Distinct tools

[tomc]

I have some of the pruners distinct to bonsai training. They most resemble farrier tools. And in fact if I had a farriers supply store near to me I might shop there first. IMO these are not needed if you only care for few trees.

I also have built over the years a fair number of sifters to build my own soil, these too can wait till your hobby gets too expencive. Catus soil will do in leu of what I built for the person just starting out.

One potentially free item that does require some foresight is copper wire in every thickness you can find. Coil it up and tuck it away inna drawer. When you need it then you'll have it, If you wait to buy it TILL you need it your get stung.

[lavandulagirl]

So Tom - what kinds of tools/supplies would you suggest a complete newcomer to bonsai get? Besides the copper wire and the clippers, I mean. (Are there more than one kind of clippers neccessary?) And what kind of tree would you start with?

[tomc]

I got by perfectly well for years with a simple anvil pruner (I likes them better'n bypass pruners) and a big old toenail clipper. A watering can and some buckets got me started for the first three years or so.

I am told I am so-o-o tight that I squeek when I walk, so I visit the recycle shed regularly at my local dump-transfer station. It turns up on an average year 3 or 4 bonsai pots from dead mallsai. Occasionally with the dead mallsai still in residence. And a multitude of regular and paper-white pots.

Look for a local tree. One you can replace if or when it dies. "Free" should be a key word. Especially now as desiduous tree are just breaking dormancy. You are just starting out, an' the horticultural needs of trees is quite different from everything else I have tried. So there is a pretty steep lurning curve the first couple years.

Here in the northeast the easiest and most common is a plain old sugar maple. Which is a low impact seedling to dig.

[johno]

Is electrical wire about the right size for training? Scraps of #12 and #14 can be found on every new house site as the electrician is finishing up...

[landarc]

I used to bonsai, as well as garden tree training, just started thining about getting back into it. Picked up a Ginkgo recently, but, now am thinking I need to find about 6 more. Anyway, I prefer the tools from Japan, but, they do get carried away with the number and variety, I like a simple heavy scissor type pruner and a parallel cutter (similar to large toenail clipper). I do have a pair of small narrow pointed pruners that are handy for everything.

Johno, that wire will be handy, but, I used to have everything from #14 through 1/8" diameter. And I have seen some use even larger wire on bigger specimens.

[tomc]

IMO you can not have too many guages of free (copper) wire. You'll make some in home improvements, and some you'll just find abandoned. Put them some place you can find them--later even if later is years later.

Ginko is for me a semi-hearty, but I concure its been trained often. and is worth doing.

I know speaking only for myself that I potted saplings before reading anything about their horticultural needs. I killed several before ever going to IBC-ABS or cracking open a book. A shortfall I'd like to prevent for people.