any bonsai fanatics out there?

[dick benbow]

Thank-you Mike, thank-you Bern

Always interesting to see what other's are doing. It's like koi really. Until I went to the all Japan Show to understand what koi could be, I had no idea although i had been to many area shows.

Same with Bonsai, unless you see the best of the best, you have no idea of what is possible.

I have aquired some books i am studying by Barton and Adams both from the UK. Great teachers. All of my stuff is from nursery stock. It's ok
probably "pond quality" if compared with koi. But like koi you have to care for bonsai till you can get comfortable enough to get into the show stuff without fear of killing hundred year old trees. Close as I can figure I have a mugho that's all of 40 years.
I think koi and bonsai go together quite well.
Just got back from setting up the show for this weekend. Gotta go back friday at 3 to start benching. Got to go thru a shipment of Daiinichi showas
and omosako shiros. Picked one tosai out of each group and slipped them into the grow pond.
Will take pics Saturday and get photos to jason on sunday. he should be able to get them posted no later than mid week. Am anticipating about 73 koi down from over 100 last year. let's see how close I come! (lol)

[dick benbow]

I'm always interested in learning something new and am amazed at the similarities bewteen koi and bonsai.

Like good collections of fish, the better and fewer the numbers serve to allow the keeper time to do the individual attention needed to keep a good collection going.

as a breeder of koi I like to originate koi by selecting the parents and developing the young. In bonsai there are those that take nursery stock and create a bonsai.


there are also koi keepers who buy the best finished koi and sustain them thru immaculate care. same with bonsai.

when I started in koi, I got on a fast study track and spent time with those that won at the shows. I'm trying to duplicate that in bonsai.

Thanks to my teacher Mark Cooper for helping me to learn.

for koi keepers out there, watch Mike M who posts on this board. I see the traits of someone up and coming......in koi.

[sundan]

Hey Dick,
You can email me also. Been growing bonsai for years. What you need is white pine, king of bonsai. Sure wish I could grow them here, however they must have a cold winter to live. I know cause I try one in Miami area, toast. Black pine does ok here. What you also need is Japanese maple bonsai, again need cold winter for it to rebloom. Can grow trident maple here, but Japanese maple, forget it, to hot. Oh well take the good with the bad. Hey I can grow my koi all year around! As a matter of fact, a Momotaro 6 inch koi I got in April is now 15 inches. Double in size less than 6 months, amazing!