BONSAI AND BUSHCRAFT

[bushwacker bob]

does anyone grow bonsai trees? if not you should. I have been cultivating bonsai for about 25 years and realised the value of experiencing the growth patterns, habits likes and dislikes of most native british trees.it has taught me in precise detail what order the leaves appear and fall and how to identify most species by either bud,leaf or bark.in short I have a mixed woodland in my small garden and regularly learn from it. They also look good and make people think im artistic and/or green fingered! :idea:

 

[Wayne]

i enjoy growing Bonsai.

Nothing like learning the history of a tree before you start to shape it.

 

[TAHAWK]

Samurai warriors cutivated bonsai out of a love of art and nature. It is an excellent learning tool and source or relaxation. It helps one keep his/her mind off the mindless louts who are also part of the environment. :!:

 

[Roving Rich]

Do you trim the roots ? or just keep the foliage and new growth in check?
Never tried it, just curios :-D
rich

 

[TAHAWK]

Do you trim the roots ? or just keep the foliage and new growth in check?
Never tried it, just curios :-D
rich

Depends on the species. Some, like our Larch, are so sensitive to root prunning that ever larger pots seem the only answer. Some members of our club have, after years, ended up with 1 meter tall 100 kilo monsters shifted about only by collective effort.

Elms for example get 1/3 of root ball removed each year in our climate and thrive on it.

(Some of the most useful books on Bonsai are by British authors: e.g. Harry Tomlinson; Colin Lewis; Dan Barton).

 

[Roving Rich]

Wow elm trees, we had them once. Their roots are continuous from tree to tree, so they communicate between themselves. Sadly this also helped the spread of the disease which wiped em out :-(
Is any tree a suitable candidate, could i pick a seedling and grow it as a bonsai?
Rich

 

[bushwacker bob]

yep! seedling or nursery stock are exellent ways to start. Most of my trees are English woodland species collected as seeds or seedlings.Just grow them in a flower pot for a few years and they start to reduce their leafsize on their own due to restricted root spread.

the longest journeys start with one small step

 

[Martyn]

I had a serissa, about 2 feet tall (I paid £150 for it), very nice it was too, but i think I killed it. I dunno what I did wrong, I thought I was looking after it pretty well, it lasted about 18 months, then it just lost all it's leaves and died. Maybe a fungus or something. Any recommendations on hardy species?

 

[TAHAWK]

I had a serissa, about 2 feet tall (I paid £150 for it), very nice it was too, but i think I killed it. I dunno what I did wrong, I thought I was looking after it pretty well, it lasted about 18 months, then it just lost all it's leaves and died. Maybe a fungus or something. Any recommendations on hardy species?

Serissas are noted for dying suddenly -- even when kept by veteran bonsai types. They are one of those "tweeners," liking cold, but not too cold and wet, but not too wet.

Speaking of non-tropical species, elms are tough as weeds and usually available. Hornbeams are quite hardy, as are junipers.

Check out one of the books by the authors noted above.

There are many bonsai sites on the Internet.

Local bonsai clubs are a source of good advice about what works best in your area.

 

[rich59]

I've recently found the challenge of bonsai interesting. It started when someone gave me an off-the-shelf kit for a present. Getting the provided seeds prepared to germinate (warmth and cold periods for some) got me committed to this way of raising new baby trees. Then I went off the idea of foreign species but realised that UK trees are much more fascinating. So I've set out to collect seeds/ seedlings/ cuttings of all the main UK trees.

Reading a little I think I need to basically keep them in pots for the next few years before needing to root prune each winter and begin to work on making them look presentable.

It's already teaching me about trees in a new way. I was amazed at the way willow trees grow from seed. Fresh seed will germinate within 24 hours.

So far I've got elder, holly, horse chestnut, cherry plum, goat willow, sycamore, hawthorn.

 

[Seagull]

I've recently found the challenge of bonsai interesting. It started when someone gave me an off-the-shelf kit for a present. Getting the provided seeds prepared to germinate (warmth and cold periods for some) got me committed to this way of raising new baby trees. Then I went off the idea of foreign species but realised that UK trees are much more fascinating. So I've set out to collect seeds/ seedlings/ cuttings of all the main UK trees.

Reading a little I think I need to basically keep them in pots for the next few years before needing to root prune each winter and begin to work on making them look presentable.

It's already teaching me about trees in a new way. I was amazed at the way willow trees grow from seed. Fresh seed will germinate within 24 hours.

So far I've got elder, holly, horse chestnut, cherry plum, goat willow, sycamore, hawthorn.

I must have missed this thread when it was first posted.
Hats-off for getting into Bonsai in the first place. You're right about it being a challenge, this is the phase that often puts folk right off after a couple of seasons. There are loads and loads of sorrowful stories where the failure of interest was the result of a tree dying in its socks. This happens, but
thanks to time, the challenge period will transmogrify into something else completely, as knowledge is gained as a result of experience .
To gain practical knowledge, the best thing I ever did, was to buy 3 doz Larch sticklings, potting-up half of them and ground planting the other half...so that by the time I had eventually killed off all the potted trees in trying out all the techniques...I had a whole bunch of hefty and vigorous, ground grown stock with which to make an investment in their development.
Of Bonsai literature, I have to say that a good deal of misleading information, regarding growth and techniques, is readily available...and I learned that fact in the hardest way...for I had thought that any written word would just have to be the right pathway.

Honestly, reading through the books and casting the long eye over the glorious pics of Bonsai, can so easily lead to dreaming the future to happen from tomorrow onward, wishing away ones life..always being obsessed with future planning and willing the next season to happen long before nature intended it to.
For myself, it was always an exercise in creating something beautiful and learning the art of patience and I can truthfully say that, after over 40 years involvement, it would seem to be working.

