Go and read some books, the more the better, and the more recent the better. You won't learn from tips online. Find a local bonsai club to join, then you can see what to do (a lot easier than trying to understand from words alone). Learn about growing different trees, what's good for different ones, etc. Can you grow things outdoors, or only inside (if inside, you can only grow tropicals. Mimosa and acacia are the same thing (diff. forms of the same species). And be prepared to learn a lot over a long time. Bonsai is anything but an 'instant' hobby. The 'basics' are a huge subject! This is a bad time of year to be doing anything to plants (spring is best), so by the time spring comes, you'll have read a lot (yes :-)? and know which ones to look for, probably at a local nursery. Don't look for 'bonsai', but practice first on small (3-5 yr old) trees or shrubs in 1 gal. pots. You need to learn about what grows well in your climate, light/sun effects on diff. trees in each season, about how to mix soil components for each tree, how to water - not like for garden or house plants, about humidity and temperature, etc. etc. The design stuff comes later, after you know how to keep things alive for a few seasons.

hey i totaly agree, but im not looking for an instant hobby.
i have been wanting to grow M. hostillis and im currently working on getting seeds and i might also get a small live one.
anyways im not into bonsai for the bonsai, im into bonsai for the Mimosa.
im not intersted in any other bonsai tree...
so it might not make alot of sense for me to get into it at all of the mimosa just isnt suitable.
if im going do do anything at all itll prolly be no sooner then spring of 2007 so for now im not looking for any how-to info, but rather just stuff to get an overview of what is involved in this hobby.

if i do decide to give go for it, what book would u reccomend?

No such thing as one book. First you get ones written by people invariably more knowledgable (& prejudiced) about their climates, e.g. S. Calif., Wash. state Australia (and their upside down seasons), France, S. Africa, the U.K., etc. etc. Second, so many written more than 10 yrs ago have terrific insight into certain aspects of things, and those done more recently may contradict them... usually with ref. to technical stuff like soil mixes, watering practices, etc. Thirdly, take 3 bonsai-ists, one argument and get 10 opinions, and fourth, many bks are written for specialty reading, e.g. evergreen design development, chrysanthemum bonsai, 'indoor' (tropicals), etc. etc. Some are Japanese (orig.) and refer to certain things by odd names ('river sand') which actually mean something very diff. here. But, a fave is Harry Tomlinson's The Complete Bk of Bonsai, and Colin Lewis has recently written some good ones for relative beginners. People say John Naka's books (I & II) are 'bibles', but they concentrate on design (II anyhow), and are very expensive. Amazon.com has lots of used ones cheap (any, I mean, not just Naka's). I have an idea that mimosa/acacia are not for beginners, but it's just an impression I remember, not personal experience. Maybe just try growing it as a 'house plant' according to gen. info. on doing that, keep it alive (the hard part of course) for a year and then explore the bonsai part. It's always the keeping alive thing that's hard for people anyhow, the bonsai stuff can be taken one step at a time and learned along the way.

go to bonsaiforbeginners.com
its got all the info on care, maintenance, creating you own bonsai, styling, feeding, watering, pruning, pinching,....etc.
!EVERYTHING!

No it does NOT!

And just so that you know, Nepheron, promoting other sites is generally frowned upon (both by the moderators and usually by other members).

-Audric

Hi, try this site... for learning the basics

Lance, the same advice that Nepheron got goes for you too (sorry), especially as your website just doesn't do a very comprehensive job of covering even the basics - just skims things.

Hello. I am a new member. (I registered mere minutes ago) I am also a first time bonsai owner. It was a gift from a coworker who has spent the better part of this past year listening to me sing praises about the bonsai she keeps in her office. I am sort of a novice plant owner altogether. I own a bammboo plant and an orchid.( a phaelenopsis; not particularly difficult to keep)So, I am, understandably, a bit nervous about this (wonderful)gift. I, like the first post, wouldn't mind a bit of helpful advice. I don't even know what kind of bonsai it is, as my coworker is on vacation and will continue to be until Wednesday the third. I know it is clearly deciduous. Looks to be a bit of a tropical plant. Perfectly twisted trunk; exposed root. Many leaves. Six to seven leaves(resembles a starburst of sorts.) Brilliant green color to them and they have a high gloss. Very beatiful actually. Very dense foliage. I know that it's a bit ambiguous, as that could describe many trees, but...any guesses?

If the leaves are the least bit thicker and stiffer than most deciduous plant leaves, you probably have a ficus of some kind (there are lots!). A picture would help immensely though. They need every ounce of light you can give them (most use full spectrum fluorescents hung 5 inches above the tree 14 hours a day), and water only when a fair proportion of the soil is dry, but do get a wide tray of stones and water under the pot, but be sure the water never touches the pot or roots can rot. Here's a great helper:- http://www.bonsaihunk.us/cultural.html .

it's apparently a Hawaiian Umbrella tree. I wish I had known earlier. I guess they're poisonous and I have a plant loving cat.

Schefflera arboricola (if you want to look it up). Don't worry about the cat - everyone's got those plants and everyone has cats (me included). The only cat/plant related thing we ever had was that one of our cats nibbled a poinsettia (which is toxic) and the plant died. Cat's fine!

Lucy,
If you think its hard dealing with australias reverse climate, you should try finding info when the whole world seems to be doing the opposite. :)

Ron

Oh I can just imagine! Would drive me crazy I think - or didn't someone say I was already there?