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You got your first bonsai. Congratulations! Welcome to the wonderful world of bonsai care. Maybe your bonsai was a gift, maybe it was an impulse buy, or maybe you’ve been considering it for quite a while. Whatever the case, there is a lot we should talk about so let’s get started.

Example post from a new bonsai owner.

I don’t want to alarm you, but caring for a bonsai is a lot of responsibility, not unlike owning a pet. A plant dying might not seem as traumatic as an animal dying (some bonsai enthusiasts will disagree), but like a pet a bonsai depends on you to provide for its every need. With proper care a bonsai can live much longer than your dog, your cat, or even your parrot! And frankly, there is A LOT to learn and understand.

…but don’t be alarmed. You can do this.

I won’t attempt to tell you everything you need to know, but I want to help you get started on the right foot.

Before we dive in, I want to address those of you who didn’t get a tree, but got one of those bonsai starter kits that include some seeds. If this is your situation, follow the instructions. Start the seeds, and scroll down a bit to the section called, “So what’s next?”

If you have a tree, however…

DO THESE FIVE THINGS FIRST

There are a few things you should do (and not do) right away with your bonsai tree. Let’s go through each of these.

  1. Find out exactly what you have.
  2. Remove glued on rocks and moss.
  3. Water your tree really well.
  4. Place your tree where it can thrive.
  5. Put the tools aside for now.

Find out exactly what you have. What is the species of your tree? A really common misconception is that bonsai is a kind of plant, its own species, but this is not true. Bonsai is, translated literally, a plant in a pot — or a tree in a tray. There’s much more to it, of course (artistically and aesthetically), but any species of plant that can be trained to resemble a tree can be a bonsai. To care for your bonsai correctly, you need to know what species you have. Check the information that came with it, ask the person or business that sold it, or seek help to identify the plant. Without this knowledge it will be a struggle to provide for your Bonsai’s needs. Once you know the species, look it up using the Latin name (genus and species) to learn as much as you can, especially where it grows naturally.

Remove glued on rocks and moss. I know it may look nice, but if your tree came with rocks glued together on the surface, and fake or painted moss to make it look neat (like in the image below), these should be removed. They were added to make a sale and they are not good for the health of your tree. You need to have direct access to the soil your tree is planted in. Read on to understand why.

(Image from Amazon)

Water your tree really well. You may not know just how this tree was cared for before you got it, so let’s get off on the right foot and make sure it is watered well. Now that you have removed any decorative bits from the soil. Make note of the type of soil. Feel it. Is it already damp? Use your finger to dig down an inch. How does it look and feel down a little deeper? Check the bottom of the pot. Is there one or more drainage holes? I hope so!

Water the tree by gently sprinkling water over the top of the soil surface. After you apply some water, stop and watch to see what happens. Does it flow through the soil quickly, or does it pool up on top and take a bit to percolate through? Add some more water until water is flowing out the drainage holes on the bottom of the pot. If you aren’t confident that the soil is wet all the way through, you can also place the pot in a tray of water up to the level of the top of the pot. Let it sit, submerged, for a couple of minutes, then remove the pot from the tray and allow excess water to drain from the bottom of the pot.

This is how you should water your tree each time it is needed — thoroughly. Never add “just a little water” and don’t water too often. Wait to see the soil starting to get dry. If the soil is still damp, don’t water. When it is time to water, water thoroughly.

Place your tree where it can thrive. It is quite a shock (and sometimes a disappointment) to new bonsai owners to realize their bonsai can’t survive long term on the coffee table. The truth of the matter is that many bonsai should live outside year round, and those that cannot stay outside need special conditions to thrive inside. Finding the right place to keep your bonsai is a factor of where you live in the world and the species of tree. What zone do you live in? Do you get freezing temperatures? Where does this species of tree grow naturally? If this same species could be planted in a garden where you live, it should be kept outside.

You should only keep a tree inside if it will not tolerate the weather conditions outside in your zone. For example, I live in Northern Virginia, USA, in plant hardiness zone 7 where it can get as cold as 10 to 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-18 to -12 C) in the winter. Yet, I have some tropical (ficus) bonsai which don’t like temperatures below 50 degrees F (10 C). These have to come inside for about half of the year, but they go outside for the other half of the year. All of my other trees stay outside, even in winter.

Do your research and read more such as this article from Bonsai Sanctum: Where to put your bonsai tree to make it thrive.

