Bonsai beginner advice

[shopsalot]

I would like to buy a Bonsai for my DS - he has always liked them but only has the lego version. I understand the indoor ones require quite a bit of looking after so maybe one for outdoors. DS is a student so I would be looking after it at times but he will be very keen and want to do the right thing - think there are books on looking after your Bonsai?
Which type of Bonsai would be best to start? Where is the best place to buy one?
Many thanks for any advice

@yamadori?

@shopsalot Good plan to ask before you buy. 🙂 Yes, there are a couple of good books, and the one I would suggest is 'Bonsai Basics' by Colin Lewis. Just right for someone starting out.

When it comes to buying a tree, one of the largest and most highly regarded bonsai retailers in the UK is Greenwood Bonsai Studio near Nottingham. They have a big nursery open to the public, and an online shop also. They also run beginners workshops.

There are many other websites and an overwhelming amount of information is online, but quite a lot of the info is not UK based, and doesn't necessarily reflect the needs of trees in our climate.

If you might be interested in visiting a show or event, there are a couple of really big national shows coming up soon, and as well as lots of trees on exhibit, there will also be many traders there selling trees too. If you look at the UK Bonsai Association website, there is an events guide and you can also join the association for free, and they give details of local clubs and societies too.

Hope that all helps, and yes, an outdoor tree would be preferable as they are easier to keep and most bonsai enthusiasts in the UK grow outdoor ones. The indoor varieties you find in garden centres and the like tend to be tropical species which are hard to look after, and have not always had optimal care before arriving in the store. The indoor ones are more like houseplants really.

Thanks so much @Yamadori very helpful (and thank you @MereDintofPandiculation for tagging). I've now bought your recommended book.

Following your guidance I have done some more research and feel a bit of an idiot. I naively hadn't realised what it meant to have a 'grown up' bonsai tree. I should have started this when DS was a baby! Anyway I'm still enthusiastic and will be buying one for DS (for my eventual grandchildren).

Would you recommend a particular type of tree? I know it's personal preference but maybe one that is relatively hardy and flowering - I'm in the SW so weather isn't too much of a problem.

I have a rowan in a tiny pot which flowers and fruits most years. Not surprising when you see them growing out of cliffs and in the tiniest pockets of soil
.

@shopsalot It can be a very expensive hobby if you want it to be, but on the other hand, you can use all sorts of easily available plants too, and spend to your budget. As long as a plant has relatively small leaves and a woody stem, most shrubs and trees can be grown as a bonsai.

Cotoneaster is a good bet. You can buy a bog-standard shrub from a garden centre, style it yourself, use the bits you pruned off for cuttings, and they are very hardy. You get flowers in the spring, and berries later in the year.

This time of year is good for collecting seeds from trees in the wild - look out for beech, hawthorn, hornbeam, field maple, and you can also have fun planting acorns, conkers, cherry stones and apple pips (crab apples are best - I wander round garden centres and surreptitiously pick up any crab apples that have fallen from their trees for sale). Don't bother with pears though.

There is an old saying that the best time to start bonsai was 25 years ago... and the second best time is today!

ps - thanks to @MereDintofPandiculation for the shout.🙂

I've had this bonsai maple Forest for about a week now it's got brown spots on the leaves I'll show you a picture before and after. Please can somebody help before I kill it I've read online to use hydrogen peroxide and water and then I've read bicarbonate of soda and water I don't know what to do. I don't know if I've been underwatering it I don't know what I've done I only fed it once every four days I didn't know you were supposed to feed them every day but now I've got a moisture meter. Please help !

@Mazee bonsai enthusiast here. Can I ask you some questions - what country are you in, when you bought it did it say what sort of maple it is, and where did you buy it from? (I know what species it is by the way, I'm interested to know whether it was labelled properly or mis-sold).

Did it come with any kind of instructions, and where are you keeping it - indoors or outside?

Oh, and stop feeding it. Chances are you are poisoning the thing. Just water it with plain water for now, as you would any other plant.

It was advertised as a bonsai sycamore Maple in training. No instructions . I bought it off eBay and I'm in the UK.. I did give it some bio gold yesterday for the first time and the leaves are not as crispy as they was. I've got it indoors there hasn't been a lot of Sun lately and I don't have a garden . I do have grow lights but there not the most expensive ones end I don't really know how to regulate them I know I Ve got it on full spectrum that's about it. Thanks for your help

Thank u Yamadori Thank you for replying to my post I don't know if I did it right before I did another post when I seen this message . I'm new to mum's net as well so I don't know if I'm actually doing it right as I said I got it from eBay , It was advertised as a Sycamore Maple forest bonsai in training. I'm in the UK and the tree is inside. Thank u

@Mazee Yes, they are definitely sycamore seedlings. Unfortunately that is a species which really needs to be kept outdoors all year round, so you are going to struggle keeping it happy indoors. They are deciduous trees and need fresh air and winter dormancy to thrive. They do need to be kept well-watered but not soggy. Don't let the soil dry out at all and don't feed too often - an excess of nutrients causes more harm than good. Think of it like human vitamins and supplements. If you have a deficiency you need the right dose, but too much can be seriously harmful. Trees make their own food by using their leaves to photosynthesise and only get additional trace elements from the soil in small quantities. Because we keep plants in pots, they do need additional supplements, but not a lot.

If you have a north-facing windowsill, then that would be the best place for it. Otherwise, keep in bright light near a window and turn weekly so it doesn't get lop-sided. Should you want to learn more about bonsai in general, then search online for the UK Bonsai Association. It is free to join, and you get regular updates about local clubs and regional/national shows to go to. Maybe find a club near you and go to one of their meetings for advice.
A good website is bonsai4me.com.

Thank u Yamadori. My friend has a garden if I planted it in the garden do I need to keep it in the pot what do I need to Do. Many
thanks for your advice

If you plant it in the ground the sycamores will be ten feet tall in five years' time! They are ordinary tree seedlings. There is no such thing as a special mini 'bonsai' type of sycamore, they are the same as all other trees and shrubs used for bonsai. You keep them small by using bonsai training.

They need to be kept in the pot and stood on a hard surface such as a patio or wherever, in partial shade and away from strong winds. In spring when it starts to grow, you can then prune the shoots to keep in shape. Repotting lies in the future. In the meantime, learn as much as you can about bonsai care.

IM so sorry that I've took so long to respond back I didn't get a notification saying that you'd responded thank you so much . I shall take your advice on board and get watching reading and learning thank you