rockm
Spuds Moyogi
Not a stupid question, just one that seems to bother you and it should.
My first "real" bonsai was purchased for $400 in 1989 from Chase Rosade. It was an imported Korean hornbeam. My wife knew how much I paid for it, told me she would fight tooth and nail if I tried to get another if it died. Sometimes buying a $1,000 tree when you have two years of bonsai experience can REALLLY REAAALLLLY motivate you to learn as much as you can in a short time. It can also lead to a dead tree and a lot of regret.
Working on old collected trees isn't really for relative newcomers. It takes a bit of know how. They don't behave like nursery trees, or even most specialized bonsai stock. A simple mistake on a trident maple's root zone is no big deal. The same mistake on a ponderosa can kill it outright. Simply wiring a ponderosa can damage its roots to such an extent it dies--even tiny movements of the rootball in the pot can rub off brittle feeder roots,--knowing how to secure the root mass with jacks, bungee cords, etc. isn't usually brought up in books or online vids. Each species has its set of quirks, which can become more exaggerated the older they get.
For instance, if you don't have soil that looks and drains like gravel, you're going to have a dead ponderosa mostly. Overfertilize it and you have a mess, OR a dead tree...Even if you've managed to get most of the borers out it after you get it.
Think about this purchase very carefully, ESPECIALLY if you're going for a very expensive older tree. Such a tree deserves someone with the know how to keep it alive and make it look its best. You are taking on a life, not just an object...
My first "real" bonsai was purchased for $400 in 1989 from Chase Rosade. It was an imported Korean hornbeam. My wife knew how much I paid for it, told me she would fight tooth and nail if I tried to get another if it died. Sometimes buying a $1,000 tree when you have two years of bonsai experience can REALLLY REAAALLLLY motivate you to learn as much as you can in a short time. It can also lead to a dead tree and a lot of regret.
Working on old collected trees isn't really for relative newcomers. It takes a bit of know how. They don't behave like nursery trees, or even most specialized bonsai stock. A simple mistake on a trident maple's root zone is no big deal. The same mistake on a ponderosa can kill it outright. Simply wiring a ponderosa can damage its roots to such an extent it dies--even tiny movements of the rootball in the pot can rub off brittle feeder roots,--knowing how to secure the root mass with jacks, bungee cords, etc. isn't usually brought up in books or online vids. Each species has its set of quirks, which can become more exaggerated the older they get.
For instance, if you don't have soil that looks and drains like gravel, you're going to have a dead ponderosa mostly. Overfertilize it and you have a mess, OR a dead tree...Even if you've managed to get most of the borers out it after you get it.
Think about this purchase very carefully, ESPECIALLY if you're going for a very expensive older tree. Such a tree deserves someone with the know how to keep it alive and make it look its best. You are taking on a life, not just an object...
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