Say hello to the family! :D

Hi guys,

Thanks to those of you who gave me a warm welcome in the introductions topic! As promised here are the pictures of the guys so far, I'd like to include a picture of everybody but unfortunately due to upload restrictions I'll show the trees that are of particular interest to me at the moment, which from top to bottom are as follows:

• 2x Metasequoia Glyptostroboides
• 2x Acacia Dealbata
• 2x Ginkgo Biloba
• 2x Juglans Nigra
• 1x Quercus Libani
• 1x Quercus Robur 'Fastigiata'
• 1x Quercus Ilex

All trees are approx 1 year old and as mentioned in my introductory post I am an avid fan of bonsai culture. I have no experience pruning or training trees and I have only grown/acquired these established specimens so far with a varying degree of success and I am keen for advice on my first prune.

Specifically, I had planned to start practising with the Oak trees as I understand these are quite commonly used trees and may be a bit more forgiving of any beginner mistakes. I have found a good amount of information so far on pinching and pruning to achieve a dwarfed appearance but looking at my own trees, I wouldn't know where to begin! The existing leaves are already quite large, and I am nervous to cut these away as I do not understand how the plant would then be able to photosynthesise to recover from this stress.

All these trees (with exception of maybe the Mimosa and the Ginkgo) would appear to need a bit of a haircut so any specific, tailored advice as to where I might begin with my first pruning would be greatly appreciated. Any more detailed pictures/alternate angles of any plant can of course be given at request.

Thanks guys!

 

Well done Ric ... I particularly like the Ginkgo Biloba. We had one several hundred years old on the Isle of Wight but sadly had to have it cut dwn for insurance purposes as it was undermining the house!

 

No my field of knowledge, sorry. But, what a great collection you have there. Wishing you all the best for a successful bonsai adventure