Et si le style « traditionnel » n'existait pas - French

 From the forum Nturelelment Bonsai

Et si le style « traditionnel » n'existait pas - par W.Pall

Traduction du texte de Walter Pall

"Quelques observations m'ont fait conclure qu'il existe bien un tel style de bonsaï. Il est utilisé très souvent comme le synonyme de classique.
Le style « classique » nous l'avons rencontré au cours du temps.

Où et comment ?
Dans les publications du KOKUFU. Si vous avez la chance de regarder un de ces livres d'avant guerre, vous serez frappé parce que la majorité des arbres montrés ne correspondent pas aux bonsaïs "classiques" d'aujourd'hui. En fait, on les considérerait aujourd'hui de « qualité » inférieure.

On passe ensuite aux éditions d'après guerre. On découvre que dans les dernières années cinquante et le milieu des années soixante le bonsaï exposé ressemble souvent ce que l'on perçoit comme "le Style de Bonsaï Traditionnel Classique" (par beaucoup de personnes à l'Ouest mais pas au Japon!).
A partir de là les bonsaïs sont différents et dans les dix dernières années la différences est encore plus visible . Ce qu'on appelle arbres classiques sont vraiment des arbres des dernières années soixante-dix jusqu'à la fin des années quatre-vingt.

Par rapport à d'autre forme d'art c'est trop récent pour être appelé "classique".

Regardez ce que les gens (le peuple) formés au Japon très récemment ont créé. Cela ressemble-t-il ce que nous avons appris à être le style de bonsaï "traditionnel" ? La plupart du temps cela n'existe pas. Je ne parle pas même des jeunes qui ont étudié avec Kimura. Je ne parle pas non plus de ceux qui essayent d'être très contemporains. Je parle de ceux qui insistent sur ce qu'ils ont appris et ce qui pratiquent le bonsaï "traditionnel".

J'ai eu le plaisir d'interviewer Kimura en public il y a deux ans. Une question a été posée : "ce qui est si différent dans votre style et de ce que nous avons appris à appeler traditionnel ?" Kimura a insisté pour que tout fasse "traditionnel", c'est à dire garder la ligne classique , porter plus d'attentions aux détails, aux raffinements . Je ne le crois pas du tout.

Mais qu'est ce que le bonsaï "traditionnel, classique" s'il entre dans plusieurs des apparences (convenances) radicalement différentes ? Et il ose même changer, progresser au cours du temps.

Traditionnellement, classique signifie quelque chose de stable . Quelque chose pour regarder derrière soi et à admirer pour toujours. Comment se fait-il que l'on puisse appelé des chefs-d'œuvre classiques des choses qui changent tout le temps.

Comment se fait-il qu'il est des différences entre le « bonsaï traditionnel »créé à l'Ouest sous l'influence japonaise et le « bonsaï traditionnel » qui sort du Japon de nos jours ?

Je pense que nous pouvons voir des styles plus ou moins différents sous l'appellation "traditionnel".

J'en vois au moins clairement deux : le Style Traditionnel Occidental et le Style Traditionnel japonais.

Vous êtes surpris, alors, vous êtes dans la bonne société. Il m'étonne aussi."

WP qui est-il ? - French

 From the forum Narurellement Bonsai

Nous avons tous plus ou moins entendu parler de Walter Pall , mais qui est-il ?


Walter Pall est né en 1944 en Autriche, et vit en Allemagne où il a grandi.


En1980, Walter a attrapé un virus : la passion des bonsaï. Après une carrière de manager en électronique et de conseils en l'industrie, il a finalement décidé en 1990 pour devenir un professionnel du bonsaï à temps partiel. Il est souvent surnommé l’encyclopédie vivante du bonsaï !


Walter Pall est bien connu dans le monde entier pour son style distinctif, la qualité de ses créations, sa volonté d'enseigner et son approche directe.Il est l'un des artistes les plus populaires dans le monde du bonsaï. Il travaille aussi bien les conifères que les arbres à feuilles caduques et de ce fait n'a pas réellement de préférence pour l'une ou l'autre de ces familles. Plus il est impliqué dans le développement de ses arbres, plus il s'éloigne des styles des bonsaï traditionnels. Il aime être créatif afin de mettre toute son âme dans l'arbre, l'âme.....c'est peut être son secret...


Il a reçu plusieurs dizaines de prix nationaux et internationaux pour ses bonsaï. Il a remporté la plus prestigieuse Coupe Crespi Prix d'Italie avec son « Juniper Rocky Mountain » en 2000 et sera dans le top six, chaque fois qu'il est y est allé. Il a également remporté les deuxième et troisième places dans le Prix de la Coupe du Gingko de la compétition bonsaï Belgique dont il est le premier artiste à avoir eu 10 bonsaï acceptés.

Walter Pall a été l'un des pionniers européens à travailler avec des espèces locales qu'il prélève dans les montagnes alpines . Il possède aujourd'hui une collection de plus de 1000 arbres à divers stades de développement, il ne faut pas oublier non plus sa magnifique collection de pots .


Il se considère avant tout comme un amateur qui cherche à travailler comme un professionnel, vous voyez la différence ?


Son blog « Adventures Walter Pall Bonsaï » est un régal. On y trouve de très bons articles, parfois plein d'humour et surtout de très belles photos. Un rêve de bonsaï ! Si vous allez du côté de Munich, en prenant RDV vous pourrez peut être visiter sa magnifique collection personnelle.


Walter, permettez à un tout jeune forum de vous souhaiter un très bon anniversaire et longue vie afin que nous puissions continuer à recevoir votre enseignement sur le bonsaï naturel .

