When I was a kid my mom and I would periodically go buy junipers at the nursery and design bonsais. So, when my ten year old son who is into all things Japan (e.g., manga) asked if we could get a bonsai I was inspired.
What is your best advice for a bonsai newbie?
Two things: study trees; and find a good club and get involved.
Man, such an open ended question. Bonsai is so nuanced that it’s easy to over think it. I guess my first piece of advice (sorry, I can’t pick a “best” as there’s a lot of good tidbits) would be to buy one tree and learn how to take care of it. 90% of bonsai is horticulture.
Thanks! I wish there were a bonsai club near me. Unfortunately, the closest one is a little over four hours away!
In terms of learning about trees, what’s the one book you would recommend for a beginner?
The one tree recommendation is a good one. Except I already have four! I won’t be getting any more for now. I’m just going to focus on keeping them alive until Spring!
With regard to horticulture, is there a key book you can recommend?
I give the opposite advice. Get more than a few so that you don’t love the one tree to death.
I think that philosophy has merit too. While I’m caring for four young bonsais, I’m also planning to grow my own for seeds. I figure that will require a lot of attention. For the ones that prove viable, nurturing their growth will also be gratifying. The reason I did that is related to your advice since I was concerned I’d be eager to do everything (water, repot, prune etc.) to the few trees I had. While I’m hoping to merely keep them alive given my lack of horticultural knowledge, I’m trying to view it all as a learning experience. If nothing else is clear to me, it’s clear that the art of bonsai takes time and patience.
Thanks for your reply
One of the hardest lessons to learn is to take your hands off tree, even as you are learning. It’s so hard. One of my first trees I defoliated twice in the same year and repotted it. And then repotted it again the next spring.
It didn’t last much longer after that.
I learned by doing. There are too many variables and micro-climate considerations to cover everything in a book. Stick with native plants if you can since you know they’ll grow in your environment. One thing I did early on was to take the pokemon approach and try to catch them all. I quickly learned that no matter how much I like a certain species it’s just not worth the time and effort to limp it along. You’re also doing a disservice to the tree.
Lol, this can be true. I had one tree for years. Then 3. Then 100+ lol.
I think it is good to have a few trees to avoid the loving them to death issue. I would get 3-4 of 3-4 different species from a garden center so you can see what works and what does not. El Paso is hot and dry so focus on trees that grow in your area. Siberian Elm (U. pumlia) is not a great bonsai specimen (it is OK), but will do well and may be available for easy collection (we used a pair of plier to pull them from the ground in Albuquerque). Alligator juniper (J. deppeana) is a great species and may be native to your area (it is a bit further north). Most maples are not native, but if you can give them some shade and water they are really good for learning about bonsai. I really like Scots Pine (P. sylvestris) to as a bonsai species. Pines are tricky, but they are a classic and this one provides good feedback.
I would contact the Albuquerque Bonsai Club and maybe even make the road trip to one of their meetings. It was a good informative club when I was a member 26 - 34 years ago.
Thanks for noticing I’m in El Paso. I’ve got my work cut out for me and I just hope it’s not impossible!
Thanks the suggestion to look into the bonsai club in Albuquerque. I checked out there website and they had a lot of great information about caring for bonsai in this region. It gave me hope.
I think you already took a very important step by joining Mirai. 
there is so much great information in the library. Start by watching the beginner series and then watch streams that relate to the species you own or the techniques that you want to learn and apply.
My advice is similar to the above. Get multiple tree species at multiple stages of development. That way there is always something to do with one of them and you have backups. If you spend 5 + years working a single tree and a rabbit eats it (or other catastrophe) you have to start from again with nothing.
Hi, I’m a beginner and I had no idea that there were different soils for bonsai. Just learning about the soils gave me a head start. So I guess, learning the horticulture for the tree(s) your son likes is number 1 for me.
Enjoy,
Audree in Washington state
As I mentioned above, I’m a beginner, too. I got quite a few books out the the library and one that I kept renewing and finally bought is Bonsai: Techniques, Styles, Display Ideas. It’s by Peter Warren, who Mirai has had on as a guest. The publisher is DK Publishing and it came out in 2014. The text is easy to understand and the pictures are great. I find this book works well with Ryan’s videos and our Mirai Forum.
All the best,
Audree
You would not believe what I had delivered today! After much deliberation I purchased that book and received it today. Its helpful to know I made a good choice. Thanks for your reply.
That’s too funny! Great minds think alike. And thanks for letting me know.
I lived in Lubbock for 5 years, while not El Paso, still West Texas. There was no “club” but I found some small tree people. These days it might be easier. Try searching FB groups and Craigslist. One way to meet people is to find folks selling plants and tools and pots online. Also ask around in the local nurseries, even if its a big box store plant people can’t help but to talk and share and ask questions. Odds are you will connect with somebody local and can plug into a few like minded people.
There is so much great advice on this thread. MIRAI library, the beginner and nursery stock series in particular will be a big help. One of the hardest things, new or old to bonsai is to do nothing. “Sometimes a tree needs to be a tree.” As much as we think about them don’t lose sight of that. They are not pets, although we care for them as if they were.
My last point. Observation is paramount in bonsai. observation of the weather, the sun in your yard, the wind (the real enemy), the color and shape of the foliage, the dryness or wetness of the soil, how that changes with temperature and time of year are all climate and horticulture related. Observation of the trees that live among you in the landscape, at the park, the campsite in the surrounding area will help guide you as to what will grow for you. Typically if it will grow in your yard it will grow in a pot. Shifting my thinking to local Texas natives and away from what I “liked” or saw in pictures was a big turning point for me. Observing the shrubs and plants that can become bonsai that thrive in your local climate will help flatten the learning curve.
Welcome!
Good luck!
Bonsai On!!
Hey Moon!
Thanks for your recommendations on how I might connect with others. I’ll take a look for sure. For the time being, i will focus on not doing anything more than keeping the trees I have alive.
Your comment s out shifting your attention away from what you liked to trees that would thrive because they are natives caught my attention. It’s tempting to want to try and grow what can’t grow well in your area because you want a tree like that: it made me wonder what I should avoid wasting my time trying to keep alive.