Bonsai for Beginners

One of my gardening hobbies is bonsai. I work on it only periodically, but when I do I think about the most common mistakes I see beginners make.

We have a hand out sheet available at Bonsai for Beginners

To get to the main issues I think people get in too much of a hurry. I understand the need to have a few that actually look like bonsai. Those that are not finished however, need to be allowed to grow. That means you have to leave enough foliage to supply the food that allows the plant to grow. You also have to have enough soil to allow the plant to grow. That is why most of my pre-bonsai to those that are ALMOST ready to pot in much larger pots than I will want them in when they are finished.

Even those I pot up because I like them now I leave in fairly large pots if I want them to continue to grow and develop.

Only after I am convinced they are finished do I move them into their REAL home. Having said all that I do tend to keep plants in somewhat larger pots than someone else might because I realize I don’t give them the daily attention I should.

If you stay away from the real small bonsai it is a hobby anyone that can grow plants in containers can enjoy.