My plant collection (WARNING picture heavy)

I am 6 months into this hobby and here is my collection so far. I know I need to thin this down some after but for now, I enjoy them all

Note that more than half of these were collected for free. Comments welcome.

Wow Dario! Looks like you've leapfrogged over most newbies' twigs in pots idea and gone straight for the the big stuff! Some really great material in there. Pretty soon you're going to have to ask your neighbors to rent out some of their yard space to you!
Great idea on the (stainless?) breadracks as Bonsai benches. The legs look like they may wobble some though.. are they very stable?

Joey,

These are just chrome plated, not SS but I wish I invested a little more and went after SS. They are very stable. The outside pieces are tied to the fence and the inner ones are connected to one leg of the ones along the fence. I cannot tip them over if I tried.

I am planning on moving the ones along the fence further in (away from the fence) to have room for the branches to spread. I have plans in my mind...only need the funds now. LOL. This will also mean I will loose a few (2-3) racks. I will wait until I really need to do it.

Good job! Looks like you're doing everything right! I'm 6 years in and yours is better than mine.

What a collection Dario, and I thought I was doing well this year. Good old sink tubs! What substrate have you got them in? Think you’re gonna need more space!

Thanks guys!

Mr Miyagi wrote:What substrate have you got them in? Think you’re gonna need more space!

I started with Oil-Dri (gray) but using Turface (light brown) now. Some of these have most of the original soil still (newbie mistake) but will all be washed and replaced come next spring.

I do need more space but cannot expand what I have now...unless I move which is very unlikely to happen. I believe I reached (and passed) what I termed one in one out and need to purge if I ever add.

POINK88,, Man you started off in a big way !!!! you have some very nice pre bonsai.. i like your idea about the stands,,wish my back yard was big enough.... you do have a lot of fun for a long time.. great work take care john

Poink88 wrote:Thanks guys!

Mr Miyagi wrote:What substrate have you got them in? Think you’re gonna need more space!

I started with Oil-Dri (gray) but using Turface (light brown) now. Some of these have most of the original soil still (newbie mistake) but will all be washed and replaced come next spring.

I do need more space but cannot expand what I have now...unless I move which is very unlikely to happen. I believe I reached (and passed) what I termed one in one out and need to purge if I ever add.

No mistake my friend.
Don’t know if you will have seen this already but Graham says it best.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=807_4oNX4HI

many trees for a newbie, some of them really nice.

you will need to get yourself a good set of carving bits + carving machines in order to style most of them

stavros wrote:many trees for a newbie, some of them really nice.

you will need to get yourself a good set of carving bits + carving machines in order to style most of them

Stavros,

I do have some carving tools...a couple Marples carving tool set, Dremel w/ flex shaft, Makita die grinder, Makita 4-1/2" grinder, Arbortech mini grinder/carver, Milwaukee Sawzall, and a Husqvarna chainsaw (if I ever need to ). LOL

Most are from my old woodworking hobby. I just added the Arbortech mini and Die grinder recently. These should be more than sufficient to cover all my carving needs...I just need the artistic talent now to make it work.

Hi Dario,

Nice, and very healthy too.

I'd now go through the collection and picture how you would like each finished tree to be. You'll realise then some of the heavy stumps with 3, 4 or 5 big low branches/ trunks only actually need one left to be the main trunk. If you consider further reducing all the not needed trunks the tree will only need to put energy into forming buds on the bits you are keeping rather than on bits that still need chopping off.

If you draw a total blank on a piece of material put them all on the same bench - these are practice or trade in bits . its funny but sometimes you can forget about a tricky bit of material for a year or too then see something in it on day. Along those lines I've been keeping a juniper on tick over for about 4 years now, (it has been bonsai potted and has had a 'front' for over 40 years). Recently in correspondance with Peter and Aichi-en they instantly liked the back, and were kind enough to explain the strong points for using it. Now I am fully focused and excited to reverse the tree and unlock a design that has never been considered before - thats the beauty of seeing things with fresh eyes sometimes.

Some of your material has great movement and will make quite a collection in coming years - get them in the gallery for your own record and so others can see the way each species progresses.

