The barberry bonsai

[BonsaiSniper]

 

[Carol 83]

Is that regular potting soil? Even if you just watered it, it looks like mud, and I would worry about it draining properly.

 

[BonsaiSniper]

That is for the moss it is only a centimeter thick

 

[vp999]

Thats a cool looking tree, did you collect it or purchase it from someone else ?

 

[BonsaiSniper]

I collected it

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

That is for the moss it is only a centimeter thick

Moss will grow on its own, eventually. The dirt will wash down and end up on the bottom of your pot, causing trouble with aeration and watering. It's a risky move and there's a reason nobody else is doing it. Just wanted to point that out. Do whatever you please, of course, but to me it's not a good practice.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

The black stuff looks recent judging from the amount on the pot rims. How long has the barberry been potted?

 

[Forsoothe!]

A word of warning with Barberry: don't trim the tiny twigs too tightly, - the wood on Barberry doesn't last as long as hardwoods and your major branch turnover has to be accommodated with a plan to constantly have new major branch replacements rotating through. There is a propensity to get into the habit of pruning the canopy tightly, keeping the skinny twigs short and expecting them to thicken, from which new skinny twigs would arise. While some of that will occur, there are only just so many buds in old wood and eventually you can use them up and the old branch dies. They should be allowed to be fuller than a clipped hedge, and any thinning areas allowed to let-grow. They cannot be kept the same size forever.