beginner

This is my first Spring practicing bonsai and I'm wondering where everyone gets their soil supplies from? Last Summer I bought pumice and akadama from ebay and was not impressed by it's quality. I want to buy in bulk, none of those small 2 quart bags. I'm also curious what size akadama I should...

Seeking guidance on an air layering question: I am a beginner and am trying to develop surface roots. I am going to try the ‘ring’ air layering technique (cutting a ring through the bark and growing roots into moss). My question is, what should I do with the new roots once they have grown...

Seeking guidance on an air layering question: I am a beginner and am trying to develop visible surface roots. I have tried the ‘ring’ air layering technique (cutting a ring through the bark and growing roots into moss). My question is, what should I do with the new roots once they have grown...

Hello all, please forgive me for the rambling. I'm not quite sure what info is most important, so I may share too much. I've long been interested in bonsai, and last year I picked up a 5ish y/o Fukien Tea that I've successfully managed to not kill so far. I've always been interested in cherry...

Hello! I just got this bonsai plant yesterday as a birthday gift and am looking into how to care for it. I removed the glued on pebbles on top and spritzed it with some water for humidity but I’m not sure how to go forward without knowing the species Any help with identification and basic tips...

Hello everyone! I need some help as to whether or not I should repot my JM that I got from a nursery. The main reason isn’t for aesthetic, percolation, or nebari issues. It’s mostly to do with the size of the trunk. It just makes it to 1” in diameter, and I know that now is a good time to repot...

I'm new to Bonsai and currently harbor two trees. My first, a Chinease Elm which was gifted about three summers ago as a very small, young sapling. Great beginner tree as they are very tough. My 1st mistake: Initially, not learning of my species of tree; how it grows, native Habitat etc...

Hello! I am so excited to have found this forum as I have been working a tulip poplar into a tiny little pot and have a dwarf eastern pine that I would love to bonsai as well. I understand that I have no idea where to start— my first attempt at root pruning may have been an epic failure, and I...

The extension service in my area gave away some native trees today. I have zero experience with bonsai and thought it would be cool to start my journey with some native species. I wanted Red Maple (Acer rubrum) but they went quick so I got a Pond Cypress (Taxodium ascendens) and a Dahoon Holly...

This is my 1st and only Bonsai which was gifted to me about 2.5 years ago. At first I didn't know much about the species of tree, pruning etc... but managed to keep the tree alive and healthy. I don't have pics from when I 1st got it, but it has grow significantly. After reading a little on...

I am new to bonsai and just bought a couple of trees for potential future bonsai. Both trees are mountain maples and are tall and thin. The trees are going to be planted in bigger pots to thicken the trunks. Do you have any recommendations on wiring them. I have no idea where to start.

Hello there! I am still relatively new to Bonsai, but I do know the basics by now. As for myself I am a Landscapegardener so it is nothing of a challenge to me to take care of special Flowers/Trees. I own quite a variety of Citrus plants and European Orchids, they are known to be quite...

Hi all, first post! Total beginner, but enjoying the journey so far! I bought cheap Ficus Ginseng which I’ve had for over a year. Bought it and didn’t realise what I was getting into. Having now partially educated myself on some of the basics now I realise it is in completely the wrong pot. It...

Hi all! First time poster here… I bought a black monkey thorn from a nursery 10 days ago. The tree was in dire need of some TLC so I decided it should come home with me. (When my husband saw it, he said it’s the ugliest thing he’s ever seen). I repotted it in a plastic container with bonsai...

Hi all, I purchased three 1-gallon trees from Evergreen Gardenworks. 1 trident maple and 2 elms. Following Brent's advice, I would now like to move them from the 1 gallon containers to larger grow boxes. Does anyone have recommendations on a pre-mixed soil that is good but also affordable...

Just ordered some Acer campestre seeds from F. W. Schumacher so I can start stratifying them pretty soon and sow them next spring. I figured it would be a great species to start from seed because they can tolerate my hot humid climate, and they bulk up and develop very fast, similar to how...

How's it going everyone, I'm new to bonsai and having some trouble with my first one :(. I picked up a starter trident maple that came in a tiny tiny plastic pot about two weeks ago. I repotted it, teased the roots out gently, filled with bonsai soil and put it on my balcony which receives 6-8...

Hi wonderful knowledgeable fellow bonsai enthusiasts!! I have jumped in to the world of indoor bonsai with both feet and bought myself a beautiful Chinese Elm approx 10 years old. i’m an absolute beginner in the UK and would appreciate all the help & advice I can get please. So far Yoshi, (yes...

I'm fairly new to bonsai and horticulture as a whole so any advice would be greatly welcome. I bought a Sango Kaku JM at Lowes in an area where everything was marked 50% off as a "distressed plant". My question is about disease, I have noticed that the tips of some branches have turned black or...

hello all, i recently acquired a small boxwood shrub from my neighbor as a gift, as he was replacing his shrubs with azaleas. received it bare rooted, potted into a pond basket with some home made soil (one part lava, pumice, de, and pine bark mulch respectively) the tree had a nice thick...

Hi everyone, This is my first post and my first experience with bonsai. I recently bought a Bosnian pine (Pinus heldreichii) and would like to style this to make a bonsai tree. I live in Stockholm, Sweden and came to the conclusion I am in "hardiness" zone 7 according to...

Hi everyone! Here I stand at the beginning of my Bonsai journey and at least for the time being I feel very interested in conifers. My favorite among them being Chinese Junipers and Japanese Black Pines, at least aesthetically. I decided to go for a young JBP, partly as a long term project but...

Hello everyone! My friend just gifted me with my first Bonsai. He gave me an Adenium (Desert Rose). I want to take really good care of it, but since I'm really new into this world I would like to ask a couple of questions, since one website says one thing, and the other says the opposite. 1-...

Hello everyone! I'm new to Bonsai and I need help with my first Pre-Bonsai, I've only been shaping 2 year old trees until now. The tree is a 20cm (about 7.8 inches) 17 year old Juniperus Chinensis. I know the bonsai styling choices are very personal, so I'd like to ask what the first thing that...

Hello I was looking to buy my first tool set for bonsai and wanted to know if anyone has experience with Stone Lantern, in particular this tool set: https://stonelantern.com/collections/featured-sale/products/beginners-7-piece-bonsai-aesthetics-tool-set It appears to have all the basic tools...