Cheers Marcus

Mr Miyagi wrote:
No mistake my friend.
Don’t know if you will have seen this already but Graham says it best.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=807_4oNX4HI

Good to know. Thanks!

Marcus,

Makes sense and I do practice that (maximum reduction ASAP) unless I am totally lost. The ligustrum/privet is one of them but I can see myself integrating the "stubs" in the design after carving. Removing them now can and will alter how I transition the main trunk to the nebari as well. I also fear of removing too much and the one I left/chose as main dies. This is the tree collector's reality that does not always happen on potted trees so I try to keep more options if possible.

If you look at the 5th & last pic and notice the one in the blue crate...that is the crab apple I consulted you (and Jay) about re-potting. As you can see it is thriving. THANKS!!! (as well as the 4 other cuttings I took from it +3 now). This is another multiple trunk that need to be addressed later but for now...I just want to make sure it survives.

A superb start Dario and something to really get those power tools stuck into. Marcus has said what I was to suggest. I would be stripping bark from areas you decide will be deadwood so that all energy goes ito what will form the tree.

Will,

As soon as I see that my chosen trunk/branch has taken and growing vigorously, I will re-evaluate and might do as you suggested. For now, I just want to keep it alive and make sure I am not removing something I might need later. I appreciate the feedback. Thanks!

wow
great start to a collection have fun with the carving
good to see you have 5.0 in the neighbourhood all the best
andy

Nice collection. Sell me a Tintillo. Let me know. STAY INSPIRED my friend.

hiram wrote:Nice collection. Sell me a Tintillo. Let me know. STAY INSPIRED my friend.

I only have one Tintillo and not planning on parting with it. Sorry.

andy mcconnell wrote:wow
great start to a collection have fun with the carving
good to see you have 5.0 in the neighbourhood all the best
andy

Andy,

The compound is pretty secured but it helps and adds in getting peace of mind knowing someone is close to give aid if needed. The presence of the vehicle alone can be an effective deterrent. Of course, being in TX...most of us can take care of the problem(s) ourselves too if needed.

Love your Philosophy. I may use them from now on. SO TRUE. Thank you for sharing.

What a lovely collection

will baddeley wrote:A superb start Dario and something to really get those power tools stuck into. Marcus has said what I was to suggest. I would be stripping bark from areas you decide will be deadwood so that all energy goes ito what will form the tree.

Will,

Just to let you know that I've been using this technique since you shared it. It really helps especially on the big branches that I cannot easily cut and using a saw may disturb the new roots and not an option.

Thanks for the tip!!!

Hi Dario

This is a very good start, lots of interesting material...Look forward to follow you, and your trees.

Kind regards Yvonne

Wow beautifull starting material
I wish I had the sources you have!

A note of caution though, Bonsai is a wonderful hobby, very addicting and relaxing. Because of that it's easy to get carried away.
I'm now in my third bonsai growing year and I have to warn you. If you want all this to become the amazing tree's they can, again beautiful material, they will start taking up a lot of time. If you start styling and getting serious, especcially in spring and autumn, be prepared to have the free time to do it right otherwise you might get frustrated. Once you get the hang of it every tree, especcially in the training/styling phase wil just take up more and more of your time, and that includes getting up to speed with the information, needs and propeties of every tree.

On the other hand, I've learned that the more trees I have, 18 now and 20 more in the ground for future developement, the more rewarding it becomes. It gives you something to do and it's a pure pleasure to do your round every evening after you come home and relax from a days work.

I agree with many of the members when they say that you have some great material but don't become obsessed with just aquiring trees. Not being able to properly style and attend to your trees because you have so many defeats the purpose of this relaxing hobby. I see that you have trees from Puerto Rico such as escambrones and campeches. These trees are very quick growers and require close and constant attention in order to style them properly. The branches on these trees thicken very quickly and therefore you have a small window of opportunity to wire them. I don't mean to be a downer but I just don't want you to get frustrated with the hobby early on. Work your trees and get rid of the ones that you do not want as your taste for certain trees and styles evolves. Take care