We all hear the story of, I bought a Bonsai and it died. What usually follows is a statement that Bonsai are too difficult to look after and that the person In question will not be purchasing another tree to try again. This is a shame because this is not how Bonsai is at all but unfortunately it is how majority of people start out. Here at Bonsai-En we try to provide both free and paid education that will shake the shackles off Bonsai. So lets have a look at why it seems so scary to begin with and why Bonsai is actually not as hard as it may seem.
The first biggest issue is people buying Bonsai from big box retailers, you get 2 things for your money here usually and that is 1. A half dead tree and 2. Some awful advice on how to care for it.
Now I personally think that Bonsai in big box stores are useful because this is usually the way most people find the art and are exposed to it, Bonsai nursery’s don’t have the exposure that these big box stores do so it is actually beneficial. The down side is usually these trees are kept inside out of the sunlight and are poorly cared for meaning that they are half way to failure before you purchase them.
The next issue we face is poor advice that surrounds beginners in Bonsai such as “ yes you can keep that tree indoors” or “ to water dunk it in a bucket of water once a week”. It is true that Bonsai require some special care but Require special care and are difficult to care for are 2 different things.
When it comes to Bonsai they are in a fairly small pot so watering needs to be done more regularly then a normal plant but you also cant just over water the tree, this needs to be adjusted as the weather changes so learning a few basic techniques can help you succeed, You can easily do this by visiting us on youtube by searching “Bonsai-En”.
Another shortcoming when purchasing a first tree is usually most production made Bonsai are normally Cuttings that have be planted in a Bonsai Pot. This will take a long time to actually grow. Once you have had your little tree for a little while and have learnt to care for it your next step would be to visit an actually Bonsai Nursery if you have one near by or go to a normal garden nursery and purchase some good material that has some maturity to it as this will allow you to practise Bonsai at a higher level and give you more to do and style with your little tree.
When you first start out the best advice I can give is to do a lot of research on Bonsai and how to care for them properly. If you can learn the fundamentals of bonsai you will succeed and have a hobby for life that is peaceful and brings a sense of calm to your life.
If you would like to learn more about Bonsai check us out at www.bonsai-en.shop
Enjoy Your Bonsai Journey – Bonsai-En