How to be a successful bonsai beginner

[BillMcEnaney]

A bonsai expert says my trees must stay indoors here in Upstate New York because our winters get too cold for them. So, should I buy them a grow lights or keep them on a windowsill?

 

[leatherback]

A bonsai expert says my trees must stay indoors here in Upstate New York because our winters get too cold for them. So, should I buy them a grow lights or keep them on a windowsill?

I would recommend posting this in a separate thread as this depends on a lot of things. Mostly you should NOT keep your trees in a warm room. Also, they do NOT need grow lights in winter as they should be dormant. An exception COULD be for tropical species, however, I keep mine dormant in winter mostly too.

 

[rockm]

A bonsai expert says my trees must stay indoors here in Upstate New York because our winters get too cold for them. So, should I buy them a grow lights or keep them on a windowsill?

What species of tree do you have? If they're tropical in origin (ficus, schefflera, etc.) this is correct. If they're temperate zone plants (elm, conifer, maple--deciduous) then keeping them inside will eventually kill them, or kill them outright over the winter.

 

[Amy1022]

So, when do you know when to transport a small plant into a slighter bigger pot? The Brazilian rosewood that grew from seed did not have enough of soil in the pot--so I transferred it very carefully to a larger container, with the same soil it had been in, plus more. I had it outside where it seemed to love the sun, but I thought the weather was a tad too hot for this young plant, so I brought it back inside, and put some growing lights on it.

 

[BillMcEnaney]

I would recommend posting this in a separate thread as this depends on a lot of things. Mostly you should NOT keep your trees in a warm room. Also, they do NOT need grow lights in winter as they should be dormant. An exception COULD be for tropical species, however, I keep mine dormant in winter mostly too.

Thank you. I'm sorry I posted the note in the wrong place.

 

[leatherback]

Thank you. I'm sorry I posted the note in the wrong place.

no worries. It is more that you will get better and more responses if you create a thread specific for this question.

 

[BillMcEnaney]

no worries. It is more that you will get better and more responses if you create a thread specific for this question.

Thanks. You're right. My question needed another thread.

My new tree got here yesterday and looks gorgeous in the box.

 

[TheRedbudShinobi]

Larch are hardy trees that can adapt to climates with cool summers and cold winters, but they don't tolerate hot climates, especially when combined with high humidity. Cool trees for sure. For the record I should be following "the species that will grow in your climate rule", and I will learn the hard way.

Hi I’ve just bought some bonsai seeds specifically the cercis chinensis (redbud). I would like to know if it’s a must to buy a heat mat to start the seeds off. Do I plant one or more seeds? Thankyou.

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

Hi I’ve just bought some bonsai seeds specifically the cercis chinensis (redbud). I would like to know if it’s a must to buy a heat mat to start the seeds off. Do I plant one or more seeds? Thankyou.

Sorry. I'm not familiar with that species, I have some eastern redbuds in the landscape (Cercis canadensis), and I'm not very good with seeds. Your best bet would be starting a new thread asking for advice in the General Discussion thread or New to Bonsai one. You can throw a rock and find someone smarter than me in this thread. @rockm & @leatherback have a wealth of knowledge on many things maybe they can chime in. Good luck .

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Hi I’ve just bought some bonsai seeds specifically the cercis chinensis (redbud). I would like to know if it’s a must to buy a heat mat to start the seeds off. Do I plant one or more seeds? Thankyou.

Where are you located?

See attached which has a lot of info:

Chinese Redbud (cercis chinensis)

Buy Quality Tree Seed Online, High quality tree seed, sensible pricing and prompt dispatch of instock orders.

www.treeseedonline.com

 

[leatherback]

Sorry. I'm not familiar with that species, I have some eastern redbuds in the landscape (Cercis canadensis), and I'm not very good with seeds. Your best bet would be starting a new thread asking for advice in the General Discussion thread or New to Bonsai one. You can throw a rock and find someone smarter than me in this thread. @rockm & @leatherback have a wealth of knowledge on many things maybe they can chime in. Good luck .

Thx for bringing me in. I had collected redbud seed this spring, but it seems they did not make it home with me. Not sure what happened. So no experience growing these, unfortunately.

 

[rockm]

Hi I’ve just bought some bonsai seeds specifically the cercis chinensis (redbud). I would like to know if it’s a must to buy a heat mat to start the seeds off. Do I plant one or more seeds? Thankyou.

Location is critically important here. Please fill in location (region, state, etc) in your avatar. If you're in a temperate zone--U.S., U.K. etc.--planting seeds now is not really a great thing to do. We're in the final months of the growing season. Autumn and winter are just around the corner. If the seeds sprout, you will be left with seedlings that are vulnerable to frost and freezing. This species will do poorly inside, as it is a temperate zone native (USDA 6-9 hardiness). It will do best outdoors.

The seeds also appear to require a dormancy period and cold exposure to germinate effectively. I wouldn't use a heat mat to force them to germinate now. If you live in a temperate zone, in November, I'd sow the seeds in a container outside in a sheltered spot in the yard and let them be and see what happens in the spring.

 

[JonathanBonzai]

Does anyone have tips for my Blue Jacaranda bonsai?

 

[BillMcEnaney]

Since I'm a beginner, I am deciding what to suggest. But I'd like to know whether the tree needs to age a few years before you train it. Would it be better to wait until it's about four years old?

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Just let it grow for a while. Fertilize it every now and then. Do some research on the species. Look for examples youd like to emulate here in the progression threads and follow their course of action.

If it were mine, Id look to separate them into individual pots so they can bulk up without competition. I may also apply some thin guage aluminum wire to create some gentle trunk movement. This will be hard to do after they lignify. I often wire my seedling trunks around this stage of growth.

I dont have this species so you will need to, once again, look for what is best timing wise for the species. Also add.your location to your profile.

 

[Dabbler]

Since I'm a beginner, I am deciding what to suggest. But I'd like to know whether the tree needs to age a few years before you train it. Would it be better to wait until it's about four years old?

When I grow tree's from seed or very young sapling they do "training" every year - come up with a plan for the tree according to it's growth habits and health. Like just fertilize this year and grow unchecked - two years repot in the ground/pot and chop it and let regrow a new leader, etc. It's a fun process to learn the tree and have it grow with you.

 

[pandacular]

When an experienced bonsai practitioner says “I do this”, beginners are likely to read “you should do this.” These statements are not the same, and you should ensure you’re noting the distinction.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

When an experienced bonsai practitioner says “I do this”, beginners are likely to read “you should do this.” These statements are not the same, and you should ensure you’re noting the distinction.

The comment “I do this” should prompt the inference that if you also do this, you can expect a similar result.

Then the beginner needs to discern if that is the result they are after. Peter Warren told me once that there are people who practice bonsai for 30 years, and some who practice bonsai for 1 year, 30 times over. Often the latter are the vocal ones saying “you should do this”.

 

[Cajunrider]

The comment “I do this” should prompt the inference that if you also do this, you can expect a similar result.

Then the beginner needs to discern if that is the result they are after. Peter Warren told me once that there are people who practice bonsai for 30 years, and some who practice bonsai for 1 year, 30 times over. Often the latter are the vocal ones saying “you should do this”.

For me "do this" means identical circumstances (same species, growing environment, stages of development). I make judgement call on differences in circumstances when I am working on familiar species. Otherwise, I ask for advice from people I trust.
And then there are cases where I simply say "Hold mah beer!"