Whoaa! Slow down ;-) Bonsai is mostly about patience. Learn to keep it
alive for a year or two. Read all you can.

Marty's advice is good. Don't keep it too warm and don't fret too much.
It will stand keeping its leaves and it will also stand losing them
through a little frost. It won't stand having the rootball frozen hard.

This question concerns me more though.
What about having roots
show thru the rocks?

If those rocks are glued on, it sounds like you have a Mallsai - bonsai
bought from someone who doesn't know a jot about what they are selling.
The stones should all be pried off carefully and the surface soil
replaced with a decent bonsai mix. If you haven't read that far yet, buy
cactus soil, it' usually better than any commercially available bonsai
mix.

You can have an effect on your tree after it is put into a pot. It's
very slow if you want it to just thicken but you can accelerate
thickening by well practised superfeeding, allowing sacrifice branches
to grow or putting it into a larger pot. Much faster is to plant it back
in the ground for a period of years. You can also change its shape by
sawing the top off, should you wish to :-) Or you could air layer it,
radically prune it back to a bare trunk and regrow all the branches in
new positions.

You see, there are actually dozens of possibilities. For now read, surf,
join a club and learn. It's a much bigger subject than many people
realise.

Cheers

Kev Bailey
Vale Of Clwyd, North Wales



Quick question: I was just reading about how bonsais are trained from
seeds.
Did I understand this right: once bonsais are potted the trunks do not
grow
anymore?

So do I have no control over my trees trunk now? What about having roots
show thru the rocks?

Thanks for any help!

************************************************** **********************
********
++++Sponsored, in part, by Marc Zimmerman++++
************************************************** **********************
********
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/
--
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail
+++++

---
Incoming mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.593 / Virus Database: 376 - Release Date: 20/02/2004


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.593 / Virus Database: 376 - Release Date: 20/02/2004

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Marc Zimmerman++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

In a message dated 2/20/2004 10:45:29 PM Eastern Standard Time,
writes:
Quick question: I was just reading about how bonsais are trained from seeds.
Did I understand this right: once bonsais are potted the trunks do not grow
anymore?

So do I have no control over my trees trunk now? What about having roots
show thru the rocks?
Training bonsai from seedlings is a rewarding but very long-term task. An
important part of your development as an artist is experimentation. While your
seedlings are growing, you should also be working with nursery stock. I would
strongly recommend that you acquire one or two of the basic books on the art.
Colin Lewis, Harry Tomlinson, Herb Gustafson, and many others offer solid
books on the subject.

If you are able to indulge yourself in a few lessons with a local teacher, I
would also make this happen.

As for trunk development, how quickly and in what way trunks develop are
linked to both methodologies, artistic preferences, and time. Potted trees will
grow substantially slower and what is referred to as field-grown material;
however, we do have control over the speed as which trunks grow. Although many
will argue that that there is a preferred proportion for the trunk diameter and
height relationship, most artists will tell you that this relationship is
based on the preferences of the artist.

Rather than delving into an in-depth debate on what works, I will ask you to
take the time to visit the sites of artist. You can draw you own conclusions.

Welcome to the art of bonsai.

Cordially,

Michael Persiano
members.aol.com/iasnob/index.html

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Marc Zimmerman++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

Thanks for the info Kevin.
The rocks I mentioned aren't glued on, they're just resting on top of the
soil as decoration i guess. Maybe they help keep moisture in the soil?

If they don't keep moisture well should I consider changing it out for moss?

My trunk question was just mainly asking if I am now really limited in what
the tree can grow in to. Your right, I plan on mainly just trying to keep it
alive for now, but I wanted to know if the tree has been limited in its
potential. Sounds like it is okay though, thanks for the answers.


"kevin bailey" wrote in message
news:000001c3f851$b38e6940$1b99fea9@Action...
Whoaa! Slow down ;-) Bonsai is mostly about patience. Learn to keep it
alive for a year or two. Read all you can.

Marty's advice is good. Don't keep it too warm and don't fret too much.
It will stand keeping its leaves and it will also stand losing them
through a little frost. It won't stand having the rootball frozen hard.

This question concerns me more though.
What about having roots
show thru the rocks?

If those rocks are glued on, it sounds like you have a Mallsai - bonsai
bought from someone who doesn't know a jot about what they are selling.
The stones should all be pried off carefully and the surface soil
replaced with a decent bonsai mix. If you haven't read that far yet, buy
cactus soil, it' usually better than any commercially available bonsai
mix.

You can have an effect on your tree after it is put into a pot. It's
very slow if you want it to just thicken but you can accelerate
thickening by well practised superfeeding, allowing sacrifice branches
to grow or putting it into a larger pot. Much faster is to plant it back
in the ground for a period of years. You can also change its shape by
sawing the top off, should you wish to :-) Or you could air layer it,
radically prune it back to a bare trunk and regrow all the branches in
new positions.

You see, there are actually dozens of possibilities. For now read, surf,
join a club and learn. It's a much bigger subject than many people
realise.

Cheers

Kev Bailey
Vale Of Clwyd, North Wales



Quick question: I was just reading about how bonsais are trained from
seeds.
Did I understand this right: once bonsais are potted the trunks do not
grow
anymore?

So do I have no control over my trees trunk now? What about having roots
show thru the rocks?

Thanks for any help!

************************************************** **********************
********
++++Sponsored, in part, by Marc Zimmerman++++
************************************************** **********************
********
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/
--
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail
+++++

---
Incoming mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.593 / Virus Database: 376 - Release Date: 20/02/2004


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.593 / Virus Database: 376 - Release Date: 20/02/2004


************************************************** **************************
****
++++Sponsored, in part, by Marc Zimmerman++++

************************************************** **************************
****
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++