Bonsai Tips

So what make good beginner bonsai trees?... Luckily, despite common belief, the answer to that is pretty simple, it's most plants which are hardy and substantial. However, there is a small amount of thought that needs to be put into it, Firstly, what are the conditions like where you live? There's no use choosing a tropical plant if your area is snowed-under for half of the year! You'll be making things hard for yourself right from the start!

Rule of thumb- If you live somewhere pretty cold, go for evergreen. If you live in warmer climes, decidous is ok.
The same thought needs to go into whereabouts in your home the Bonsi tree will be placed... Climate and Colour. Do a little research into what colour your tree's flowers will be, because if when it flowers, the trees colours don't match it's surroundings, you may be tempted to move to a spot it LOOKS better in, but will be no good for it.
Trees and shrubs which are used more commonly for bonsai and that adapt quite well are evergreens such as Pine, Cypress, Camelia, Azalea, Pomegranate, Holly, Serissa, Fig (Rainforest and Mediterranean) and Cedar. Deciduous trees such as Cherry, Maple (Japanese and Trident), Zelkova and Beech are also prime candidates.

This website is really good for beginners tips :)

Bonsai Tree Care

I've spent so much time surfing around on the net recently, looking for some sound advice on caring for my bonsai tree, that soon i expect to find some advice that says something like "sitting at your pc looking for bonsai tree care tips and neglecting your tree is to be avoided at all costs..."!

Thankfully though, i haven't come away empty handed. My Bonsai knowledge learning curve has finally begun to break away from the base line, and subjects such as Watering (bigger subject than a novice might think), Pruning, Shaping, Re-potting and Feeding are no longer the daunting, mystical subjects they once were.

All thanks to the good ol' internet!

I don't know about you, but around where i live there are very few folks who have the slightest interest in Bonsai, not that i've come across anyway. I toyed with the idea of putting an ad in the local paper, but it felt too much like subscibing to the lonely hearts or something!! No, if it wasn't for the internet, my interest in Bonsai would most likely have died pretty soon after my poor tree. (Which isn't dead by the way!, it's doing quite nicely thank you) I'll just quickly show you one of the better articles i've found, it's to do with the soil....

The soil used to raise bonsai is normally a porous soil that drains
well. The type of soil as well as the shape and design of the pot will
affect quickly the soil dries out. Different tree types will require
different amounts of water to thrive. You will need to research your
specific species of tree for a general guideline and then closely
monitor how the tree grows to determine if it is being watered
correctly. If you take your pot and place it on top of some rocks in a
tray full of water this will help increase the humidity around the tree
and will aid in it’s growth. Along with normal watering about once a
week you should fully submerge the bonsai tree pot until no more
bubbles escape from the pot or the soil.

Here's the link to the original article

I'd love to hear what you guy's think of that one.

Also, this bonsai tree care ebook is currently my 'Bible'... well worth checking out!

Talk to you Soon

Simon.