What's the last thing you've learned in bonsai

[It's Kev]

throw away your damn leaves and twigs and whatever "yard trimmings" you have, just toss them immediately. i was gonna do it later, then we went away for the weekend and some big heavy rains came. my gaden/courtyard trash blocked the drainage and i almost came back to a flooded apartment...
Imagine this, an apartment on the 5th floor of a building, flooded in the rain

 

[bluone23]

When planting prebonsai in normal containers, do not use a mesh on the bottom, it will be a nightmare to take out.

Instead cut a piece of paper/cardboard, the soil will not fall out and in 1-2 years it will degrade.

 

[penumbra]

Still learning when to keep quiet. Its a struggle but I seem to be getting it more now than when I was younger.

 

[ShadyStump]

Still learning when to keep quiet. Its a struggle but I seem to be getting it more now than when I was younger.

Shut up, hippie!

 

[ShadyStump]

I've learned that I'm an excellent self-starter and ready to jump on any project right away!

It's that finishing part I struggle with.
Need to make some damned decisions and actually style my trees, not just perpetually plan.

 

[Cadillactaste]

OCD plus bonsai is a dangerous combination.

OCD... almost pushed me out of the hobby. It was a struggle...to remove wire and reapply early on. Because...how do you set branches in the exact same place as before? It took me awhile to grasp...each time you apply you get better. So you will set it better than the previous time.

 

[ShadyStump]

Still learning when to keep quiet. Its a struggle but I seem to be getting it more now than when I was younger.

Oh, BTW, when will have your next batch of pots ready?
Got my tax return, and I haven't spent it all on junk yet.

 

[hemmy]

When planting prebonsai in normal containers, do not use a mesh on the bottom, it will be a nightmare to take out.

Instead cut a piece of paper/cardboard, the soil will not fall out and in 1-2 years it will degrade.

I’ve tried packing peanuts to obscure the larger holes on the side/bottom of nursery containers. Now I use wadded up paper.

But when potting up to a larger container or going down to a bonsai container those bottom matted roots have to go anyway. A cheap serrated knife can cut away the matted base of the rootball.

 

[penumbra]

Instead cut a piece of paper/cardboard, the soil will not fall out and in 1-2 years it will degrade.

I’ve tried packing peanuts to obscure the larger holes on the side/bottom of nursery containers. Now I use wadded up paper.

In deep pots (most nursery pot) I use a layer of coarse pine park. It shallower pots, or actually any pot, I use a small clump of long fiber sphagnum moss top cover the holes.

 

[penumbra]

Shut up, hippie!

Love you dude.

 

[penumbra]

Oh, BTW, when will have your next batch of pots ready?
Got my tax return, and I haven't spent it all on junk yet.

You need junk ..... I've got junk. Seriously, what size, shape are you looking for?

 

[Cadillactaste]

A new fertilizing regiment...I can't share...or I'll have to kill you.

But one I respect...from the UK shared...and I'm going to try something a bit differently this year.

 

[ShadyStump]

You need junk ..... I've got junk. Seriously, what size, shape are you looking for?

Not anything too particular, I just love your stone age pots. Largish so I can over-pot a little to compensate for our hot dry summers.

 

[BrianBay9]

I learned how to properly apply raffia. Working with Todd Schlafer - had me rewrap the same branch four times. Who knew that there were so many little things to pay attention to? Who knew I was such a slow learner?

 

[Perplexody]

I learned to not do everything at once, maybe if I repot a tree I don't have to wire and style it at the same time

I guarantee I will have to relearn this over and over again

 

[milehigh_7]

The last thing I learned was it's a little too late (100F) to be repotting anything but Bougs in AZ... My Parrot's Beak and Escambron took a few days to snap back after a repot last week. I really didn't have a choice they were not doing well.

 

[milehigh_7]

Not anything too particular, I just love your stone age pots. Largish so I can over-pot a little to compensate for our hot dry summers.

Hey Shady, where are you from?

 

[pandacular]

I learned that sometimes one cut will solve two problems. I've tried to use this to my advantage when cleaning and pruning, as sometimes I can stumped on how pieces will fall together, but moving on to another portion with a more obvious choice will make that first decision for me.

Sometimes one cut can cause two problems at once... still haven't figured out how to use that one.

 

[Joe Dupre']

When a tree seems a bit waterlogged and starts to grow a bit slower, I do the counter-intuitive thing and flush it with MORE water. Sometimes that flushes out old, stale water and debris and pulls in more fresh air. I've seen it turn a tree around many times.

 

[Fidur]

I've learnt I have to wear my presbyopia glasses when I decide to chop a branch.
I have destroyed at least 3 "good and promising" designs, that I had to redo with lesser quality.