Noob tries to Bonsai : How do I start? (Cherry Blossoms)

[NoobKing]

Hello kind Bonsai nerds of the internet! I have came across this beautiful hobby and am interested in trying it out.

Currently I have my eyes set on growing a Cherry Blossom Bonsai, because I think they look really nice. I was wondering if anyone could help me get started and point me in the general direction of what I need to do. Any resources or tips on things like Wiring?, soil, pots, tools, website/links to buy seeds, and stuff like that would be greatly appreciated! Currently I want to grow a cherry blossom bonsai but haven't gotten any further than that. I am looking for any Cherry Blossom tree type/species that lives really long, so please (if you know) leave some recommendations down below, they'd be greatly appreciated.

 

[Paradox]

Welcome to BNut.
How much time do you have?

I'd recommend getting a good book on bonsai to start learning with because you're basically asking all the beginner questions and I'm not sure anyone here has the time to write it all out for you in a forum post.

Also just start reading the forums and a lot of your questions will be answered and you'll probably have more questions.
Read the first post of this thread :

How to be a successful bonsai beginner

After reading a lot of beginner threads on this site over the years, I am going to create a thread of advice about how to get the best start on your bonsai journey. Simply put - take advantage of all of the people who have gone before you! At some level there is a bit of skeptic in all of us...

www.bonsainut.com

. The rest has some good points too.

Most people don't start doing bonsai by growing from seed because you need to do a lot of growing before you can even start the bonsai part. Most buy trees grown as prebonsai or sometimes trees from landscape nurseries that look promising.

A cherry tree might not be the best tree for a beginner to start with but you can try.
If you are in the U.S., Evergreen Gardenworks in California sells seedlings of different types

Evergreen Gardenworks

He also has some basic bonsai articles and other links on his web site.

The other main thing you'll need is patience. You won't find an instant bonsai unless you have the ability to pay a lot for it which I wouldn't recommend as a beginner. It's going to be a learning process that will take time.

You will first need to learn how to keep a tree alive in a pot, how to repot, how much you can reduce the roots safely. When to prune, how to prune.

There is a lot to learn and you'll need to do some research on your own to get started and ask questions as you go along. Many of us involved in bonsai enjoy the fact that there is so much to learn.

 

[ShadyStump]

If you look at the top of your screen, there's a search function, and you can look up threads and posts on whatever you're thinking at the moment. It leaves you digging through ALLOT of conversation to find the good tidbits, but you'll find it useful.
YouTube has like 5 million bonsai videos, but only about 10% are useful.
I'd suggest starting with something like an elm to learn on before making mistakes on a nice cherry blossom tree.

Do you have any experience gardening or even with house plants? That will take you pretty far. The rest is about UNLEARNING half the stuff you did there because it's not going to work for bonsai. Keeping trees small and healthy is a different game all together, but the basic skill set is the same.

Welcome aboard!

 

[Shibui]

I would recommend starting with a slightly easier species. Cherry are not easy. Lots of pests and diseases to cope with and need to really know about pruning or you're unlikely to see any flowers.
Suitable species will depend on where you are in the world but trident maple, Chinese elm and junipers are firm favorites and are much more forgiving. Ficus are also good but need to be indoors through cold weather. Privet and a few other really hardy species are also close to bomb proof.

 

[rockm]

Cherry trees don't make really great bonsai. They make for dead bonsai if you're planning to keep them inside.

You haven't provided enough information for us to really help all that much. Filling out the location info in your bio on the left side of the page helps tremendously. That's because bonsai do best outside and your climate will pretty much dictate what you can keep successfully and most easily.

If you want to try for "indoor" bonsai, tropical species, like ficus, are best. Temperate zone trees like pines, maples and cherry trees die inside.

Best species to start with are chinese elm for outdoors, ficus for indoors.

 

[Maiden69]

Like posted above, cherry is not an easy tree for a beginner. Also, adding your location (the one you set up right now don't link to anything) and USDA zone will help the members give better advise. There are trees that can not survive in the tropical areas, cherry is one of them. Tropicals can survive in colder regions, but need to be brought inside when temperatures fall below 40F at night, if not sooner.

 

[FreshAirSunshine]

I’d take another spin on this as a fellow newbie which is to acknowledge that you’re choosing a hard target with cherry but, if that’s the type of plant that’s going to keep you engaged and attentive, that’s better than an easy tree that’ll bore you. You simply need to focus on learning the basics and then learning the details of that one type. Don’t try 4-5 different plants which is doable if you were learning on several forgiving types - maybe get a few different cherry trees you think look promising so you can work on multiple and have something if one or two go kaput. Remember - advice from a beginner - but I feel like you need to grow the plants you want within the confines of what’s possible in your area/setup.

An addendum - think hard about the level of commitment and investment you plan on putting into growing those cherries and make sure you know your zone and microclimate where it’s planted is appropriate. Beginner trees are beginner friendly for a reason.