Feeding, Watering and Substrate - Slovak

 Translated by Maros Belan, thanky you!
Hnojenie, Substráty a Zalievanie
Metódy Waltera Palla
Bol som požiadaný aby som napísal pár slov o „hnojení ihličnanov“. Tak som si nad to sadol a výsledkom je nasledujúci text. Ale ak na otázku „Ako hnojíš ihličnany?“ dám krátku odpoveď môže to viesť k nedorozumeniam a vážnym škodám.
Substrát, zalievanie a výživa rastlín nemôžu byť vnímané oddelene . Všetky tieto témy sú spojené navzájom a tak sa to stáva komplexnou témou. Sú to listnaté stromy, ihličnany, mladé stromy, staré stromy, čerstvo presadené, čerstvo vykopané yamadori, je tam toľko rozličných možností v každej bonsai záhrade. Môže tam byť jasná odpoveď?
Nuž, áno. Ale musíte čítať dôkladne a potom to robiť VŠETKO. Nie je možné vybrať si jedno z odporúčaní, ktoré sa vám páči a ignorovať ostatné. Nemôžete hnojiť podľa mojej metódy a nestarať sa aký máte substrát alebo aký je váš režim zalievania.
Na prvom mieste dávam nabok všetko čo bolo napísané vo väčšine literatúry na tieto témy. Keďže nám technológia zabezpečila prístup k novým a efektívnejším metódam a produktom, spôsob akým sa dnes staráme o naše stromy prekročil hranice tradície. Už hodnú chvíľu je to nový a moderný svet, ale mnohí si to zatiaľ neuvedomili. Aj keď istá miera úspechu je dosiahnuteľná aj s použitím starých metód, ale na druhej strane tie môžu byť nebezpečné či dokonca smrtiace v kombinácia s modernými substrátmi a praktikami.
Substráty:
Dobý materiál použiteľný ako substrát:
Musí mať rovnomernú veľkosť zrna
Musí mať schopnosť absorbovať vodu a spätne ju uvoľňovať
Musí byť bez obsahu jemného organického materiálu
Nesmie sa jednoducho rozkladať a rozpadať
Mal by byť v suchom stave čo najľahší
Ak je to možné mal by byť čo najlacnejší
A mal by mať esteticky príjemný vzhľad
To môže byť: láva, pemza, pálený íl, Turface, zeolit, Chabasai(typ zeolitu), kúsky kokosových škrupín, kúsky kôry stromov, kúsky polystyrénu(bez žartov) a niekoľko ďalších ktoré môžete nájsť sami ak rozumiete princípu. Poznámka: niektoré z menovaných materiálov nemusia byť dostupné vo vašej oblasti.
Bežná akadama je otázna ako vhodný substrát pretože dochádza k jej rozpadu, zvlášť keď je vystavovaná zimným mrazom. V miske z nej môže vzniknúť smrteľná zmes hliny, upchávajúca prietok vody a bránica prístupu vzduchu v substráte. To obzvlášť platí pri stromoch ktoré sú len zriedkavo presádzané, ako napríklad yamadori borovice a staré bonsai vo všeobecnosti.
Substráty ktoré nie je vhodné používať: zemina, kompost, štrk, piesok atď. Stromy dokážu rásť v piesku a záhradnej zemine, to je samozrejmé, ale nie je to optimálny materiál na pestovanie pre zdravé pestovanie v bonsai kultúre.
Všetky vhodné substráty je možné miešať navzájom podľa vašej chuti a nie je v tom takmer žiadny rozdiel. Rovnako je možné ich recyklovať a používať opakovane, ale uistite sa že ste preosiali a očistili recyklovaný substrát podľa potreby.
Neexistuje taká vec ako „ideálny substrát pre bonsai“. V skutočnosti existujú tisíce ideálnych substrátov. Ja verím tomu, že NEZÁLEŽÍ NA TOM ČO POUŽÍVATE A AKÝ MIX JEDNOTLIVÝCH ZLOŽIEK pokiaľ to je moderný substrát.
Pretože v moderných substrátoch nie je žiadna zemina, je v nich veľmi málo niečoho živého. Presychajú rýchlo a v čase letných horúčav je nutné zalievať niekoľko krát denne, a zvlášť v prípade, ak používate čisto anorganické zmesi. Z tohto dôvodu ja pridávam do menovaných anorganických substrátov hrubú rašelinu. Je to ten typ rašeliny ktorý sa ťaží z bažín a dodáva sa v prirodzenej hrubej forme. Nepoužívajte produkty s jemnými zložkami rašeliny a machu, aj keď je na balení napísané „bez prachu“ jeho zložky by boli príliš malé. Ak neviete nájsť správny typ rašeliny, tak použite malé kúsky kôry bez drobných prachových častíc alebo použite nasekané kokosové vlákno. Tieto organické zložky by mali tvoriť 15-20% celkového objemu substrátu. Menej v prípade ihličnanov, olív a podobne a trocha viac v prípade malých stromov a azaliek.
Tieto organické materiály sú dobré na udržanie vyššej vlhkosti v substráte a na podporu kolonizácie substrátu užitočným mikrobiologickým životom. Navyše podľa výsledkov výskumov sa zdá, že mach z rašeliny obsahuje rastlinné hormóny ktoré sú prospešné pre stromy. Tieto organické materiály by za normálnych okolností nemali čo robiť v substráte pre bonsai, ale tie ktoré som tu spomínal sa rozpadajú až po piatich rokoch. Na to musíte myslieť keď si plánujete presádzanie. Tento organický materiál musí byť pri recyklovaní substrátu preosiaty a odstránený.
Zalievanie:
Môj plán zalievania funguje od konca marca do polovice októbra a to KAŽDÝ deň. A to bez ohľadu na to či sa stromy zdajú byť suché alebo nie. Iba v prípade takých dní keď veľmi silno prší upúšťam od zalievania stromov. Ak je veľmi horúco, alebo fúka silný vietor, alebo je kombinácia horúčavy a vetra tak v takom prípade zalievam dvakrát alebo dokonca trikrát denne. Veľmi malé stromy musia byť poliate dvakrát denne. VŠETKY stromy zalievam rovnako. Individuálne návyky pri zalievaní nie sú potrebné, ak všetky vaše stromy sú v rovnakom substráte s dobrou drenážou. Rovnako nie je potrebné dôkladne vytrénovať vášho známeho aby vedel správne zalievať vaše stromy keď ste preč z domu. Ktokoľvek je schopný zalievať stromy, všetko je len potrebné zaliať dôkladne. Taktiež nezáleží na tom aký typ vody používate. Bežná pitná voda vhodná pre všetky rastliny, aj keď je to tvrdá voda. Ja mám vo svojej záhrade jednu z najtvrdších vôd v Európe(23° DH). Tú používam na všetky rastliny, vrátane azaliek. Zalievam záhradnou hadicou, pustenou na plno. Nezalievam jednotlivé stromy ale polievam plošne, tak ako by ste vy zalievali svoju záhradu automatickým zavlažovacím systémom.
Ak zavlažujete takýmto spôsobom, zalievajte agresívne. To znamená, že všetko bude veľmi mokré, celý strom od vrcholu po misku. Voda musí vytekať z misiek drenážnych otvorov. Je to pre stromy veľmi dobré, ak je koruna mokrá každý deň.
V prípade moderných substrátov je prepolievanie rastliny takmer nemožné. Môžete zalievať celé hodiny a všetka prebytočná voda jednoducho pretečie miskou, ak je použitý správny substrát. Na druhej strane je zasa veľmi jednoduché dodávať stromom v moderných substrátoch nedostatok vody. Mnoho bonsai odumrie, pretože sú posadené v moderných substrátoch, ale zalievané sú tradičným starým spôsobom – v podstate nedostatočne.
Výživa rastlín, hnojenie:
S modernými substrátmi a agresívnym zalievaním výživa rastlín už nie je žiadnym tajomstvom. AKÉKOĽVEK hnojivo ktoré je na trhu ponúkané pre bežné rastliny je možné používať, môže byť organické alebo chemické. Hnojivá by mali obsahovať VEĽA dusíka. Iba vďaka dusíku dokážu rastliny rásť.
Ja osobne používam tekuté hnojivo ktoré nakupujem v našom najlacnejšom diskontnom supermarkete. V Amerike by to bol Walmart (v strednej Európe Aldi alebo Lidl). Používajte univerzálne hnojivo ktoré je odporúčané pre všetky typy rastlín. Okrem toho ešte kupujem niekoľko desiatok krabíc granulovaného hnojiva ktoré obsahuje chemické a čiastočne aj organické zložky. Dva razy počas roka, na začiatku mája a na konci augusta, hodím na povrch substrátu stromom za hrsť sušeného kuracieho trusu. Kupujem ho vo veľkých vreciach, je to takto veľmi lacné. To je všetko. Pre VŠETKY moje stromy vrátane tých svetovo slávnych používam rovnaké hnojivá.
Koľko? OVEĽA VIAC AKO BY STE SI MYSLELI! Hnojím asi 20 až 60 krát viac ako priemerný pestovateľ bonsai. Od začiatku apríla do polovice októbra sú všetky stromy hnojené tekutým hnojivom. Dávkovanie tekutého hnojiva je 3-krát až 4-krát vyššie oproti odporúčanému na balení. Všetky stromy sú hnojené rovnako, či sú to listnaté, ihličnaté, malé, veľké, čerstvo presadené, vykopané. To je obdobie trvajúce asi 200 dní v roku kedy sú stromy hnojené. Keďže stromy sú prihnojované trojnásobnou dávkou oproti odporúčanému dávkovaniu a robím to 20 krát počas toho obdobia, odpovedá to 60 dávkam hnojiva počas rastovej sezóny. Priemerný bonsaista prihnojuje možno 3-krát alebo 5-krát, aj to asi polovičnou dávkou hnojiva pretože „bonsai by nemal rásť“. Ak ešte k tomu prirátate 2-krát do roka hnojenie kuracím trusom ktoré je dodané stromom, tak pochopíte prečo moja schéma hnojenia je 20-krát až 60-krát intenzívnejšia ako je priemer.
Ázijské koláčiky hnojiva sú dobré ale zbytočné v našej kultúre. Nejedávame steak s paličkami a nemusíme hnojiť stromy koláčikmi hnojiva. Ale ak na ich používaní trváte tak neublížia, sú iba neatraktívne na pohľad. Biogold bol vyvinutý na použitie s modernými substrátmi ako je akadama, a funguje dobre. Ak by ste ho dali mne, tak by som ho rozdrvil na malé kúsky a rozhodil po povrchu substrátu. Po jednom zalievaní by bol neviditeľný.
Príliš veľa solí v substráte je takmer nemožné dosiahnuť ak zároveň zalievate agresívne každý deň. Dokonca ani azalkám nevadí môj spôsob starostlivosti. A darí sa im veľmi dobre aj napriek veľmi tvrdej vode, v substráte z obyčajného pálenému ílu a rašeliny a agresívnemu hnojeniu ako pri všetkých ostatných stromoch.
Asi pred desiatimi rokmi bol propagovaný „super feeding – super hnojenie“ a o chvíľu neskôr upadol do zabudnutia. Nezabezpečil očakávané výsledky a mnoho stromov pri tom trpelo alebo dokonca odumrelo. To čo robím ja znie podobne. Nuž, je to podobné, ibaže ja trvám aj na agresívnom zalievaní súbežne s agresívnym hnojením a trvám na použití moderných substrátov. Okrem toho ja sa nesnažím z ingrediencií na hnojenie stromov robiť veľkú vedu. Moje odporúčanie je aby ste si kúpili čokoľvek čo je aktuálne v akcii v záhradnom centre alebo obchode s poľnohospodárskymi potrebami.
Tento systém hnojenia je pre stromy vo vývoji. Pamätajte, že 99,8% všetkých bonsai sú „vo vývoji“. Ak sa vám stane, že máte strom ktorý by sa už viac nemal vyvíjať, tak musíte systém hnojenia výrazne obmedziť. Necháte ho z toho dôvodu „hladovať“. Tak získate zmenšené a menšie množstvo listov a ihličia. Bude vyzerať dobre na výstave, ale strom pôjde z kopca, ak to budete robiť príliš dlho. Po niekoľkých rokoch strom budete musieť opäť hnojiť agresívne aby sa z toho zotavil.
Zhrnutie: Robte všetky tri odporúčané postupy alebo ani jeden! Tu nemáte na výber. Vybrať si len jednu metódu a odmietnuť používať ďalšie dve sa skončí katastrofou. Tí, ktorí robia „super hnojenie“ s použitím staromódnych substrátov a slabou zálievkou zabijú svoje stromy. Tí, ktorí používajú moderné substráty a agresívne zalievanie, ale používajú systém hnojenia ako za starých časov budú mať veľmi slabé, a v konečnom dôsledku mŕtve stromy. To je všetko.
Takže otázka „Ako hnojíš svoje ihličnany?“ má odpoveď „Tak ako všetky ostatné stromy, ale musíte poznať celý príbeh.“
Viem, že tomu mnohí nebudú veriť. „Ten čo vylieči, má pravdu“, to je príslovie používané v medicíne. V pestovaní by sa dalo parafrázovať „ten čo má najzdravšie stromy z dlhodobého hľadiska“ má pravdu. Príďte sa pozrieť do mojej záhrady alebo nazrite do mojej galérie na stránke, uvidíte to na vlastné oči.
Všetko o čom tu píšem nebolo objavené alebo vymyslené mnou. Ja som sa iba učil od profesionálnych moderných záhradníkov. Oni to robia s veľkým úspechom už desaťročia. Ja som len prispôsobil moderné pestovateľské metódy pre bonsai. Iba vo svete bonsai sa to všetko zdá byť revolučné.
Walter Pall

