Noob Here

FudogNinja · 12-28-2008, 09:08 PM

Hello, my name is Tony and I am new to Bonsai's I have wanted to become a Bonsai owner for a very long time and am now serious. I don’t want to make any mistakes and have joined this forum to become educated before going out and purchasing my very first Bonsai. Thank you for having me and I am going to apologize in advance for those Noob questions I’m sure I’ll ask.

Mattbonsai · 12-28-2008, 09:18 PM

Welcome to the site and to bonsai Tony, we're a friendly lot here with many very knowledgable minds, who were all in your position at one point or another.

Good luck and ask away, any problems on site feel free to ask Me, Phil or JL, and we will be very willing to help.

-Matt-

anttal63 · 12-29-2008, 04:25 AM

welcome tony to bonsai chat, as matt has already said we have all been there and still are. making mistakes is part of every great lesson so dont be to hard on yourself when you do.

Dav4 · 12-29-2008, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anttal63

making mistakes is part of every great lesson so dont be to hard on yourself when you do.

You took the words out of my mouth, Antonio. ...And you will make mistakes...the trick, as mentioned above, is to learn from them. Have fun,

Dave

shaggybirdman · 01-02-2009, 10:34 AM

welcome aboard, and enjoy the ride.

i'll be the first to recommend what to get for your first tree. anything in the ficus family is a great starter. they are very hard to kill, and take abuse in stride. great for learning new techniques as well. i prefer tiger bark, retusa, gold coin (if you can find one), or midnight. if you have pet birds these are bird safe. most others are poisonous to birds. not saying i'd let my fids (feathered kids) perch, and chew on them, but a emergency landing on them won't put me in a panic if they decide to nibble on them.

arbracola are very cheap at any nursery. usually $6 for 6-8 trees in a pot. they root easily, and look nice.

for outside trees i love maples personally.

there are no stupid questions unless you don't ask them. we all were no0bs at one time. lol i think i'm still there too after 3 years.

FudogNinja · 01-02-2009, 11:00 AM

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome. I have decided to look into the Ficus family, is there a certain size or age I should be looking for. Obviously I don’t want an older tree that someone else has had all the fun with, but I don’t know that I want to start with a seed either.

Mattbonsai · 01-02-2009, 11:13 AM

You can normally buy a bundle of Ficus retusa / benjamina, 5-10 trees per bundle, the best part of a foot high, and as cheap as chips, these you can work individually, or by binding together as in an Article on the site by Phil (I'll dig out the Link).

For outdoors however I'd go with Buxus sempervirens.

-Matt-

shaggybirdman · 01-02-2009, 11:23 AM

well look for something that is not a serpent trunk aka S shaped trunk. i personally don't like them, but that's me. i look for areal roots myself. if the trunk is around 1/2" it's still a youngster. like Matt said get a nice potted clump, and you get free trees to work with for cheap. try to get small leafed ones.

FudogNinja · 01-02-2009, 11:52 AM

Okay, so I want to find a bundle of Ficus Benjamina, right?

Looking at some examples of these trees, they are one of my favorites. The tricky part is trying to find a decent nursery in my area. Would it be out of the question to order off line?

shaggybirdman · 01-02-2009, 12:02 PM

any nursery should have ficus clumps. hit up the yellow pages. a Benjamina is tough as nails. fine choice. tons of peeps use them.

12-28-2008, 09:08 PM	#1 (permalink)
FudogNinja Student of Zen Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Jefferson City, MO Zone: 5b Posts: 21	Noob Here Hello, my name is Tony and I am new to Bonsai's I have wanted to become a Bonsai owner for a very long time and am now serious. I don’t want to make any mistakes and have joined this forum to become educated before going out and purchasing my very first Bonsai. Thank you for having me and I am going to apologize in advance for those Noob questions I’m sure I’ll ask.

12-28-2008, 09:18 PM	#2 (permalink)
Mattbonsai Tree Hugger In Training Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Cheshire, GB Posts: 810	Welcome to the site and to bonsai Tony, we're a friendly lot here with many very knowledgable minds, who were all in your position at one point or another. Good luck and ask away, any problems on site feel free to ask Me, Phil or JL, and we will be very willing to help. -Matt- __________________ -Matt- http://www.cheshirebonsaisociety.org.uk/index.html R.I.P Our Great Friend - Prowler, 24th November 2008

12-29-2008, 04:25 AM	#3 (permalink)
anttal63 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: melbourne victoria australia Posts: 155	welcome tony to bonsai chat, as matt has already said we have all been there and still are. making mistakes is part of every great lesson so dont be to hard on yourself when you do. __________________ Antonio...... __________

01-02-2009, 11:13 AM	#7 (permalink)
Mattbonsai Tree Hugger In Training Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Cheshire, GB Posts: 810	You can normally buy a bundle of Ficus retusa / benjamina, 5-10 trees per bundle, the best part of a foot high, and as cheap as chips, these you can work individually, or by binding together as in an Article on the site by Phil (I'll dig out the Link). For outdoors however I'd go with Buxus sempervirens. -Matt- __________________ -Matt- http://www.cheshirebonsaisociety.org.uk/index.html R.I.P Our Great Friend - Prowler, 24th November 2008

01-02-2009, 11:52 AM	#9 (permalink)
FudogNinja Student of Zen Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Jefferson City, MO Zone: 5b Posts: 21	Okay, so I want to find a bundle of Ficus Benjamina, right? Looking at some examples of these trees, they are one of my favorites. The tricky part is trying to find a decent nursery in my area. Would it be out of the question to order off line? Last edited by FudogNinja; 01-02-2009 at 11:55 AM..

01-02-2009, 10:34 AM	#5 (permalink)
shaggybirdman Maple Lover Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Cheektowaga New York Posts: 167	welcome aboard, and enjoy the ride. i'll be the first to recommend what to get for your first tree. anything in the ficus family is a great starter. they are very hard to kill, and take abuse in stride. great for learning new techniques as well. i prefer tiger bark, retusa, gold coin (if you can find one), or midnight. if you have pet birds these are bird safe. most others are poisonous to birds. not saying i'd let my fids (feathered kids) perch, and chew on them, but a emergency landing on them won't put me in a panic if they decide to nibble on them. arbracola are very cheap at any nursery. usually $6 for 6-8 trees in a pot. they root easily, and look nice. for outside trees i love maples personally. there are no stupid questions unless you don't ask them. we all were no0bs at one time. lol i think i'm still there too after 3 years.

01-02-2009, 11:00 AM	#6 (permalink)
FudogNinja Student of Zen Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Jefferson City, MO Zone: 5b Posts: 21	Thank you everyone for the warm welcome. I have decided to look into the Ficus family, is there a certain size or age I should be looking for. Obviously I don’t want an older tree that someone else has had all the fun with, but I don’t know that I want to start with a seed either.

01-02-2009, 11:23 AM	#8 (permalink)
shaggybirdman Maple Lover Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Cheektowaga New York Posts: 167	well look for something that is not a serpent trunk aka S shaped trunk. i personally don't like them, but that's me. i look for areal roots myself. if the trunk is around 1/2" it's still a youngster. like Matt said get a nice potted clump, and you get free trees to work with for cheap. try to get small leafed ones.

01-02-2009, 12:02 PM	#10 (permalink)
shaggybirdman Maple Lover Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Cheektowaga New York Posts: 167	any nursery should have ficus clumps. hit up the yellow pages. a Benjamina is tough as nails. fine choice. tons of peeps use them.

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode