New to bonsai - Ficus

[Sparkkat]

I just got this Ficus from Home Depo.. is this moss Ok to have in the pot? I don't even know if its real, its very dry. is it supposed to help keep the plant moist? Im very new to bonsai and so far i only misted and watered the soil, not enough for any water to come out of the bottom though. It also came with dust on the leaves, im planning to just wipe it off with a wet paper towel.

 

[Sparkkat]

Ok uh the pictures i attached didn't post for some reason, im gonna try to re-upload them when i get home, its just giving an error message.

 

[ShadyStump]

Technical issues are routine. We'll be here when you're ready.

If they're the same ones we got in at our local Home Depot, they're not bad as cheap mallsai go.
Water until the water comes out the bottom, every time. Try the chopstick trick; jab a wooden or bamboo chopstick or skewer or the like into the soil all the way to the bottom of the pot, and leave it there. Use it as a dipstick to check soil moisture. Water when the stick feels all but dry.
Moss in pots is common, and most often decorative. Moss also likes allot more water than most trees, so the tree could be fine even if the moss isn't.

Where are you keeping it? Trees are evolved to be outdoors of course, but a ficus can be happy in a bright window if that's all your situation allows.

 

[Sparkkat]

Hopefully the pictures work this time, they were taken a little bit before i posted. Also, thank you so much for the advice!
A few hours ago i watered until water came out the bottom, i wiped off the leaves and misted it as well. Right now it’s in front of a pretty bright window, i don't know if the curtains would mess with the light? I bought a little humidifier since i run a fan in the room a lot, and that should be coming on Tuesday. I also bought a grow light because im getting a new bed soon and it might take up the space next to the window, i don't know yet.
The Aloe is temporarily next to the bonsai, i know it doesn't need extra humidity, and the paper plate is just to catch dirt.

One more question, should leaves always be cut with scissors? I snapped off some without even thinking and im worried i might have hurt it or something lol. I hope the sap repairs the damage or something, i don’t know how that works.

 

[Carol 83]

Take off the fake moss, it's not doing anything. If you are able, it should be warm enough soon to go outside.

 

[19Mateo83]

Make sure there is a drain hole in the pot. Sometimes the box store bonsai starters don’t have drain holes.

 

[ShadyStump]

Ginseng root ficus, like I suspected. And it is the same as our local store here.

So, these particular trees are very common, sold exactly the way you bout it: cheap and easy bonsai for the folks who have only ever done regular houseplants before. It's actually two entirely different species of ficus grafted to each other. The big roots make it as hardy as a cactus almost, and they don't grow super large or fast like mother nature's ficus species will. Makes it easy to take care of in a small space, but you lose our on allot of the real bonsai aesthetics.

Like @Carol 83 said, it's not real live moss as such. It's colored decorative stuff, and not needed. Take it off and and I bet you'll find run of the mill potting soil. That's not a bad thing per se, but if you dig around on the forum here - go nuts with that search function in the top right corner - you'll see that soil composition can play a big roll, and that many folks get very energetic about their discussions on the topic. Most have completely done away with all organic substrate components in favor of a 100% mineral mix with nutrients provided entirely by fertilizing. It's practically hydroponics at that point.

Curtains open is better, of course, but outside is best for trees. So long as there's no heater/radiator under the window to cook it, or really nasty drafts on cold days, window is fine for the most part.
Otherwise, doesn't seem you've made any major mistakes yet. Humidifier isn't strictly necessary. Ficus of any species are tough trees, adaptable to a great many environments that would kill other trees outright, and these ginseng ficus doubly so. They don't look like much, but it's hard to kill them if you have even half a clue.

 

[ShadyStump]

Make sure there is a drain hole in the pot. Sometimes the box store bonsai starters don’t have drain holes.

These look like the same patch my local Home Depot has this year, and I've checked for that myself.
Seems to be the chain's schtick this spring, but as far as mass produced mallsai go they did it right. Didn't see a single fukien tea or Chinese elm. Ginseng ficus and azalea is what we got. And very reasonable prices as well; the same anything they carry that comes in a pretty pot, in stead of quadruple because they put "bonsai" on the label.
I'm going on and on, but I was honestly pressed that they did bad bonsai right.

 

[Jrmcmich]

Make sure there is a drain hole in the pot. Sometimes the box store bonsai starters don’t have drain holes.

Agree on this. I literally found a smaller ficus today at Lowe’s which looked kind of cool so I went ahead and picked it up. I was going to keep it in pot and soil for a bit before repotting but noticed when I watered It no water came out. Turns out it was a 4” pot inside a container with no hole so water would just sit in bottom. I went ahead and repotted in bonsai soil and a small pot.

