beginner

Hello all – I am in need of some specific advice. A bit of backstory: I have had a chinese elm bonsai for about six months. It was ~5 years old when I received it (as a gift), although I am experienced in indoor gardening, have done my homework on the chinese elm, and have cared for other...

Hey Guys I got myself some Pine seeds from the Internet . But after a little research i am now confused. I read about stratification, which is not a new thing to me, but i also found out that some people pour hot water over the seed to 'scarify' them(i have never heard of that before). I think...

Hi all, I am a bit new to bonsai, but I have a few trees I am proud of. Today I got a Scots pine that would be the biggest one I've worked on yet. I got a bit overzealous removing branches and am having a bit of remorse about it. I don't think there is an obvious choice for a leader left at...

So I couldn't resist picking up this Dwarf Elm from a roadside nursery but had to quickly treat a minor case of scale with some oil spray after scraping them off. Otherwise looks really healthy and totally rootbound. Looking to repot asap. Would it be safe to do so now or wait till spring...

Already posted this project in a newby thread, but I think this is my first material that actually has alright bonsai potential! So I think it deserves its own thread (the other threads may be added to the burn pile 😂 ) Added photos of work so far - pruning (tried not to do too much)...

I thought it could be fun to make a thread where beginners post their trees...I already have five (four nursery stock, one chinese elm) that I'm hoping will survive to learn on. Nothing I would consider to be good material by most people's standards on here, but I will have fun with them all...

“Hi - I’m Iggy the Azalea!” Hey everyone, glad to have stumbled onto the board. Looks to be a thriving community! I’ve been a bonsai fan my entire life, have owned a few, and unfortunately seen a few die for various reasons (usually trusting roommates to care for them while out of town)...

Hi everybody, I'm a complete beginner to the art of bonsai and for my first tree I bought a japanese bloodgood maple which I thought had an interesting trunk shape. I wanted to ask for some opinions on styling from those with a more experienced eye than me before doing anything to it. A couple...

Hello everyone! I am a complete bonsai beginner that started during quarantine. I purchased a small Japanese maple tree starter about a month ago and since then it has really grown! I was so surprised and happy. If you can please offer me any advice if I should be doing something at these early...

Hello all. Short time lurker, first time poster. Was gifted a Chinese Elm for my birthday last September and somehow managed to get it through winter. Chuffed with myself I decided to repot at the start of this month as the old soil was regular compost. Repotting seemed to go well, nothing...

Hello all! I received a Texas Lilac Vitex for my birthday and its just a tiny stem (about 2in tall) with two tiny 1inch branches coming off with a few leaves. I saw that this could potentially be a bonsai plant and so I wanted to give it a go! Any tips? Is this actually doable with this type...

Hey all! First off I'll just say I know it needs better soil, but Ive been wondering if I need to ground layer new roots a little higher. Just did my first major styling work of this Loropetalum. I got it as a gift from a landscaper friend about a year and a half ago and started working toward...

Forgive me in advance for silly questions. I went to a bonsai fair and fell in love. Well the other day I randomly purchased a few plants that were leftover in the nursery. (A juniper and this one I think is a snow rose) I’m wondering is there a possible way to turn this plant into a bonsai...

Hey All, I have a relatively decent nursery specimen here and am contemplating a relatively hefty cut. The trunk gets fairly straight and untapered towards the top section then the leader curves downwards in a large arc that just isn't looking realistic to me. I'm thinking of chopping at the...

So back in August I got my first bonsai, the Fukein tea tree (ehretia mircophylla).Anyhow after reading hours of content and watching 3 start up videos in a row, I was ready for the transplant. My pot has to weep holes in the bottom about the size of a nickel, so I covered them with plastic...

Hey Guys! I got my bonsai about 6 months ago and yesterday it’s pot broke, recently the soil has started to come away from the edges and I was told that I needed to soak it for 5 minutes and then drain. It looks like it possibly needs repotting, I have ordered a slightly bigger pot for it but...

Hello everyone! I got a bonsai tree as a gift couple of months ago and since then I haven't done much besides watering it, and even that I'm not sure if I'm doing right, since the lady at the shop told my cousin that you should pour some water into the container in which the pot is placed and...

Does anyone have any knowledge of working with a Mint Julep Juniper? If so, some tips on what to do with this guy would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Colton

Hello all, A few months ago I bought an "extra dwarf pomegranate" tree from Baker Creek Seeds. Out of twelve seeds, this one came up. (Here is how it looked in the first two weeks) This was taken in bright light, but the plant is normally in a dorm room with max 4 hours of bright light a day...

Hey everyone, novice bonsai guy just looking for advice. I found this at a local mom and pop shop for 35 dollars and thought why not? Decent size trunk on it. I just bought it thinking of trunk chopping it and trying to root some cuttings but I just started thinking I could air layer the top to...

Rookie question here, but it's one I cannot seem to find the answer to. It's winter, so my plants aren't getting a ton of sun. I've read that 4 may be enough to keep them alive. 6 hours would be better. 8 hours even more ideal. But where do I draw the line? Why not give them 15 hours (like in...

Hi! I live in Memphis, TN (8a hardiness zone) and am looking to purchase a bonsai or pre-bonsai to work on while I wait for my Delonix seedling to grow. I am completely new at this as I have never cultivated a bonsai before, so I am looking for recommmendations for a good beginner bonsai or...

Hey, people! :-) That's my first thread in this forum - and, actually, in 'gardening' forums at all -, so I already apologize for any mistakes in this post. By the way, I'm Giovanni, 20yo, from Três Lagoas, Brazil. Well, around two weeks ago, me and my boyfriend went to the flower/gardening...

Hello. After spending a few weeks talking and learning about bonsai, I was gifted my first, a Japanese maple, yesterday from my very well-meaning girlfriend. It came with a book (101 Essential Tips) and I’ve been watching youtube videos on watering and specifically on not over watering. I’m...

Greetings everyone! First of all, thank you for being on this forum -- I'm brand new to the bonsai world and have been reading/learning as much as I can. Between old BN forum posts, various other sites, and numerous library books however, there's been a lot to digest, often with differing...