Ficus & schefflera are for indoors, the others for outside (and you can't start or do anything with them til spring). You have to decide if you have the right indoor conditions (lots of sun all day, added humidity (this is not about watering) for tropicals. Just also remember that they need daily watching and care (which definitely doesn't mean watering for either of the above), and you (and not your mother) will have to do the care. Good luck!

Hi Flash

Welcome to bonsai. One thing you must realize is that bonsai does not happen overnight. It takes years to grow and style a tree. You are at the perfect age to start and the worst age to start. Any tree you grow will need constant care (everyday). Like Lucy said it is a chore YOU must take on. You will have to have someone take proper care of it if you go on holidays and sometimes even if you go away for the weekend. As you get older, you will have to split your time with all your other activities to care for your tree. A couple of missed waterings and you can kiss your tree goodbye.

If you choose to grow an outdoor tree, remember that it must stay outside in the winter which means you will have to protect it from the harsh weather. A good outdoor tree to begin with might be an elm, but if you want to practice with trees that might die...use plain maple trees (not necessarily standard bonsai stock). In spring, these things will be all over your gardens. Take some of the keys and plant them in a pot and watch them grow. Experiement with these...it won't cost you a dime.

Keep reading the posts here, there is a lot of information. As the seasons change, so does the information people are talking about. Keep asking questions. The only stupid question is the one not asked. Read any bonsai books you can get.

If you want an indoor tree, ficus or fukien tea may be good choices. Remember indoor and outdoor trees need different care, but both will depend on you to survive.

Best of luck

If you choose to buy a tree, go to a reputable dealer. Bonsai booths spring up a malls at Christmas time and for the most part sell poor trees. Be especially careful with junipers. They can be dead before you buy them even though they look fine.

Always look for bugs, spiders and leaves that look droopy or wilted. If the tree doesn't look healthy...pass on it. You don't need the frustration of a sick tree when you are starting out.

One of the reasons I was thinking about elm was because last summer a huge windstorm blew elm seeds out of the tree across the street and into her yard. We spent the whole summer plucking up elm seedling. It's amazing how fast they shoot up!

You may want to go to the home page of this site. There you will find almost any forum you are looking for. There is one that is "growing from seed". You can probably get some good info there. If you collected the seeds last year, you may have a high failure rate with older seeds. Nothing ventured...nothing gained.

You might ask for some explainations on the "greenhouse" forum about a cold frame for starting seeds early outside. These can be made as easily as an old styrofoam cooler and a glass top, but there are a lot of things you must know about this. The biggest issue is the amout of heat buildup you get in a coldframe.

Surf around on some of these other forums and ask questions. Remember to give as much information as you can as to all your individual conditions. ie what you are growing, when you got the seeds, what amount of light you get in your growing area, how intense you want to get into it, etc. The more info you can give the better answers you will get back.

Flash:

As Jim pointed out, trees that can be collected will provide you with a source of free material. If you were weeding elms last year I suspect that you may have missed a few here and there. Why not work with what you have available? Elms can take a lot of abuse and are frequently used for bonsai.

Since they are free and considered weeds anyway you can be a little braver with them than you would a more mature tree. It has been said that the future of a seedling intended for bonsai culture is determined in the second year. This is because this is the ideal time to begin to establish the shape of your future root spread, (nebari). You will have to do a little research on this subject but you have several months before the time is right.

If you find some survivors you have several choices as far as how to proceed. Root pruned seedlings, (why not collect several), can be set back into the ground in a sunny location that has decent soil for several years to thicken up the trunk. This relieves you of the task of constant watering that comes with potted material and gets much quicker thickening of the trunk. Another approach would be to grow your seedlings in pots for a few years before returning them to ground. This allows you greater control over the roots in the all important early years. If you decide to take the second road you will again have to do some research regarding appropriate soil mixes for pot culture, donÂt use garden soil. Watering is something else to look into, it is not as simple as it might seem.

One more thought, if you scout your neighborhood you might well find a more mature specimen that offers more immediate possibilities, perhaps an unwanted volunteer in a hedge row, etc. Please get permission if you find something on property other than your own

Norm

Onet that has not been mentioned that does well indoors is Portulacaria afra. They grow fairly quickly from cuttings and can be trained to many styles. Most seem to be dense upright but it is not hard to train them to various more open styles.

They do need decent window light to do well indoors but can take a lot of abuse. Forgetting to water them for a week or two usually does little harm.

Common information suggests they should be allowed to dry fully between watering. I found this completely in conflict with what my local quality Bonsai supply does!

They water then daily and they grow rapidly. Somewhat puzzled I tried that with a few and quickly rotted the roots. I tried several approaches and think I found out how to emmulate their success.

