Hey folks! I know bonsai kits are a scam but went ahead and planted some seeds that I found sitting in a kit I bought forever ago. The trees (Sophora Japonica and Delonix Regia) really sprouted up. Was wondering if there's any advice for a newbie like myself in regards to bonsai techniques I may have to perform this early on. I live in north Alabama and they're faced a south west window with strong sunlight for about 5 hours. I water them every now and again when the soil seems dry. Not really planning on repotting until the spring (although one of the sophoras are getting really big, not sure if I should be repotting it soon. I also not sure if I be repotting into any special type of soil. Also don't mind my bootleg way of propping up the bulky sapling lol
Good Morning! New to the Bonsai World, Advice?
- Thread starter Bishop
- Start date
pandacular
Omono
Welcome to the forum! My key bit of advice is to stick around and learn from others. If you want to get into some of the bonsai “doing,” I’d get quite a few more trees. Nursery conifers give you a lot of material to work on, and can generally be found for cheap. There’s nothing wrong with growing from seed, but it is a long road, and is best done with other irons in the fire. These are both really good and not too common species, so definitely keep these happy! I’m not familiar with them, so I can’t speak to the repotting question.
This is really great. Stabilizing the roots is incredibly important, and it took me a number of dead trees to learn that.
Tieball
Masterpiece
I don’t see a need for repotting….I see care for additional growth and let them grow in the current containers.
jandslegate
Shohin
This is good advice. The younger the specimen the longer the wait and , unfortunately, hands off and waiting are the hardest things. Welcome all the same! Hope you enjoy your journey.
Arbol
Yamadori
Welcome! I am also a beginner but have learned a lot from many people here. Watch videos, read forums, buy trees, ask questions and have fun.
Deep Sea Diver
Masterpiece
Welcome Aboard BonsaiNut!
This is a great place to learn and meet folks who love the hobby!
We have a number of folks from Alabama, including @Brian Van Fleet … btw a good way to learn an awful lot in a few weeks is by reading his threads and blog… also check out @markyscott threads and resources (check out the link atop the page labelled ‘Resources’.
One observation is to find a couple pots to switch out the terracotta pots and if the white one has a reservoir, switch this out too… but wait until the weather breaks to do so. Terracotta sucks water out of the media, causing it to go dry very fast, especially in the sun, reservoir pots can cause root rot.
cheers
DSD sends
This is a great place to learn and meet folks who love the hobby!
We have a number of folks from Alabama, including @Brian Van Fleet … btw a good way to learn an awful lot in a few weeks is by reading his threads and blog… also check out @markyscott threads and resources (check out the link atop the page labelled ‘Resources’.
One observation is to find a couple pots to switch out the terracotta pots and if the white one has a reservoir, switch this out too… but wait until the weather breaks to do so. Terracotta sucks water out of the media, causing it to go dry very fast, especially in the sun, reservoir pots can cause root rot.
cheers
DSD sends
Thank you!! I have definitely noticed drying out is more of an issue if I place the plants outside to sun bathe. I will look into alternate pots when spring rolls around!
queenofsheba52
Chumono
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
Welcome to bonsai!
FWIW, it's not so much the kits are a "scam." It's that they're misleading. You can certainly get a bonsai from a seed they provide, but it will take 10-30 years of simply growing out a trunk on the seedling resulting from the seed (longer, or not at all, if you continue to grow tropicals inside the house)....Also the species you've gotten are not all that common as bonsai and aren't all that easy to care for. Flame tree is a tropical (which means winter protection). The Pagoda tree is deciduous and temperate zoned, which means it has to be outside. Additionally, it has compound leaves (sets of smaller leaflets make up the "leaf" of the plant) which complicate bonsai practices.
Kits are mostly dead ends if you're serious about bonsai (And you can't really get serious with kits because they're not very satisfying). In your area, trident maples, Chinese elm and native bald cypress present almost effortless paths to very satisfying, uncomplicated bonsai. All grow every fast, are extremely forgiving of mistakes and easy to care for without much fuss.
Do more research on them here and talk to people about them. They're all readily available through online sources.
FWIW, it's not so much the kits are a "scam." It's that they're misleading. You can certainly get a bonsai from a seed they provide, but it will take 10-30 years of simply growing out a trunk on the seedling resulting from the seed (longer, or not at all, if you continue to grow tropicals inside the house)....Also the species you've gotten are not all that common as bonsai and aren't all that easy to care for. Flame tree is a tropical (which means winter protection). The Pagoda tree is deciduous and temperate zoned, which means it has to be outside. Additionally, it has compound leaves (sets of smaller leaflets make up the "leaf" of the plant) which complicate bonsai practices.