Best of luck to you, on this journey, do stick with it, through all the ups and downs, for it is going to lift the level of your creative streak in a way I cannot adequately describe. There's lot of advice on the Web, but be cautious and know it is easily forgotten that, for the most part, all the footage on techniques pre-supposes a very firm grasp on the knowledge of keeping trees alive.

Regards
Ceeg (Keaki)

 

[Kadushu]

I've got 2 horse chestnuts which I've had for 15 years or more and a silver birch which is maybe 5 or 6 years old. They don't look much like traditional bonsais but they are still alive *shrugs*

 

[rich59]

Thanks for the encouragement.

Now, my mum has always liked plants and gardens and I envy her mixed south facing border. She has a whole load of potted plants she nurtures in her conservatory. She recently got into caring for "weeds" in those pots as she found them interesting to watch grow and change.

So, I have given her a set of tree seedlings to hopefully enjoy nurturing.

The only thing is... she is aged 101! So the point is the process rather than any end product in 10-15 years time I would think.

 

[SaraR]

yep! seedling or nursery stock are exellent ways to start. Most of my trees are English woodland species collected as seeds or seedlings.Just grow them in a flower pot for a few years and they start to reduce their leafsize on their own due to restricted root spread.

Does it have to be a seedling or could you do the same with a small sapling, and if so how old/big a sapling can you dig up out of the ground and plant in a pot without killing it?

 

[Seagull]

If you don't mind me coming in on this one,SaraR.
Given an understanding of the techniques for collecting stock and their necessary aftercare, it is possible to extract seedlings , saplings and right the way up to large trees.

Assessing root mass and minimising damage are two of the important swing points. You might get lucky with lifting seedlings/saplings, just treat them as you would do if potting-up a germinated seed.
The soil dynamics in pot growth and ground growth are quite different ...you can't expect a handful of ordinary soil to work well in pot growth, air and drainage are vital in the smaller volume of growing space available in pots.
With larger than saplings, extraction, as a rule, needs to include as much useful rootage and soil as possible and the item needs a period of recuperation, which is why I wouldn't recommend the immediate potting-up of sizeable stuff, they need time to establish a different kind of root system to the ground-grown norm...better they recoupe in a sizeable wooden box for a season or so.

Having said all that, larger deciduous trees can actually be easier to transplant......4 months ago I lifted and transplanted a Japanese Maple 14 feet tall, with a 8 inch diameter trunk...and it's away in leaf and extending growth all over. So much of success in transplanting depends on seasonality and growth habits.

Best of luck, but I fancy that the optimum time to do any tree lifting, has passed til next early Spring.

Regards
Ceeg

 

[SaraR]

tha

If you don't mind me coming in on this one,SaraR.
Given an understanding of the techniques for collecting stock and their necessary aftercare, it is possible to extract seedlings , saplings and right the way up to large trees.

Assessing root mass and minimising damage are two of the important swing points. You might get lucky with lifting seedlings/saplings, just treat them as you would do if potting-up a germinated seed.
The soil dynamics in pot growth and ground growth are quite different ...you can't expect a handful of ordinary soil to work well in pot growth, air and drainage are vital in the smaller volume of growing space available in pots.
With larger than saplings, extraction, as a rule, needs to include as much useful rootage and soil as possible and the item needs a period of recuperation, which is why I wouldn't recommend the immediate potting-up of sizeable stuff, they need time to establish a different kind of root system to the ground-grown norm...better they recoupe in a sizeable wooden box for a season or so.

Having said all that, larger deciduous trees can actually be easier to transplant......4 months ago I lifted and transplanted a Japanese Maple 14 feet tall, with a 8 inch diameter trunk...and it's away in leaf and extending growth all over. So much of success in transplanting depends on seasonality and growth habits.

Best of luck, but I fancy that the optimum time to do any tree lifting, has passed til next early Spring.

Regards
Ceeg

Thanks, that was very informative! We’ve got so many little trees popping up in unsuitable places, so I thought I could try potting a few of them up (rather than just moving them to somewhere else in the garden).

 

[rich59]

So far my seedlings seem to be quite happy in small/ 3 inch pots, in shade, sitting on capillary matting. I thought I'd have more trouble with pale, stretched out growth.

I wonder if what is working for me is that this is not dissimilar to the natural experience of young trees - germinating in full shade under trees, competing for root space with their parents and big brothers and sisters. In that environment they are often happy for years, biding their time until something changes that gives them more light and root space.

 

[johnbaz]

Dragging an old thread up, I started doing Bonsai when I lost the end of my finger at work and was off a while, Was bored so bought a couple of small threes, Nothing happened for weeks!

Now I have too many trees for the space in the garden so many are on the ground!

A couple of Larch that I took in autumn last year just before the foliage dropped..

And a Field Maple..

I just sold this Juniper at the Bonsai Experience in Doncaster as it played my arthritis up each time I had to move it!!
It was 36" tall and 42" across the foliage, A chap was going to come from Newcastle on Tyne to buy it from me, I asked what vehicle he was coming in, It was a BMW series 1, I had to tell him that it wouldn't fit in, It only just fitted in to my Seat Altea!!

These were self set Ligustrums (Privet) that just appeared in a pot that was left at the edge of the garden, I wired them and removed small branches that weren't needed..

This was a small patio Acer that was very sparse, I potted in to the dish and wired it, It's coming ok now..

Almost all the way around the garden is like this!!

John..

 

[johnbaz]

This is a pic of the Acer (katsura) before I put it in to a Bonsai dish and wired it, I was going to cut the top skinny part off and make a broom style, Glad I left it to make a slanting (Shakan) tree..

Before the wire was applied..

And after the wire which I left on too long and it bit in to the bark! (Can be seen on the runk high up)

John..

 

[Robbi]

Fantastic John