Greetings all, from a newbie in Central Pennsylvania, where the temp
hasn't reached 30 for weeks !!

I am a bonsai enthusiast.
By that I mean I have appreciated these miniature art forms for many
years, but have never started my own collection.

I have accumulated a collection of books and manuals over the past 10
years, and I think I know a few generalities, but I'm not about to don
an apron yet .... I should be considered a "dangerous newbie".

I have recently considered starting a few of my own treasures from
scratch.

At the moment I have two azaleas beside my house (obviously dormant)
that I think will make good candidates.
They've been growing alongside the house for over 6 years and haven't
grown over 8 inches tall, with 3/4" trunks.
Poor ground conditions (clay etc) has kept them small. Each spring they
produce a handful of little red flowers and leaves which last all summer
and into the fall. At the moment, they look pretty sad.

I'd like to remove them from the ground and stick them into pots, but
I'm not sure when is the best time to attempt this, and what other
precautions I should take.

All your comments will be greatly appreciated.


Also .... I'd love to start a forest with 8 or 10 (oops,, 7 or 9 !!) 6"
to 12" trees.
Anyone willing to suggest which will work best, and where I might find
(purchase) them.

Thanks to all for your patience and training.

Mark Hill - Harrisburg PA, USA - Frozen Zone

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

Hi, Mark!

You are lucky ('ceptin for the cold!) to be in Harrisburg, where Jim Doyle
runs a first class bonsai nursery and studio. You can visit his web site at:

http://www.natureswaybonsai.com/

He offers a full array of classes and workshops and can put you in touch
with your local bonsai society.

I'll leave your other questions for those with more experience to answer,
but the short answer on the azaleas is NOT NOW!

Regards.

Bart Thomas

----- Original Message -----
From: "EESiFlo Ultrasonic Flow Meters"
To:
Sent: Friday, January 24, 2003 3:45 PM
Subject: [IBC] Please be gentle !!


Greetings all, from a newbie in Central Pennsylvania, where the temp
hasn't reached 30 for weeks !!

I am a bonsai enthusiast.
By that I mean I have appreciated these miniature art forms for many
years, but have never started my own collection.

I have accumulated a collection of books and manuals over the past 10
years, and I think I know a few generalities, but I'm not about to don
an apron yet .... I should be considered a "dangerous newbie".

I have recently considered starting a few of my own treasures from
scratch.

At the moment I have two azaleas beside my house (obviously dormant)
that I think will make good candidates.
They've been growing alongside the house for over 6 years and haven't
grown over 8 inches tall, with 3/4" trunks.
Poor ground conditions (clay etc) has kept them small. Each spring they
produce a handful of little red flowers and leaves which last all summer
and into the fall. At the moment, they look pretty sad.

I'd like to remove them from the ground and stick them into pots, but
I'm not sure when is the best time to attempt this, and what other
precautions I should take.

All your comments will be greatly appreciated.


Also .... I'd love to start a forest with 8 or 10 (oops,, 7 or 9 !!) 6"
to 12" trees.
Anyone willing to suggest which will work best, and where I might find
(purchase) them.

Thanks to all for your patience and training.

Mark Hill - Harrisburg PA, USA - Frozen Zone


************************************************** **************************
****
++++Sponsored, in part, by Jerry Meislik++++

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

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

Greetings all, from a newbie in Central Pennsylvania, where the
temp
hasn't reached 30 for weeks !!

snip


At the moment I have two azaleas beside my house (obviously
dormant)
that I think will make good candidates.
They've been growing alongside the house for over 6 years and
haven't
grown over 8 inches tall, with 3/4" trunks.
Poor ground conditions (clay etc) has kept them small. Each
spring they
produce a handful of little red flowers and leaves which last
all summer
and into the fall. At the moment, they look pretty sad.

I'd like to remove them from the ground and stick them into
pots, but
I'm not sure when is the best time to attempt this, and what
other
precautions I should take.

AFTER they have bloomed.

Wash ALL soil away from the roots with a HARD jet of water. Make
certain all the cut ends of the roots have been cut by a SHARP
instrument, add a little rooting hormone to the cut ends, then
plant each in an oversize pot of its own in a coarse bonsai soil
and ground-up spaghnum moss, perhaps with some compost added,
trim back the tops by about 1/3.

Then find a local bonsai club (better yet, find one NOW) and
follow their advice for azaleas in your area.

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

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

[SNIP]

Also .... I'd love to start a forest with 8 or 10 (oops,, 7 or 9 !!) 6"
to 12" trees.
Anyone willing to suggest which will work best, and where I might find
(purchase) them.
Mark Hill - Harrisburg PA, USA - Frozen Zone
Many folks like trident maples for their first forest. Jim Doyle may have
other suggestions.

Regards.

Bart

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

If you are in Harrisburg, you can't do better than take your questions to Jim
Doyle at Nature's Way Nursery.
A HREF="http://www.natureswaybonsai.com/"Nature's Way Nursery/A
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"The trouble with people is not that they don't know but that they know so much
that ain't so."
Josh Billings (Henry Wheeler Shaw), 1818-1885

Thanks all ..... looks like Jim Doyle is about to get a new client.

The boss (read wife) and I are off to visit his nursery this afternoon.

Mark Hill

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