 

[eugenev2]

Hello kind Bonsai nerds of the internet! I have came across this beautiful hobby and am interested in trying it out.

Currently I have my eyes set on growing a Cherry Blossom Bonsai, because I think they look really nice. I was wondering if anyone could help me get started and point me in the general direction of what I need to do. Any resources or tips on things like Wiring?, soil, pots, tools, website/links to buy seeds, and stuff like that would be greatly appreciated! Currently I want to grow a cherry blossom bonsai but haven't gotten any further than that. I am looking for any Cherry Blossom tree type/species that lives really long, so please (if you know) leave some recommendations down below, they'd be greatly appreciated.

My advice would to rather start with a newbie tree or tree that can take lots of punishment (Ficus/Elm/Trident), rather than something you actually want, as you need to learn a number of things. And learning these skills and techniques might be a bit overwhelming on material that is less forgiving.

Also there are a number of really good bonsai channels on youtube that are aimed a different skill levels, so i'll mention a few that has taught me the most below

Beginner
Herons Bonsai

Intermediate to Higher level
Blue sky bonsai
Bonsaify
Eastern leaf
Bonsai Mirai
Eisei-en Bonsai

 

[Paradox]

Anyone else finding it odd we haven't heard anything more from the OP?

 

[dbonsaiw]

Anyone else finding it odd we haven't heard anything more from the OP?

Starting out is hard. And it's made all the more difficult by not really grasping the sheer depth of knowledge and skill required to develop these little trees. I surely didn't grasp this when I started out and didn't expect bonsai to be this long and complicated journey. The difficulty of answering the OP's general questions may not have been what he was expecting?

 

[BonScience]

Hope they're able find what they need. I'd love to do a cherry tree bonsai but i didn't realize they were as difficult as they seem to be. Hopefully soon i'll have the skills and life-situation to be able to do that.

 

[Paradox]

Starting out is hard. And it's made all the more difficult by not really grasping the sheer depth of knowledge and skill required to develop these little trees. I surely didn't grasp this when I started out and didn't expect bonsai to be this long and complicated journey. The difficulty of answering the OP's general questions may not have been what he was expecting?

Perhaps. You're not wrong about how overwhelming it can be when starting out. Many of us see this as part of the challenge! I'd hope the OP would have been interested enough to remain engaged. I suppose it could also be that being told that they needed to do some work and research on their own was something they couldn't deal with which also happens. It's just not a subject that can be spoon fed and you need to do some basic learning on your own then ask questions.

 

[NoobKing]

Welcome to BNut.
How much time do you have?

I'd recommend getting a good book on bonsai to start learning with because you're basically asking all the beginner questions and I'm not sure anyone here has the time to write it all out for you in a forum post.

Also just start reading the forums and a lot of your questions will be answered and you'll probably have more questions.
Read the first post of this thread :

How to be a successful bonsai beginner

After reading a lot of beginner threads on this site over the years, I am going to create a thread of advice about how to get the best start on your bonsai journey. Simply put - take advantage of all of the people who have gone before you! At some level there is a bit of skeptic in all of us...

www.bonsainut.com

. The rest has some good points too.

Most people don't start doing bonsai by growing from seed because you need to do a lot of growing before you can even start the bonsai part. Most buy trees grown as prebonsai or sometimes trees from landscape nurseries that look promising.

A cherry tree might not be the best tree for a beginner to start with but you can try.
If you are in the U.S., Evergreen Gardenworks in California sells seedlings of different types

Evergreen Gardenworks

He also has some basic bonsai articles and other links on his web site.

The other main thing you'll need is patience. You won't find an instant bonsai unless you have the ability to pay a lot for it which I wouldn't recommend as a beginner. It's going to be a learning process that will take time.

You will first need to learn how to keep a tree alive in a pot, how to repot, how much you can reduce the roots safely. When to prune, how to prune.

There is a lot to learn and you'll need to do some research on your own to get started and ask questions as you go along. Many of us involved in bonsai enjoy the fact that there is so much to learn.

At least 18 months, but realisticly A LOT, I plan on spending a lot of time on this so I prefererably want to experience the whole "Bonsai Process" even from seed, even though it will probably be like as tall as a toothpick after like 2 years.
Currently I have my eyes set on a 'Yoshina Cherry Tree", and plan on buying from this seller "https://toadstoolseeds.com/product/5-yoshino-cherry-tree-seeds/", information about the tree/seller (if you knw) would be apreciated.
Also thank you for the thread redirection, once I start doing more planning I will head there to learn basics.

 

[NoobKing]

If you look at the top of your screen, there's a search function, and you can look up threads and posts on whatever you're thinking at the moment. It leaves you digging through ALLOT of conversation to find the good tidbits, but you'll find it useful.
YouTube has like 5 million bonsai videos, but only about 10% are useful.
I'd suggest starting with something like an elm to learn on before making mistakes on a nice cherry blossom tree.

