Reddit mentions: The best bonsai tools

Wow, what an incredible reply with so much good information! If its okay with you, I'd like to follow up in numeric bullets below:

1. I'm a little tight on money, so now getting a fabric pot would be something I couldn't immediately do. I will keep it in the plastic for the winter, and then do you think it would be okay to repot (possibly to a fabric pot) come spring? Should I look for a pot that's larger than its current pot so it has extra room to grow?
   
   
2. Come spring, would it be okay to do a little pruning to begin to reveal some of the trunk, etc and help promote some growth?
   
   
3. Regarding reading, I joined the Reddit subthread, and also picked up Bonsai Workshop and have been going throw that. Any other great books you recommend?
   
   
4. I picked up some tools already - these Shears, and this wire. I'm hoping to get some concave cutters next. Also, here's the pot I had picked up thinking that I would already be translating -- anything i can put in here for time being? haha.
   
   
5. Allshapes Bonsai is only an hour away, so that would be a nice Sunday trip with my wife. If I picked up an indoor Tropical guy, I assume it would be okay to put him in the new pot and prune, etc right? Any certain types you recommend for this?
   
   
6. I'm 15 minutes into that Bonsai Mirai video and I'm in love already. This is going to be really helpful, so thank you!
   
   

> I see a lot of YouTubers using their shears to clip thin wire and I just cringe every time.

Bonsai shears are typical carbon steel and typical can stand up to aluminum wire with no issues. Sure it dulls them faster but if you cut on the back part of the blade, which rarely gets used anyway, it isn't a big deal. The problem is when you start using the tips on heavier wire like I did plus it dulls the tip down no matter the wire size and you want the tips to be super sharp.

> Would you recommend beginners start with the cheap Amazon pair

Within reason this is probably a good idea. The problem is I wouldn't recommend the $9 pair I got as the tips are too rounded over which makes all the detail work very hard. Here are the long handle ones I now own. Zoom in and look at the tips of each. Note how the left pair has the tip broken on the right blade and the middle pair look like both tips are broken.

• The left pair are the first ones I got given as a present. They where $50 on Amazon at the time. They were awesome. Comfortable, the tips meet perfectly and they were easy to use for hours.
  
  
• The middle pair where $9 and I got as punishment for being dumb and breaking the tip off my nice pair. I would not recommend them because unlike what the picture looks like on Amazon, the tips are very much rounded and look like they are both broken off instead of coming to a point. This is by design but it makes them much harder to use for detailed trimming. While they will work and are better than anything you will find at a home center, only get them if you are extremely budget constrained.
  
  
• The far right pair were $25 and are very nice. They aren't quite as ergonomic as my first pair, but for 50% of the price I can't easily live with that. They are a bit longer which is nice since I work with a lot of sharp needle junipers and the tips are sharp and come together nicely. I would recommend these as the entry level pair.

I have really wanted to get into Bonsai for a long time. I am going to receive this starter pack this Christmas, which seems to look great. It looks like it just comes with everything to start you out okay.

Is there anything else I should pick up immediately? Any kind of special fertilizers to buy? A pruning compound?

I am also concerned about sunlight and indoor/outdoor growing. Right now it is winter in the Midwest US. Am I fine to just leave these in by the window inside? Is there a kind of special light I can buy for more optimal growth?

Alright, I just read the wiki and that was humbling..

I'll still end up getting this starter pack as a gift, even though now I know that it is kind of a silly thing for a person to try to grow bonsai from seed (especially a beginner). But, oh well, I guess I'll give it my best shot anyway.

So I guess the real questions I should be asking is:

Will the following trees

• pinus aristata
  
  
• picea mariana
  
  
• delonix regia
  
  
• jacaranda mimosifolia
  
  even have a chance at growing in Illinois, USA, Zone 5b? If any do, should I begin germinating them when I get them, or hold off until Spring? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Congratulations! What all does your new job entail?

You would love your own Bonsai starter kit. Something about your own little tree is pretty relaxing, especially knowing you grew it. As far as me? I'm great, but I know my wife would like this sunflower skirt. I hope that's ok, thanks for the contest!

Slip-potting is moving up a pot size without disturbing the roots too much. When I do it, I comb out the outer edge of the root ball. The correct tool is something like this or this or this.

