It also depends upon what size of tree you want. You can start with
small stock, fatten the trunk a bit, cut it back and make a small (30
cm) bonsai in a few years. However, starting with seedlings and making
large (60 cm) bonsai is a long term proposition, particularly if you
want a fat trunk.

One nice short cut it to buy a tree from a regular nursery to get a
reasonably fat trunk and then cut it back severely. It still takes time
to grow it out and create taper, but getting it from a seedling to 5 -
10 cm is often the longest part (at least it sometimes seems that way).
Trees that have had their tops damaged are good candidates since you are
mainly interested in the lower trunk. There may be some bargains this
spring on the US East Coast if there was a bunch of snow damage -
retailers will often let you have the tree for a fraction of the list
price since it take years to grow a nice top for normal landscape sale.

I like to grow trees out in relatively shallow boxes with mesh bottoms.
I make most of mine from 2x6 stock (4 cm by 13 cm finished) and use 1/4"
(0.6 cm) hardware cloth in the bottom. This allows from great moisture
and water flow which also permits heavy fertilization. In addition, I
have placed them on the ground with some fine bark or sand between the
mesh and ground so the roots will grow into the ground. This gives even
faster growth (it is known as the escape technique) and the layer of
fine stuff makes it easy to cut the escaped roots with a shovel to move
the pot.

There is a photo article at
http://iebs.8m.com/martydemo/maple/maple1.html about a fairly large
damaged A. palmatum (Japanese Maple) that I picked up for $25 and
repotted last year into the bottom of 15 cm of a box like the ones I
describe above. This year it gets thread grafted and I plan to airlayer
almost everthing more than 50 cm above the roots.

Marty

-----Original Message-----
From: Internet Bonsai Club ] On Behalf
Of Billy M. Rhodes
Sent: Saturday, February 22, 2003 3:10 PM
To:
Subject: [IBC] Priorities in bonsai design

In a message dated 2/22/2003 5:49:37 PM Eastern Standard Time,
writes:

his is very discouraging. If I start with very small/young stock I
may be dead before the tree is in a bonsai pot. Basically if I want a
finished Bonsai in my lifetime I'll have to buy one.

Well, this depends on a lot of things. The species, where you
live
and how you care for it. For example a small F. neriifolia. can look
decent
in five years, a black pine or maple is a different story.
Billy on the Florida Space Coast

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