Feeding, Substrate and Watering - English

Feeding, Substrate and Watering
Methods of Walter Pall (edited by Victrinia Ridgeway)

I was asked to write a paragraph on the 'feeding of conifers'. So I sat down and came up with this. But the question, “How do you feed conifers?” when given a short answer, can lead to serious misunderstandings and to fatalities.

Substrate, watering and feeding cannot be seen as separate. Each is connected to the other and so it becomes quite complex. Be it a deciduous tree, conifer, young, old, recently potted, or even collected, there are so many variables inside a bonsai garden. Can there be a clear answer?

Well, yes. But one has to read quite carefully and then do EVERYTHING. It is not feasible to pick one that you like and ignore the others. You cannot feed according to my method and don't care what substrate you have or what your watering regime is.

First, I set aside everything that has been written in most bonsai literature about the subject. As technology grants us access to new and more effective methods and products, the way we care for our trees has progressed beyond the boundaries of tradition. It has been a new and modern world for some time, but many have not realized this. Even if some measure of success is achieved with the old methods it can be dangerous if used with modern substrates and practices, or even deadly.

Substrates: Good substrate material must: be of equal particle size, have the ability to absorb water and release it back, have no fine particle organic material, must not decompose easily, be as lightweight as possible when dry, preferably inexpensive and should have an aesthetically pleasing appearance. This would then be: lava, pumice, baked loam, Turface, zeolite, Chabasai (a type of zeolite), coconut pieces, bark pieces, Styrofoam pieces (no joke) and a few more which you can find yourself if you have understood the principles. Please note: Some of these materials may not be available in your area.

Normal akadama is questionable as a good substrate as it inevitably decomposes, especially when exposed to winter frost. It can become deadly loam in the pot, choking the flow of water and air into the soil. This is especially true for trees which are only rarely repotted, like collected conifers and old bonsai in general.

Substrates which are not useful: soil, compost, stones, sand etc. Trees grow in sand and flower soil, of course, but it is not an optimal growing medium for health in bonsai culture.
All substrates can be mixed according to your liking and it makes almost no difference. They can also be recycled and used again, but make certain to sift and clean any recycled materials as needed.

There is no such thing as an 'ideal bonsai substrate'. There are in fact thousands of ideal substrates. I believe that IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT YOU USE AND IN WHAT MIXTURE as long as it is a modern substrate.

Since there is no soil in modern substrates there is very little alive in them. They dry out easily and one must water several times a day when it is hot, especially if you have used pure inorganics. Therefore I add rough peat in addition to the previously mentioned substrates. This is the kind of peat that is harvested in bogs and comes in its natural coarse form. Make certain not to use fine particle peat/sphagnum moss, even if the package says “dust free” as the particles will be too small. If you cannot find the correct type of peat, use small bark bits without dust particles, or cut coconut fibers. These organic components should comprise 15-20 % of the overall volume, a bit less with conifers, olives and such, and a bit more with small trees and azaleas.

These organic materials are good for keeping humidity higher in the substrate and for supporting the colonization of beneficial microbial life in the soil composition. Research also seems to indicate that peat moss has plant hormones which are good for trees. These are organic materials which would normally have no business being in a bonsai substrate, but the ones mentioned take five years to decompose. You have to consider this when planning your repotting schedules. The organic material should also be sieved out of any substrate that is being recycled.

Watering: I have a watering schedule that runs from the end of March to middle of October EVERY day. This is regardless of whether the trees appear to be dry or not. Only when it rains heavily will I refrain from watering the trees. When it is hot, or there is strong wind, or a combination of the two, I water two or even three times in a day. Very small trees must be watered twice a day. ALL trees are watered the same. Individual watering habits are not needed when all of your trees are in a consistent well draining substrate. There is also no need to carefully train a friend how to water your trees when you are away. Any person can water the trees; everything must only be watered thoroughly. It also does not matter what type of water is used. Tap water is very usable for all plants, even if it is hard water. I have some of the hardest water in Europe in my garden (23° DH). I use this water for everything, including azaleas. I water with a garden hose, full speed. I do not water individual trees, but areas, just like you might water your garden with a sprinkler system.

When you water this way, water aggressively. This means everything becomes very wet, the whole tree from top to bottom. The water must run out of the draining holes. It is very good for the trees if the crown gets wet every day.

With modern substrates over-watering is almost impossible. You can water for hours and all of the excess will just run through the pot if the correct substrate is used.  It is very easy to under-water though. Many bonsai die because they are sitting in modern substrate but are watered according to the old methods - under-watered in fact.

Feeding: With modern substrates and aggressive watering, feeding is no secret anymore. ANY fertilizer that is offered for ordinary plants can be used, whether organic or chemical. Fertilizers should have LOTS of nitrogen. Only with nitrogen plants can grow.

I use mainly liquid fertilizer that I get from our cheapest general discount market. In America it would be Walmart. Use general fertilizer that is noted as being good for all plants. In addition I buy a few dozen boxes of granular fertilizers which contain chemical and some organic ingredients. Two times a year, in the beginning of May and in the end of August, I throw a handful of dried chicken manure at the trees. I buy this in large bags, which is very inexpensive.  That's it. For ALL of my trees including the world famous ones I use the same fertilizer.

How much? WAY MORE THAN YOU THINK! I feed from 20 to 60 times more than the average bonsai grower. From the beginning of April to the middle of October, every ten days everything is fed with liquid fertilizer, using three to four times the suggested dose. All trees are fed equally, whether deciduous, conifers, small, large, repotted, collected or not. This is a span of about 200 days when the trees are being fed. Since the trees are fed three times the normal dose on twenty days in that time, it makes for 60 doses of fertilizer in the growing season. The average bonsai grower feeds maybe three or five times at half the normal dose because 'bonsai trees should not grow'. If you then add two times a year of chicken manure being given to the trees, you can then understand why this schedule is 20 to 60 times more than the average.

