson learned the hard way for me. Caring for your tree, repotting, wiring, watering. The last. But most important of all is watering. You will have to learn when your tree needs water. And when it doesn't. This is probably the most important aspect. This can't be stressed enough. I'm sure most on here would agree with me on this point. I think. Anyway.

Kimura say's. And not in these exact words. Treat every tree, no matter the price or value, with respect and love. This too I have learned the hard way. Sometimes I even have a hard time from not pushing a tree past it's breaking point.

Here is a good site with excellent information.
http://www.bonsaiempire.com/basics

You may also want to check out Bjorn's videos. A great way to start for beginners not having or wanting to spend a ton of money.
http://www.bjorvalabonsaistudio.com/online-bonsai-courses-video-tutorials/

Have fun. Don't stress it.

Chris
 
Welcome to Crazy!

We got a lot of reefers here...
Lot a potheads too....
And some reefersbthat are potheads...
And potheads that are reefers!

Bonsai4me.com

Well organized information.

Sorce
 
Thanks for the warm welcome and info everyone! I've got a lot of reading to do. I didn't update my location because I will be moving soon. I now live in Florida, but will be moving to Wisconsin in a few months...for a few years. Then moving back to Florida, so it's kind of complicated as far as bonsai is concerned haha.
 
Hobbes said:
moving to Wisconsin in a few months...for a few years. Then moving back to Florida
Click to expand...

Welcome to B-Nut! That is quite a move for plants to make and you might consider staring with tropicals as they can be wintered indoors further up north. When moved back south they could/should re-acclimate ok.

Just something to ponder before purchasing any stock at all in either location ;)

Grimmy
 
This may help absorb information a little better. Learn about one tree at a time. Say you want to have a ficus or a Chinese elm. Only do your research on one of the two that you'd like to start out with. I say this because there is tons of material to read on everything and techniques for a pine won't work for a ficus and techniques for a maple won't work for spruce. If you narrow it down it will make more sense and you should be able to absorb the info better. Reading on bonsai as a whole can get quite overwhelming. And since your going from FL to WI id say what grimmy says and go tropical or Chinese elm. They both are quite forgiving to learning on and should be able to make the move without too.much stress
 
Thanks for the responses. I know of a few species I like aesthetically, just still have to research how they will do where I will be living. Also how they do in general. I had hoped to get a couple maples and plant them in the ground to grow out for a few years when I was living in WI. Maybe work on some others while growing them out.

Do people in extreme climates ever grow bonsai under artificial light? I have plenty of extra lighting, all I would need to do is get plant bulbs. In case anything I liked did t do well in hot/cold climates...just a thought.
 
Hobbes said:
Do people in extreme climates ever grow bonsai under artificial light? I have plenty of extra lighting, all I would need to do is get plant bulbs. In case anything I liked did t do well in hot/cold climates...just a thought.
Click to expand...

Yes people do that. I mean for northerners wanting to have tropical. The other way around might be trickier: a ficus will survive in WI and thrill when back to FL, some maples will have a lot of troubles going down FL after being born and raise in WI...
I live in the N but don't have any special settings during the Winter for my tropical (I know it's bad but I'm not in charge of the household budget for very good and obvious reasons) but a lot of Nuts use them, in the search engine you should be able to find threads dealing with that.
 
Let me add my welcome as well. Just a couple of thoughts for you. Please add your location to your profile as most information will depend on the species and your location. Secondly join your local bonsai club as this is the best place to learn and develop relationships. Lastly the first two things you need to learn are how to keep your trees not just alive, but thriving for years AND patience because this horticultural art is not in hours, but years.
 
Hobbes said:
Do people in extreme climates ever grow bonsai under artificial light
Click to expand...
I just have trees that can thrive in my climate. Trying to keep others is a pain and a losing battle.
I know that junipers and Chinese elms can live in both Florida and Wisconsin. @sawgrass uses parsons juniper for sure in Florida. And I have a couple here in Michigan. The problem is the trees that have been living in Florida will be used to mild winters and will most likely need winter protection the first winter in Wisconsin.
 
Welcome aboard. You have gotten some good links for reading and good advise mostly. Glad you know already to be skeptical of on line information. Aways note the location or climate zone of the person giving horticulture advise. If they are not in your climate zone, be skeptical. I know little about wintering trees in zone 7, but I know alot in zone 5b. Not so much about zone 4a. And the differences are significant.
 
Brent Walston's website Evergreen Garden Works, is excellent. His archive of articles has one of the few collections of articles about taking nursery stock and seedlings and growing them to the ''pre-bonsai'' stage. How to get trees ready for their first styling. Majority of websites specialize in trees already past their first styling. Seedlings or nursery stock may need 3 to 5 years, sometimes more of work to get them ready to become bonsai, during which almost nothing in the fancy books will help you do. This sit's member John G, has a you tube page full of videos he has done over the years. Many are geared to the new to bonsai student, all are very easy to understand.
 
as a reefer, you know more about light than most.

medium shade for houseplants is roughly 1000 foot candles or 13000 LUX.

Half sun is about 4000 foot candles or approximately 43000 LUX. (lumens per square meter

most plants are not overly sensitive to spectrum, bluer is better to a point, but differences is growth are relatively minor, anything between 5200K and 6700K will give satisfactory results.

Daylength - most sun-tropical and tropical species are day length neutral - meaning day length does not govern growth habit. In which case you can compensate for lower light intensity with longer day length. I use an 18 hour day length 365 days a year with good results. With long day length, you can grow under 25000 LUX plants that under 12 hours day length would normally require 35000 LUX. This is not exact, but with long day length I have been blooming half to 3/4 direct sun orchids under lights that are delivering ''bright shade'' quality light.

There are exceptions, Chrysanthemum & Euphorbia puchella (Poinsettia) will not bloom under long day length. So you may have to dig for each species you are growing. Azalea use temperature changes to set flower buds, they can be grown under lights if you can chill them at night some 20 to 25 degrees F cooler than in the growing season. (below 60 F).

Murryara, Eugenia, Malpighia, Ficus, Pernettya, Carmona, Portulacara afra, are all easy under lights without having to max out light intensities.

Juniper procumbens nana can be grown under lights if you get as close to full sun intensities as possible, 43000 LUX or brighter. Pines in general are difficult to impossible under lights.

But with the understanding of light gardening you have fromyour reef expeience, setting up an indoor light garden is easy.
 
Thanks for all the help everyone. I've been reading a lot on evergreen garden works lately, and I've bookmarked some bonasi vocabulary sites for quick reference of terminology considering I'm new to gerdening and don't have the basic gardening vocabulary yet, let alone bonsai. I think my first step would be to see what species I'd like to try and do some research on those. I already have a ficus that I can start growing as a bonsai, and my mother in-law planted some azalea on the side of our house a few years ago. I might be able to take one of those for bonsai when we move and have a nice head start. Thanks for the info Leo, I shouldn't have any trouble reaching those numbers.
 
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