名媛直播

Hello everyone,
I'm excited to post my first message on this forum!I've long been waiting to start this beautiful hobby with my first bonsai tree. I recently purchased two Juniper bonsai trees a few days ago (mid-January) here in Toronto, Ontario. One is quite small, while the other is relatively larger.

?
As someone very new to this hobby—and being an artist by profession for years—I'm very excited and eager to learn.I also recently came across the term mallsai and am unsure if these trees fall into that category. I've attached photos of the trees, and you can see the soil is covered with tiny reddish pebbles. Should I re-pot them into better-suited bonsai soil? Or perhaps transfer them to nursery pots for now?Currently, we're experiencing harsh cold weather, especially at night, with temperatures dropping to around -12 to -15°C.The salesperson mentioned it’s better to keep the trees inside during this cold weather, but I’ve read that Junipers are hardy trees and should remain outdoors. I live in a condo with a balcony on the 6th floor and have seen recommendations to set up a winter protection system using mulch.To prepare, I bought some fir bark to create a mulch setup to insulate the sides of the pots and provide extra protection.I’m looking for any additional recommendations on winter care for these Junipers or general tips for beginners.Thanks in advance for your help!?

The salesman was wrong to tell you to keep it inside at any time. If you have a balcony that does not get as cold as outside and colder than inside that might do. These two small plants are not yet bonsai, Mallsai is a term dreamed up by someone to indicate a plant that is going to be styled to be eventually bonsai. You could put them in a box and add mulch but do not allow them to get dry. I would suggest contacting a bonsai club and see how they cope in the winter.?

I agree with Geoff that mallsai is not really a bonsai term. I do not think there are such term used in Japan.

In the western world however it has become a bad word for a tree that has been grown by workers in low wage countries rather than trained artists. The term mall indicates that they are sold in big box stores by low wages people that have no idea about bonsai.

So, yes. If you really want to use that term, this tree would classify as such. But to be honest this is the very start into the art of bonsai for most people. Without them this hobby would not be as big as it is in the western world.

In the end it is up to you what you want?to call your tree. Do you really want to call it something bad? I do not call any of my trees mallsai and I don't call my whife a bitch. It is all about your own attitude, not others opinions.

Tropfrog wrote:

I agree with Geoff that mallsai is not really a bonsai term. I do not think there are such term used in Japan.

In the western world however it has become a bad word for a tree that has been grown by workers in low wage countries rather than trained artists. The term mall indicates that they are sold in big box stores by low wages people that have no idea about bonsai.

So, yes. If you really want to use that term, this tree would classify as such. But to be honest this is the very start into the art of bonsai for most people. Without them this hobby would not be as big as it is in the western world.

In the end it is up to you what you want?to call your tree. Do you really want to call it something bad? I do not call any of my trees mallsai and I don't call my whife a bitch. It is all about your own attitude, not others opinions.

Thank you. I was actually more curious if these two tree samples are good candidates for a future bonsai art. I know it takes time, dedication, mastery. I'm even more curious about their potential and their current state, because as the sales person mislead me to keep the Juniper nana indoors for the winter time, or keep them indoors nearby where they can see sunlight, which is totally opposite I found out in 10 mins of google search.

Therefore I actually need some experienced eyes to give comments and critiques about their pot, soil if it's possible.
-?Do they look like they have prematurely potted into small pots?
- There are small pebbles and barks in the soil, but maybe it doesn't look like an ideal soil for bonsai.
- Should I just focus on growing and keeping them alive, rather than focusing on the aspects of wiring, re-potting, pruning?

For now, after some research and some recommendation, I'm going to create a cold box in my balcony, so I can store them and monitor if they can live through the Toronto winter.?

Last but not least, I also prefer the term bonsai over mallsai. Mallsai is a made up word as it seems:) It's just everything about bonsai is so new to me, and I'm trying to digest every new information, and it's hard to overthink and overdo things when you are a beginner.
Thanks a lot!

What we need to establish here is the fact that survival is a far more important object for tree and for a beginners continuation in the hobby than long term development. Death of a tree is not a major issue, but it does make beginners leave the hobby, which is my consern and what I base my answers on.