I usually lightly trim any really long roots back to the root ball, but mostly try not mess with the roots too much this time. Then put it in a larger container with proper bonsai soil (see the soil section of the wiki).

What you do next depends on what you need it to do. We develop bonsai using roughly the following priorities: trunk/roots, major branches, minor branches, ramification/leaf reduction.

The trunk often takes the longest. If you want a thicker trunk, you never have a faster path to that than right now when it's already tall. Just let it grow completely unrestricted and the trunk will thicken. In fact, if you really wanted to speed up the process, you could plant the tree in the ground or use a large fabric grow pot.

But if you're happy with the thickness of the base of the trunk, or are willing to watch it grow a lot more slowly, then you could start reduction this season. Cutting it in half is safe. You still have the option of letting it just grow to thicken up, and you get to observe how it responds to a cut.

There are much more aggressive chops you could make, but given that you're just starting out, I'd recommend that you mostly just learn how to keep it alive first, and start with safe things this season. Keeping a tree alive for an entire year, including through the winter, is no small feat for somebody just starting out. Most people kill the first trees they work on, usually by over-working them. Slow and steady wins the race.

If you get bored just watching it grow, get more trees. That's how the rest of us cope.

There are lots of options, so it's tough to make recommendations beyond price points to look at.

I've found that decent shears tend to start around $30-35, and good concave cutters are rarely under $50. The home depot wire cutters will obviously cut wire, but the nice japanese ones let you get right up to the bark without making a mark on the tree, which is really important when you are removing the wire later. Here's an example of what I mean:
http://www.amazon.com/Bonsai-Boys-Heavy-Duty-Cutters/dp/B002C6BOQY/ref=sr_1_5?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1368845322&sr=1-5&keywords=bonsai+wire+cutter

This is probably about the cheapest I would personally go for this type of wire cutters, but you may be able to get something similar for less.

The important thing is to get the nicest tools you can afford without blowing your budget on any one item. For $100, you should be able to get a pretty decent set that will last you a while. The first couple years I did bonsai I only had a $15 pair of shears and a cheap radio shack wire cutter, so you're already way ahead of the game. ;-)

Or you could just get the $48 ThinkBamboo set and get one of everything - I'd just want to hear from someone else who has it first. It just seems way too cheap for that many tools.

I personally tend to slightly overspend on tools, because I've learned that the money you save sometimes gets paid back in frustration from using crappy tools.

EDIT: Don't forget to save some money for trees!

Thanks for those comments.

So based on that knowledge, which of these would you suggest? I see references to Joshua Roth a lot but have not seen anything about the TinyRoots stuff... Which would you suggest going with?

TinyRoots

[Joshua Roth 1]
(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000X9GDNQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3NXCE6RJIY9N2)

Joshua Roth 2

Mu Tian


Joshy' Ohkubo Hasami


I am ok spending a few extra dollars for shears if they are better in the long run.

Thanks!

I've gotten a dozen or so blood blisters from pinching my fingers in my butterfly shears. Maybe I'm an idiot, I don't know, but I much prefer the long shears for that reason. They also reach between branches easier. Honestly, I do a lot of pruning with my ARS bypass pruners (regular gardening shears), but bonsai shears come in handy when defoliating trees.

> It seems like you want a concave cut when you snip off most branches, but the knob cutter can be used to finely trim down a larger branch nub.

Yep, that's the biggest difference. When I first started someone told me it's better to get a pair of concave cutters and a pair of knob cutters, but to ignore the rounded concave cutters. I've not yet run into a situation where I wished I had rounded concave cutters.

Kaneshin makes some very nice, but very expensive bonsai tools. I can't afford them, but this page has some interesting info. Specifically the part where it says what size branches you can cut with concave cutters. That a branch can only be maximum half the length of the blade. If you cut something 3/4 the size of the cutter's blade, you stand a good chance of ruining the tool. I ruined several bonsai tools when I first started, because I was always trying to cut branches too big for the tools I had. For large branches, I now use a small folding saw.

That's really thoughtful of you <3 But I'm sorry to hear that you are struggling.

I have anxiety, and self care for me would be with a good book or movie, or taking care of plants :)

Hi I just bought a Bougainvillea from Lowes. Should I just prune and let it grow in the black plastic bucket thing I bought it in for the rest of the year until spring time? I would like it to grow the trunk a bit so I figured doing that would be best.

