Bonsai Trees

[Anonymous No.49348]

anyone here familiar with shaping their own bonsai? Share your favorite tree or shaping method. also, general care and upkeep info

[Anonymous No.49350]

Ive had two outdoor bonsai, one from scratch and one shaped in shop. unfortunately, i lost one while moving, and the other to frost this past winter.

[Anonymous No.49356]

ive always been partial to pomegranate trees, though ive heard they are difficult an armature like me to shape. i generally prefer using wires to bend and shape branches, if anyone has used weights, are they more effective?

[Anonymous No.49361]

>>49356
>armature
>mfw

[Anonymous No.49362]

the climate where i live is really harsh in winter, so that outdoor trees would need to be taken inside. thats how i killed my poor tree.

[Anonymous No.49365]

>>49361
"In sculpture, an armature is a framework around which the sculpture is built"

oops... you know what i meant to say

[Anonymous No.49367]

i want to get into this, these trees are so cool

any tips on where to start?

[Anonymous No.49378]

just from searching the tumblr, people on there have no idea what an actual bonsai is supposed to look like. only found a couple nice examples.

a tip for beginners is to buy from quality nurseries or plant specific shops, not the grocery store. plants will be healthier and planted in the correct mix of soil, and employees there can give you advice if you get stuck.

[Anonymous No.49380]

Fuck yea, i dont know shit about bonsai, instead of google im going to use you guys.

Is a bonsai a tree? or a shaped tree? if its a shaped tree, any tree can be turn into a bonsai or what the hell?

Also i want to learn more about tree sculpting, i dont know if thats the name but i want to use a mezquite tree to sculpt.

[Anonymous No.49398]

check out books from your local library for in depth info for your region and zone, but basic basics are this:

the goal is to grow a tree in a miniaturized version of its natural self. to make the most beautiful shape, you change the way the branches grow to something more pleasing, using a wire coiled around the branches or weights/clamps. it isnt a one-day adventure, bonsai trees can take 30 years to mature, because they grow at the same rate as real trees (obv trimming is a big part of care). there are even some bonsai practically 500 years old!

[Anonymous No.49405]

>>49380
almost any tree can be grown as a bonsai, but not all of them look good. pic related. trees with smaller leaves tend to look much better, as they look more realistically miniature. a bummer, because ginkgo are awesome, but are one of the hardest trees to grow as a bonsai. (though it can be done)

[Anonymous No.49408]

>>49365
i see, lol.
Well, I bumped the thread anyway cos I'm interested in the topic.
An actual question: I read that it's best not to move bonsais, but I live in a place with a very unsteady climate (summer: up to 40°C (104°F), winter: to -20°C(-4°F)). wat do? should I place them inside or outside?

[Anonymous No.49415]

>>49408
Damn it, guise, now I'm all excited about this.
Which tree is the best for a beginner? Is it better to buy a bonsai or to 'make' one?

[Anonymous No.49431]

>>49398
i want something like that, something that takes years and i can watch it change through time.

Im choosing mezquite because is what it grows naturally here, so i dont think cold or hot will kill it. But im not sure about the growth rate. I think they develop too fast at the begining.

Checking books in a library is not an option here. No libraries. Google is my only option.

[Anony-Mouse !oH4Xx2Olmo No.49433]

Wait, so a Bonsai is just any miniature tree?
I always thought it was just a specific type of tree.
Neat! Anyone have any good starters guides? I have a bunch of Pomegranate seeds, and this seems like a nice, long-term project.

[Anonymous No.49440]

>>49408
inside bonsai are more susceptible to diseases, or so i've heard. they are picky about light and breezes (fanin the room=bad), and humidity. however, they are relatively safe temperature wise. i live in the same type of climate as you, very volatile, and i kept outdoor bonsai just fine for a few years, then i missed the first frost and it all went downhill from there... leave it outside for summer, take it inside for winter, since theyre small and in a pot, the cold gets them fast. and look for a species that is hardy, and doesnt need a specific temperature range year round.

[Anonymous No.49450]

>>49415
the best tree depends on your regions weather and geographic zone. make sure to check how much sun the tree needs, you dont want to sunburn it, it will die. i would find a nice looking tree with smallish leaves naturally that is temperature hardy and doesnt need to be watered constantly. after that, its your preference.

'making' one is definitely harder and time consuming, but funner and arguably more fulfilling. there is a better chance that youll kill it though, while its young

[Anonymous No.49459]

>>49431
pruning it is key, especially at the beginning stages. try its okay if it looks wimpy at the beginning, give it a couple of years to grow. be careful about temp though, even if its native, when its small and above ground, it is affected more. not only for cold regions! dont use a dark pot in a warm sunny region unless you want to bake and dehydrate your plant.

[Junpei Iori !otnRSDkuZA No.49464]

Seattle Dweller here, I was always curious about bonsai trees, any tips? More specifically on how to prune and use wires/weights correctly?

[Anonymous No.49470]

>>49433
yep! bonsai can be almost any tree, they have flowering bonsai and fruit bearing bonsai and evergreens and all sorts. pomegranate bonsai have small flowers and small fruit, so that may be a good plant for you. from seed is gonna be challenging, but best of luck! dont try shaping or pruning too much until it has a definite trunk!

oh! i almost forgot: please try growing with dwarf pomegranate seeds, there is a difference.

[Anonymous No.49483]

I've done a lot of this stuff, I don't have time to stick around though..