Asian fertilizer cakes are fine but superfluous in our culture. We don't eat steak with chop sticks and don't have to feed plants with cakes. But they don't hurt if you insist of using them; they are just unattractive to look at. Biogold was made to be used with modern substrates like akadama, and it works well. If you give it to me I will break it into very small particles which I then throw all over the substrate surface of the trees. After one watering it becomes invisible.

Too much salt in the substrate is almost impossible if one waters aggressively every day.  Even azaleas don't mind my treatment. They thrive very well with very hard water, ordinary baked loam and peat as the substrate and aggressive feeding like all the rest of the trees.
About ten years ago 'super feeding' was proclaimed and a while later forgotten. It did not produce the expected results and many trees suffered and even died. What I do sounds similar. Well, it is similar, only that I insist on aggressive watering in parallel to aggressive feeding and the use of modern substrates. I also don't make the ingredients of fertilizing trees into a science. I tell you to buy whatever is on sale in the garden center or agricultural supply store.

This feeding scheme is for trees in development. Remember that 99.8 % of all bonsai are 'in development'. If you happen to have one that should really not develop anymore you slow down its feeding schedule considerably. You let it starve on purpose. Then it will get smaller, and fewer, leaves and needles. It will look good for shows, but your tree will go downhill if you continue to do this for too long. After a few years you have to feed it aggressively again to let it recover.

 Summary: Do all three or nothing! You have no choice here. To just pick one method and refuse the others will end in disaster. Those who do 'super feeding' using old-fashioned soil, and insufficient watering will kill trees. Those who use modern substrates, aggressive watering and fertilizes like the old days will have very weak and, in the end, dead trees. That's all there is to it.

So the question, “How do you feed conifers?” Gets the answer, “Like all other trees, but you have to know the whole story.”

I know that many will not believe this. ‘He who heals is right’, is a saying in human medicine. In gardening 'he who has the healthiest trees in the long run' is right. Come to see my garden or look at my gallery, they speak for themselves.

All this was not discovered or invented by me. I only learned from professional modern gardeners. They have done this for decades with great success. I have adapted modern horticulture to bonsai. Only in the bonsai world does this seem revolutionary.

Walter Pall

Die Bonsaiszene (The Bonsai Scene) German

Achtung: Ähnlichkeiten mit lebenden und toten Personen sind nicht babsichtigt und reiner Zufall