Is there anything I should do other than pruning to prep till next spring? Should I switch out the soil? If so regular soil like miracle grow or bonsai soil even though I plan on keeping it in the black bucket?

As for tools I plan to buy Fiskars scissors and this wire set. Anything else a scrub like me should get? If I do enjoy this enough I have no problem spending $500+ on really nice tools, just not right away.

I live in a desert where 115 degrees is the norm for summer days and the sun really tough. I read on the wiki "A covered porch or a covered apartment balcony generally has insufficient light unless it’s right up against the rail." so should I just let it sit in direct sunlight all day or should I place it under another tree where it can get rays of sunlight but still in the shade?

Tool advice

I'm new to bonsai but I want to invest in a proper set of tools. Looking for advice on the following set.

Yescom Set of 14 Pcs Carbon Steel Bonsai Tool Kit Shear Brush Roll Wire https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B014W9UCSE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_5pY9Bb3EBN89R

The same set is sold by a bonsai store near me for $225. Thanks in advance for any help.

Morthy:

1. Tea of course! under $10 list.
   
   
2. I wouldn't wear a Totoro outfit in public. Clothes wishlist (but currently unavailable in my size).
   
   
3. Immersion blender phallic. For the New House wishlist.
   
   Akeleie:
   
   
4. I had a hard time with this one, there are many kinds of geek. I would be the most excited if I got this Tachikoma so I went with it. Default Wishlist.
   
   
5. This bonsai wire would let me wire some of my smaller trees. Bonsai/gardening wishlist.
   
   
6. A good saw is a good thing to bring on a deserted island. Bonsai/gardening wishlist.

Jin pliers are pretty useful for things that aren't immediately obvious. Need to make tie downs for your pot screens? Jin pliers. Need to twist a guy wire? Jin pliers. Need to open a beer? Jin pliers. An 8" set of jin pliers is even fairly cheap: https://www.amazon.com/Beginner-Bonsai-Tools-Standard-Level/dp/B078WR8FBF/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1525125527&sr=8-11&keywords=jin+pliers+tian

Copper and aluminum of EVERY gauge is something that all bonsai folks should have available at all times.

Nice! I was gifted a kit like the one in your link and the tool quality looks identical to the cutters in yours. At a local bonsai meet we discussed the benefits of harder steel and stainless steel tools; made a difference in my cuts. Just a heads up to observe that the cutting edges line up flush. I used the angled cutters (5th up from the bottom) a lot and the blades have begun to spread. Probably will replace with this.

These?

Shear Perfection Bonsai Scissors, 2" Non-stick Angled Blades - Senshi Series https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FG894BG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_mk7EDbAW4XG57

I’ve hear good things about this one!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072DTXSZL/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_0RjRCbR99S5GC

Not at all crazy - I've seen many professionals only use chopsticks for repotting.

Btw I think $30 shears are better than a $50 set.

https://www.amazon.com/RYUGA-RC-04-OHKUBO-HASAMI-SHEAR/dp/B00KAJNQES/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=bonsai+shears+ryuga&qid=1566279489&s=gateway&sr=8-5

Then buy a selection of wire, later some branch cutters (always used too much at the wrong time by beginners, better not to own them), Jin pliers.

:) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XH2ZDTM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_dI3WCbD09WVQE

Looking for a decent tool set of some kind for my wedding registry.

My question is do I go for a couple small stainless pieces?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E1CJJA

Or should I go for one of the larger sets of carbon steel?

http://www.amazon.com/Stanwood-Bonsai-Tool-10-Piece-Carbon/dp/B000IEJ4A0/


Or should I just say screw it and just put down 1 nice set of shears?

When I started to buy "real bonsai tools" [this was my first set] (http://www.amazon.com/Stanwood-Bonsai-Tool-10-Piece-Carbon/dp/B000IEJ4A0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1382618173&sr=8-2&keywords=bonsai+tools).

Some of them still works. Just clean them after your work, and use WD-40 to keep them lubricated.

After a few months or a year you can start buying stainless Joshua Roth tools.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XH2ZDTM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/Stanwood-Bonsai-Tool-14-Piece-Carbon/dp/B000IEH6IW

LAST ONE GO GO GO

Here is what I use: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002EQAY0Y

It cuts fast and effortlessly. I've actually been using it to quickly cut up 2x4s lately. The blade is only 4 inches long but it can handle a lot.