 

[Sparkkat]

Man i suspected the moss was fake :/ I feel a little guilty that i always seem to buy into the badly done trend products.. like buying ‘tamed’ anoles at an expo, then finding out they cant be tamed at all and the vendor sold me both males who ended up killing each other… they gave people anoles to hold which would just sleep in your hand which made it seem legit.

anyway sorry for the rant, i took out the moss and i found these weird… green balls? I have no idea what these are. Should i put them back in?
Also, bad news i think? There are gnats which i suspected since other plants we bought always seem to carry gnats, and i bought little sticky traps for them.. but there are also these really really tiny bugs in the soil, brown and they look even smaller than springtails to me, are these gnat babies? When I pulled up the moss i saw them, but i cant find them anymore. Also no eggs or anything on the underside of the leaves.

The plant is in a plastic pot thats inside a ceramic one, both have drainage holes ^^ also, purely for aesthetic would it be okay to put new moss in the pot? And what moss would be good?

 

[Sparkkat]

Ginseng root ficus, like I suspected. And it is the same as our local store here.

So, these particular trees are very common, sold exactly the way you bout it: cheap and easy bonsai for the folks who have only ever done regular houseplants before. It's actually two entirely different species of ficus grafted to each other. The big roots make it as hardy as a cactus almost, and they don't grow super large or fast like mother nature's ficus species will. Makes it easy to take care of in a small space, but you lose our on allot of the real bonsai aesthetics.

Like @Carol 83 said, it's not real live moss as such. It's colored decorative stuff, and not needed. Take it off and and I bet you'll find run of the mill potting soil. That's not a bad thing per se, but if you dig around on the forum here - go nuts with that search function in the top right corner - you'll see that soil composition can play a big roll, and that many folks get very energetic about their discussions on the topic. Most have completely done away with all organic substrate components in favor of a 100% mineral mix with nutrients provided entirely by fertilizing. It's practically hydroponics at that point.

Curtains open is better, of course, but outside is best for trees. So long as there's no heater/radiator under the window to cook it, or really nasty drafts on cold days, window is fine for the most part.
Otherwise, doesn't seem you've made any major mistakes yet. Humidifier isn't strictly necessary. Ficus of any species are tough trees, adaptable to a great many environments that would kill other trees outright, and these ginseng ficus doubly so. They don't look like much, but it's hard to kill them if you have even half a clue.

Idk how to reply to just one sentence.. sorry. But i will look for other soils definitely!
And im extremely reluctant to put it outside since i have two sisters who are both six and not careful, one very reckless dog who has a cone and is crashing into everything, and neighbors who have frequently come into our yard and let their dogs escape into our yard (one peed all over the vegetables we were growing and literally killed them) we are also having a fake spring where some days you have to wear shorts, and others you have to wear coats. My room stays warm all year as well

 

[ShadyStump]

You're good. It's a ficus. They're tough as nails. But do open that curtain for it.

Gnats or other pests are not unusual with new plants. Watch your watering and that usually helps. Remember that chopstick trick I mentioned before? That will help with appropriate watering, which will help with gnats. They lay their eggs in the soil and feed on fungus that grows in the soil. Letting the soil dry out a bit in between watering makes the soil conditions a bit less accommodating to them.

Those green balls look like cheap slow release fertilizer. They're harmless, and maybe even helpful.
If you liked the way it looked, the old moss is fine to leave on. Looks like it's the colored reindeer moss, like you can find in hobby stores or the like. It should be safe to leave if you like it.

Again, just read up here or online, watch some videos, whatever. The only bad advice for a beginner in bonsai is the advice that makes them go beyond their abilities too soon. You obviously have some experience with houseplants, and this tree is literally made for that skill set. There's a whole giant world of bonsai knowledge and potential out there. Don't try and figure it out all at once. Do it on your own timeline.

 

[19Mateo83]

You're good. It's a ficus. They're tough as nails. But do open that curtain for it.

Gnats or other pests are not unusual with new plants. Watch your watering and that usually helps. Remember that chopstick trick I mentioned before? That will help with appropriate watering, which will help with gnats. They lay their eggs in the soil and feed on fungus that grows in the soil. Letting the soil dry out a bit in between watering makes the soil conditions a bit less accommodating to them.

Those green balls look like cheap slow release fertilizer. They're harmless, and maybe even helpful.
If you liked the way it looked, the old moss is fine to leave on. Looks like it's the colored reindeer moss, like you can find in hobby stores or the like. It should be safe to leave if you like it.

Again, just read up here or online, watch some videos, whatever. The only bad advice for a beginner in bonsai is the advice that makes them go beyond their abilities too soon. You obviously have some experience with houseplants, and this tree is literally made for that skill set. There's a whole giant world of bonsai knowledge and potential out there. Don't try and figure it out all at once. Do it on your own timeline.

Great advice shady!

 

[ShadyStump]

Great advice shady!

Guess how learned all that, though.