Hi, there! I am very new to bonsai, by way of a general love for gardening and plants. On Friday, I will be receiving a Japanese maple sapling. I have already ordered and received a bonsai pot, solid and liquid fertilizer, and bonsai soil. After doing some reading today, I am afraid I jumped the gun, and that my sapling is actually not ready for a bonsai pot. Can anyone confirm?

This is the description from the sapling seller of my plant:

I grew these Japanese maples from seed then planted them in a 2 1/4" nursery pot.

They are from seed from Japan. Standard Japanese maple. No special cultivar. Red leaves (last pics) in the fall and spring. Green leaves in the summer with a tinge of red.

Please note that the pictured tree is just an example; if your to buy one it may have a larger or slightly smaller trunk.

Also, if you buy during the winter season they will come without leaves.

All will be well established in their container and have a least 1 growing season and be fully rooted in, most with roots growing out the bottom of the drain holes.

The last picture is of the beautiful fall color from this season.

The height will range from 8-12 inches, some may be slightly larger.

They have been trimmed back multiple times a year to encourage low back budding for future bonsai use.

jakobonsai wrote:

and that my sapling is actually not ready for a bonsai pot. Can anyone confirm?

Yes, I can confirm that.
Wait for it to grow.
Don't kill it.

What size pot should I plant it in? Should I use the bonsai soil? How about the bonsai fertilizers?

At what point do you know its ready to bonsai? [/attachment]

jakobonsai wrote:

What size pot should I plant it in?

For now, a regular nursery plastic or terracotta vase, not too big.

jakobonsai wrote:

Should I use the bonsai soil?

Yes, the fine (not coarse) one; but if your watering is mastered, you can keep the organic nursery soil.

jakobonsai wrote:

How about fertilizers?

I use Biogold, OsmocotePlus, or Basecote.

jakobonsai wrote:

At what point do you know its ready to bonsai?

In five to ten years.

5-10 years?! Mind blown.

jakobonsai wrote:

5-10 years?! Mind blown.

From seed to bonsai regularly takes 20 years. Some trees in Japan are 100+ years from cutting, and still in the owners' eyes not ready to be displayed.
Bonsai is marathon, not sprint.

I planted the sapling in a 6 inch terra cotta pot and used this soil below. Was this soil the "course" kind that I shouldn't have used? I seem to have missed the message earlier not to use coarse soil. Although it is similar to what the sapling arrived in. The only other thing I have at the moment is regular potting soil.

This soil looks OK to me.

Thank you for your helpful response. My plan is to keep it in a place that gets early sun, but late afternoon shade. And to water when dry ... possibly daily. I am in Texas and it is very hot. Does this sound good? I have been doing my reading, but I want to be sure. There is always a certain amount of misinfo out there! Lastly, can I go ahead and start fertilizing (per the directions of course) ?

Sounds like a plan!

I think that you mean that the shade if for the hottest part of the day right? Say, from 12, 1PM onward?