From: an1411@anon.penet.fi (Star Rider)
Subject: FAQ part 3 of 5
Organization: Anonymous contact service
X-Anonymously-To: alt.bonsai
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 18:50:09 GMT

       sylvaticus -- of the forest
       tenuifolius -- with slender leaves
       tomentosus -- very wooly
       tridens -- with three teeth or points
       variegatus -- veriegated
       verrucosus -- warty
       virens -- green
       virginianus -- of Virginia, first defined in Virginia
       viridis -- green
       vulgaris -- common, vulgar, ordinary
       xanthinus -- yellow
       zonalis -- banded



Section 4 -- Frequently Asked Questions!

Q: How do I start?

    Opinion 1)  Get as many books as you can. Read them..look at the 
        pictures. Look in your local phone book and see if there is a 
        bonsai club in your area. Talk to local Nursery operators and 
        see if they know of any clubs in your area. Select a tree that 
        has some of the basic design that you'd like to have in your 
        final tree, and buy it..use the info you got from reading, and 
        from the local club/nursery owner (if he knows what bonsai is!).


    Opinion 2)    Indoors: Remember that immature plants should not be 
        treated as bonsai, they must be treated as the houseplants they 
        are. Give them plenty of soil to grow in and don't use to little
        fertilizer, or they won't develop branches and leaves when you
        cut them and the trunk won't grow in thickness.


Q: As a beginner, should I purchase a mature or partially trained bonsai, 
or start from scratch?

    Opinion 1) I think you should start from scratch. Your first 
        attempts may never be 'show quality', but you can make a few 
        mistakes without damaging a tree you paid for. It may take a bit 
        longer to arrive at something that looks the way you want it to, 
        but bonsai is (usually) not one of those instant gratification 
        hobbies. If you get the proper book and some guidance, starting 
        with some in-expensive nursery stock may yield some 'instant 
        bonsai' which allows the beginner to learn, while allowing you to 
        own something that looks like a 'real bonsai'. Stay away from 
        tree's labeled 'Bonsai' in MOST discount stores. Numerous people 
        have seen some discount chains with dead or dying seedlings 
        planted in shallow trays with a solid mat of pebbles glued down 
        over the soil. The trees had not been watered, and even if they 
        were, the water couldn't penetrate the ground-cover. They were 
        marked $10.00...

    Opinion 2)    The question should really be: Should I start from 
    scratch with a small seedling, or with a plant that is larger. 
    Neither will give you "instant bonsai". The larger will have a thicker 
    trunk from the beginning, and thus will look "almost like a tree" 
    sooner. A younger plant gives you larger freedom in which shape to 
    train it into. You get to use different methods on them, the larger 
    lends itself to cutting down, the smaller to cutting away to encourage 
    other growth.

   (And by all means, if you see a shaped tree you really want,
   the price is right, it looks healthy and undamaged, and is of
   a species you know is hardy or of a sort you already have, and
   therefore know you can take care of -- it _is_ OK to buy it.)



Q: Is there a list of which plants that are accepted as 'good' to start a 
    bonsai? (Latin names, and if to be in- or out-doors please)

Ficus benjamina         Indoors
   Fast grower, hardy. Easy to get the leaves small. Suitable for
   many different shapes.

Ficus retusa            Indoors
   Similar to benjamina, leaves grow in a different pattern.

Ficus pumila            Indoors
   If you want a cascade, this is the way to go. Cut often to
   prevent it from going long and thin. May die if the roots dry
   out totally.

Schefflera arboricola   Indoors
Schefflera actinophylla Indoors
   Can be cut down enormously, buy a 50cm plant and cut it down
   to 10cm! Must be shaped completely without wiring. Takes
   correct treatment to get the leaves small.

Crassula argentea       Indoors
Portulacaria afra       Indoors
   Succulents with small leaves, branch easily.

Malpighia cocciera      Indoors
   Slow grower.

Murraya paniculata      Indoors
   Slow grower. Gets beautiful structured bark when still young.

Myrthus communis        cool winters
   Must be kept at around +10C in the winter.



Q: I have trouble finding the 'right' pots for bonsai.
   (Either unavailable or too expensive) Are there alternatives?

Q: I assume that the time & # of times to prune the trees/roots
   vary with the latitude. Anyone have data on that?

Q: What are some good tools for beginners to purchase?  They're 
   rather expensive if you get true bonsai tools.  It would be a shame 
   to buy a $45 trimmer and then realize that it's only used during odd 
   prodedures or only for specific types of trees/styles.


Section 5 -- Addresses ... Clubs, Associations, publishers...

Clubs and Associations
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