Do you have any experience gardening or even with house plants? That will take you pretty far. The rest is about UNLEARNING half the stuff you did there because it's not going to work for bonsai. Keeping trees small and healthy is a different game all together, but the basic skill set is the same.

Welcome aboard!

I do not have experience with gardening but my mother does, and she said she would be willing to show me how to take care of plants (I understand this is more general information but I still think it will hep, and also if you wanted to know she grows a bunch of different flowers). I am all too familiar with the 1% of actually useful stuff on YT, so please if any specific videos that you remember that stick out please tell.
Thanks for the response!

 

[NoobKing]

I would recommend starting with a slightly easier species. Cherry are not easy. Lots of pests and diseases to cope with and need to really know about pruning or you're unlikely to see any flowers.
Suitable species will depend on where you are in the world but trident maple, Chinese elm and junipers are firm favorites and are much more forgiving. Ficus are also good but need to be indoors through cold weather. Privet and a few other really hardy species are also close to bomb proof.

I am down for the challenge with Cherry just due to the kind of person I am, information about pests/disease (even general) would be greatly appreciated, along with pruning tips if you'd be willing to provide some.
Thanks for replying

 

[NoobKing]

Cherry trees don't make really great bonsai. They make for dead bonsai if you're planning to keep them inside.

You haven't provided enough information for us to really help all that much. Filling out the location info in your bio on the left side of the page helps tremendously. That's because bonsai do best outside and your climate will pretty much dictate what you can keep successfully and most easily.

If you want to try for "indoor" bonsai, tropical species, like ficus, are best. Temperate zone trees like pines, maples and cherry trees die inside.

Best species to start with are chinese elm for outdoors, ficus for indoors.

Thanks for telling me that I need to keep them outside, that saves a lot of potential "mishaps". For information I plan on growing a Yoshino Cherry Bonsai, using seeds from this selelr I found (https://toadstoolseeds.com/product/5-yoshino-cherry-tree-seeds/) I am uncomfortable of filling out my location but, I live in a colder region region of the world that seems to be classified in the 6a range (-10 to -5 °F/-23.3 to -20.6 °C)

 

[NoobKing]

I’d take another spin on this as a fellow newbie which is to acknowledge that you’re choosing a hard target with cherry but, if that’s the type of plant that’s going to keep you engaged and attentive, that’s better than an easy tree that’ll bore you. You simply need to focus on learning the basics and then learning the details of that one type. Don’t try 4-5 different plants which is doable if you were learning on several forgiving types - maybe get a few different cherry trees you think look promising so you can work on multiple and have something if one or two go kaput. Remember - advice from a beginner - but I feel like you need to grow the plants you want within the confines of what’s possible in your area/setup.

An addendum - think hard about the level of commitment and investment you plan on putting into growing those cherries and make sure you know your zone and microclimate where it’s planted is appropriate. Beginner trees are beginner friendly for a reason.

I plan on focusing on this one plant, and I have decided (unless someone provides me with something better) on growing a "Yoshino Cherry Tree" (https://toadstoolseeds.com/product/5-yoshino-cherry-tree-seeds/). I have a lot of room in my backyard to so room is not an issue, and I appreciate the acknoledgement! I really like how the trees look and I think Bonsais are really cool so I am going to be pretty engaged throughout the experience.

 

[NoobKing]

My advice would to rather start with a newbie tree or tree that can take lots of punishment (Ficus/Elm/Trident), rather than something you actually want, as you need to learn a number of things. And learning these skills and techniques might be a bit overwhelming on material that is less forgiving.

Also there are a number of really good bonsai channels on youtube that are aimed a different skill levels, so i'll mention a few that has taught me the most below

Beginner
Herons Bonsai

Intermediate to Higher level
Blue sky bonsai
Bonsaify
Eastern leaf
Bonsai Mirai
Eisei-en Bonsai

I'll make sure to check them out, actually good YouTube channels are gems when it comes to learning things, so I really apreciate it. However if I may ask, do you know which one/two would be more specific for my needs or a video that you think is like really good? I still plan on growing a cherry tree (decided on a Yoshino Cherry Tree) so maybe some video on like pruning/disease?

 

[NoobKing]

Anyone else finding it odd we haven't heard anything more from the OP?

Sorry, I've been busy with classes, I will try to be more responsive.

 

[ShadyStump]

I do not have experience with gardening but my mother does, and she said she would be willing to show me how to take care of plants (I understand this is more general information but I still think it will hep, and also if you wanted to know she grows a bunch of different flowers). I am all too familiar with the 1% of actually useful stuff on YT, so please if any specific videos that you remember that stick out please tell.
Thanks for the response!

Well, get yourself to learning!
Plants are like people: some you just connect with and everything goes smoothly, others you have to put more effort into understanding. Get in there and get your hands dirty.

Your best bet is to look up the basic beginner videos, look for some books, learn the basic concepts first. If you're still learning plants in general, bonsai style peppers - called bonchi - are a fun, fast way to get your head wrapped around both at once. Bonus: delicious fresh food as you learn!