Hello,
What is the list of tools that are necessary for a beginner? I
have a Serissa and planning to get this Spring a Juniper and
Trident Maple ( trees that I can keep outside all year in
Toronto).
I prefer to buy good quality things that cost a bit more, but
there is no need to change them every season. So where do I
start? Is Bonsai Network Japan
(http://www.j-bonsai.com/index.html) a good place to order? Or
may be there is a place in Toronto?
Any comments and suggestions are appreciated.
Thank you,
Olga
(Toronto, Ontario zone 6)

====================

With _A_ serissa, your list of necessary tools is short. ARS
makes a very good, sharp, long-lasting pair of bonsai scissors
($21.67 in the A.M. Leonard catalog (p. 56 in the current
catalog - item ARS64) (See also www.amlgardener.com) ). For a
serissa, this is probably the only tool you'll need. If you go
on to bigger and better things, you will want a set of GOOD
concave cutters. Expect to pay at least $40 for them. You also
will want a set of wire cutters that cut at the TIP of the
blades. There are Japanese wire cutters that cost much too much.
Sears sells a small pliers-type that cuts at the tip for about
$8.00. These are fine for all but the largest wires -- which you
probably won't be using in the foreseeable future. A decent set
of bypass pruners (for larger stems and roots) -- $20 - $50.
(All prices are in U.S. dollars.)

I have absolutely NO idea about Bonsai Network Japan, but as a
rule of thumb, anything with "Bonsai" in the title seems to add
at least 20% to the cost. ;-)

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry
David Thoreau - Walden

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