i agree,i am the nieve(sp?) beginner you speak of.but i actually did do a little research and i know the basics of care and even styling and how to turn a normal tree into a bonsai.i have a lot more info to go if this holds my intrest,when i was little i had a port jackson fig that i got from costco,formal upright or broom style can remember.kept that tree alive until i went overseas and my uncle dident water it.

Well, I know when I got my first tree, from a Japanese Cultural Centre (having a festival in Toronto) I did not know enough to know what questions to ask and the man selling the trees (a 'real' bonsai grower, not a shill) didn't have much time (or English) to tell me anything, though did help out in the fall when I called him frantic that my Zelkova was losing leaves and he reminded me it was autumn. Getting a pet is one thing - you know feeding and bathroom issues etc. are important because the pet is "alive", but people used to dumping a glass of water weekly on their philodendrons don't KNOW there are a l,000 issues growing trees and may only begin to learn when they lose a couple and look for answers, so be nice Head-cutter and give them the benefit of the doubt.

I only pass through here from time to time, but I saw this post & felt compelled to comment.

Beginners are just that - beginners. They are called beginners because they are at the start of their journeys, and likely to make the same mistakes many now famous bonsai practitioners initially made. They are much more likely to become proficient enough at the art to find it fulfilling if they are given help, encouragement, and a hand up, instead of castigation to accompany a list of the deadly sins they are presupposed to have committed.

I hope those that catch the word 'beginner' in the topic line read far enough to see my assertion that most of the bonsai community are gentle enough to find subtle and helpful ways to explain why certain of the beginner's decisions might not have been the best choice, & to offer positive guidance rather than a list of negative observations and criticism.

I know our club would quickly let anyone who exhibited such strong anti-beginner sentiments know just how important the beginners actually are - to our club and to the bonsai community in general.

Take care.

Al

Yes, I agree with you all, just some observations on my part. The art-form/hobby/whatever is hard enough to master let alone be mildly successful with, why take it to the point of being impossible? And, as I said, I have killed my share of trees--I'm not perfect by a long shot.

Yes, I will still try to help beginners when I can.

Bob

Thank you Al. My sentiments about that post exactly!

I thought this might be some helpful information. Instead it's just another nasty post from a nasty person.
BAH!
And from someone who admits to killing lots of trees and trying to grow tropicals out of their zone. Do as I say not as I do?
Tally HO!

Not at all, beachplant.

Head Cutter is a valuable addition to this Forum...which you would know,
if you'd read any of the Threads he's posted. There is nothing 'nasty'
in this particular Thread. He makes simple observations.

I used to include a layer of gravel at the bottom of my containers, believing
it to improve drainage. Would you criticize me for cautioning others against
this action, now that I know better?

Josh

'beachplant' probably won't come back to read the thread but...I did kill quite a few trees in the past (and will probably even kill a few more) I just accept it, for whatever reason it happens, and don't take the bridge over it. Yes, I did grow tropicals in Penna, in a fully functioning greenhouse, not in the house. In the winter it had heat, light and humidity so they grew well.

Thanks Josh, I didn't think is was really 'nasty', just observations on my part.
Bob

Yea and the funny thing is most beginners buy their bonsai, thats the thing isnt it! They buy a 'cute' Chinese Elm or Fukien Tree and then find out how to keep it. Just like a friend of mine who bought a Chinese Elm and kept it on a windowsill. I kept telling her its an outdoor tree in summer and to put it outside! "OH no", she said, "it'll get soaked in the rain!!"
Oh dear!

Back in 1986 when I started I never bought a bonsai. I read countless books about it(no internet then!) and would eye up trees and bushes hungrily wondering how one would translate into a bonsai tree.
It was only much years later that I bought, or rather got bought as a gift, a bonsai. I still prefer to create my own. Takes longer but the progress is such fun! And while its growing you got time to do the research!