Best Place To Buy A Bonsai Tree – If, like me, you’re always on the lookout for fun new plants to add to your home collection, chances are a bonsai tree has caught your eye at one point or another. These miniature trees are amazing – there is no other word for it – but they are also very intimidating for beginners. Bonsai require special care and are unforgiving. However, if you are willing to put in the effort to build and cultivate one of these miniature trees, you will be rewarded with a stunning plant to be passed on to future generations.
Before you decide if bonsai is right for you, here’s everything you need to know about this beautiful plant, including where to get it and how to care for it.
Best Place To Buy A Bonsai Tree
For a long time I thought bonsai trees were a special tree species! As I found out, I wasn’t the only one with this opinion.
Common Bonsai Tree Species To Grow
“Bonsai is a set of practices used to artistically sculpt trees,” explains Eric Schrader, who teaches the basics of bonsai at the Bonsai Society of San Francisco. The practice involves lots of pruning and wiring to shape the miniature trees, and bonsai trees also need to be kept in special pots to slow their growth.
View this post on Instagram Young Japanese Maple Bonsai A post shared by Bonsai By LAN (@bonsaibylan) on Jul 11, 2019 at 3:34am PDT
My next question, of course, was, “What kind of tree is best for beginners?” As with many questions in the plant world, there is no definite answer here, both experts say it depends a lot on the climate you live in and where you plan to put your tree.
In particular, you must decide whether you want an outdoor or indoor bonsai. Schrader explains that fewer bonsai varieties thrive indoors because “the temperature doesn’t change inside and it’s a bit dry.” Just like regular trees, when fully grown, most bonsai do best when exposed to four seasons, as this allows them to go through the winter dormancy period (we’re feeling you, bonsai).
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Some examples of low-maintenance indoor bonsai are: Ficus varieties such as Ficus Retusa and Ficus Nerifolia, Jade Tree and Dwarf Umbrella Tree.
If you’re lucky enough to have an outdoor space for your plants to live in, your options are even more interesting. Schrader recommends Cotoneaster, noting that “if you’re careful about watering, it’s a good plant to start with.”
Other easy outdoor bonsai for beginners include: juniper, boxwood, and deciduous species (especially if you live in the Northeast).
Remember that different trees have different needs, so be sure to visit Bonsai Empire’s list of bonsai tree species to identify and optimize your plant care.
Types Of Bonsai Trees That Are Best For Beginners
If you are new to bonsai, you may want to start from scratch and grow your tree from seed or saplings. This option is definitely attractive from a financial point of view because chances are you will find small trees in your garden – I know my garden is flooded with seedlings in the summer! However, if you go this route, Empire Bonsai explains that it typically takes between three and five years for a young tree to be ready to be styled. It’s a big commitment, especially when you’re not sure you’ll enjoy working with bonsai.
A better option for beginners is to look for pre-bonsai, which are often sold online and at certain garden centers – you can find them on Etsy. Pre-bonsai trees are simply small, young plants that have the potential to become bonsai. They’re generally pretty cheap, and you can grow and shape the tree into a beautiful bonsai without having to wait years for it to be ready.
Of course you can also buy a real bonsai tree, which is usually older and already formed. The downside to this method is that planting a bonsai tree can be very expensive – we’re talking hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
Turning an ordinary tree into an artistic miniature version turns out to be less complicated than I first thought! It just requires careful care, regular maintenance – and a lot of patience.
How To Care For A Bonsai Tree
What sounds like the simplest task simply isn’t. You don’t want to put your tree on a watering schedule — instead, monitor it closely to gauge exactly when it needs water. “The leading cause of death is underwater, followed by overdose,” Schrader said.
Your tree’s water needs will depend on the species, climate, pot and overall health, but in general you don’t want your bonsai tree’s soil to dry out completely between waterings. Bonsai Tonight explains that because this plant has such a small root system, drying out the soil too much can cause the roots to die. Therefore, it is best to water when the soil is slightly damp.
Because bonsai trees are in shallow pots, their soil will likely dry out faster than your other houseplants. Keep a close eye on your tree, especially when you first bring it home, to make sure you don’t go without water for too long.
To circumcise. “If you get a few inches of growth, you can usually be sure it’s healthy enough to prune back,” says Schrader. When it comes to outdoor bonsai, you generally only want to prune them in winter – that is, spring and summer.
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When pruning, you should remove broken branches and cross and cut back branches with more than three or four tips (joints where the leaves grow). You can also shape your bonsai through pruning and improve its aesthetics by removing branches that are too close to the base of the tree, as well as those that are growing in the wrong direction.
You can pinch leaves or remove them with small scissors, but you’ll probably want to make a hollow cut for larger branches that leaves a smooth, dented surface that the tree can easily heal from. A general rule of thumb is not to cut more than a third of a healthy tree’s leaves at a time – taking more will ultimately harm the plant.
If your bonsai tree is not the size you want, you should feed it regularly. Mature bonsai also need fertilizer, but not as often.
Schrader explains that you can use organic or mineral fertilizers – or a combination of both. (Organic fertilizers tend to have odors, so think twice before using them indoors.) He recommends applying a tablespoon of organic fertilizer, or a “dose” of liquid fertilizer, every few weeks.
All Things Bonsai
As a beginner, you may prefer to let your bonsai do its own thing and shape it through pruning. Once you have advanced to an advanced bonsai artist, you will want to use the wiring.
“There are a number of tools for creating shapes,” explains Schrader. “You can remove things and you can move things. Wires are used to create shapes and move branches from one place to another.
Basically, you wrap the branches in the wire, then bend and reposition them, encouraging them to grow in a certain direction. Anodized aluminum wire is recommended for beginners because it’s easy to work with, and you can wrap the branches in water-soaked bast fibers before wiring if you’re afraid of damaging them.
Finally, the repotting plan not only gives the tree healthy, new soil, but also allows you to reduce the plant’s root system.
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Growing bonsai should be repotted about every two years, while mature trees can last three years or more without repotting. You can tell if your bonsai needs repotting by checking the root system – if it goes around the pot, it needs pruning.
In general, you should tease your bonsai tree in the spring before it begins to grow in earnest. Use chopsticks to remove the old soil from the roots and cut back roots that have grown too long. Be careful not to remove more than a third of the root system.
Once that’s done, you can add fresh bonsai soil – usually a mixture of Akadama, pumice, lava rock, organic potting soil and fine gravel.
Feeling overwhelmed? I also! There’s a lot to learn, but once you get the hang of it, growing bonsai can seem like an obsession.
The Art Of Growing Bonsai Trees
Many experts recommend finding a bonsai workshop, class, or community in your area to connect you with enthusiasts and give you a place to troubleshoot. Alternatively, there are many excellent bonsai resources online including many videos covering everything we are talking about here.
So are you ready to grow your own bonsai? I know it’s me – I signed up for my first workshop today! Previous Redwood Bonsai Care + How To Bonsai June 9, 2021 Next Growing Wisteria Bonsai From Seed July 6, 2021
It’s amazing to think how much the world has changed since the world’s oldest bonsai tree was a seed. From paradigm-shifting discoveries to devastating human conflicts to the rise of our globally connected world, this tree has seen and survived it all.
With so many years under its belt (or rather pots), it’s not surprising that the world’s oldest bonsai has an interesting history. This list of the oldest bonsai trees takes a look at some of the most
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