New Bonsai-er looking for initial help

Hello, gang!

With respect to bonsai, I am as new and green as it gets. I have had interest multiple times before but never put actual effort into any kind of cultivation. I have a tendency to require myself to go 'from zero' in any given project. In this instance, that would be 'from seed.' However, my more practical nature has won out and I'm going to attempt a foray into this art and hobby from something already planted.

In typical, 'why not' fashion, I purchased a lemon 'tree' from home depot yesterday. Pictures are provided. Does this have reasoning behind it? No, no it doesn't. I like the way lemon trees look and I thought it would be fun. Do I know anything about lemon trees? Similarly no.

My first question; is this bonsai-able for a newbie? (Worth noting, I plan to purchase a few of the more 'beginner friendly' tree types to go along with this guy)
Second question; if the answer to the previous question is 'yes,' how should I proceed here? Aggressive pruning?

Notes: I live in North-Central Texas, zone 8b. I have a small yard and can get my tree outside in sun for basically any amount of the day depending on where I put it.

What else can I provide to get the best help?

Thanks team!

PS - please pardon the clutter on my kitchen island, we had just gotten back from grocery shopping for my herd of kids.

Welcome Aboard Bonsai Nut!

First things first, it’s best to put your approximate location and USDA plant cold hardiness zone on your icon. I know you put it in the body of this message, but it’s a pain for you to do this on each message on each thread so experienced folks who drop in to help don’t have to read the entire thread to help you. Putting these data on you icon saves us all a lot of time. To do so, double tap your icon atop the page. Then tap account details. Scroll down and enter these data in appropriate areas and save.

That said, yes Lemon trees have been made into bonsai. Check around the net and there are a number of folks with information. Nigel Saunders has a number of YouTube videos on this tree. Here’s one to get you started.

Likely the only impediment to creating a decent bonsai for store bought plants is the possibility of a buying grafted tree cause one to have to air or ground layer the trunk down the line to create a decent trunk line.

Love to see how your progress!

Cheers
DSD sends

Welcome to the site! Generally speaking, lemon trees make difficult subjects for bonsai. Impossible, no. Difficult, yes. They work best as larger bonsai 3' or 4' tall because they have large leaves and (assuming you want to display with the fruit) large fruit. There are other citrus that are friendlier towards bonsai like calamondin, or golden bean kumquat. I think it comes down to the question - are you more interested in bonsai? Or growing citrus in a pot? Either path is ok - but if you were interested in bonsai I would point you in a different (beginner friendly) direction that doesn't include citrus When I lived in SoCal I had 14 citrus trees in my landscape, and each was hand-picked for the fruit they would bear, and when they would bear it, so I love my citrus! But for bonsai I would point you in a different direction... unless you knew exactly what you were getting into.

Golden bean kumquat aka Fortunella hindsii

Welcome! You landed in a great place to start! I'm only 5 years in and still considered a rookie, so take that into consideration.

Some species are better than others for bonsai, and some are better in certain climates than others. One suggestion I see a lot is to try to find:
1. Species good for bonsai.
2. Species that are native to your area.

If you can find something to match both, you are already ahead of the game. Here in CA, some species work great and others are a no-go.

Yes lemon trees (and most any other woody stemmed plant) can be made into bonsai

THIS lemon tree isn’t going to make decent bonsai however. It’s far too small and spindly. Fwiw small bonsai don’t “grow up” to be big bonsai. Pots restrict growth slowing growth by restricting roots. That limitation can be used to advantage or it can be a hindrance

Most older bonsai are NOT grown up specifically from seed or seedlings (although both seeds and seedlings are sources for bonsai -only on a much longer timeline)

Bonsai are developed by cutting large trees down to bonsai size and regrowing the tops to “fit” the new shorter image. Do a search on “reduction” or “trunk chop” here and see

If you’re in Texas you have one of the best tree species to work into bonsai-cedar elm. You know how common those are. They’re tough resilient and forgiving of mistakes. They are “outdoor” trees and require a bit of winter protection of their roots but not much in your area. Do a search on cedar elm bed as well (winged elm is related and equally tough). And while you’re at it do the same for bald cypress another easy species for bonsai that adapts very quickly to bonsai culture. Both of those are readily available in nurseries in Texas for not much $$

Below are pics of a collected cedar elm (from near Lake Palestine) and a winged elm collected in southern OK. Both were bare limbless stumps after they were dug up. The branches and tops have been regrown in containers