Step by step help please!

[Pkakes707]

Hi all!
I got a bonsai kit for a fun project for the family as my mother-in-law had mentioned bonsai and my husband expressed interest. It turns out I’m totally addicted to these little sprouts. I had some hiccups with about half my seeds, which I looked up solutions, retried and 2 of the 4 problem children are finally sprouting. The Brazilian rosewood sprouted twice then died 2 days later both times.
My problem is now I don’t know what to do! Everything I see says to wait a year before repotting, but it’s only been a few months and I’d like to keep each one that sprouted. Also, my flame tree is growing like it’s on steroids! I don’t know if/how/what I’m supposed to cut to make it a bonsai. Do I cut roots, do I cut branches/leaves? Do I wire it now or is it too early?! I can’t find anything online about little trees like mine, just well established ones that are already bonsai. By the way my flame tree is growing, I’ll have a full size tree by the time it’s supposed to go outside after winter!
Any advice is much appreciated!
And the one that refuses to sprout is the Siberian elm. I’ve attached a photo
They are on a heating mat (temp gauge in Brazilian rosewood), i just lowered the temp to 70. In a south facing window. The 3 on the green tray are the problem children that gets covered with a clear cover (mini greenhouse).

 

[Wulfskaar]

I started a similar kit in August and another in September. I had a lot of the same questions.

Yours look healthier than mine. I think it might be a year or two before I could even begin training the tree with wire or cutting. I think at this point, just keep letting it grow.

 

[Zach Smith]

From seed to bonsai is a multi-year, multi-step process. All you can/should do now is grow out your starts. Don't even think about cutting or wiring anything at this time. Next spring, you can consider wiring some movement into the trunks of your starts if you plan to container-grow them to size. But again, growth is the key. It's the only thing you need right now.

 

[Njyamadori]

If your starting from seed your doing it wrong. Go on 99 cent bonsai on Facebook and bid on some auctions !

 

[jimib]

I’d just let them grow for now. While that’s going on I would figure out what kind of trees grow well in my area and research the living hell out of them. Then start looking for some pre-Bonsai start to working with. Along the way, find a club in your area, and if you can’t find one look at some of the online courses. The main thing is learning how to keep them healthy in your particular climate. Pruning, wiring and trimming a dead tree isn’t near as fun.

 

[cheap_walmart_art]

Just some additional information on starting from seed - here are some samples of what you're looking at:

This is a Japanese Black Pine I started from seed early this year. Coming up on it's first birthday in February.



Here is a shimpaku juniper cutting that has grown for 2.5 years in this pot and will be up potted this spring.



Finally, here is a procumbens juniper that has been grown and staked using regular nursery techniques of heavy peat and bark and regular up potting. Started from a cutting 4-5 years ago. This one is just now getting to the size and health to have it's first styling and possible repotting into bonsai soil.



All of which is just to show that starting from seed or cuttings is a great way to get material, but it's time consuming and unless you're some weirdo that gets overly excited about seeing new roots (guilty) you will likely find a lot of fulfillment by picking up some trees further along to work with until your kit trees get to a good workable size and bursting with vigor.

Here are some great links to get your mind turning:

Evergreen Gardenworks Bonsai Beginners Page

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6Be1yc3twL60MK0Zz8CqWgox25W0G6lG

 

[Shibui]

There is not just one way to develop bonsai, even from seed.
You can transfer seedlings to individual pots at any time from tiny seedlings through to several years old. Usually they grow a bit faster with the extra space of their own pots but they do almost as well in a community pot if you water correctly and feed regularly.
I prefer to trim the roots at transplant so they will grow lots of lateral roots for future nebari but many people are frightened to do that and just transplant the seedlings with roots intact and defer any root trimming until later. Either way will eventually produce good bonsai.
BTW, root pruning does not keep bonsai small or make good bonsai. It simply allows new space in the small pots for fresh roots to grow and allows us to replace old, worn out soil in the pots.

Some tree species don't mind being indoors and a few sub tropicals must be kept protected from cold. Most of the species we use for bonsai do not really like conditions inside a house. Many just grow slower and slower until they die unless you have really perfect conditions. The vast majority of our bonsai do far better outdoors, even when they are small seedlings. You will just need to manage watering because sun and wind can dry them out quicker than indoors.

How you develop your little seedlings from here will depend on your preference for bonsai. Some people just want small trees in pots without any real regard to shape or appearance. Some of us want to develop older looking trees that can tell a story to viewers.
To grow simple trees in pots just let them grow for a year. Then trunks can be shaped by either wiring or pruning or a combination. From then on just trim off the ends of any branches that get too long.
To grow thicker trunks with appearance of age takes much longer. Generally the seedlings are allowed to grow quite tall, often in larger pots or even in the ground, for a couple of years so the trunks get thick then we prune them hard. usually this results in lots of new shoots forming and they are then allowed to grow freely for a few more years then pruned again. Wiring to create some shape may also be undertaken during the grow phase. Repeat until the trunk is satisfactory then begin to shape branches. Eventually transplant into a bonsai container. You can see that this process can take many years to develop a really good bonsai tree which is why some will suggest starting with older trees rather than seedlings. Good bonsai is a marathon not a sprint to finish.

Hopefully there are a few ideas for you to consider for your little trees. There are plenty of other spots with info and a few have already been suggested. Just remember there are many different ways to proceed so when you come across conflicting info it is generally an indication that different methods can work.

 

[Pkakes707]

Just some additional information on starting from seed - here are some samples of what you're looking at:

This is a Japanese Black Pine I started from seed early this year. Coming up on it's first birthday in February.

View attachment 346037

Here is a shimpaku juniper cutting that has grown for 2.5 years in this pot and will be up potted this spring.

View attachment 346038

Finally, here is a procumbens juniper that has been grown and staked using regular nursery techniques of heavy peat and bark and regular up potting. Started from a cutting 4-5 years ago. This one is just now getting to the size and health to have it's first styling and possible repotting into bonsai soil.

View attachment 346039

All of which is just to show that starting from seed or cuttings is a great way to get material, but it's time consuming and unless you're some weirdo that gets overly excited about seeing new roots (guilty) you will likely find a lot of fulfillment by picking up some trees further along to work with until your kit trees get to a good workable size and bursting with vigor.

Here are some great links to get your mind turning:

Evergreen Gardenworks Bonsai Beginners Page

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6Be1yc3twL60MK0Zz8CqWgox25W0G6lG

Great! Thank you!

 

[sorce]

And the one that refuses to sprout is the Siberian elm.

It might not and you may not want it to!

Thread 'New Mexico’s trash tree, the Siberian elm....progression' https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/new-mexico’s-trash-tree-the-siberian-elm-progression.40752/

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

 

[LemonBonsai]

You should search up "growing bonsai from seed" on youtube by nigel saunders. His 3 part series is really nicely explained and he gets great results from seeds.

Growing bonsai from seeds isnt "wrong" its just the slow way. And if your ok with waiting 5 to 10 years to have something that is on its way to being a nice bonsai, go for it! I know I am . Bonsai is very calming so I dont mind waiting the rest of my life to get some nice trees.

If you dont have that much patience and would like to have nice trees now then yes buy older trees, even nursery stock will do.

But I still recommend nigel saunders!