Image from Bonsai Sanctum.

Put your tools aside for now. Many bonsai starter kits come with a tool or two, but don’t get over eager to cut anything. Put the tools away for now and don’t start pruning your tree until you understand when to do it and why you are doing it. If you don’t have tools yet. Don’t rush. There is time. And don’t feel like you have to have “proper” bonsai tools. There’s nothing wrong with using a sharp pair of scissors, or the pliers from the tool box, for example.

SO WHATS NEXT?

If you have done the five things I recommend doing first, you are ready to consider a few next steps.

  • Start paying attention to your tree.
  • Accept a few key principles of bonsai.
  • Decide what kind of bonsai person you are.
  • Start learning about bonsai care.
  • Connect with other bonsai enthusiasts.

Start paying attention to your tree. This may seem simple, but it’s important. Part of working with bonsai is understanding when and how a tree behaves. What do the buds, leaves, and bark look like? When and how does it grow? Where is the growth strongest/weakest? How long does it take for the soil to start drying out? (Caution, this changes at different times of the year!) What does the tree do/look like in the spring, summer, autumn, and winter? Learn about your tree and check on it regularly. If something seems off, there may be a problem that requires your attention.

Accept a few key principles of bonsai. There are many concepts that will become important to grasp, but here are a few you must start with:

  1. The health of the tree comes first. You should always work toward a strong, healthy tree. Without this, there is no bonsai.
  2. Never do “bonsai work” on an unhealthy tree. Period.
  3. Don’t do water or repot on a schedule. Don’t water on a schedule, water when it is needed. Don’t repot “every two years,” repot when that tree needs it.
  4. Where you live matters. Advice from someone in Florida may not apply if you live in Indiana.
  5. Time of year matters. There is work to be done on bonsai in each season, and doing it in the wrong season can be catastrophic.
  6. The species you are working with matters. You don’t prune a pine like a maple.
  7. The work is different for trees in different stages of development. If you are developing a young tree, you do things differently than if you are refining a “finished” bonsai. A lot of the published bonsai advice is for more refined trees.
  8. There are no short cuts. Be patient. Bonsai takes time. You are working with a plant as it grows. You can help a plant grow faster or grow slower, but it takes years to develop nice bonsai regardless.

Decide what kind of bonsai person you are. Some bonsai people just have one or two trees, and that’s fine. Many of us who are bitten by the bonsai bug collect many trees. (I have about 85 at this writing.) Some love tropicals… or deciduous… or conifers… or all kinds… or just one kind! Some prefer flowering or fruiting trees. Some love to collect native species while others prefer exotic, imported varieties. Some favor working with refined trees while others prefer to collect trees from the wild, or develop trees from seedling, or propagate new trees from seed or cutting. The bonsai world is vast, but it is rich for all the ways we can engage with the art form. You don’t have to be or do all things to love bonsai. You just need to decide which parts of this bonsai world interest you. That will help you decide what’s next.

Read more: Why do you bonsai?

Start learning about bonsai care. There is a lifetime of learning in bonsai. I have been doing this for nearly 25 years and I am just starting to feel some confidence in what I know. You are fortunate though. There has never been more information about bonsai care so readily available. In addition to many great books, there are an abundance of blogs, websites, and bonsai learning opportunities on the internet. The challenge is to know when you are getting good information or bad information.

There’s a running joke among the members of my bonsai club. We like to say, “If you ask 10 people, you’ll get 12 different answers.” Nowhere is this more true than online. So learn all you can, and begin to distinguish good sources from bad.

As you learn, remember the principles listed above. If you watch a YouTube video on a bonsai procedure, for example, you may need to consider the species, time of year, location, and stage of development to know if you can do the same with your tree. Also realize that even in this ancient art form we are constantly learning new things. What was gospel in the 60s and 70s may not be considered an appropriate practice now. So consider when the information you have was published.

Connect with other bonsai enthusiasts. There is a ton of information online, but learning about bonsai can be far more effective, and more fun with others. As a member of a bonsai club, I have learned more in the past five years than I did in the 20 years before that.

Find out if there is a bonsai club in your area and join up if there is. Find bonsai friends and mentors, and you might even consider joining online bonsai groups — these can occasionally be helpful, but are often full of mixed messages and sometimes unhelpful criticism, so beware.

Most importantly, enjoy your tree! Enjoy watching it grow and change, and as you start learning more, you may decide you want another. Who knows where this journey will take you!