“Bonsai takes years and decades, lot of patience, etc...”
I became aware of bonsai around the age of 17-18 yrs & was fascinated by it. How can such small trees be decades or centuries old ? How can big trees be dwarfed into a tray, with hardly any soil ? Surely, even a tiny seedling also needs more soil than that to grow !
People, bonsai books and TV gave the impression that it takes MANY YEARS or DECADES to achieve that kind of result and thus the wrong notion got planted in my young brain, which remained till age 41 & I never even started until 2015.
I suspect that this wrong idea has stopped many others also from getting started. After all, who has that kind of time, commitment & patience for a miniature tree in a pot ? By the way, Graham Potter's videos inspired me to get started.
The Right Idea – Instant Bonsai !
Source : Asterix & Obelix comic
I believe any interested person can get started in bonsai instantly. Just collect a young tree, cutting or sapling around your home, plant it into a pot and you are technically a bonsai beginner.
More specifically, find a short tree with a trunk that’s 1-3 fingers thick, growing wildly somewhere, cut it shorter, and bring it home. It takes a minute to cut it with a hacksaw blade. That is my idea of instant bonsai.
In just 2 months after starting, I got a decent COLLECTION of bonsai plants (40+), in my city apartment / flat ! So can you ! They were all sourced from locations around my house, none of them were purchased. If that is not fast then I don't know what fast is. The smaller your bonsai is, the faster the results.
Sure, they don't look like beautiful miniature trees yet, that you have seen in print or digital media. Those are finished or near-finished work. But if you were to see a bonsai expert's full collection (not just what is shown), most of the plants would be in various stages of training, not yet ready to be presented as a bonsai. My 2 month old bonsai collection would not look out of place in such a setting. That is an important point for you to understand.
Technically, they are called pre-bonsai. But who cares ! I got a short tree with a fat trunk & some character almost instantly, saving me years of growing time to reach this stage - instant bonsai !
IRONY - a parent saying that bonsai needs patience. Ha ha !
Sure, there are other things needed for the story to have a happy progression but don’t let the wrong ideas stop you or discourage you from even getting started. I wish I knew this when I was first exposed to the idea of bonsai.
Walter Pall, a famous bonsai expert, explained : "My wife loves to play tennis. Should she stop playing just because she cannot be a world-class player. No ! She plays because she enjoys it."
Ditto for your bonsai. Do it because you enjoy. You are just 2 months away from it. Just go out and bring home some specimens today, right now. Don't aim for perfection at this stage. You have plenty of time for that. If bonsai appeals to you, then just get started NOW !
But if your aim is world-class bonsai & awards then you surely need years and decades, along with lot of commitment, patience, knowledge & experience. And most probably you won't even get started right now. You will postpone it for a perfect moment in your life which will never come.
Decide why you want a bonsai hobby. This article by Graham Potter will inspire you :
 |
 |
Source : kaizenbonsai.com
http://www.kaizenbonsai.com/blog/articles/from-the-toilet-to-the-top-a-life-times-journey/