My advice, plant a lot of little trees in a bunch of pots and grow them all. Once they grow up a little, take some clippers and wire, and torture all the little fuckers into shape whenever you have energy to burn.

And by torture I mean you really gotta give them hell. They'll mostly look like bushes as first, so most of the branches need to go, and the ones that stay need to be radically different in shape. Go nuts.

The reason you're planting loads, is because you will fuck up a lot early on. Doing many at once gives you practice, and you should end up with a handful of favorites that you can actually keep working on once they're starting to take shape, and turn into truly awesome trees.

Also, you wouldn't believe how expensive good bonsai's are, I've personally sold a few for pretty awesome profit. Also, a personally made plant can be a pretty cool gift.

[Anonymous No.49496]

>>49464
wiring is wrapping the branches/ trunk of a young tree with a wire, and bending the branches into desired angles and bends so that the branches stay in place, and with time grow naturally in that shape. youll want pretty thick copper wire, and starting by the base of the tree, , wrap the wire a couple times around the trunk. (NOT in tight coils, see pic). continue up and around major branches (not every branch, obv). then simply bend the branches, they should be very flexible, into your desired shape. try and retain a natural shape that mimics a grown tree of the species in the wild. as the tree grows older, you may need to change the wire so it does not did into the bark.

[Anonymous No.49498]

I've had a bonsai for about two years now. I don't know what kind of tree it is, (I got it at wal-mart, as I wanted a small houseplant and had heard bonsais are also supposed to bring good luck.) At first I wasn't going to shape it, just let it grow out naturally, but now I see the shaped ones and, they look good. tl;dr How do i shape a bonsai, and not kill it?

[Anonymous No.49502]

pruning depends a lot on the type of tree, style or shape desired, environmental factors and the type of leaves. all i can tell you is use your best judgement, or google your specifics.

[Anonymous No.49507]

>>49498
wiring, clamps, or weights my friend. just bend branches as much as youre comfortable with. also, remember a lot of these pics are by masters, who literally have been at this for years. it will look crappy at first, but eventually you will get the hang of it. look at other trees for inspiration. but it would help to know the variety.

[Anonymous No.49520]

>>49502
this image is a pretty good example of how lame your bonsai will look in its early life. it is a commitment if you want a nice looking plant.

[Anonymous No.49556]

>>49507
I have googled for literally hours on end looking for its species. Here is a picture of my bonsai, maybe some one here will be able to help identify it. Thanks for the tips, hopefully I will figure out what it is supposed to look like, and go from there.

[Anonymous No.49565]

>>49556

That would be a ficus, a commonly-bonsai'd plant.

[Anonymous No.49574]

>>49565
Thanks! Now I have a basis on what to look for as far as appearance. Is there any alternative fore wiring other than copper?

[Anonymous No.49581]

>>49574
i read aluminum is alright too, but copper is more attractive. and versatile, whatever that means.

i just dislike the appearance.

[Anonymous No.49586]

>>49574
copper is ok, you don't need a lot, just a yard or less and you cut it in pieces, and you will be using it foreva

[Anonymous No.49590]

>>49581
So the wires have to stay on permanently? If not permanently, how long, and how much wire will I need? I know probably enough to extend along a main branch, but should I leave room to grow?

[Anonymous No.49618]

>>49590

The wires stay on for a couple of years to train the branches, then you remove them and re-train the branches again with typically thicker wire.

[Anonymous No.50476]

Bump

[Anonymous No.50496]

Well what trees would be good for a beginner?

[Anonymous No.50517]

>>50496
Well, Mine >>49556
Is a ficus. I have done quite a bit of research, and numerous places say that they are great for beginners, because they can tolerate over and under watering.

[Anonymous No.50563]

ahhh bonsai, I've had a love for this art for many years, and my interest always peaks around this time of year when trees are at their most beautiful, when you can truly admire their shape and form. Bonsai is the mimicry of natural beauty, its a great art.

[Anonymous No.50577]

I know this is a tad off topic, but I remember hearing about something between a bonsai (trimming to keep it REALLY tiny) and a regular tree (mild pruning but other than that as tall as they naturally are). Like, pruning them to make them somewhere between 2 and 6 feet tall. I don't remember the name of this technique, but I think it's also another Japanese style of tree pruning. Does anyone know what the name of the style I'm talking about is?

[Anonymous No.50810]

>>50496
juniper

[Anonymous No.51000]

>>50476
What kind of Tree is this?

[Anonymous No.51116]

>>51000
check filename. its an azalea, which is a flowering plant. here's another, albeit less awesome, example.

[Anonymous No.51119]

>>51000
>azalea.jpg

[Anonymous No.51401]

Oh shit, I just remembered how much I love wisteria. This is what I want so much now. Probably a good starter plant too?

[Anonymous No.51418]

>>49378
what kind of tree is that? i recall seeing a much larger version before. something so biologically foreign about it

[Anonymous No.51438]

>>51418
I was guessing on mangrove?
I have a camphor tree outside I could probably easily cultivate(my landlord hates them- they are like weeds!). I love the smell of them, and assume they would be resilient for this sort of project.. The only bonsai I have done before has been on accident to an indoor citrus- looks like I'm a natural so I'm going to go with it!

[Anonymous No.51490]

>>51438
Haha nevermind- I just found that pic while looking for camphor pictures and it's actually a Ficus Riligiosa - The Bo Fig(or Bohdi tree).