@sorce do I still have my first tree? If your asking ...well mine would be a pathetic juniper with glued rocks...wintered with poor direction. Once froze you don't water them. I am not sure I rescued it before it died...and killed it with winter. Or...bought it dead and it just lost color. But...my first bonsai would be mallsai with glued rocks. Like many before me...and those after.
Not the first I killed...tried to keep a tree in the house when it was a temperate tree over winter. Treated it as a tropical...it declined and died. Lesson learned: Some zoned trees for your area... one has a higher success rate with.
I have also lost trees from my regulator on my propane tank...faulty allowing moisture into the tanks. During Arctic cold temps...I lost most my tropicals. They sulked...we fixed the furnace...the temps warmed and the regulator went unnoticed until the second round which was not long enough of a distance to allow tropicals to recover. Only my mature bougainvillea survived.
Lesson learned: Life throws curve balls. Tropicals aren't my thing.
I learned how to winter trees thanks to Judy...and the artic spell...didn't lose a one outside in my cold greenhouse. We all grow on our journey...but I think most have killed trees.
Lost one to V. Wilt...one to a water mold fungus...I can't say I have repotted out of season though. Nor collected yard items out of season. (Two still in pots the weeping ryusen and the tamarix) .
May have lost one to a bird...it built a nest in my juniper...knocking over my shimpaku. Wired in to the pot the substrate fell out...setting in the hot sun for a good day. It's yellowing a lovely fall color. (My favorite trees...are wired down now if small enough for a fat mourning dove to knock over. Lessons learned.)
We lose trees...if we learn a lesson then we have grown. But stacking a deck against oneself no one wants...even you. Not sure why the comment on first tree? But...I learned a lesson from it. KNOW FOR SURE THE ONE OFFERING ADVICE UNDERSTANDS THE CONCEPT OF WHAT YOU ARE ASKING. Wait to see if more than one is in agreement or against it. If no one comments...look into the past posts and trees of the one offering advice. Early on...I did receive poor direction...most likely by ones who read things and didn't know first hand.
Well, seems I fell down a rabbit hole...anyone willing to give a gal A hand and pull her up out of it? Lol