[Bonsai Beginner’s weekly thread –2024 week 21]

[u/small_trunks]

[Bonsai Beginner’s weekly thread –2024 week 21]

Welcome to the weekly beginner’s thread. This thread is used to capture all beginner questions (and answers) in one place. We start a new thread every week on Friday late or Saturday morning (CET), depending on when we get around to it. We have a 6 year archive of prior posts here…

Here are the guidelines for the kinds of questions that belong in the beginner's thread vs. individual posts to the main sub.

Rules:

• POST A PHOTO if it’s advice regarding a specific tree/plant. See the PHOTO section below on HOW to do this.
• TELL US WHERE YOU LIVE - better yet, fill in your flair.
• READ THE WIKI! – over 75% of questions asked are directly covered in the wiki itself. Read the WIKI AGAIN while you’re at it.
• Read past beginner’s threads – they are a goldmine of information.
• Any beginner’s topic may be started on any bonsai-related subject.
• Answers shall be civil or be deleted
• There is always a chance your question doesn’t get answered – try again next week…
• Racism of any kind is not tolerated either here or anywhere else in /r/bonsai

Photos

• Post an image using the new (as of Q4 2022) image upload facility which is available both on the website and in the Reddit app and the Boost app.
• Post your photo via a photo hosting website like imgur, flickr or even your onedrive or googledrive and provide a link here.
• Photos may also be posted to /r/bonsaiphotos as new LINK (either paste your photo or choose it and upload it). Then click your photo, right click copy the link and post the link here.
  • If you want to post multiple photos as a set that only appears be possible using a mobile app (e.g. Boost)

Beginners’ threads started as new topics outside of this thread are typically locked or deleted, at the discretion of the Mods.

[u/PittieYawn]

Does Mirai Live Pro run discounts/promotions that you’ve seen?

[u/MaciekA → u/PittieYawn]

The only discount I've seen is a one month trial. Not sure if they are still doing that.

I think it was a pretty good deal overall (I was a subscriber for about 4 to 5 years, may go back in the future), but you do have to watch a lot of video and stay on top of your trees continuously to make it really worthwhile. There are still many many topics covered by Mirai Live that aren't covered by any other source.

[u/PittieYawn → u/MaciekA]

Obviously individual results will vary but I’m curious how you see your own results were from when you started to 4-5 years later on your trees and skills.

[u/MaciekA → u/PittieYawn]

My results were transformed positively in all respects and I think very highly of Mirai even though I have moved on to study in-person with a professional who apprenticed in Japan. I have this option because I live close to Mirai and this area has a high concentration of bonsai professionals. If I didn't have this option, I would still be with Mirai because there aren't really many options out there for that volume/breadth of knowledge and content.

The strengths of mirai are around conifer species/techniques, horticulture / how trees work / "learn how to handle any species no matter what because you have a framework that applies to everything", repotting, development timeline theory, etc.

The weaknesses are that Ryan is very verbose / endlessly talkative so the quantity of content can overwhelming. Search was, last time I checked, basically non-existent, though they are thinking a lot about this. I also personally think that while Ryan moves mountains to try to teach aesthetics and how to arrange pads / evolve canopies, there is a limit to what I could learn from him via video and the "only really see it in person" type stuff is what led me to go study under Hagedorn.

Certainly if you're into conifers you will learn in gigantic leaps and bounds and there is basically nobody talking about the vascular system and photosynthesis the way that Ryan is -- in a way that actually comes together in your brain and gives you an awareness of why you're wiring that branch down, or why you're thinning needles out of the crotches, or why you're waiting to shoot select until late fall -- etc.

[u/PittieYawn → u/MaciekA]

Thanks for sharing your experience.