Welcome Annaliz and Falfeir. Falfeir, it sounds like you are taking a step in the right direction. I would hope that your number of questions increased after reading/learning some. That sounds like the same path I have been on. The more I learn the more questions I have.

I'm from Washington State in the US and just getting into bonsai. I was gifted a Chinese Elm for Christmas and hope to learn about its care on this forum. I tried growing one from seed last year and it did not succeed. This one says it is an outdoor Bonsai however it came from Miss. And winters are not as cold there. For now I have it in a garden window which gets cold at night but not like freezing temps outside. I am recently retired and hope to possibly raise several bonsai, though knowing how long it takes, I may continue working with ones already on their way rather than trying any more from seed . As I read through, it is fun to see there are people from all over the world raising bonsai....

Welcome to the Empire!

Growing from seed is a lot of fun though. I would recommend doing the one, and not leaving the other out. So do get a few good plants to work on (Flip through the forum and read up a little on bonsai before you make any purchases; There is a lot of junk for sale!). And grow some from seed. If you are in the Northern hemisphere, now is an excellent time to sow seeds; It will be just in time to give the seeds a cold period of a few months, to initiate germination using natural stratification (www.growingbonsai.net/breaking-dormancy-by-species/)

Hi All. I'm from Cape Town, South Africa. Started with Bonsai in September 2016 after receiving a bonsai starter kit as a birthday present from my wife. I couldn't wait for the seeds to grow then went and bought a few pre-bonsai. These pre-bonsai probably just needs to be allowed to grow freely for a couple of years with my primary focus probably being the nebari and fattening of the trunk. I also have many Ficus Natalensis and Monkey Thorn seedlings and have started the germinating of Japanese White Pine and Sargent Juniper Seeds (might have started too early with these as it is mid summer in Cape Town). I also have a Chinese Elm (Semi-Cascade & Informal Upright) which most likely is the oldest of the trees I have. This Elm dropped more than half its leaves since i purchased it (during Late spring/early summer), but with some advice from one of the Bonsai Nurseries here, it survived and now has beautiful new dark green leaves, and still pushing out new growth.

For the moment i am focused on learning as much as i can and KEEPING MY TREES HEALTHY.

There is so much to learn about bonsai and so much this art can teach us as human beings...so yes please, i am up for it!!!

Hi All,

My name is Tommy. i am from Ireland. have always had a love for bonsai and trees in general. one of my favorite pastimes is walking in the woods. unfortunately the Irish weather is to harsh for most of the commonly used species. i purchased a banyan ficus from the local garden center as i was told this was the best tree for an absolute beginner. i look forward to reading/learning more about this wonderful art.

i will try do as much research as i can before i ask a question.

Hi Tommy ad Juno,

welcome to the emire.
Tommy, I think you would be surprised how many species do very well in your climate. Just stop going to garden centres for bonsai. Join a local club, Have a bit of a read to see. Ligustrum, beech, oak, hawthorn, yew, maples, etc all do very well. (I would dare say that in Europe, Ireland has a very moderate climate. Not harsh at all)

Hi to all good people here.

I guess its already time for me to make little introduction about myself here. So, I am 38 yo guy living in Sofia, Bulgaria (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofia) who has passion for small trees in pots, Bonsai and trees in general. I started some years ago with one indoor pre Chinese Elm and one Chinese Plum. Very unfortunately both died due to my lack of knowledge and experience and me not prepared to handle that fragile trees. I really felt bad after the loss, lost confidence in myself and decided that I should give up my passion, at least for a while. Not long ago, I saw a cool Ficus Microcarpa Ginseng in our local IKEA store and though I know these are not Bonsai and are usually in bad shape I decided to go for one and restore my "Bonsai" activity. Since then my passion came back like a storm. Reading articles about trees and Bonsai all over internet, downloading pdf books, watching youtube videos - trying to obtain as much information and knowledge possible, so this time I dont kill an innocent tree. I really hope I will develop my skills in future and there will be time coming when I will be able to go with real Bonsai stuff. But first things first, so far I train with my Microcarpa and just learning to keep the tree healthy and running. I am trying to learn all bout it and the Ficuses in general. I may be getting another Microcarpa for training purposes and then may be a real bonsai Ficus, will see. Ok, thats all about me for know, if you want to know more or have questions, drop a message, will be happy to chat with you.

Cheers,
Alex

Hello to everyone!

hello everyone...
i'm za from indonesia, i'm 24 years old and i started bonsai since 5 month ago...
and i'm very glad can join in this forum, many knowledge i have in this forum and i keep learn and learn to make a good bonsai.
hope you all the master keep suport the newbie...
thank you...

Hi everyone,
My name is Chuck and I live in southern New Jersey (in USA). I've had multiple small trees (mostly mallsai) over the last 20-25 years and have always found them beautiful and fascinating. Killed them all of course, out of ignorance and/or bad information sources. The last two years my wife and daughter brought me home small trees from the Philadelphia Flower Show, and to my delight I have kept them alive! It has given me hope, and rekindled the real interest in bonsai again. Now that my two children are older I have felt that it is time to start a hobby for myself again.
For the past several months I have been reading/watching/learning so much. I've acquired tools, mixed my own soil, and really examined the trees I have (serissa -variegated, and portulacaria afra... both about 4-5 years old). I've created extensive notes on my trees, soils, techniques and more, and I also plan on joining a local bonsai group to get some real mentoring.
The serissa was initially in the style of a cascade, and has had a lot of growth over the year. The jade lost many leaves in the first year I had it, but has grown very well the past year.
I repotted the serissa a couple weeks ago in the new soil for the first time, and pruned significantly (it was starting its "Spring" growth), and plan on it being semi-cascade. If it survives, I will let it grow for many months before the next pruning. I plan on repotting the jade soon as well, with even better drainage soil. This one needs it.
I'm also trying to propagate some of the serissa cuttings, and will do the same with the jade cuttings. We'll see how it goes. In a month or so I plan on making some treks to see if I can discover some nursery plants to shape down the road, or even find some wild small plants.
So I'm new here to the forum, and very new to the world of bonsai. Very happy about both!
Thanks and hope to talk to, and learn from you all soon.
Chuck