What books do you recommend for all lvls, i mainly read everything so all levels would be good for me, i've read everything about bonsai, and in my mind would be intermediate, but haven't really even touched a tree yet, to turn into bonsai that is, i've started many many seedlings though, but that will be years before i need to do anything.

Both books by John Yoshio Naka (Bonsai Techniques I and II) and The Art of Bonsai : Creation, Care, and Enjoyment by Yuji Yoshimura and Giovanna Halford are essential to any grower's library in my opinion. Living Art of Bonsai : Principles and Techniques of Cultivation and Propagation by Amy Liang is a great book too. It has a lot of "basic" information and a great section entitled "Bonsai Appreciation". This section is an excellent place for "getting your eye in". Hope this helps

Go to http://forums.bonsaisite.com/index.php?showforum=30 and you'll see a ton of reviews on all kinds of bonsai books. While Naka's books are excellent, they're very hard to find, expensive and not necessarily for beginners by any means. Amy Liang's book is good, but only amongst a lot of other 'good' ones... look for things a bit more current, plus go to www.bonsai4me.com and www.evergreengardendworks.com and www.bonsaihunk.us/cultural.html and get a terrific overview of what you need to know up front on bonsai today.

It's hard not to notice how opinionated the OP is. In the same way I can find little things to agree with, and other things to disagree with in the OP, I can find good and bad in both offering mall bonsai for sale and buying them, but I sure don't want to argue or explore the case here. If people want to buy a starter plant from someone "unanointed" - so what? It can represent a learning experience either good or bad; and, though I may try to gently guide them into a better choice, I'm sure not going to judge them for wanting to test their wings. We all started 'somewhere', and it's presumptuous to think that because we might have some meager degree experience we know where that 'somewhere' should be for others.

Al

Al, you're too kind!!! Let 'em have it with both barrels!

;-)

Gee, it would be so nice to live somewhere there actually is a bonsai nursery( reputable or not). If you buy a tree from a chain store: ie "Mallsai" make sure it will grow in your area, and put it in a bigger pot for a year. That should increase the survival rate. For those people who dont have the yard area for ground planting, do the same. All you beginers out there, dont be put off or feel guilty by snobs or purists just because you didnt spend $3000 on someone elses 50 years of work. Of course Mallsai can be sick. Junipers can be dead for months before actually going brown. Buy a plant that isnt a juniper, such as a maple. Enjoy. Heres a secret, The love of Bonsai is in the care & appreciation of your trees. NOT WHETHER YOU WILL WIN A PRIZE AT THE LOCAL SHOW.

Sermon ends. :)
Ron

P.S. While learning to Keep Bonsai Most, if not everyone has killed at least one plant.

That's what I like about this Forum. No snobs or purists here!

Josh

I got some very nice stuff from Meghan's Miniatures, and they are all still alive (one, a Limeberry, fruited and I have given away lots of cute seedlings).
Start with one of those, and if you are going to put it inside GET AN INSIDE TREE. Classic bonsai is kept outdoors, but if you are going to put it inside get something that will live there.
I'm thinking of marketing a sort of tree corset-make any seedling look ancient (at least from one side . . . .) Hollow out a gnarled piece of branch, glue velcro ties inside, tie in your malleable seedling. Voila! Instant bonsai.
And if that does not fill your needs, the ever popular Sprouting Sweet Potato should do the trick (until it starts to rot, anyhow.)
Just don't buy the mall tree corpses!

Still laughing over the last post, that was cute. The OP has the right idea but assumes many things that just don't work in real life. I believe I remember this from America?
a. Most people don't read.

b. There must be instant gratification.

c. If it's 'bonzi' ;)) it must be in one of tham little cute pots, wid dat moss and stuff on it.

d. When buying a tree they will believe what's written on a care sheet and also that very 'smart' person working the plant section in Wally-World or Home Depot.

e. Most of the pictures in the nice fancy books show a beautiful tree in a beautiful indoor setting--'Oh, them Bonzi's is indoor things like dem houseplants.'
f. The average person has trouble managing a houseplant let alone a small tree in a pot.

g. When people in a society have to have personal trainers, diaticians and the calorie count of foods put on menus...would you trust them with a tree that needs more thought than they manage to use in their daily lives? When they drive cars that almost have to think for them.

h. I asked an aging master one time how many trees he'd killed in his lifetime...when he was done chuckling he answered that he stopped counting when it went over 100. Care to take a wild guess 'who'?

i. In most countries with a strong Bonsai culture trees can spend the first 5-15 years in the GROUND, not in a little pot that doesn't drain well. They are wired, pruned and developed there, when the tree is almost finished it's
dug and potted then refined. Hmmmm, but that takes work.

j. You have to learn some things by doing, getting your hands dirty, making mistakes...this is one of them kiddies. I've done workshops where the only tree 'not' to survive was the demo tree...ya, the one I did!!!!

My dear sweet mother always wanted one so...I gave her a beautiful mini Jade that I'd worked for years. It was picture perfect...I also told her not to water it, I'd do that when I felt it needed it. It was stone dead in under a month, she just had to water it. She would water it right after I left, water it every day then stop right before my weekly visit. Sneaky old broad, I was busy doing other things and didn't catch it until it was too late LOL.

Most buy their first little tree, have no clue about anything, agonize over it's demise and go back to houseplants. They are also the ones that shouldn't own pets of any kind.

No one is perfect, life is not always good, people lie about things, the check's in the mail, this engine is strictly stock, things die and 'I'm only gonna put it in a little bit...honest!'

How many trees have I killed? I stopped counting a long time ago. It's called real life.

When the biggest thing in someones life is discussing what happened on the most popular sit-com, the people around you can't bear to miss American Idol or a single episode of Reality whatever...you expect them to actually care for a tree DUH!?!

*end of rant*