Master the art of bonsai.

“about 30 years ago i realized i could probably look into bonsai when i arrived here in Hawai’i. i found one tiny book by the cash register in a Japanese store. the photos alone excited me. later at a school craft fair i found a man selling bonsai trees. i bought one, an olive tree. later i was able to take a short basic class from this man and his wife who were both masters. it was hard at that time for me to find tools or books. [...] yet the seed had already been planted and i learned by finding more and more books and collecting tools and pots and tree seeds and soil, little by little. yes i grow mostly from seed and collect only from the islands here. [...] i’ve kept some of my trees for a long time. which was not easy because at one time i traveled a lot at the wrong time of year and i’d loose trees every time i was gone. altho none of my trees are what i’d consider exhibition worthy without quite a bit more work and time, i like what I’m doing and the ways i explore bonsai.”

“I learned proper watering techniques. Seriously, watering has been a huge struggle for me for the first 2 or so years of this hobby. Something this year made things click. The other big lesson learned is fertilize and fertilize a lot. Granted this all dependent on your situation/tree, but I think most of us, especially newbies, under fertilize. I’m fertilizing every week now, regardless of summer. Pines about every 5 days. Where before in summer I slowed down and only fertilized every 2 weeks. I’ve had so many less issues with pests and disease this year and I attribute it almost solely to proper watering and fertilization. I haven’t had to use pest deterrents in probably close to 3 months. I’ve lost only 3 trees so far this year (record low for me) and I’ve felt like my trees have paid me in dividends accordingly with the best growth I’ve seen so far since starting in 2021.”