Künstler, Sammler, Profis, Spinner

Was für Menschen beschäftigen sich überhaupt mit Bonsai? Im allgemeinen kann man sagen, dass es einmal ganz normale Menschen sind, die einfach ein Hobby haben wollen, die sich an etwas schönem, lebenden erfreuen, so wie sie sich auch an einem Haustier erfreuen können. Recht häufig trifft man Menschen, die sehr sparsam sind. Dies mag bei einem Hobby, das als teuer verschreien ist, erstaunen. Jedoch ist für sehr viel Menschen Bonsai ein „billiges“ Hobby. Ja, die gleichen Leute, die sehr viel Geld für Autos, Reisen, Fotografieren usw. ausgeben, kaufen sich nur die billigsten Bäume und arbeiten mit Werkzeug aus dem Baumarkt. Diejenigen, die sich wirklich ernsthaft mit Bonsai beschäftigen, sind schon weitaus interessanter.
Da gibt es die Künstler. So wie man sich allgemein Künstler vorstellt sind das irgendwie ungewöhnliche, extreme Menschen. Das sind die Leute, die Bonsai natürlich als Kunst verstehen und die eben Kunstwerke schaffen oder das stark annehmen. Sie nehmen sich samt und sonders sehr ernst und sehen sich in der Regel als die einzigen, die wirklich etwas von Bonsai verstehen. Auch unter den Künstlern gibt es mehrere Schulrichtungen. So gibt es die Puristen, die nur mit japanischen Bäumen arbeiten, ja es gibt welche, die nur mit einer einzigen Art arbeiten. Es gibt aber auch die Puristen, die nur mit den für sie einheimischen Arten arbeiten. Dann gibt es die, die Laubbäume oder Nadelbäume bevorzugen. Auch in der Art, wie sie sich ihr Material beschaffen, unterscheiden sie sich: die einen arbeiten gerne mit Stecklingen oder Sämlingen, die anderen kaufen importiertes Material, andere wiederum holen sich ihre Bäume aus Baumschulen. Eine ganz besondere Rasse sind die Ausgraber, die nur mit selbstgesammelten Findlingen arbeiten und sich selbst als die wahren Könige der Bonsaikünstler sehen. Viele Künstler können wirklich etwas und wenn es nur ist, sich einen Namen zu machen. Einige sind berühmt, weil sie etwas können, einige sind nur dafür berühmt, dass sie berühmt sind. Wie jeder anständige Künstler, sind auch die Bonsaikünstler arme Leute. Jeder reiche Mensch will ein Künstler sein und jeder Künstler ein reicher Mensch. Sie werden oft irrtümlich für reich gehalten, weil in ihrem Garten ein Vermögen steht. Das ist es auch wirklich; ihr ganzes Geld wird in neues Material und Schalen gesteckt und es kommt nur ganz langsam oder gar nicht zurück. Je weiter die Bonsaikunst im Westen verfeinert wird, um so mehr wird auch das Wirken der Künstler gewürdigt. Ein Baum ist mehr wert, wenn er von einem bekannten Gestalter kommt. Dies ist natürlich genau so in Asien. Künstler machen sich bekannt, indem sie extrem sind. Sie können extrem gut sein, oder einfach nur extrem. Jedenfalls spricht man über einen ganz ungewöhnlich gestalteten Baum, mehr als über einen durchschnittlichen. In den bildenden Künsten findet man täglich Künstler, die mehr durch ihre Aktionen als durch ihre Arbeiten auffallen. Es ist nur eine Frage der Zeit, bis das auch in Bonsaikreisen üblich sein wird. Wenn eine Aktion, also das Entstehen eines Kunstwerkes bereits Kunst ist, dann ist es eine Bonsaidemonstration schon lange. Es gibt heute bereits Bonsaigestalter, die stolz darauf sind, dass die Bonsairegeln nicht für sie gelten. Was ein echter Avant-Garde-Künstler ist, der ist stolz darauf, dass das breite Publikum abfällig über seine Arbeiten spricht. Das breite Publikum hat ja im Zweifelsfall einen altmodischen Geschmack und ist spießig. Wenn es die eigenen Arbeiten ablehnt, kann das nur heißen, dass sie kontemporär, also wegweisend und absolut nicht spießig sind. Einem Künstler Eitelkeit vorzuwerfen ist so, wie einem Kaufmann Habgier und einem Politiker Machtgier. Es ist müßig, weil das ja die eigentliche Triebfeder für sein Handeln ist. Ebenso ist es müßig, einem Künstler ein übergroßes Ego vorzuwerfen. Das ist ja eine ganz wesentliche Voraussetzung dafür überhaupt Künstler zu sein. Interessanter ist es schon, darüber zu reden, wie ein Kühnster sein übergroßes Ego herumträgt; ob er es schamlos offen zeigt, oder unter hervorragend gespielter Bescheidenheit verbirgt. Die Trennlinie zwischen übergroßem Ego und Charisma ist fließend. In einigen Ländern werden anerkannte Bonsaikünstler „Meister“ genannt. Dieser Titel gebührt jemandem, der den Höhepunkt seiner Kunst errungen hat. Jeder kann sich Meister nennen, wichtig ist nur, ob die anderen das auch so sehen. In den USA darf sich ein Bonsaigestalter nicht einmal selbst Künstler nennen. Bescheidenheit scheint aber nicht unbedingt eine Voraussetzung für einem großen Bonsaikünstler zu sein, sie mag jedoch zu seiner Beliebtheit beitragen. Wenn man viele Künstler kennt, kann man auch zum Schluss kommen, dass Intelligenz keine absolut erforderliche Voraussetzung ist. Viele leben mit Kunst in ihrem Leben, aber nicht alle meistern die Kunst des Lebens.
Ein Bonsaimeister wird meist als solcher anerkannt, wenn er aus ganz schlechtem Material einen wundervollen Bonsai gestalten kann. Das leuchtet jedem ein, der einmal eine Demonstration gesehen hat, in der dies vollbracht wurde. Für den Gestalter, der als Meister angesehen werden will geht es dann darum, solches Material zu finden, das in den Augen der Zuseher ganz schlecht aussieht, währen er mindestens eine Möglichkeit sieht, einen guten Bonsai daraus zu gestalten. Dann ist es eben gutes Material – gutes Demo-Material. Im Gegensatz dazu steht solches Material, bei dem jeder Amateur erkennen kann, dass es gut ist. Dann ist es anscheinend keine Kunst mehr, etwas tolles daraus zu machen. Im Gegensatz zu einer landläufigen Meinung ist ein Bonsaimeister eben nicht in der Lage, aus schlechtem Material einen guten Bonsai zu gestalten. Er unterscheidet sich nur von seinen Zusehern in der Fähigkeit, gutes Material als solches zu erkennen. Es gibt einige Gestalter, die es grundsätzlich darauf abgesehen haben, auf der Bühne Wunder zu wirken und die gar kein (offensichtlich) gutes Material haben wollen. Man muss sich schon fragen, worauf es denn nun ankommt, auf den Eindruck auf der Bühne oder auf das Endprodukt. Wenn das Endprodukt wirklich überzeugend ist, dann fragt später keiner mehr, wie das Rohmaterial einmal ausgesehen hat. Es gibt also zwei Arten von gutem Material:
· Gutes Material für eine Demonstration
· Gutes Material für die eigene Verwendung
Manchmal fällt beides zusammen. Normalerweise nicht. Der Besitzer von wirklich hervorragendem Material muss sich auch fragen, ob es richtig ist, es auf der Bühne zu verwenden. Dort ist es eben nicht das Ziel, langfristig das beste aus dem Material zu machen und die Überlebenschancen des Baumes und aller seiner Teile möglichst hoch zu halten. Auf der Bühne wird das nur vorgetäuscht. Es kommt drauf an, kurzfristig einen möglichst guten Eindruck zu machen.
Es gibt Künstler, die ausgezeichnete Bäume gestalten und solche, die sich auf der Bühne ausgezeichnet machen. Manchmal fällt beides zusammen. In der Tat, ist es nicht selbstverständlich, dass einer gut arbeiten kann, wenn ihm dutzende Voyeure dabei zusehen. Einige scheinen besonders aufzublühen, wenn sie wissen, dass sie von Spannern beobachtet werden. Das haben sie dann mit guten Schauspielern gemeinsam. In der bildenden Kunst ist es immer mehr üblich, die Erstellung des Kunstwerkes selbst als Kunst zu begreifen. Man kann also durchaus sagen, dass eine gelungene Demonstration ein Kunstwerk ist, was auch den gestalteten Baum einschließt, aber nicht unbedingt.
Nahe mit den Künstlern verwandt sind die Profis. Sie sind bekannt und treten als Demonstratoren auf. Sie leiten Workshops, schreiben Artikel, fotografieren und sonnen sich in ihrer Berühmtheit. Einige von ihnen sind auch gute Künstler und Handwerker, einige verdienen Geld, viele sind arm. Einer der gute Bonsai gestaltet, kann noch lange nicht ein guter Lehrer sein. Es gibt mittelmäßige Künstler, die gute Lehrer sind.
Dann gibt es die Handwerker. Sie sehen sich als Spezialgärtner, die eben mit kleinen Bäumen arbeiten. Sie ziehen mit viel Liebe Sämlinge und Stecklinge groß. Sie haben meist viel mehr Bäume als sie jemals bearbeiten können. Sie arbeiten jahrzehntelang an Bäumen, die sie für Bonsai halten, während die Künstler sie für Rohmaterial ansehen.
Dazwischen sitzen die Händler. Sie sehen Bonsai als eine Möglichkeit Geld zu verdienen. Manchmal verstehen sie auch etwas von der Materie. Jedenfalls begnügen sie sich in der Regel damit zu kaufen und zu verkaufen, ohne an der „Ware“ etwas zu verändern.
Eine besondere Spezies sind die Sammler. Sie sind meist spezialisiert: Entweder ganz kleine oder recht große Bäume, Laub- oder Nadelbäume, nur Ahorne, nur einheimische Arten, nur japanische Arten usw.. Oft verstehen sie recht viel von dem was sie machen. Sie können meist die Bäume gut pflegen, aber selten auch gestalten. Im Westen ist ein Bonsai nur in Ausnahmefällen ein Prestigeobjekt. In Asien kann man mit einem gewaltigen Meisterwerk seine Terrasse schmücken und seine Verbundenheit mit der Tradition bewiesen. Dafür gibt man auch bereitwillig sehr viel Geld aus. In einer Kultur, die mit Understatement arbeiten und prahlerischen Konsum ablehnt, ist es besonders subtil, seinen Reichtum durch einen erlesenen Bonsai zu dokumentieren. Noch dazu, wenn es einen organisierten Markt gibt, auf dem der Bonsai später wieder zu Geld gemacht werden kann. Ja, zu Zeiten des Japanischen Wirtschaftsbooms in den achtziger Jahren konnte man davon ausgehen, dass sich der Wert eines Baumes bei guter Pflege wie eine Aktie entwickeln würde. Das hat natürlich auch viele Spekulanten dazu gebracht, in Bonsai zu investieren.
Es gibt auch Bonsaikenner: Sie werden weithin unterschätzt, weil sie weder gestalten, noch ausstellen, noch eine große Sammlung besitzen. Sie beschäftigen sich bloß sehr intensiv mit der Materie. Genau so wie jemand Kunstgeschichte studiert und kein Bild malen kann und auch keine Sammlung hat, aber trotzdem ein Fachmann ist. Manche dieser Leute schreiben auch Bücher und Artikel, die erstaunlich gut sind.
In den letzten Jahren hat sich auch der Typ des Internet-Bonsaianers herausgebildet. Es gibt viele, für die es das Allererste am Morgen ist, in ‚das’ Forum zu sehen. Viele sehen in viele Foren, möglichst auch in mehreren Sprachen. Da unterschieden sich dann wieder die Schreiber und die Bloß-Leser. Es gibt sogar welche, die scheinbar nur schreiben, aber nicht lesen. Einige schreiben so ungeheuer viel, dass man sich fragt, wann sie Zeit für Bonsai haben. Einige schreiben eher weniger, aber dafür immer ganz fundiert. Einige wollen wohl den Preis für den unangenehmsten Schreiber für sich beanspruchen. Da gibt es wieder die, die sich wenigstens mit vollem Namen zu ihrem Geifern bekennen. Aber es gibt auch solche, die durch einen Tarnnamen jeden Anstand verlieren. Jedenfalls sind einige international durch das Internet berühmt geworden, die es sonst in der Zeit nie geschafft hätten.
Dann wiederum gibt es die Bonsaipolitiker. Sie sind mindestens Arbeitskreisleiter, streben aber nach Höherem. Das kann dann bis zum nationalen Clubvorstand oder noch weiter gehen. Sie sammeln Titel für ihr Briefpapier und ihre Visitenkarten. Ohne sie könnten die großen Kongresse nicht existieren. Die ganz schlauen unter den Politikern arbeiten hinter den Kulissen als „graue Eminenzen“. Einige von ihnen sind wirklich nützlich, weil sie die Organisationen am laufen halten. Manchmal meint man, dass es gar nicht um kleine Bäume geht, sondern vielmehr um kleine Leute. Bonsaipolitiker sind wie Politiker allgemein beim breiten Bonsaivolk gar nicht hoch angesehen. Man vermutet, manchmal zu unrecht, dass sie geheime Vorteile aus ihrem Werken schöpfen oder sich einfach nur wichtig machen wollen.
Da gibt es auch noch die Gemütsmenschen, die Bonsai als ein Mittel sehen, Leute kennen zu lernen, zu reisen und sich allgemein angenehm die Zeit zu vertreiben. Viele haben gar keine Bäume, weil die immer eingehen, wenn sie weg sind. In Vereinen sind sie oft in der Überzahl, was das allgemeine Niveau senkt, aber die Stimmung hebt. Sie belegen immer wieder teure Workshops, obwohl sie keinen Funken Talent haben und nie einen vernünftigen Bonsai selbst gestalten werden. Das ist ihnen aber nicht bewusst und auch egal, weil ihnen jeder Ehrgeiz fehlt. Im besten Fall sind sie gut zu gebrauchen, wenn es um freiwillige Arbeit im Verein geht.
Wer sich lange in der Bonsaiszene bewegt hat, der wird sehr viele Spinner getroffen haben. Es scheint, dass das Hobby Bonsai eine ganz besondere Art von ungewöhnlichen Menschen anzieht, die fanatisch, sehr von sich eingenommen, unduldsam, extrem introvertiert, äußerst empfindlich, manchmal auch unendlich redselig sind. Einige wandeln hart an der Grenze zwischen Genie und Wahnsinn entlang (die bekanntlich bei Kufstein liegt). Wenn man die Vertreter der Bonsaiszene hernimmt und die Ausschläge in irgendein Extrem mit der Normalbevölkerung vergleicht, so wird man feststellen, dass es sich wohl um eine besonderen Kreis von Spinnern handelt, bei denen die Ausschläge nach beiden Sitten, positiv und negativ weitaus stärker sind.
Einige wenige vereinen mehrere der genannten Kategorien in sich. Man trifft auch solche, die nicht nur ungewöhnlich, sondern außergewöhnlich sind. Man trifft recht viele Menschen, die man nie vergisst. Man trifft auch Menschen, die man sonst nie getroffen hätte, weil Bonsai über alle Klassenschranken hinweg vereint. Die Besessenheit mit den kleinen Bäumen vereint Arme und Reiche, Intellektuelle und Spießer, Feine Leute und Proleten.
All dieses bunte Gemisch stellt die Bonsaiszene dar. Man kann es schön finden, man kann sich darüber furchtbar aufregen, aber wer einmal dazugehört, der kommt nicht mehr los. Es ist wie eine weitverzweigte Familie - man liebt sie, man hasst sie, verachtet sie, man richtet sich gegenseitig aus, man freut sich wenn man sie auf einer Bonsaiveranstaltung alle wiedersieht. Irgendwie.

