[Bonsai Beginner's weekly thread - 2026 week 42]

Still a long way to go, but starting to get a vision for both. Pics 1&2 are present day and 3&4 are when I pruned and propped in June.

Apexes need a lot of work. For the cutting I would like to get the thick branch on the right bent lower, but I've gotten it as far as it will go presently. The branch coming from the center of the main trunk will eventually go when the trunk thickens up enough. Still wondering about the second trunk... It just feels off. Wondering if angling to the right in a future repot will help.

Was on holiday near Invercargill, New Zealand, and came across this little tree growing out of an old stump.

First thing I thought was how awesome it would look as a bonsai, especially with the way it’s growing sideways.

Unfortunately I was only visiting and couldn’t exactly take it home on the plane haha.

Anyone know what species it might be? And do you reckon it would’ve made a decent bonsai?

The story goes like this… See that long jin beneath the canopy?
Well, about ten years ago, when I collected this olive tree, that was actually its living crown. Unfortunately, the crown died shortly after collection, and since there was absolutely no sign of life, I was pretty sure the whole tree was dead too.
But the olea apparently had other plans.
After a while, one tiny shoot appeared. Just one. And believe it or not, the entire crown you see today grew from that little survivor.
The pot is by Mateusz Grobelny. A rather unusual pot for a rather unusual tree. Not exactly a textbook combination, but who cares?
Somehow, it all makes sense to me. A bit wild, a bit rough, a bit imperfect… just like the Adriatic coast where I live.

hi, i wanted to do tamarind bonsai. so i bought some seeds and planted them.

it’s been 2 weeks since i planted the seeds. a few seeds didnt shoot up, but most of them grow okay.

i read that i had to let them grow for a few years to grow their trunk. ground is not an option so i’m planning to put them in separate pots.

i’m in need of advice on

1. ⁠pot size/dimensions
   
2. ⁠when should i move them into their own pot

i read that i should move them when they grow leaves. but it’s only been 2 weeks (i was thinking 2 months) and their trunks are so tiny and soft so i’m afraid i would hurt them.

Hi guys. Anybody that can help here would be awesome. No clue if this is Chinese, Japanese etc

Back in 2024, someone told me local mountain soil was great for bonsai.
So I hauled several bags home. Big mistake. 😂
Along with the soil came some unwanted guests: new weeds and bugs!
Before I knew it, my rooftop bonsai garden was turning into a miniature jungle. 🌿
I even tried weedkiller… and ended up damaging or killing a few of my precious trees. 😭
Now I’m testing weed-control fabric on half of my pots.
Will it work? We’ll see!
Seven years into bonsai, and I’m still learning lessons the hard way. 😂
#Bonsai #BonsaiLife #BonsaiJourney #RooftopGarden #BonsaiMistakes #WeedControl #BonsaiGarden

I’ve been debating on whether to separate these Boxwood trunks on the spring during repotting season. I picked it up 2 years ago as a nursery stock, ball shaped shrub. First styling shown in the 4th picture. I decided to shorten right trunk this spring. I like it but it only made me think these two trunks would look better as singular trees.

Ficus natalensis approx. 20-22 years old

Advice and critique is more than welcome

The first two are the same picture with and without drawing, the third is just a couple weeks ago, before the guy wiring.

Four and five are just showing the amount of new buds after the guy wiring which allowed so much more light to the interior structure.

I collected this from between rocks on a hillside outside Johannesburg in 2023. The lowest branch is around where the soil level was- the rest of the trunk was a root winding down between large rocks. After moving into a small pot last year (2nd photo), I wired and selected branches over winter. The taper is not great but I think the tree is starting to look good. I've got a dish-shaped rock collected from the same hill that I am hoping to plant it on when it's ready for show

I have a desert rose that I pruned recently, but everywhere I cut it has only produced one branch, continuing like it was before - as though the cut is just an obstacle in the road lmao.

How do I increase ramification and branch these off in at least 2 directions after a prune?

Edit: I should add that this plant was just moved inside under light 2 days ago since it’s gotten cooler out. Over the spring/summer/fall it stays outside in full sun. I water it every few days and allow it to dry between. Fertilize frequently, (maybe more generously than I should) around once every 1-2 weeks. I repotted it about 2 months ago, around the same time that I last pruned it. It’s been a happy plant ever since - it flowered a few weeks ago.

Spent a couple of days in rome, Here are some Pics from a local Nursery :) beautiful trees and Bonus Pic of a cool seagull i saw at the colloseum

Got this one since mid 2025, so it's been a about a year and a couple months.

The previous owner has it for about 4 years, not sure if he grew it from seed.

The thing I love the most about this bonsai is its big trunk and how everything looks. Just completely in love with this one.

First styling of this Itoigawa juniper. The large branch in the back that's been cranked up to the top will be jinned in a couple years once it grows out. Worked on at Tyler Sherrod's weekend intensive at Dogwood Studios.

Monstrous Yamadory Juniper in Japan

Pinus Thunbergii Senjumaru

Restyled for a bonsai lad in Berlin, was fun and I love the foliage

Cheers

This tree has been fairly neglected in its pot for the past couple years. I only recently applied some fertilizer for the first time in a while. I’ve noticed this particular Juniper has a slightly more yellow hue compared to some of my other Junipers. I’ve been picking off the white tips, but wanted to seek information from the collective. What are these white tips? It’s like it’s failed to push new growth out of the shoot and stunted.

u/Mediocre-Trouble9716 was asking to see this, mentioned on another post about flat trunks. It's about 180mm x 80mm at the flattest point (7" x 3"), although that tapers to 25mm (1") at the edges. It's kinda triangular in cross section.

This was growing around another trunk and that trunk had a side branch growing over this, pinching it, which both lead to flatness. I attemtped to airlayer it in '21 but it didn't root that summer. Moving house that autumn, I decided to cut it and bring it with me anyway and see what happens. 2 years in recovery tunnel, and now 3 years outdoors to get properly established. I just cut it back for the first time.

The base is also weirdly shaped, what's visible at the soil line is about 200mm (8") but it gets bigger beneath the soil too, IIRC. I repotted once 2 years ago to add perlite, since I rooted it into fine peat, straight, but I didn't want to disturb it much so I have no real idea about the roots. With the rate it has grown this year, it has a lot in there. Planning proper repot in spring.