| Wee Trees Bonsai Help Forum Advice for all http://weetrees.co.uk/phpBB3/ |
|
| Advice? http://weetrees.co.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=7069 |
Page 1 of 2 |
| Author: | jonporter1 [ 05 Jun 2012, 12:50 ] |
| Post subject: | Advice? |
I am currently looking to buy my second bonsai but this time I would like to buy a seedling so that the end result will be due entirely from my efforts (good or bad!) I am quite drawn to a pine and was wondering if this is a sensible move?and if so which pine because I have seen a black pine seedling and a scots pine seedling can any one offer some advice please? |
|
| Author: | jonporter1 [ 05 Jun 2012, 13:02 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Advice? |
I've thought about that but I want a young tree that I will eventually be able to practice shaping and wiring with,would a pine be suitable for this? |
|
| Author: | daryl [ 05 Jun 2012, 13:43 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Advice? |
I would recommend that you skip over the first few years of actually growing the seed into something 'trainable' and go to a supplier of tree saplings to get something that already has a bit of height and girth. You can use online tree sellers or specialist bonsai sellers. I understand the desire to have done it all yourself but if you buy something untrained it will still be entirely your work that makes it what it will be. You could always grow something from seed at the same time to develop in later years when you have more knowledge. I agree with Stymie to steer clear of pines initially. Good species for beginners are cotoneasters, loniceras, larches, hawthorn to name a few. All are relatively quick growing and quite forgiving. My local Wilkinsons currently have some nice little acers with all kinds of different leaf shapes and colours and no ugly grafts. About a foot high for £4.99. |
|
| Author: | jonporter1 [ 05 Jun 2012, 13:49 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Advice? |
Thank you for your advice, much appreciated I will look at one of your suggestions as a project,would a maple not be suitable? |
|
| Author: | jonporter1 [ 05 Jun 2012, 13:55 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Advice? |
Ok then I will look for the suggested saplings,Thank you very much :) |
|
| Author: | arihato [ 05 Jun 2012, 14:25 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Advice? |
As a 'from seed' grower, it takes at least 6 to 10 years before you get something 'trainable'. That is if you did these years all the right things. Growing from seed is a specialised business that requires more advanced Bonsai knowledge. Because you will have one sapling you would not be inclined to take drastic measure that are sometimes needed. I have dozens of seedlings and if one or more die in the process it is a calculated and acceptable loss. I do not want to discourage you from growing seedlings but it is not the way to learn Bonsai. Go to garden centres and buy Cotoneaster, Elm, Juniperus, established plants, that can stand a bit of abuse. Once you know what you are doing, start to grow from seed. |
|
| Author: | jonporter1 [ 05 Jun 2012, 16:00 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Advice? |
Ok then thank you for the advice everyone |
|
| Author: | NickB [ 05 Jun 2012, 20:33 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Advice? |
Seedlings are a worthwhile pastime........ but , as already stated, you will be looking at least 10 years before you have something that is approaching 'Bonsai'. If you are lucky. My first choice of Pine would be Scots. I have several young seedlings on the go at the moment, but they really need to be planted in the open ground and grown for several years to thicken and taper the trunk. Then the branches can be selected and trained. Unlike Junipers, Pines cant just be shaped overnight, they need special pinching techniques to build up foliage pads and branches. Mugos are OK, also and are usually available in local garden centres. Japanese White have several cultivars available in the UK, but can be expensive, and are harder to train than Scots. If can afford it, the best way of learning Bonsai is to purchase several nursery or garden centre shrubs that have trunks of 20mm-1"+ and get to shaping them straight away. Another good way is to check your garden (if you have one), and identify any shrubs or trees that have potential. Thing is, if you are serious and have space, you need to have many different projects on the go at once to enable you to try new techniques and see how different species respond to training. Good luck |
|
| Author: | ken [ 10 Jun 2012, 16:29 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Advice? |
If you're into conifers and like wiring, I'd recommend buying garden center junipers since they're inexpensive and aren't as picky as pines. Plus, junipers are a whole lot cheaper than pines. If you do plan to grow from seed, I'd try to grow about at least 1000 of each variety to make things worthwhile. Regards, Ken |
|
| Page 1 of 2 | All times are UTC [ DST ] |
| Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group http://www.phpbb.com/ |
|