Beautiful Bonsai - English

‚Beautiful bonsai’

I know, it is all my own fault. Since I have led Fred to this IBC gallery he is not so much around anymore recently. This IBC gallery is a continuous Valentine’s Day for bonsai enthusiasts. All the time flowers are being presented. I have made the mistake to go to Fred’s thread there and to write a critique to his bonsai.

Ding dong

I think I have to go to the front door, somebody seems to not be happy about my critique.

“What the h… are you smoking to ruin my great thread with such superfluous and vicious commentary?” Fred did not loose time. “What is wrong with my commentary? What’s so mean about it? I have written a constructive criticism to your bonsai.”

Fred presented a printout of his thread with his bonsai and my critique.

My critique: “This is a very nice picture of a tree that will appeal to many people. It will most appeal to people who have no clue about bonsai. They cannot tell that this is a deciduous semi-tropical tree which is styled in the old-fashioned manner as a pine tree looking like a Christmas tree. A pine tree with huge red flowers! This is bonsai kitsch it is McBonsai! This in no way helps to educate the general public about what bonsai really means. Where is the Zenny feeling her? Where is the understatement? This is Hollywood bonsai! Well, I must admit I kind of like it , even if it is kitsch.”

“This has nothing to do with constructive criticism. If you want to know what that could be then you should have read what the other posters had to say.”

I shrugged and said “Well, Fred, these were empty flowery phrases. No helpful constructive critique for you.”

Fred looked at his paper and responded defiantly “Ah, and what is this here? Here the very first statement says it clearly: ‘beautiful bonsai’”

I looked somewhat puzzled “So what? What exactly does that mean ‘beautiful bonsai’?”

Fred rolled his eyes “This is more than clear. But for you as a beginner bonsaiwise I will explain it once more. ‘Beautiful bonsai’ means that the viewer likes the tree very much. That he likes it regarding the artistic achievement as well as for the craftsmanship; he thinks it is a masterpiece.” Fred folded his arms and grinned at me like ‘now you!’

I stayed quite calm and remarked “where from do you have this definition for ‘beautiful bonsai’?”

Fred rolled his eyes again “What do you mean, where I got this definition from? It is crystal clear what the expression ‘beautiful bonsai’ means. What else could it mean?”

“Well it is like with references and testimonies. There you find ‘he always tried hard’, which means that he had not invented Protestant work ethics, he is just a lazy pig, a non-achiever.”

“Oh well” Fred blushed a little. He apparently was thinking through his last reference “and what do YOU think ‘beautiful bonsai’ means exactly?”

I made a contemplative expression and said “I cannot tell exactly at the moment, but I can look it up.”

“Look it up? Where?” asked Fred.

“Oh well” I answered “for this we have the International Guidelines for Bonsai Critiques. Just a moment I will fetch them.”

I went to my study and came back two minutes later. Fred still stood with wide open eyes. I knew it! He had never heard or this.

I did not even look a t him and stated to browse. “Well, let’s look – ‘beautiful bonsai’ here we are:

“ ‘Beautiful Bonsai’

if this expression occurs singularly as comment one must assume that the writer did this out of sheer friendliness and tradition. It is the expression of the viewer who does not see any successful artistic factor in the bonsai and who cannot make a positive remark. Since he assumes that the artist and the readers are not used to open criticism he uses the empty phrase ‘beautiful bonsai’.

The constructive substance for a tree critique is zero.”

“That’s complete nonsense!” Fred said with excitement. “Wait wait! What is with this commentary here ‘wow, hammer tree, this really cracks me up!’”

“Just a moment, I will look it up. Ah, here it is:

‘Wow’

- if this expression is used in connection with ‘beautiful bonsai’ see there.

- if the word is used in connexion with hammer .. or mega…one must conclude that the writer is on some sort of mild drug or forgot his medication.

In cases where this phrase is used with ‘cracks me up’ then the sentence above applies, only the word ‘mild’ has to be exchanged for ‘heavy’.

The constructive substance for a tree critique is zero.”

“But here, this commentary is full of praise. ‘Great, I have tried this one too, but yours is much better’ .This should be clear without your book.”

“Let’s see” I tried to look as cool as possible. Any lining of malicious joy would bring him to explosion.

“ Comparisons with own bonsai, where the bonsai that is being critiqued is called the better one:

has the writer got a similar bonsai that is clearly worse he would never mention it. If you still find this comparison you can take it that the pundit makes fun of your bonsai and want so to say ‘look at my web site if you want to see how this is really done, you sucker’. Since this honest critique would not be helpful one hides the real meaning behind empty praise.

The constructive substance for a tree critique is zero.”

Fred read a few more commentaries like super, fantastic, extraordinary, amazing etc.. The explanations of the book always were very simple. They said “look up ‘beautiful bonsai’”.

Fred made a last attempt. “Now here! This commentary is brief, explicit and it is not possible to misinterpret it: ‘super the photograph is really great’. Now lets see what your smart book says to this.”

Scroll, scroll .. oh yes here it is:

“‘great photograph’

there are various photographs, sometimes even great ones. There are various bananas, sometimes even great ones. If you take a photograph of a banana you have taken a photograph of a banana. If you take a great photograph of a banana, you have taken a great photograph of a banana. It makes no difference at all whether your object is good or bad, it is still a banana. The critique wants to express that there is nothing positive with the bonsai. To give his comment a friendly touch still, he admires something which has nothing to do with the quality of the bonsai, namely the photograph. It is like the guru says 'beautiful moss' when critiquing your bonsai.

The constructive substance for a tree critique is zero.”

Fred rumpled his printout with the commentaries and looked quite pissed. ”I could have known that. The commentaries are similar to the ones of my Mary when she wants to get something out of me. But the IBC folks don’t want to get something out of me. Why all this wish-wash?

I shrugged and said “no idea, maybe some are simply craving for strokes. It is not really that bad as long as you understand how to interpret it. The danger exists though, that when you get a serious bonsai critique you take it personally and your ability for self critique vanes.”

“Cannot happen to me” Fred mentioned, “ I am always open to honest commentaries.”

“O yeah, sure”, I thought.

“There was one more commentary on your printout”, I remarked.

Fred frowned and he said “Yes, here one wrote simply ‘to the dumpsters’, but I have ignored him right away, he only wants to be provocative.”

“Oh, you have ignored him simply and he has not written more?”

“No no!” Fred responded, “that’s not what I meant. If someone expresses himself in a derogatory way one can put him on IGNORE at the IBC gallery and he cannot express himself anymore.”

“Mhm, that’s what they call self criticism at the IBC. Great outfit, what is not liked gets disposed of at once.”

Fred pondered a bit and then said “Well, if all that sounds positive is really negative, then the remark ‘to the dumpsters’ could really be something very positive.”

“Eh, what is positive in the expression ‘to the dumpsters’? That’s so clear, I don’t’ think that is in the book.” I said puzzled.

“Don’t yap, look up the book, you have not clue yourself.”

So well, then let’s look “Oh yes here it is.”

“ ‘to the dumpsters’

not very constructive, but to be taken very positively with some experience in bonsai critiques.”

