my crappy trees. years later...still crappy lol
- Thread starter Gbhunter77
- Start date
cbroad
Omono
Haha I'm right there with you, looks like a lot of mine, I've lost entire collections twice but they'd probably still be on the same level...
BT05
Seedling
That windswept style juniper doesn't look that bad, it looks healthy
cbroad
Omono
I know my problem, I'm not discerning enough and I need to stop bringing home crap. I work at a nursery and get a lot of freebies, I guess that's an excuse...?
Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
How many years are we talking about?
Have you learned to keep them alive?
If so, it hasnt been a waste.
The juniper doesn't look like a bad tree, from what I can tell from the bad pic, it just needs more work and time.
Patience, Rome was not built in one day, or two.
Have you learned to keep them alive?
If so, it hasnt been a waste.
The juniper doesn't look like a bad tree, from what I can tell from the bad pic, it just needs more work and time.
Patience, Rome was not built in one day, or two.
Last edited:
cbroad
Omono
@Gbhunter77
Don't see barberry that often though, you could developed that fast
Don't see barberry that often though, you could developed that fast
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
I think almost 2. I remember when GB joined.
Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
Yea, that's like 2 minutes to a bonsai
Gbhunter77
Mame
Its been 5 years. On the white pine I get mixed reviews. Some love it some do not. But most like it because I was told it was impossible to grow it. Thats why it still grows. Thats not the front . I like it but some masters told me not to waste my time and buy better material...then they pointed me toward better material that was 450$. Ha! I bought a 250 tree that looks like crap now. Ill show a pic in a minute.
Mike Corazzi
Masterpiece
Gbhunter77
Mame
Gbhunter77
Mame
Rid
Shohin
are any contractors buying materials at your nursery? They might be willing to Dig up a big shrub that would otherwise be headed for the dumpster on one of their projects. Just be specific about what you're looking for, offer them cash, and be willing to pick it up from their shop.
cbroad
Omono
@Rid
Yeah I know a great deal of them and a couple are on the look out but it can be a lot to ask them to dig a big stump carefully and haul it around all day. I've had customers offer to let me dig stuff, one guy had field maple growing all over his place and I'm kicking myself for not calling him.
Yeah I know a great deal of them and a couple are on the look out but it can be a lot to ask them to dig a big stump carefully and haul it around all day. I've had customers offer to let me dig stuff, one guy had field maple growing all over his place and I'm kicking myself for not calling him.
j evans
Omono
If you are like me you start with "junk", you take care of it, work on it, maybe kill it but if it lives..................it turns out as "nice junk". There are several of your trees that I like and wouldn't mind having. Keep you chin up, it is suppose to get better.
Eric Group
Masterpiece
Only one way to fix it: get better trees.
You can do this multiple ways though- sure the most obvious way is to drop serious coin on manicured specimens where someone else has done all the work for you!
That is the most expensive way, the fastest way and the most reliable way but not the ONLY way. I have nothing against doing it that way, I have a few trees that were "finished" when I aquitpred them and am adding another soon- but I think other options are more "fun"!
You can also collect trees from the wild! You live in Va, right? How close are you to the mountains? Know anybody with land up in the mountains? Virginia Pine (and many other varieties of pine), Hemlocks, Maples... All sorts of cool trees grow in the mountains around there! Got get one (or ten)! Find stuff on a hillside, clinging to life with some age and movement. Or, go find a swamp, see if there are any Bald Cypress close by... I believe they have a range up into your state... You can probably tell me more than I can name about the types of trees you can find growing in your area... someone mentioned landscape contractors- "Urban Yamadori" is a great source as well if you don't want to make a trip to the mountains or trudge around in a swamp... Find an old landscape Juniper, Japanese Maple, Crepe Myrtle... Look around. Finding trees with size and age can Save you decades of ground growing!
That option is generally free, gives you larger more mature stock than you can usually find even at a nursery (which finding good Bonsai at a regular nursery is POSSIBLE, just not common) and saves you years over another option you have:
Grow your own stock from young trees or even SEED. You get control over every step of the development! Wire a seedling up when it is young, force it to grow how you want it to grow, and let it run in the ground or a large container for years to get it to the size you want, then start working it down to a Bonsai pot. This is a rewarding though TIME CONSUMING option. I feel most people should try this at least a few times to try to learn the process from the ground up! And, if we had more people growing Bonsai for seedlings. We'd have more stock around that was grown with the intention of BEING a Bonsai from day one which would be a nice thing too...
That last step could be applied to a few of your trees to improve them even at the age they are now. Too often we tend to slap a tree in a small restrictive pot before they should be in an attempt to "have more Bonsai". Development slows/ STOPS when we do that and that is what leads us to the point you described yourself in today- "years later... Still crappy"! Got to do something to change the trees you have if you want to keep them and improve them. From what I can see most the moves you have made involved wire that isn't quite bending branches that may be too large to bend, or moving immature trees into Bonsai pots which isn't going to get you anywhere.
