I bought five COMMON OLIVE (OLEA EUROPAEA) seeds. I like the tree
itself and decided to try my hand at growing these and training
them into Bonsai. I know it is going to take years, but I am
willing to go for it. Any help you can give me would be greatly
appreciated. I'm looking for the type of soil to start them in,
when to start them, pot size, fertilizer, how much light, and
anything else that would help.
2nd question:
I would also like to buy an established tree. I have been
looking at some on the "Bonsai Boy of New York's" web
site....http://www.bonsaiboy.com/index.html
What tree would everyone recommend for me (a beginner)?
Is this grower a good place to buy trees from?
I am interested in an outside tree and also an inside tree.
===============

Chris,

Welcome to the world of bonsai. It is addictive.

Plant the seeds by all means, and enjoy them, but Olea Europea is
slow growing and the lovely, rugged bonsai you see of this
species are hundreds of years old BEFORE they were dug up as
mature trees. I suspect that seed-grown olives will never make
more than twiggy plants and will not become decent bonsai. On
the other hand, you may prove me wrong.

Few of us would recommend Bonsai Boy. I haven't shopped there,
but other who have have reported low-quality trees AND service.
There are a number of excellent vendors in the New York (state)
area. Check out www.internationalbonsai.com for one of the very
best. Also check the sponsors for our little group (Internet
Bonsai Club) on our website -- www.internetbonsaiclub.org -- all
of them are reputable and carry high-quality stock.

I'd also suggest that you go to your local library and see what
they have in the way of books on bonsai. Check some of them out.
If you decide to buy a bonsai book, you can check out the book
reviews at our website's "Knowledge Base" pages.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - The ignorant
man marvels at the exceptional; the wise man marvels at the
common; the greatest wonder of all is the regularity of
nature. -- George Dana Bordman

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