“Hear, hear!”, Fred said in a pronounced tone.

“Just a moment, here is more to the expression”

“- The very positive meaning of the expression ‘to the dumpsters’ comes from the fact that it is a concise but honest answer that leaves no leeway for interpretations. ‘To the dumpsters’ means ‘to the dumpsters’ to everyone.

small modifications are ‘go fishing’, ‘scrap’, ‘rather go knitting’ etc.

‘to the dumpsters’ is the honest way to say ‘beautiful bonsai’, see there.”

“Show me this g…..ed book”, Fred yelled. He read a bit in it and then said relatively ungently “just wait now! I will write commentaries from now on that will make them shiver.” He turned around and walked to his home. There came John from the Yodeling Group at him with a big grin on his face “Hi Fred, I looked up your website. Really all very beautiful bonsai!”

Fred stopped, flushed and stemmed the fists into his sides. ”I smack the beautiful bonsai right into your face you M…………R”

Then he went on to his home; John stood like a doused poodle, shrugged and said to me “What’s up with him? Have I said something wrong?”

“Oh no”, I said “Fred does not think much of these empty phrases. He needs constructive criticism.”

-------------------------------

So at the next tree critique remember that the artist may also own the International Guidelines for Bonsai Critiques. Be honest with your tree critique. It helps nobody to talk the bonsai beautiful. And if someone sets you on ignore you know that Reiner, mhm, no Fred has sneaked into other Forums too.

And now I don’t want to hear ‘Beautiful Story’.

Written closely according to an essay in the ‘Beautiful Website’ of The Buxtehuder Fotofreunde http://www.buxtehuder-fotofreunde.de/index.htm

With the kind permission of the original author, Thomas Tremmel. He wrote about the silly comments on photographs in a forum for photography

interview with Bonsai Focus in 2008 - English

Ann Scutcher has asked the questions for Bonsai Focus. The interview was consequently published.

1)Walter, you have visited a vast majority of the European countries, South Africa, Australia, Canada, the United States, and Israel. What have you seen that ties the art of bonsai together, crossing over the usual cultural and geographical boundaries?

It is all these people being infected by the bonsai virus. All people have the archetypus of a tree deeply engrained into themselves. No culture in the world ‘owns’ the image of trees. It is universal. It does not take any knowledge about Asian culture to understand that bonsais about trees.


2)In your opinion, where are the greatest innovations happening now and why there?

I would say still in Japan, but to a lesser degree as used to be. New trends are now coming from several places outside of Japan. I can see an enormous fountain of innovations in Asian countries outside of Japan and I can see major developments coming from there. Also a lot coming from Europe and not so much really from America at the moment. The question about ‘innovations’ is interesting anyway. The overwhelming majority of bonsai practitioners think that they are following a traditional art form. Innovation is absolutely not their goal. Innovation is contradictory to the practice of the art by and large. Innovation is breaking the rules, ignoring the guidelines, not caring abut tradition. This kind of thinking is not popular in Asian cultures. But it is the generally expected way for artists in the West. I mean artists in general, not so much in the art of bonsai. The art of bonsai is one of the most backward looking art forms that I am aware of. Only when it becomes generally accepted that art is about being creative and not repetitive also in bonsai circles major innovations will be accepted.

3)Walter, you are known worldwide for the artistic quality of your bonsai and you have won far too many prestigious awards, some of which are listed above. What would you contribute your unparalleled success to?

Well, ‘unparalleled’ is an enormous exaggeration. There are a lot of people that I know personally who have done similar or more. ‘Success’ I can agree with. Well, I have always worked towards being successful but I never dreamed how far that would carry me. Actually I have this feeling of NOT being successful – yet. I have to work very hard in every respect and get much better. It is this cultural habit of never being satisfied with how good you are that keeps me going. I have the great luck to come from a family background with artists all over the place, lunatics, dreamers, Olympic and World Champions, all people with an enormous drive to excel, but not really fit for an honest sober job. I think it is also the ability to work very organized, be much more productive than most, concentrate better and give up everything around me that does not directly or indirectly help the purpose. Fortunately I seem to have some talents and skills which are very helpful for this bonsai career. Besides the obvious ability to create trees which are liked by many it is of great value to be able to teach well, to entertain the audience and to write well. Photographing skills are also very helpful.

4)You led the way in collecting and using the native species in your country and your exploits in the Alps are legendary. What advice would you give to those who are just starting to collect?

I would tell them to first of all learn how to not kill a nursery tree. It is not a good idea to go out into the wilderness and collect material to only find out that it will not survive afterwards. While I do think that collected trees by and large are much better material it is not for everybody. One skill is to find it, to collect it successfully and to keep it alive over a longer period of time. Most fail here already. But the greater skill is in creating something good out of your collected material, to do justice to the collected trees. This is even more difficult and unfortunately it is not what is being taught in general. One can find enough advice for improving a piece of material that has been prepared to become a bonsai over a long period of time but one finds very little guidance of how to approach very old complicated material. So coming back to the question: I would advice to first learn how to keep a nursery tree alive, then how to style a nursery tree, then how to style collected material. Only after one has mastered this to a certain degree one should be let loose onto the wilderness to collect for himself.

5)You are known to offer help and suggestions to almost anyone and you can often be seen giving your time on many Internet forums, instructing and offering critiques. What have you found to be the most frustrating thing when offering such advice on-line? What is the most rewarding thing?

Let’s start with the most rewarding thing. It is the feeling to really have been helpful, to have made a difference and brought someone onto a better path to practice the art of bonsai. It is the feeling when I come back a couple of years later and someone says things that I have said and it sounds like he thinks he has invented this. It is the feeling to see clear progress and it had to do with me, to see prove that they have understood what I was trying to tell them. The frustrating thing sometimes is to be totally misunderstood, to even find that some hate me for being ‘omnipresent’, some seem to hate me for being successful. Well, that is human nature and to be expected. Sometimes I have slight problems with cultural clashes. There are obvious differences in the way to say things or not to say them between cultures. I have this nature to say what I think. Some tell me it is refreshing, some just don’t get over what they think is rude. Well, in the culture that I come from a man calls a spade a spade; otherwise he is a girlie man. Since ever I am a wonderer between cultures and have developed some sense and understanding for differences. I think I have learned to treat a given audience the way it is expected. On the internet there is an international audience. How do you treat that? Do you use the lowest common denominator? Well, I usually choose to just be myself and I seem to get away with it..

6)Walter, in my bonsai books they describe the standard bonsai “styles”. In reading an article that you wrote, you mention replacing “style” with “form”. What are the differences between the two? Do you feel it is important to the world of bonsai to adopt this way of thinking?

Well, yes, I believe it is very important to get the thinking behind it. What exact words are used is secondary. In general art appreciation the word ‘style’ means a general feeling, an overall philosophy, an overall general way of going about things, a general frame of mind of the artists etc. If you go to a museum you will normally find different rooms for different styles. This can be anything from ‘Early American’ to ‘Impressionist’ to ‘Dutch’ to ‘Roman’, ‘Baroque’ or even more differentiated. The word style speaks about the general feeling. If you look at the objects that are made in a certain style you find an endless number of forms. Speaking of paintings the form can be e.g.: landscape, people in nature, people in rooms, lady standing, lady sitting, almost anything that you can think of. But all these forms can, at least theoretically, be found in all or most styles. The standing lady can well be in the Early American or Baroque or modern or any other style. Coming back to bonsai: styles could be: classical Japanese style as taught in Japan today, classical Japanese style as taught in the West, modern bonsai style, romantic style, naturalistic style, literati style or many others. In all these bonsai styles you would find the known forms: formal upright, informal upright, slanting, cascade etc.
In the bonsai world the word ‘style’ is not used the right way if you consider the usage in the history of arts. I guess it is because bonsai was first taught by gardeners who had no formal artistic training .
So what is this semantics good for? Well, there are a lot of people out there who think there is only one way to do bonsai ‘right’. The right words bring about the right thinking. They show that there is a great variety of ways to approach the art of bonsai. And, yes, it is an art form and the differences in style show exactly this. If it were a craft there would be one ‘right’ way of doing it.
I think we are on the verge to a better understanding of the art form while it is diverging into different directions at an ever increasing pace just in this moment. It is important to be able to discuss these phenomena in an intelligent way. This is why the exact words are important.


7)You are an avid collector of wild stock for bonsai use. Is there any particular species that you think is more suited for this treatment?