Their greenhouse is humid and warm. BTW, much stock is grown in warm humid Florida! I tried misting a few Portulacaria afra and watering them regularly. This seems contrary to their native conditions but those grew like weeds! Great to practice training with fairly quick rewards (in bonsai terms)

I now treat my Portulacaria afra two different ways with success. Misting and regular daily watering with rapid growth or the more conventional dry approach, no misting and letting them dry out between waterings. The moist approach seems best for growth, the dry approach best for maintaning specimens.

gerry

gerry, I googled them and they look neat (is their common name jade plant, by any chance?). Can pointsetta be grown as bonsai, I didn't get any for the hollidays but I can get four, 2 big, 2 small, from relatives.
Thanks all

Flash:

Although I have seen Portulacaria referred to as baby jade they are actually a different species, Jades are Crassulas. Portulacarias are also known as elephant bush, there is also a variegated variety, but it does not seem to be as vigorous as the regular variety. They must be kept indoors, preferably in as bright light as you can manage, over the winter in cold climes. I keep mine outside in good sun during the summer. As far as watering I have subscribed to wet/dry cycle that most books recommend, in other words a heavy watering followed by a period with no water. This mimics their naturally dry environment of South Africa. During the summer I keep them outside in full sun.

Norm

Oh, right, I know what your talking about (I saw them in the Western Garden Book). Where can I get them?

Norm did a good answer re "baby jade" I also grow portulacaria afra variegata and they rarely develop nice "aged bark look" trunks usually desired with bonsai. They are slow growers and have more spartin folliage.

Many suppliers including mail order have them. My local Home Depot has some unremarkable specimens. Google will come up with mail order suppliers if you can not find any at a garden shop. Don't confuse them with the much larger Jade plant.

They may be one bonsai material that is low risk even from a chain outfit like Home Depot! The specimens will probably not be well developed but they do take a lot of abuse and can be styled as they grow.

They also propagate very easily, almost any cutting will root quickly. Very nice specimens can be grown reasonably quickly (bonsai standards) simply by putting it in soil!

Growing new ones from cuttings is a great way to experiment with styles. Modest priced specimens are often a clump of foliage on a stalk, little beautiful branching.

I agree that the wet/dry cycle Norm mentioned is the safest. New ones are so easy to propagate you can experiment with soils and watering methods.

Moderate leaf drop when enviroment is changed is normal, severe leaf drop usually is the result of root rot from overwatering.

gerry

Flash,

If you have any doubt about Portulacuria being serious Bonsai material, check out

http://jimsmithbonsai.com/Plant%20Info%20Pages/PORTULACARIA%20124.htm

gerry

Here is a link that might be useful: A magnificent example

What about a pointsetta as bonsai?

Flash,

I've never heard of a pointsetta as a bonsia but goggle has.

Google "pointsetta bonsai" (without the quotes) and you will find examples such as the link listed below. Note the size comments there "Informal upright forms in medium to large sizes"

I'd suggest a plant more often associated with bonsai but give it a try if you wish.

gerry

Here is a link that might be useful: Poinsettia bonsai

This is my first posting and frankly I'm worried. I just received a lovely looking bonsai for Christmas and it is a Juniper!
There's no instructions. What advice can anyone give me.
Thanks in anticipation. Fern.

Fern:

Firstly, it is better if you start your own threads in the future, you will get a much wider audience for your questions. Secondly, if you search the archives on this forum you will find a lot of information on Junipers. I donÂt grow them so I can only answer in the most general terms.

I almost answered this question as if you were in N. America, an entirely different situation. Junipers are generally regarded as a poor candidate for indoor bonsai; the dry conditions in most homes are inappropriate for this tree, although occasionally I have seen someone claiming to have had luck as such. In a nutshell, good sun, and donÂt let the soil become too dry.

By the way if it has rocks glued to it, as these trees sometimes do, remove them now. The only purpose they serve is as an aid to shipping. Hopefully a more experienced grower can advise you further.

Norm

Fern,

One thing you can't do this year is treat the juniper as most do. Juniper's like a dormant period every year, this can be achieved indoors with special care but don't try it now! The plant is already out of any dormant phase it might have been in.

Your juniper has been in a warm setting so get it through this winter without a dormant phase. Then read up on long term care.

Never let it dry out and mist it daily will help a lot keeping it going this winter. Don't fertilize now.

Read up on future care and how to provide a dormant phase next winter. Most growers avoid in house dormancy but it can be done with extra care.

gerry

I'm 13 too! Wow! I'm glad I'm not the only one! I have one...no...make that two ficus. I LOVE tropicals! And it doesn't even have to be a bonsai! I like all kinds of tropicals! I'm also starting a deciduous and just recently brought it indoors to start getting growth on it and letting it get used to it's new pot.
I've loved bonsai ever since I was very little, but havn't grown a successful one until now!
Good luck fellow 13 year old,
Jason E.

P.S. We have a big snowstorm coming tomorrow where I live! We're supposed to get 3-5+ inches of snow. (That might not be a lot where you guys live, but here, in Richmond VA, we hardly get any snow[this year we just got some at the beggining of winter(just a little though)]).

Jason E., your anual snowfall sounds about the same as ours, it only snowed like three times this year! I visited my aunt who lives in Hawaii this fall and I sooo want to move there, it's soooo cold here.

BTW, come to the house plant forum some time.

(that is, if you don't already, LOL)