Just wondering what the upkeep would be like for a Bonsai tree? I know they require a lot of maintenance, but I was wondering if anyone had any hands on experience with one and had any tips or tricks to keeping it alive and well? I have only ever seen them perish, even with routine care.
Bonsai tree advice?
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I also tried one and failed at it. I am not sure what went wrong. I think it might have been a watering issue. It was some years ago and I don't know if the tree I had was supposed to need a lot of water or very little.
There's no simple answer to this question as different species of Bonsai trees have different needs. One problem I've noticed is that a lot of people regard Bonsai as indoor plants, while that isn't usually the case.
I've got a lot of trees, most of them still in the early stages of training, and for the most part they seem to do pretty well outdoors, though some of the more sensitive ones need to be moved indoors during the winter months. However my climate is probably milder than yours, as the temperature hardly ever drops below about -5°C (23°F) here and snow is a real rarity.
What's important is to choose a tree that will do well in your climate and then find out what its special needs are.
I've got a lot of trees, most of them still in the early stages of training, and for the most part they seem to do pretty well outdoors, though some of the more sensitive ones need to be moved indoors during the winter months. However my climate is probably milder than yours, as the temperature hardly ever drops below about -5°C (23°F) here and snow is a real rarity.
What's important is to choose a tree that will do well in your climate and then find out what its special needs are.
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I'll second the suggestion of Ficus as a good choice if you want to grow indoor bonsai. I've got several different varieties of them growing in my back yard. I prefer to keep mine outdoors when the weather is suitable, but it's really not necessary as long as they get good light.
As Jewell said, some species are more vigorous than others, but I tend to go for the ones that grow more vigorously as I've grown a lot of my trees from cuttings and find styling them myself is part of the fun. The tree in my profile photo is a Ficus Natalensis (indigenous to South Africa) which I started from a very small cutting about eight years ago. The photo is an old one, taken about two years ago, so I really should update it.
As Jewell said, some species are more vigorous than others, but I tend to go for the ones that grow more vigorously as I've grown a lot of my trees from cuttings and find styling them myself is part of the fun. The tree in my profile photo is a Ficus Natalensis (indigenous to South Africa) which I started from a very small cutting about eight years ago. The photo is an old one, taken about two years ago, so I really should update it.
I was really curious about this myself. I'll end up picking up an aged ficus retusa as well.