We use a lot of mugo pines in Europe. John Naka said that it is the best pine available for bonsai purposes .How could I argue against John? We also have access to wonderful larches, but they are quite difficult and tend to die on you in a bonsai pot. The common juniper is worthless as bonsai, it dies within five years as bonsai. We have very good European black pines by now which are coming. The European spruce is outstanding material. Also a lot of non-conifers are quite usable: European hornbeam, European field elm, some oaks, beeches etc.
In North America I find Rocky Mountain Junipers, Sierra Junipers and Californian Junipers the best. Ponderosa pines are outstanding but difficult for most. I wonder why some small needle pines are not used more often. Lodgepole pines are excellent, so are pitch pines and Jack pines and others. I know that there are extremely good spruce in the wilderness; why they are not used an a wide scale in escapes me. Also some non-conifers are very good in North America. It is being discussed on the net whether America has world class bonsai material. You bet they have! I think America has the best bonsai material in the world. I have seen it!

8)Throughout your travels around the world, has there been a single event that you will never forget? Explain.

My wife normally does not go with me on these bonsai trips. She stays home because someone has to take care of the house and the trees and she is not really interested in bonsai personally. So the bonsai trips would not be entertaining to her and rather be a burden. Up until 2002 she had never experienced me on stage! She had a feeling and an idea, but she has never seen me in public on stage. Well, she did come with me to the African Bonsai Convention in Pretoria, South Africa because she would not want to have missed that. At the day of my performance I was on stage in front of around 400 people and did my usual show for a few hours. I thought it went quite well and it seemed to be quite a success. I had totally forgotten that my wife was in the audience.
People came up to me and congratulated me and I got these hugs and so. After a while my wife showed up and she said nothing for a while and then ‘I am so proud of you’. She had this glitz in her eyes. It lasted 24 hours!

9)Do you have any collecting stories that are particular funny or exciting?

I normally would not advise to go collection in the middle of summer. There are some jumpers in the Alps, Juniperus sabina, which are collectible in June and may be in the beginning of July. I happened to be in my beloved mountains in Tyrol on July 20th which is my birthday. I went up the hill and climbed into the cliffs. This is extremely dangerous. One wrong step and I would fall 200 feet. Although it was definitely not the right kind of season I had my collecting gear with me. But I was basically scouting only. All of a sudden I found it, the best juniper ever seen. It was right there in the cliffs, it was collectible and even on a spot where I could dig it out without risking my life right there. So what did I do? Come back in the right season? No, I did the most stupid thing, I dug it out right there and then. Now I had this huge tree up there in the cliffs and no gear, no rope to bring it safely down. I had to climb back down the cliffs with the tree. At one spot I could not hold onto it an longer and had to make the decision: the tree or my life. I decided for my life and dropped the tree. It tumbled down through the cliffs. When I finally had climbed down to the valley I could see this carcass on the field. The best sabina juniper ever collected, all soil shaken off and almost no roots on it and it was the very wrong time of the season anyway. What a shame! My experience told me to throw the tree into a corner, forget about the incidence and never mention this most embarrassing story. It was going to die 100 %. Well, I thought that it may have a chance of 0.01 % and the trunk could be used for a wonderful Tanuki and it was a shame to leave this wonderful jumper on the mountain, it deserved a noble ‘grave’, and it was my birthday. At home I put it into this huge plastic tub and added 100% pumice. And then: it would not die! It stayed green until fall and in the next spring it was still green. It even started to get new growth in summer! Five years later this tree is now finally ready for a first serious styling session. I will do it this summer. It was meant to happen like this. Despite all the odds against it.

10. Walter, there is a movement that is starting to attain a following in Europe... that of the "Naturalistic" form. You are a major proponent of the style.
a) What do you see as the major impediment to the adoption of the style.
b) Do you see that style as being reminiscent of the styles popular in Japan prior to WWII, when the use of wire became more popular?

The movement is having a following all around the world really. Yes, I am, a proponent, but I have not really invented it. I have only made the observation that too many bonsai looked like bonsai and not like trees would really look like. I had seen that the trend in styling is towards more and more refinement which often takes away all naturalness. I found that too many of these bonsai looked like they were made of plastic and not for real.
a)John Naka said something along the line ‘Do not try to make your little tree look like a bonsai, try to make your bonsai look like a little tree’. That’s it. Not more, not less. So how do you know what a tree looks like vs. a bonsai? Well, give up looking at bonsai for your images and look a t real trees. It is that simple. Does it take a genius to find that out? Well, one would think that everybody understands this immediately. They don’t! There are more misunderstandings than you ever can imagine. You are asking for the major impediment. I think it is the way bonsai was and is taught. It is taught to make a BONSAI. The naturalistic style is the antithesis and thus must be wrong.
b)This is one of the big misunderstandings. It is called ‘naturalistic’ because it is NOT ‘natural’. It is not about the method, It is all about the end result, the final bonsai giving you a very natural feeling. The bonsai should be as good as possible without seeing any trace of human hands. It should not looks ‘artistic’, ‘artificial’, ‘contrived’, ‘made’, ‘constructed’, ‘licked’. It should look as if nature had done it. This does NOT mean that you let nature do it. A naturalistic bonsai can well be made with all sorts of artificial means. I wire all my bonsai heavily in the first styling phases. I wire every single branch and branchlet usually – 100%. After a few years this must not be noticeable. The tree must look like it was never touched by human hands. It is hard work to get to this sage. Naturalistic styling is not for lazy people. I know there are lots of folks who think they just let nature do the job and they will get this naturalistic piece of art eventually. They will never get it. All they are doing is creating and maintaining material. They have to style it for serious eventually. ‘Naturalistic’ is not an excuse for lazy people, it is not about untidy looking trees, it is not a shortcut. It is more difficult and takes longer than traditional styling.

11. Having spent quite some time in both places, would you agree with the prevalent view that bonsai in Europe has made marked improvements in the last 15 years, whilst the American scene appears to have remained largely static, or even fallen behind? If so, have you any comment on this phenomenon?

I would agree that the bonsai scene in Europe has exploded artistically in many quarters in the past 15 years. But there is also a lot of stand-still in Europe. While there are a few hundred serious artists the broad bonsai public is just as parochial as everywhere else. I can not see this dynamic development in the American scene. By and large I see almost the same state of the art in America as I have seen 15 years ago. There are some developments however. In the Bay Area and on some other spots more and more people are starting to practice traditional styling as is state of the art in Japan today. This is quite different than what is being taught in the West by and large as traditional Japanese style. I also see growing interest in what I call ‘modern’ bonsai. This is what is mainly connected to Kimura. Many call it ‘contemporary’ bonsai, which is not a well chosen term for it. Lots of folks in America are about to jump onto this way of styling. In Europe together with state of the art Japanese traditional styling this is mainstream among top artists, in America is seen as a revolution still. I can see that the same dynamics are starting to wake up the American bonsai scene as in Europe. I can sense many people are not being happy with duplicating the same forms of trees over and over again, with creating one cookie cutter bonsai after the other. I can see more and more folks in America understanding that this is not a craft but rather an art. I can also see that this will be quite chaotic and that a lot of nonsense will be produced in the name of art. Why should it be different than in other art forms?

12. You have done of lot of demos and workshops in front of audiences of all sizes. When you are handed a raw stock, what are the most important factors that influence your decision as to which way to style the stock. What is the first thing you look at?

I put the tree up to eye level and turn it around. Then something should catch my eye. There must be something that I like. It can be the movement of the trunk, the power of the trunk, the form of the branches, the nebari, a big hole, fancy deadwood or anything. Something must move me quickly, otherwise it is probably not good - for me. Well, in workshop or demo situations I have to do something, even if the tree was not sexy right in the beginning.
When I have decided the most appealing feature, which is often after a few seconds, I then go about enhancing this. That’s it.
I do not look at the crown in the beginning! Most people would make this mistake. The crown is something that I will make according to the trunk. It does not work the other way!
I do not have a firm idea of what a tree should look like. I wait until the piece of material in front of me tells me what it would have wanted to look like if it had the chance. Then I try as hard as possible to get exactly this look. Quite often it is not what one would call naturalistic. I do not work in a single style. I let the tree tell me what style it likes. I also let the person taking the workshop decide about the style and the form. It is not my tree.

13. Walter, if you had one wish free for the bonsai world, what would it be?

I think what we need is more tolerance. More understanding that there just is not one truth and one book that says it all. There are so many ways to practice the art of bonsai. They all have their merits. It is the acceptance finally by the broad bonsai scene that bonsai is an art form and not a craft.