Bonsai branch
When I first started with bonsais I did it totally wrong. Little did I know when I went to the mall and bought this cute little pine for $29.95.
I placed my new bonsai near the window and cared about it every day. Still after a few month it began to lose its needles and I had to declare it dead at the end of the following month.
What did I do wrong?
Let me tell you, it was a lot!
Starting with the terrible idea to buy a bonsai at the mall, followed by the decision to buy a pine (which is an outdoor tree), ending by watering it too much.
After the death of my beloved bonsai I thought I will try it again. But do it right, this time. I purchased an excellent book for beginners called “Bonsai”. It taught me a lot of the basic bonsai stuff, including how to chose the right bonsai and how to care about them.
Equipped with this knowledge I give you my three step guide for bonsai beginners
- Buy three to five small trees, not a bonsai in a small pot (I’ll explain the reason for that afterwards)
- Don’t re pot the trees for two years
- Practice your pruning on these trees (but give them some month to revive)
Why not buy a bonsai in a bonsai-pot?
The answer is simple: A real bonsai has to be trained for at least 5 years and is most likely not sold in malls due to their high price. Bonsais sold in malls are young trees cut in shape and put in a small pot. They may look good now, but won’t in two years.
You should look instead for bonsai nurseries that are selling trees in normal pots with the whole root ball intact.
Why not repotting the trees?
Trees with their roots intact will forgive you pruning more easily. If you cut the roots away the trees won’t be able to compensate the cuttings and might die eventually.
The process of shaping takes years but if you have a tree with healthy roots you will reach the final stage.
Only after you are satisfied with the look of your little tree, you can repot it to his final destination: a bonsai-pot.
I followed these three steps myself and only one of my trees died (I tried what my trees where capable to take and I was a little to aggressive on this one).
What you need at the beginning
There are a couple of things you should have, when you start your bonsai career. Don’t worry, it’s not a long list:
- At least one tree, obviously. I suggest you buying a juniper, they are very forgiving and perfect for starters. If you need an outdoor bonsai, try a ficus tree.
- A bonsai book to learn how to care about your bonsais. I’ve mentioned the book “Bonsai” before, I recommend it.
- Some time and patience to learn. Don’t worry, you don’t need to learn everything at the beginning. Bonsais are plants, they grow very slowly.
I recommend you to buy a bonsai starter-kit like the following one, to get all the tools you need as a beginner: Starter Kit – Make Your Own Bonsai Tree.
There’s even a juniper tree included in case you don’t want to search one yourself.
The best of luck to you and please, let me know how your first bonsai experience went by leaving a comment!
Tags: How To
anty