Bonsai Guides

For Beginners

Identifying Suitable Material for Bonsai – 5 posts showing what you can and can’t learn from trees at different stages of development.

1. Part 1: Nursery stock
2. Part 2: Pre-bonsai
3. Part 3: Old or collected material
4. Part 4: Neglected bonsai
5. Part 5: Mature bonsai

Beginner Series – 10 posts aimed at helping beginners get up to speed as quickly as possible.

1. How to identify an appropriate environment for your bonsai
2. How to evaluate bonsai water needs
3. How to fertilize bonsai
4. How to tell when something is wrong with your bonsai
5. Distinguishing vigorous growth from healthy growth in bonsai
6. Tips for using basic bonsai tools
7. How to secure bonsai in the pot
8. How to wire a Y branch intersection
9. Tips for anchoring bonsai wire
10. Finding a go-to resource when you need to learn more

Propagating Black Pines – tips for germinating black or red pines from seed and creating attractive surface roots with the seedling-cutting technique.

• How to grow Japanese black pine from seed
• How to create seedling-cuttings
• Effect of hormones on seedling-cuttings
• Finding the right hormone levels for making seedling-cuttings

Watering bonsai – tips for understanding when conifers or deciduous bonsai need water.

• Watering deciduous bonsai part 1
• Watering deciduous bonsai part 2
• Watering conifers

Winter Care for bonsai – a complete guide to protecting trees in winter for enthusiasts living in cold-climate areas.

Repotting bonsai – tips on techniques, soils, and container selection.

• Repotting a trident maple (basic repotting steps)
• Repotting nursery stock – sekka hinoki
• Aligning containers with development goals
• What kind of soil should I use for my bonsai?

All about akadama – an overview of the unique soil particle from Japan that’s used around the world to cultivate bonsai.

Moss technique – an easy-to-follow guide to applying living moss to the surface of your bonsai.

Next Steps – an online version of Chapter 6 from The Little Book of Bonsai aimed at helping you identify next steps for furthering your bonsai study.

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Intermediate and Advanced Guides

Decandling black pine bonsai: an in-depth guide – overview to help you navigate the refinement of black and red pine bonsai.

How to Grow Bonsai from Seed or Cutting – a detailed guide that covers techniques for long-term development of quality bonsai.

Bonsai Development Series – an ongoing series of posts describing techniques for creating quality pre-bonsai.