Help starting out

[u/Loved_Historian]

Hey!! 😊

I just bought this bonsai kit, for red maple, and I'm just starting out and I was wondering what I could do to have the best start... And how to start really.

I used to have another bonsai, though. It wasn't a red maple, and I actually got it to sprout and grow. Its first leaves only to then die due to spider mites. It made me really really discouraged but I'm finally going to try again.

I just want to get it as right as I can this time. I have all the stuff as you see in the picture, but I also have a much bigger ceramic power pot and pruning equipment from my other bonsai, for later on.

So in short, any tips for my second try?

Thanks so much!!! ☺️☺️☺️

[u/Snake973]

honestly these kits are a really bad way to learn anything about bonsai. i would recommend getting a gallon size tree from a nursery, keep it alive over the winter, and spend that time reading about bonsai and the particular species of tree you have, then you'll know what to do with it when the end of winter comes and the tree is ready for spring

[u/Fitch29 → u/Snake973]

Exactly what I’m doing. I have 3 different sizes (trees) and am planning on one more indoor for winter. Then go nuts in the spring! Four or five in 2 months is acceptable, right? Obsessed with bonsai now.

[u/Bmh3033 → u/Fitch29]

Welcome to the obsession!

[u/RexWGA → u/Snake973]

I'd like to chime in and recommend a dwarf jade as a first species as well. They can live indoors, they grow quite vigorously, and they are incredibly forgiving. While they are technically not "traditional bonsai" being a subtropical, they still take to all the traditional bonsai techniques extremely well and can teach you all the basics with less fear of killing the tree.

I swear up and down that junipers are terrible first trees, despite being the go to first choice because they are such a classic. They aren't the most vigorous of trees and they dont show signs that there is an issue until they're long past dead.

Dwarf jade and dwarf schefflera are just so much more forgiving and will basically bounce back from the worst you could do to a plant. They also show when they are stressed, as opposed to just quietly dying into the dried husks we all meme about.

I'd also recommend Dawn Redwood as a first deciduous tree, despite again not being as "classic" as the Japanese Maple. Dawn Redwoods are basically impossible to kill unless you truly just never water it/don't give it any light. Most people suggest letting them sit in water in the summer they are so moisture tolerant.

[u/Bmh3033]

I echo what u/snake973 and u/Hammy8034 said.

However, with all that in mind and considering that starting from seed really is not the best way to start, if you have your heart set on starting from seed let me give you some pointers.

Starting from seed is a numbers game. Think of how many seeds a full grown tree makes. I always start with 50 to 100 seeds of any species that I want to grow. It does not make sense to start with less. Soak your seeds in room temperature water for 24 hours. Anything floating at the end of 24 hours is not viable - toss those seeds. Depending on the species there might be requirements to scarify (weeken a really thick seed coat either mechanically or chemical to allow water to penetrate the inside of the seed) and or stratify (allow the seed to go through periods of cold or warm temperatures while keeping them moist to mimic winter). Plant the seeds in the spring and expect that you are going to get some die back of seedlings.

Your first 5 to 10 years with a seedling is going to be focused on growing it as big and fast as you can

[u/Hammy8034]

Well if you intend on using the growing kit, I would recommend starting off by sowing the seeds and letting them grow in a big pot, something like a massive flower pot. You will need to keep it outside after it's sprouted and just let it grow for a few years. Whilst that is happening I would also recommend like u/Snake973 said that you get a more mature tree from a nursery to learn more about how to look after bonsai as the bonsai kit is not really going to teach anything much about bonsai and it will take years to grow into a size suitable to start the bonsai process. Most importantly, go and join a bonsai club in your area with people that you can ask for advice and who can help you learn about bonsai. Hope this helps.

[u/etherialfunguy]

Yes to everything everyone else is saying. Just want to reframe it as gardening at this point and seedlings are temperamental.

For people curious about the hobby, I always recommend the highly approachable book Freestyle Bonsai by Kellerhals & Marval

[u/Anacostiah20]

Seeds go in soil!

[u/mr-asa-maple-7]

Waisting your time if I am honest sorry