Bonsai

Cory

I have tried keeping up a bonsai, but I keep on failing. I understand that It takes a lot of tries to get it right, but I think my problem is in the soil, I know how often to water, and that if I go to water it and the soil is still moist, not to water it, but What type of soil should I get? What is the best species for Indoor? What time of the year should I plant it?

chela

Wish I could give you some answers. Bonsai are difficult, from what I understand (I tried and failed, as well). My father actually has been very successful with bonzai. I do remember that they have to have very well drained soil (I remember that he used a lot of rocks that are similar to aquarium rocks) in the small pot. I think bonzai are very sensitive to how acidic or basic their soil is, and it probably depends on what type of bonzai you have. I think fig are a popular bonzai. You will probably have to do some research on bonzai-specific sites or check out some books from your library. Good luck.

Yaskan

The main mistake beginners make is keeping a bonsai indoors without finding out if the species can survive there. Strictly speaking, only tropical trees/bushes will be suitable indoor bonsai. If a deciduous tree is kept indoors the room it's in needs to be suitable to allow it to hibernate or it'll die (it may need to be moved to a different, colder room for this time). It also needs to meet it's daily daylight quota (which varies between species and whether or not it's hibernating). Keeping them outside is often easier. Just get one that matches your climate well.

'What time of year should I plant it?' - I'm not sure exactly what you mean here. One shouldn't really plant a tree from seed given that it takes years for trees to grow. A tip I've picked up is to find the unshaped plants (especially juniper) at garden centres then shape it yourself. It's often cheaper and you can even ask the staff if they have any stock that's not good enough to go on sale to the public. That way leads to discounts Some advise that you repot it, but otherwise leave it alone for a year, before starting turning it into a bonsai tree.

You might want to check out this youtube channel. He has a lot of expertise. https://www.youtube.com/user/chasnsx
- About soil.

lamaramadingdong

I bought one this summer and it is thriving. Keep it in a SE facing window and water it every couple of days (it is well-drained. Will snap a photo and post when I get a chance. It is a juniper and from what I have read is one of the easier species to keep.

Cinorjer

I took classes in Korea and kept Bonsai trees off and on for many years. The trick is to have very sandy soil, meaning it drains very easy. Also have large drain holes in the bottom of the shallow pot and cover the drain holes with screening. Water the Bonsai when it gets dry by sitting it in water about halfway up the sides, not from the top. The dirt will pull the water up and saturate the soil.

Bonsai trees dry out quickly because there's not a lot of dirt. The biggest killer of store-bought Bonsai trees is that many of these are outdoor trees needing cold weather over winter and you will rarely have the conditions inside to keep them alive. Also, many of the mass produced pine trees you see in stores are already dead because of neglect getting them shipped, they just don't show it yet.

What you do to start a Bonsai is find a small plant, trim the main roots down, use wire attached to the bottom of the pot and wrapped around the root ball if needed to keep the plant in the shallow pot, and pinch or trim the branches as needed. A "starter" plant should be put in a deeper pot and the trimming done over the course of a few years, then transplanted into a shallower pot, etc.

A good starter plant for indoor growing is a Jade plant. It's a true indoor plant so only needs lots of light, fertilize several times a year, and make sure it's completely dry between waters. I have a couple I've been growing for about 15 years now.

Cory

@Cinorjer Got the supplies, and a nice sandy soil too! Sorry that it's sideways!

BonsaiDoug

You've gotten good advice. Fast draining bonsai soil is a must. And remember, all trees are outdoor trees. It's just that some are better than others adapting to indoor conditions. For beginners I recommend anything in the Fig family. Ficus are really hard to kill, and with proper watering and light conditions they make good indoor bonsai.

Cory

well, the carbon dioxide levels might be higher in the room, so it will give the tree something to feed off of.

TheEccentric

I had a bonsai once when I was little but I was hopeless with it, the poor thing onlyn lasted a month or so before I butchered it some how.

Cory

I'm working on an oak for out-doors right now, I hope it works out!

how

In the name of aesthetics? or control/ or patience?...

A hobby dedicated to plants in bondage.
Permanently stressed through water & nutrient starvation.
Root mutilations for deliberate stunting?

Just don't get it?

Cory

I wouldn't say water and nutrient starvation. When it comes to nutrients the soil is quite rich.

Jeffrey

Do you feel plants are sentient, @how? I heard that there could be spirits living in the plant, but I don't recall a buddhist teaching of sentience of plants

how

From my zafu, sentience is the tangable resonance that all life expresses.
Compassion, empathy, tenderness, sympathy and love applies to all.

Cinorjer

how said:

In the name of aesthetics? or control/ or patience?...

A hobby dedicated to plants in bondage.
Permanently stressed through water & nutrient starvation.
Root mutilations for deliberate stunting?

Just don't get it?

Bonsai are not stressed through water or nutrient starvation. That results in a dead plant, not a healthy Bonsai. It is a healthy plant when grown correctly and fussed over like a favorite relative and these trees can and have lived hundreds of years. If you want to pity a plant, pity the poor city sidewalk tree, which actually is deprived of a proper growing environment and struggles to survive year after year in its concrete prison.

You might as well agonize over any potted plant, because they're all in an artificial and often constricting environment, especially of the grower doesn't know what they're doing. In particular, most houseplants are extremely rootbound and need a good pruning of all that root mass for a healthy life.