AusBonsai

Gday, Brisbanite here. Just getting into bonsai after buying a couple a few months ago.

Hope I'm posting in the correct section, I didn't really see any more applicable place!

Anyway, just wanted to say hi, and ask a couple of noob questions... I'll post up two pics, one is my collection which is a NZ shrub corokia cotoneaster I think, a $30; job from Bunnings, I suspect that the ones they sell may be like the ones sold at stalls in shopping centres : pretty much temporary plants that might not live long? Thankfully this ones kind of medium sized and seems to be living well, so I wired some branches into places.

The small one is just a baby plant I found for a couple of dollars and put into a bonsai type pot, I think its a Melaleuca Claret? No idea, just thought it looked like a baby bonsai.

The main one I'm pretty sure is a juniper, it was the biggest, or best shape I could afford on a 20 dollar budget, its got a kind of goofily long trunk so I put a rock in there to try and disguise that, then pushed some moss onto the rock. Im not sure what to do with it, I trimmed it into the shape it is now, kind of liking the flat top, clean branch outline on the bottom. I really know very little though so any tips appreciated!

Theyre in sun half the day, shade from about lunch onwards. I've been spraying them with a water mist bottle thing morning and night but not sure if thats the right amount.

I look at the juniper and just can't envisage how it might turn out, I just see a shrub haha. Does anyone know where I might get plants a foot or two high ready to shape and pot? I like azaleas and junipers, but the grown ones that bonsai places in Bris are around 100-200 for say a two by two foot untrimmed shrub, which is out of my price range. My two small plants are just going to take forever to do very little, I think so I'd like to try starting with a bigger plant.

Anyway hello to all, hope to be around to read and learn. Cheers.

Firstly welcome to the site. There is a wealth of info on here so happy ready. I would be removing the pebbles from the crokia. They glue these in to hold everything in place when transporting. Problem is it stops the water getting into the pot.
As far as watering goes you need to wet the pot, not just must the plant. Water needs to run out the bottom of the pot for it to be property wet. Use a garden hose or watering can and water well.
The Melaleuca needs to grow but you could pug some wire on it and get some movement into it. If you wang it grow its better off in a large pot or in the ground. In s bonsai pot it won't grow very quickly so in 12 months time won't be much bigger than it is now. You really only put a tree into a bonsai pot once the trunk/branches are as big as you want them to be.
As far as the Juni goes, not real sure on that one. It's a bit hard to see the branches at the top to pick a direction. Maybe some more photos from different angles might help.
Have fun with these plants and learn to keep them alive. You make mistakes as you go (we all did) but learn from them and there are lessons, not mistakes.

Josh

Thanks mate, good to know.

I think I'll get the two smaller ones into a big pot or the ground then.

Will chop away at the juniper and post up a pic if it's haircut doesn't go too badly. Cheers.

Does anyone know where I might get plants a foot or two high ready to shape and pot?

Keep an eye out for small, private nurseries or backyard nurseries. They sometimes have plants that have been hidden away down the back for a few years and can be used as bonsai and sometimes cheaper than the large chain nurseries. Most will take a little more than 'shape and pot' but still worthwhile.
Another source is garden grown specimens. Keep an ear out for friends, work colleagues and 'lations who are renovating or extending the house or doing a garden makeover. Plenty of common garden plants make good bonsai and many are relatively easy to transplant - azalea, juniper, maples and probably lots of others more common to your are than to my area.

Hi and Welcome

Check out this list of good starter species in the wiki https://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index. ... ter_Bonsai
and this page is a good place to start for newbies too https://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index.php?title=Newbie

Ken