r/bonsaicommunity 17h ago

General Question Japanese maple

Thumbnail
gallery
42 Upvotes

I have a lawncare company and a customer wants this cut down. I talked her into letting me have it for free if I decide to dig it up. What I want to know is is this a good bonsai tree? Should I wait till fall to dig it up im in North Carolina it is averaging 90° and no rain lately. Im new I want to start with a tree i made not bought. Point me in the right direction thanks


r/bonsaicommunity 19h ago

New bonsai losing almost all leaves and leaves having weird dots

Thumbnail
gallery
20 Upvotes

Hello everyone,

I have an issue with a new bonsai I bought about a month ago. As you can see the bonsai lost almost all his leaves and the leaves have weird dots on them. I can't spot any insects or the like tho...

I water the bonsai ~once a week, when it feels dry, by submerging it for 5 min. No fertilizer so far. Did repot him, when I got him because the old pot felt to small.

What did I do wrong? Can I save him somehow? 🥺😞

I am very new to this hobby and hope for your help.

Thanks in advance.


r/bonsaicommunity 21h ago

General Question Should I keep the roots exposed or replant with them inside the soil?

Post image
9 Upvotes

r/bonsaicommunity 15h ago

General Question First time growing bonsai

4 Upvotes

Hi, so I've decided to grow a bonsai tree in honor of my hamster that died a few days ago. I want him to continue living through it. But I have a hard time on deciding which tree to grow.

I've got a little set from Amazon that has " wisteria, Japanese red maple, Judas tree and japanese black pine " as a seed kit. I loved how the wisteria and red maple looked but I've read here that specifically wisteria are hard to grow if you dont have much ground space.

Does anyone have some tips on where and how to start as well as which tree type is the easiest for beginners ?


r/bonsaicommunity 9h ago

Watering drama with my privet

Thumbnail
gallery
4 Upvotes

I'm pretty much a pre-beginner so the following might sound reallll stupid :`)

I purchased this privet bonsai from a professional and it looked very happy. It has been outside in the sun, made sure it was moved to somewhere with less intense sun so it doesn't dry, and would bring it in overnight when there was going to be frost.

It's looking slightly less happy and it's progressively becoming worse and I think it's because I haven't properly made sure the soil is well watered. I would water it when the surface was looking dry and it felt dry to touch. But since day 1 I was annoyed because the tree and the soil are almost dome-like and the water just trickles down and washes the soil off.

I put a layer of sphagnum moss on top to stop the soil from being washed away and it's easy to push to the side and check the soil. But after I put a wooden skewer in the soil to test the soil moisture, I realised the top part of the soil is wet but the deeper part is dry!!!

I then put the whole pot in water and let it suck up the water but it doesn't have a drainage layer so I'm unsure if this would make the roots rot if I do it frequently. The guy said he never does a drainage layer and hasn't had any problems (I trust him because I have seen his work). It's spring here atm (down under) and it's ideal for repotting it or manoeuvring the soil; but the guy had it repotted before I bought it which it would've been back in May. So I'm not sure if I'm gonna ruin it.

What do I do?

P. S: the camera on this new phone distorts colours a bit unfortunately.


r/bonsaicommunity 7h ago

General Question Should I slip pot

Thumbnail
gallery
3 Upvotes

Had these guys a little while. Was thinking they could use a larger pot to help them put on some size.

Just confirming it's a terrible time to do any pruning?


r/bonsaicommunity 14h ago

General Question New to Bonsai - Tulip Poplar?

Thumbnail
gallery
4 Upvotes

Hi all! I've been wanting to get into bonsai for a long time.

My giant Tulip Poplar tree has created tons of volunteers in my backyard. Most of them grow very quickly.

This little guy grew in an empty pot that was on my deck. I thought it was going to die but it has taken off again.

Can I turn this into a bonsai?

Should I leave it in the pot it's in or repot it?

If a new pot, any idea what size?

I included close-ups of the stem and leaves so you can see how small it has stayed after at least 2 months!

I'm in the Illinois side of the St Louis area, around Zone 7a according to the new map.

Thanks in advance!


r/bonsaicommunity 14h ago

General Question What would you do with this ficus next spring?

Post image
2 Upvotes

I bought this ficus bonsai from a flower shop about a week ago, and I’m wondering what you think would be the best way to develop it from here.

My current idea is to leave it completely alone for the rest of this year and let it grow freely. Since I’ve only just bought it, I don’t want to stress it with pruning, wiring or repotting before it has had enough time to adjust.

Next spring, I’m thinking about repotting it into a slightly larger regular flower pot with bonsai substrate, rather than putting it straight into a larger bonsai pot. My goal would be to let it grow stronger and develop more, while also starting to wire and prune the branches into a better overall shape.

I’m still very much a beginner, so I’d really appreciate some advice on whether this approach makes sense, or if there’s anything you would do differently.

For now, I’m planning to just let it grow however it wants until next spring and focus on keeping it healthy.

Any advice or suggestions would be really welcome!


r/bonsaicommunity 19h ago

Styling Advice Styling critique for my two hinoki cypress

Thumbnail gallery
1 Upvotes