I am not going to blow smoke at you, give you an internet hug and tell you "your trees are nice, don't worry"... Because I don't think that is true. You nailed it- they are pretty much crap. A few have some potential but need a lot of work! Get better stock to start out with, get some professional training by attendi Bonsai events seminars... Read some books... Combine better trees with better care and you will make better Bonsai.
You can do this multiple ways though- sure the most obvious way is to drop serious coin on manicured specimens where someone else has done all the work for you!
That is the most expensive way, the fastest way and the most reliable way but not the ONLY way. I have nothing against doing it that way, I have a few trees that were "finished" when I aquitpred them and am adding another soon- but I think other options are more "fun"!
You can also collect trees from the wild! You live in Va, right? How close are you to the mountains? Know anybody with land up in the mountains? Virginia Pine (and many other varieties of pine), Hemlocks, Maples... All sorts of cool trees grow in the mountains around there! Got get one (or ten)! Find stuff on a hillside, clinging to life with some age and movement. Or, go find a swamp, see if there are any Bald Cypress close by... I believe they have a range up into your state... You can probably tell me more than I can name about the types of trees you can find growing in your area... someone mentioned landscape contractors- "Urban Yamadori" is a great source as well if you don't want to make a trip to the mountains or trudge around in a swamp... Find an old landscape Juniper, Japanese Maple, Crepe Myrtle... Look around. Finding trees with size and age can Save you decades of ground growing!
That option is generally free, gives you larger more mature stock than you can usually find even at a nursery (which finding good Bonsai at a regular nursery is POSSIBLE, just not common) and saves you years over another option you have:
Grow your own stock from young trees or even SEED. You get control over every step of the development! Wire a seedling up when it is young, force it to grow how you want it to grow, and let it run in the ground or a large container for years to get it to the size you want, then start working it down to a Bonsai pot. This is a rewarding though TIME CONSUMING option. I feel most people should try this at least a few times to try to learn the process from the ground up! And, if we had more people growing Bonsai for seedlings. We'd have more stock around that was grown with the intention of BEING a Bonsai from day one which would be a nice thing too...
That last step could be applied to a few of your trees to improve them even at the age they are now. Too often we tend to slap a tree in a small restrictive pot before they should be in an attempt to "have more Bonsai". Development slows/ STOPS when we do that and that is what leads us to the point you described yourself in today- "years later... Still crappy"! Got to do something to change the trees you have if you want to keep them and improve them. From what I can see most the moves you have made involved wire that isn't quite bending branches that may be too large to bend, or moving immature trees into Bonsai pots which isn't going to get you anywhere.
I am not going to blow smoke at you, give you an internet hug and tell you "your trees are nice, don't worry"... Because I don't think that is true. You nailed it- they are pretty much crap. A few have some potential but need a lot of work! Get better stock to start out with, get some professional training by attendi Bonsai events seminars... Read some books... Combine better trees with better care and you will make better Bonsai.
Gbhunter77
Mame
So here is a interesting question. What is the goal here,i have ran into so many people in this predicament. They say of this goes there and that goes here. But when asked if they like their tree the answer is something like well it won awards and this guy whos some big wig likes it.
i have seen trees in books that have been called world class that I would not spend 50 cents on. I have also seen people put lots of work and love into their trees only to have others crap all over them. Thus which is better to like what you make? Or to make what others like?
im in the bonsai is art catagory (but thats just me). I have had 3 pros look at them I will withold their names as they asked. One said they liked some of them,one was in different and the third said I should quit because its clear to him im wasting material that could be gold in the right hands. I guess my aproach is im going to do things the way I know. I have books, some contain miss information (like pinching), i have dvds and will learn. Im not goin go to go into this mess again but all the of the pros suggested I stay away from the local club,except 1 or 2 people in it.
i have some trees growing I will post those pictures soon.
i have seen trees in books that have been called world class that I would not spend 50 cents on. I have also seen people put lots of work and love into their trees only to have others crap all over them. Thus which is better to like what you make? Or to make what others like?
im in the bonsai is art catagory (but thats just me). I have had 3 pros look at them I will withold their names as they asked. One said they liked some of them,one was in different and the third said I should quit because its clear to him im wasting material that could be gold in the right hands. I guess my aproach is im going to do things the way I know. I have books, some contain miss information (like pinching), i have dvds and will learn. Im not goin go to go into this mess again but all the of the pros suggested I stay away from the local club,except 1 or 2 people in it.
i have some trees growing I will post those pictures soon.
A Random User
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Everyone is always in a rush to have nice stuff... I have been doing bonsai for over 12 years now... and it has not been until just recently that I have actually been interested in having a nice tree or two.
Up until then I was only concerned with doing one thing... learning how to do the work necessary to create bonsai. It's nice to know how to do the work myself. It's also nice to know how to transform a piece of crap into something nice.
Up until then I was only concerned with doing one thing... learning how to do the work necessary to create bonsai. It's nice to know how to do the work myself. It's also nice to know how to transform a piece of crap into something nice.
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
Whoever that is he isn't a bonsai guru I would ever talk to again.
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