Beginning Beginner

One caveat I almost got bitten by in buying a bonsai. You don't say the source of your material, and also I haven't seen it so much lately, but make sure you don't buy one with the surface being small rocks glued together! I've seen this at places far more "reputable" than Home Depot and Lowe's.
Yikes! Great tip, thanks. I can imagine that. I'm in a smaller town and thankfully found an awesome nursery online.
 
Keep in mind that the ficus is a tropical, Water Jasmin is also. They need to be inside under grow lights when summer is over.
 
Keep in mind that the ficus is a tropical, Water Jasmin is also. They need to be inside under grow lights when summer is over.
I'll have to put grow lights on the list of things to research. If they live that long, I would feel like a rock star and a half!
I just unpacked the new two unwitting pioneers and they seem to be okay so far. I'm in it now and already loving it all.
 
Yikes! Great tip, thanks. I can imagine that. I'm in a smaller town and thankfully found an awesome nursery online.
Welcome aboard. "Mithril! All folk desired it. It could be beaten like copper, and polished like glass." What nursery are you ordering from? Wigerts has good stuff FYI. Good luck on your journey.
 
I'm in zone 8a. I got a Ficus that fills me simultaneously with terror and joy. I historically "love" plants to death via overwatering so I'm excited to be here to learn and do better. I have beginning tools en route and another bonsai (bald cypress) already on the way. Why do I get the sneaking suspicion that I'm about to be surrounding myself with a plethora of bonsai realquickandinahurry? Here goes nothing!
Welcome to your new life and the best repository of information you will ever find. Read, learn, ask questions and enjoy!
 
Welcome aboard. "Mithril! All folk desired it. It could be beaten like copper, and polished like glass." What nursery are you ordering from? Wigerts has good stuff FYI. Good luck on your journey.
Thank you! I'll look at Wigerts for sure. I found LJ Plant Nursery on Etsy where I got the Ficus and Bald Cypress. The Water Jasmine came from Bonsai Boy in NY. I'll have to have a photoshoot of the Cypress and Jasmine that just came in.
 
It really does 'feel better' to have three bonsai babies to start with. I got in some beginning tools and wire over the weekend too. I feel like that wire is gonna hafta sit in the corner for a little while till I learn more.
 
...and then there were three. Oh em gee. It's for the greater good, it's for the greater good.
I love the bald cypress camped out by her giant great-great-uncle Cy(press) in the back corner of my yard.
 

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Thank you! I'll look at Wigerts for sure. I found LJ Plant Nursery on Etsy where I got the Ficus and Bald Cypress. The Water Jasmine came from Bonsai Boy in NY. I'll have to have a photoshoot of the Cypress and Jasmine that just came in.
BTW, I didn't mean to disparage Brussels, the main supplier thru Home Depot and Lowes. I got a lovely azalea from them in January, but the pot was split across the middle. They immediately sent me a replacement, and after I repotted the first, I had two lovely azaleas.
 
BTW, I didn't mean to disparage Brussels, the main supplier thru Home Depot and Lowes. I got a lovely azalea from them in January, but the pot was split across the middle. They immediately sent me a replacement, and after I repotted the first, I had two lovely azaleas.
No worries. Just this weekend I saw for the first time glued rocks at Simpson's Ace Hardware and it was so sad. They had six Junipers - all dead. Such a shame.
 
I'll have to put grow lights on the list of things to research. If they live that long, I would feel like a rock star and a half!
I just unpacked the new two unwitting pioneers and they seem to be okay so far. I'm in it now and already loving it all.
Welcome to the club! I'm just up the road from you in 8a as well and have several tropicals that I bring in every winter. If you find that a bright south-facing window isn't getting your ficus or other tropicals enough light during the colder months, one of the options below will help. Both are great lights for indoor bonsai. The strip light comes with chains and will need to be hung from somewhere over your plants. The bulb will need to be put into a fixture. I use reptile clamp lamp fixtures such as these: VIVOSUN Clamp Lamp Light with Detachable 8.5 Inch Aluminum Reflector. Set your lights up on a timer for maximum convenience, especially since you'll want them running 12-16 hours per day, depending on the plant's requirements.

-GE Grow LED Light Fixture for Plants
-GE Grow LED Light Bulb, PAR38 Flood Light

Just as a side note, only tropicals will need to be brought in during the winter. Other trees that can tolerate the cold, such as the bald cypress you ordered, should be left outside year-round.
 
Welcome to the club! I'm just up the road from you in 8a as well and have several tropicals that I bring in every winter. If you find that a bright south-facing window isn't getting your ficus or other tropicals enough light during the colder months, one of the options below will help. Both are great lights for indoor bonsai. The strip light comes with chains and will need to be hung from somewhere over your plants. The bulb will need to be put into a fixture. I use reptile clamp lamp fixtures such as these: VIVOSUN Clamp Lamp Light with Detachable 8.5 Inch Aluminum Reflector. Set your lights up on a timer for maximum convenience, especially since you'll want them running 12-16 hours per day, depending on the plant's requirements.

-GE Grow LED Light Fixture for Plants
-GE Grow LED Light Bulb, PAR38 Flood Light

Just as a side note, only tropicals will need to be brought in during the winter. Other trees that can tolerate the cold, such as the bald cypress you ordered, should be left outside year-round.
Thanks, neighbor! Those options look perfect and info about how many hours per day to run is invaluable.
I'm thankful winter is generally short lived so hopefully we can get through this! That little cypress is gonna be like where did my tropical buddies go?
I love this quote I heard: "Our four seasons are Pollen, Summer, Hurricane and Football!"
I'm already looking at my Crepe Myrtles in the yard and thinking hmm should I try? I better stop, drop and roll.
 
Thank you! I'll look at Wigerts for sure. I found LJ Plant Nursery on Etsy where I got the Ficus and Bald Cypress. The Water Jasmine came from Bonsai Boy in NY. I'll have to have a photoshoot of the Cypress and Jasmine that just came in.

Beware Bonsai Boy. They are usually very overpriced for what you get for plants and you can find better elsewhere.
Check out Brussels Bonsai as well as Wigerts.
 
Beware Bonsai Boy. They are usually very overpriced for what you get for plants and you can find better elsewhere.
Check out Brussels Bonsai as well as Wigerts.
If you decide to get anything from Brussel's Bonsai, I'd wait until they're having a sale, which happens pretty regularly throughout the year, especially around major holidays. They have lots of material that is fairly priced, but also some stuff that is ridiculously priced as well. I've bought from Wigert's before, and they're great people to deal with.

I'm already looking at my Crepe Myrtles in the yard and thinking hmm should I try? I better stop, drop and roll.
Glad to help! Crape Myrtles can make good bonsai material, especially the dwarf varieties if you have the patience to let them grow. Plus, they LOVE the Carolina heat. If you're looking to get one from a local nursery, be diligent in your search to pick a specimen that already has some natural movement to it. It'll save you lots of time later. For example, here's a dwarf variety that I bought a couple years ago with the intention of making it into a bonsai. However, it's been enjoying life as a potted patio tree instead, and stands just 14" tall above the soil. The trunk and branches already had all this great natural movement, and I've simply been selectively pruning it since then. It'll probably end up as a bonsai someday.
 

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I agree the sticker shock almost sent me packing. I was glad they had a reasonable Water Jasmine in stock but think they are a 'one off' for me.
 
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