Kits are mostly dead ends if you're serious about bonsai (And you can't really get serious with kits because they're not very satisfying). In your area, trident maples, Chinese elm and native bald cypress present almost effortless paths to very satisfying, uncomplicated bonsai. All grow every fast, are extremely forgiving of mistakes and easy to care for without much fuss.
Do more research on them here and talk to people about them. They're all readily available through online sources.
gooeytek
Mame
Welcome, and absorb as much info as you can!
Bonsai Forest
Omono
Bonsai Mirai, YouTube/BSOP bonsai seasonal care by Ryan Neil. Start with “BSOP Winter Care” video today.
Gotcha gotcha, yeah after reading over some other topics, I've seen these might not be the best for us to wrap our head around the concept of bonsai trees. However, my fiance just likes things that grow out of the dirt considering we had a really hard time growing anything in Colorado. We moved down here to Alabama for school and decided to give it another go and these are the ones that popped up out of the same kit we tried in Colorado.
Do you have any additional recommendations for species that tolerate the Colorado climate well? Specifically around the Denver area? We plan to move back once my program is done and honestly have plans to really expand our plant repertoire!
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
Leave the Delonix Regia alone. Let it grow for now. No need to repot. Keep it out of freezing weather but get it outside as soon as it is warm enough.
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
Best way to see what grows in your arear of Colorado once you move back is to see what local nurseries are selling as landscape material. If they sell it, it is probably good to grow as outdoor bonsai in that area. Exotic non-native species can be tricky to grow --some might need more protection from winter cold than others. If you want to grow "indoor" trees, use tropical species like ficus and schefflera.
pandacular
Omono
Just anecdotal, but when I attended the Rocky Mountain Bonsai Society's exhibition, the vast majority of trees were native, high altitude conifers. Rocky mountain juniper (though I imagine any juniper would do great), ponderosa and lodgepole pines, as well as spruce, both Colorado and Engelmen were common. I only saw a few Japanese maples for instance, and some of the folks I talked to mentioned that leaf burn is a challenge. Chinese elm was recommended as a more high sun tolerant specimen. There's also plenty of folks on this forum from Colorado who can provide some ideas and inspiration.
Here's my photos from the exhibition.
www.bonsainut.com
I think you have your head in the right place thinking about playing to the strengths of your environment. Sure, you could definitely make things that are a little bit out of the wheelhouse for the environment work, but why give yourself extra trouble?
Here's my photos from the exhibition.
RMBS Exhibition, Denver, CO, Sept. 2-3, 2023
the Rocky Mountain Bonsai Society is hosting their 54th Anniversary Bonsai and Suiseki Exhibition at the Denver Botanic Gardens. 1007 York St. Denver 80206 9am - 7pm September 2nd, 2023 9am - 3pm September 3rd, 2023 entrance fee is included with admission to the gardens ($15)...
I think you have your head in the right place thinking about playing to the strengths of your environment. Sure, you could definitely make things that are a little bit out of the wheelhouse for the environment work, but why give yourself extra trouble?
Just anecdotal, but when I attended the Rocky Mountain Bonsai Society's exhibition, the vast majority of trees were native, high altitude conifers. Rocky mountain juniper (though I imagine any juniper would do great), ponderosa and lodgepole pines, as well as spruce, both Colorado and Engelmen were common. I only saw a few Japanese maples for instance, and some of the folks I talked to mentioned that leaf burn is a challenge. Chinese elm was recommended as a more high sun tolerant specimen. There's also plenty of folks on this forum from Colorado who can provide some ideas and inspiration.
Here's my photos from the exhibition.
RMBS Exhibition, Denver, CO, Sept. 2-3, 2023
the Rocky Mountain Bonsai Society is hosting their 54th Anniversary Bonsai and Suiseki Exhibition at the Denver Botanic Gardens. 1007 York St. Denver 80206 9am - 7pm September 2nd, 2023 9am - 3pm September 3rd, 2023 entrance fee is included with admission to the gardens ($15)...
I think you have your head in the right place thinking about playing to the strengths of your environment. Sure, you could definitely make things that are a little bit out of the wheelhouse for the environment work, but why give yourself extra trouble?
Oooo, we have to make it to more bonsai expositions, those trees look magnificent. I believe we may explore outside our comfort zone when we get little more rooted in the practice. I know all of these take years to even start to seeing your hard work pay off and could also have badness happen but I think it'll be fun nonetheless.
.
gooeytek
Mame
Yea, my nephew just moved to Colorado for a horticulture program as part of his masters, and he said that windbreaks are key.
Similar threads
