Advice re: first bonsai

bryz

Seed
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Hello all! I am a college student in Providence. I am interested in beginning to take care of bonsai trees, and have been trying to do as much reading on the subject as I can over the past few weeks. I have some questions, so I guess I'll just go right into it (thanks in advance for reading this, I'm sure it's gonna be a big wall of text):

1) I can't seem to find any nearby bonsai nurseries. So, I think I'll just have to order a starter online. I was thinking of going through Evergreen Gardenworks. Is there anyone better I should consider?

2) I know that trunks are a pretty big deal. Of course, I can't expect any guarantees with whatever tree I end up getting. From what I gather, the best way to grow a trunk is to keep a tree in the legit ground (and let it do its regular tree thing). However, I don't think I can do this because I'm living in a rented house with basically no viable growing area.

With that in mind, would it be feasible to encourage a tree to grow its trunk while keeping it contained? How large of a container would I need for this?

Moreover, is this even an option? I have read that it is dangerous to repot unnecessarily. If I ordered a one-gallon plant, should I just leave it as it comes?

3) What are my best options for starter species? I was thinking maple, hawthorn, or elm, which all appear to grow in New England, and which seem to be pretty solid starters.

Side question, and this one is dumb: I really like how olive trees look. But everywhere I find online says that they are not hardy to zone 6b (where I am). However, I found a site that says olive trees are native to Massachusetts? Is there any chance that an olive tree is actually a possibility for me?

I think these are the most specific questions I have right now. Thanks again for getting all the way here. Of course, I am also always open to receiving resources for more reading on bonsai, if anyone has posts / books / links for beginners that they would be willing to share!
 

plant_dr

Chumono
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You can't go wrong with Brent at Evergreen Gardenworks! That being said, I just googled '"bonsai nurseries near Providence, RI" and the map on my phone screen had several red dots for locations(no, I didn't check out all of them)... so I dont know what your definition of 'near you' means. So if you are willing to travel even a little, it looks like there are options to hold a tree in your hands before you buy it rather than getting one shipped from nearly the farthest place possible in the continental U.S. You can speak with someone who is more familiar with your particular area and also the tree would be more aclimated to your zone, etc.

Welcome to crazy! And good luck!
 

Shibui

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Welcome to bonsai.
First it is important to note that there are no hard answers when dealing with living things. You will get many different opinions on how to achieve the same end result because trees can survive many different insults and end up at the same end result.

Thickening trunks appears to be directly related to how large the above ground part is (total amount of leaf?). The more you can make it grow the quicker the trunk will thicken. That's why ground growing works best but you can achieve similar results in containers. Generally the larger the container the more the tree will grow and thicken. Any increase in container size will give a boost to trunk thickening but there are no fixed sizes. Just use whatever works for you in your situation. A 100 gal container will probably give great thickening but will be just as immobile as the ground if you have to up and move so need to make sensible choices.
There are some limitations to upsizing pots. Small plants in really large pots can have trouble as unused potting mix can occasionally go stale and cause health problems. Not usually a problem with faster growing species but many growers prefer to pot on gradually to allow roots to utilise the space efficiently.

I'm not really familiar with RI climate but some great beginner bonsai species include:

trident maple (much hardier and easier than Japanese maple)
Chinese elm
Other elms
Junipers
Cotoneaster

for indoor bonsai, ficus species are hard to beat but most are frost tender so cannot stay outside in winter.

Need to be wary of common names when researching plants. I'm guessing the 'olive' you refer to as native to Massachusetts will be another species that either looks like olive or has similar berries but is a US native that is referred to as olive locally. Try to find the proper name to be sure what plant is being referred to.
Many native plants can make good bonsai. Some growers actually prefer to experiment with local species rather than using the traditional Asian species. You should find lots of threads about native trees as bonsai when you start fossicking through the archives here.
 

Cadillactaste

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So you are a college student with access to having your trees outdoors. That is great! Most times we are trying to persuade ones their trees need to be outside. But ficus is usually always suggested to ones without an outside space to put trees.

I've got several things from Brent. I've always been extremely happy.
You mentioned trunk...and not being able to choose it. Typically you pay more for a tree that ones consider a specimen. Be it specimen prebonsai even. I can think of one site... which has a few lower priced specimen tree offered. If you really want to see the trunk line before purchasing. But that depends on you. But will toss it out there.
Dasu Bonsai...I myself and know of a few others who have used them. I would only again choose them over Brent if you wish to see the material you are purchasing first hand and go with their specimen tree tab to do so.
 

sorce

Nonsense Rascal
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Welcome to College!

Is New England Bonsai still a thing @LanceMac10 ?

Now is not a good time to start with a "finished tree", at least not Only a finished tree.

Go to the College Budget Bonsai Store.
Home Depot. Regular Nursery Junipers.
In Spring.

Sorce
 

Forsoothe!

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Sounds to me like you need a houseplant rather than a hardy tree which would winter outdoors. If that's true, then a fig or Arboricola Sheffelera. Shop around local Home Depot and Lowes and gardening centers, they may have something in the houseplant section.
 

Bonsai Nut

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Regardless of what anyone tells you DON'T buy any kind of conifer (juniper, pine, etc) if you plan on keeping your tree indoors (ie college dorm or apartment).

If you are looking for tropical bonsai that can be shipped, check out Wigert's Bonsai Nursery in Ft. Meyers. I have a couple of small trees from them, and I was happy with what I received. They have 10x more stock variety than what shows up on their web site.

 

coltranem

Chumono
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@bryz Check out New England Bonsai Gardens in Bellingham, MA. Should be around 30 minutes or so depending on where you are in Providence. They are closed for January but should open weekends in February.
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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Yep, excellent sources, New England Bonsai, Bellinham, MA
Evergreen Gardenworks, California
Wigert's in Fort Meyer's Florida for tropicals.

For an "indoor bonsai", I had surprising good luck with Pomegranate. Technically, they want full sun, I found them durable, able to recover from accidental droughts due to weekends away, and they wintered well in my underheated college room rentals. Summer outdoors, usually plunked into the parents backyard for the summer.

Another plant or two to consider, excellent because they do not want frequent water
Bursera - Copal, these are desert shrubs, native to southwest USA and Mexico. A pachycaul, so ignore inverse taper, it will always have zones of inverse taper. Ethnobotanical source of incense. Can keep it quite dry in winter. It grows when you water it, stops growing when you stop watering it. Mine is leafless right now. I'll water it next in April.

Operculacaryia - the elephant foot bush, or other similar common names. These are a tropical desert shrub from Madagascar, this is another pachycaul, which means inverse taper will happen, just ignore it. Really gnarly warty bark. Tiny leaves. Grows when there is heat and water. When cool, must keep it dry or it will rot. This is another one that gets weekly watering from May to September, then gets set bone dry on the shelf for the winter.
 
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