Hello All! Bran New to Bonsai!

[YahtzeeFish]

Hi everyone!

Just started to bonsai! I got what I believe to be a coastal redwood, and Juniperus, Chamaecyparis, Pinus, & Cryptomeria (from left to right on the bottom picture). I believe they are all coniferous trees. Any considerations I should have in mind? When should I start wiring them and pruning them? I assume before summer official starts...

better pictures to come!

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Welcome to the Nut House!


Personally, if I were you, I'd plant those guys into the ground to let them grow and fatten up. Bonsai is all about taking small trees and making them look big, but these are a bit too small to begin training. They'll need a couple of years to gain some girth.

 

[milehigh_7]

First off, welcome to the Nut House and the addiction. Next, I would tell you that you are going to be receiving a bunch of suggestions and be very open. Most of us jumped into bonsai with preconceived notions of what was involved and the folks here will tell you truth that you need to be successful.

I can spot a few things that jump out at me immediately however I will make one suggestion and wait for some of the others to chime in. Go to this site and read everything:

http://www.evergreengardenworks.com/articles.htm

There are many other places but that will get you started.

 

[JudyB]

Welcome.

Your trees are cute, but they are too small to begin to train. If you prune them, it'll just slow down the growth that they need to put on. You should read as much as you can about how to care for them, and consider putting them in the ground as suggested.

 

[YahtzeeFish]

I will read up. Thanks for the advice. I'm glad I found this nut house. I didn't prune the small roots, which I did learn about but I did shake out all the debris in the roots.

Based on what I have come to understand is I should have put them in smaller pots. It sounds like the ground would have been better. I just wanted a lot of space because I thought they would like the new dirt. Should I replant them in the ground? I think I should trim off the dead leaves and branches. I feel like they are already in shock so I shouldn't uproot them again. Another question I have is should I cover up the roots more?

Here's a closer look at my plants.