I do not see any pebbles in the pictures and soil structure cannot be determined by a picture. But my take on it is that if the soil is draining well, a beginner urgently repotting is a bigger issue for the tree than "not ideal soil". Talking about ideal or not we must put it into context. These trees are produced to put cheap and readily awailable trees on the market. Obviously production needs to cut costs to be able to keep the price down. But it cannot risk the trees health, then they would not be able to sell them. So the soil is ideal for that purpouse. It may not be the best soil for future development, but it normally not poses any treat to the health of the tree.

Regarding pruning, it is a task for long term development not for the health of the tree
So I would advice to let it grow for at least one full growing season. Taking time to learn how to grow and keep it healthy before thinking long term development.?

so my advice is not to do any bonsaiish to the tree until it has been growing healthy for at least one full growing season. Meanwhile study the art of bonsai, join a club and start to create your own vision for the tree. When it is time you will know what to do and how to do ut.

Several years ago there was discussion on the forum here about the origin of the word mallsai. Americans mostly thought the mall- prefix meant shopping mall, where kiosks often have low quality jewelry, tshirts, toys, etc. The Europeans mostly spelled it malsai, thinking mal- came from the Latin word malus, for bad.

Whatever the root, we can mostly agree that the term means trees that are mostly mass produced and not highly artistic, the way most of us think of the hobby/art/whatever.?

I? could make a comparison to pop music, but this is the wrong place.

Ivan Mann wrote:

Several years ago there was discussion on the forum here about the origin of the word mallsai. Americans mostly thought the mall- prefix meant shopping mall, where kiosks often have low quality jewelry, tshirts, toys, etc. The Europeans mostly spelled it malsai, thinking mal- came from the Latin word malus, for bad.

Whatever the root, we can mostly agree that the term means trees that are mostly mass produced and not highly artistic, the way most of us think of the hobby/art/whatever.?

I? could make a comparison to pop music, but this is the wrong place.

Thanks for your comment. Yes I can't agree more to what you say. I fell in love with the 名媛直播 art when I visited the Montreal botanic garden a few years ago, yet I'm a mere beginner and didn't know that these are actually trees that is cared to be miniatured and attended like a dynamic painting over the years. Now that I'm into it with actually trees resting in my balcony, I learn more and more about the terms of 名媛直播 art.?

?

Hello, welcome to the magical world of bonsai (also known as, oh my god, are my trees dead every time I leave for the day club).
I'm not an expert but have been in the hobby for over a year now. I've only bought two nursery stock and grown the rest from seed, but from my experience, I would wait to repot for a couple weeks.
In this time, observe your trees, and make sure they are acclimating well to their new environment. If after about two weeks they are still doing well, you may change the soil into something more professional or repot entirely. I recommend the beginner's course lecture for good, professional information on how to do this. It's reasonably priced as well .
As for whether you should keep them outside, remember that plants can get temperature shock easily. Try to recall the temperature of the place you bought them and keep them around that level for now. I assume you are in the Western Hemisphere. Once spring rolls around and the weather is warmer and milder, transition them to your balcony and arrange them to how much sun exposure they need. Let them adjust to the shifting temperatures outside.
When the cold season rolls around again next year, you want to protect your little trees while still keeping them on their schedule. I live in South Texas, and our temperature swings are so violent that I just keep my trees in a small, separate building (the temperature can change 50 degrees in the course of a day) but I have seen people plant their trees in the ground or planting beds for the winter, so they are insulated by the soil. Setting up a sort of tent to block the wind with a bedsheet is a good tactic. And I suspect a weak heat lamp would help as well. During the winter, I recommend setting up a grow light for your trees to ensure they get their sun. You can also bring them inside for winter as long as your home is not too warm that they will think it is springtime (That happened to my lemon tree. It bloomed and now it's growing tiny lemons in the middle of the winter ). If you bring them inside, make sure they are by a well-lit window or grow light.
And finally, I recommend doing some reading into the physiology of trees and plants in general. When you know how a tree works and what it needs to thrive, it is a lot easier to use discernment to solve issues like this.
Those are two cute little trees! Best of luck!?

So many wrong in last post that I do not bother discussing them all. Just be aware that advices on internet forums can be tricky to filter for a beginner. But the "more than one year in the hobby" statment is a clear warning sign.

As a longtime bonsai artist, how would you protect these two juniper trees from the cold? I do not see an answer to this issue in any of your replies.
I clearly state that I am no expert, and that these tactics have worked for me and people I know before.