Best places to get supplies?

I need to get some cut paste, pots, and wire

What is the best places to get these?

I also am not sure what size wire to get? The trees I am working on are small to medium size. Nothing over .25".
The trunks I have not started to wire yet.

Thanks

I use www.bonsaimonk.com for mail order.

Can also use www.amazon.com

When I started I purchased every size wire of: 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 5.0

It sucks needing one particular size and not having and then having to double wire.

I've found that Stone Lantern has fair prices.

ok great How about cut paste. I do not see this listed at all on either site.

I have bought cut paste from Bonsaimonk I will take a look
.

Bonsaimonk shows three choices for cut paste

But then, there are those (and I am one) who never use the stuff. I'm sure Stone Lantern carries it.

You can just use regular Elmer´s wood glue...can get at any local hardware store...

The benefits of cut paste are:
1. Color, the cut paste can hide a cut if its color matches the bark.
2.cut paste does contain some antifungal benefit.

But most people don't use it.

Jim Smith uses mud.

thats great news... if I dont need something I am not going to buy it. I would assume the cut paste would be helpfull on the larger branches that would need cut. But if you cut the branches while dormint than the tree should heal its self.

GREAT THanks

Where in Pennsylvania are you? There are two big bonsai studios, one near Harrisburg & one in Bucks County. There is a nursery in Pittston that carries some bonsai supplies. There are several big bonsai clubs.
Iris

remist17 wrote:But if you cut the branches while dormant than the tree should heal itself.

Excuse me? The tree will not heal itself while it is dormant. Healing only goes on while the tree is in active growth. The usual belief is that a cut larger than one inch requires some sort of wound sealer. Bonsai care is not the same as care of standard trees, where the current practice is to leave wounds bare.
Iris

Hey remist17

I have used Dallas Bonsai supply, Good prices and service. As far as the cut paste goes, I have used for years is Tite Bond #2 it is water prof and anti fungal and food grade so it is safe.
Mitch

I´ll search for them and try out. Elmer´s glue has worked for us somewhat, but if there are antifungal properties with the paste I´ll try it out.

Is this one any good?

http://www.amazon.com/Joshua-Roth-6044-Bonsai-Paste/dp/B000X36W7O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315336061&sr=8-1

I second Dallas Bonsai-good stuff good price fast delivery, they also have those spherical concave cutters that are just ...cool!

Tight-bond III is what I use, I like that I can paint it on with a brush, that makes things very neat, you can also paint wounds with acrylic paint mixed to match your bark, after the Tight-bond dries that is.

Its best practice in my experience to do major pruning during the height of growing season so the vigor of the tree can be focused on healing the wound, this applies to broad leaf deciduous trees, for conifers we often wait till fall or winter when sap flow is diminished, you can seal those wounds with Vaseline, as Harry harrison does.
-Jay

I have always suspected that the reason that commercial bonsai cut paste sometimes has anti-fungal agents in it is because the application of the paste to the wound site is likely to trap fungus spores and moisture under the big globs of paste you are told to mold around the cut -- creating a certain breeding ground for fungal infections. No paste, no trapped moisture and no trapped spores. No problems.

Anyway, an arborist/bonsaiest gave me a large tin (equivalent to a lifetime supply for me) of a bee's wax concoction and told me that the thinnest possible application of that is all I'd ever need, and only then on the largest cuts -- like a trunk chop. And, it is all but invisible, and disappears naturally. If you want to look it up, search for Phytech 50. It no longer comes in such a large tin -- at least not to persons who are not professional arborists.

Bee's wax, by the way, has vigorous natural antifungal properties.

I keep bees and I think I probably could adapt propolis as a wound sealant! I NEVER though to use Bee products as sealants but YES OF COURSE they would be outstanding in that regard.

Hah! I had to look up "propolis."

Interesting stuff.

I don't know if the stuff I have consists of propolis or "regular" bee's wax. (I saw an article that made a distinct difference between the two.)

Are you losing hives in your part of the country? Beekeepers are having problems around here -- and I DO like my yearly quart jar of sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) honey every summer!

Ya know, another way to look at this question is supporting your local retailer. the guy who supports the shows, conventions, etc by appearing as a vendor, donating auction/raffle items and arrainging for really good workshop trees. These workshop trees get purchased a year in advanced and watered and cared for without charge.

I realize many things come into play but I hope you'll consider supporting the business that supports the clubs as well as those who offer price and selection thru the post/mail.

just saying...we need them both and not at the expense of either

AK_Panama wrote:Is this one any good?

http://www.amazon.com/Joshua-Roth-6044-Bonsai-Paste/dp/B000X36W7O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315336061&sr=8-1

I have used that brand, it is quite thick. My choice now is a more tooth paste like texture.

Jim
Its been a TERRIBLE year for Bee keeping, not only did we have an awful winter that took many hives with it, but The drenching spring and then the heat wave and drought has really hurt them, I basically didn't get a harvest off them because our main nectar flow was cut short (it basically didn't happen) in July. Kept loosing queens all season in one hive too..

Sourwood honey IS THE HONEY! Out here we do Clover then Goldenrod.

Basswood honey is pretty good too...

I kept a single hive for a few years in Virginia. Only got one good harvest because most of those years were very dry, with low nectar flows. But it was very interesting just having the hive. We also had one of those 2 (or 3? can't remember) frame observation hives in the house, which was fascinating. By the way, I'm not sure propolis would be a good idea - I don't think that stuff can ever be removed! It's tough stuff.

Anyway, I agree with the suggestion to support the local businesses as much as possible (if you have them available in your area), provided they don't charge too much of a mark-up compared to on-line sources.

Chris

Edited to add - a good source for wire is Julian Adams (Adams Bonsai) in Virginia...he sells both on-line and at many local/regional shows in the mid Atlantic region.

The only way you could remove the propolis effectively would be wait till winter when its frozen and kinda crack and smash it off, no doubt doing more harm then good, Nope, I'll stick with my Tight-bond, but you can burn propolis as a heavenly incense in a charcoal burner.

The lack (or severely curtailed) of a Basswood nectar flow was probably the straw that broke the camels (or rather Bees) back this year.
I have to remember this is a Bonsai forum, never get a beekeeper talking about his bees unless your ready to spend the night.