Hello,
I just started my Bonsai journey several months ago (September I think) and I am trying to grow two Flame trees, Jacaranda tree and a red Juniper. I had the Jacaranda on a heating mat but then I read that they shouldn't be grow on a heating mat because the leaves would be out of proportion to the plant. Is that true? I was also wondering when I can start pruning both species of trees? Finally, is there anything I need to know before I go any further? Thank you so much for any feedback you can give,
J. Jecko

You can start to prune whenever you want.

Pruning itself is not the goal in bonsai. The best time to start is when it will support your final goal, time frame and method to get there.

Please share a photo of your tree and tell us what you want to create from it. Style and size.

I would like my tree to be the typical bonsai i.e small tree, straight trunk, branches tapering to the top, rounded at the top. May I send a picture from google and mine own to you guys or should I just send my own ( I was just thinking that maybe you could envision it more with a picture)? Lastly I have two health questions about my Flame tree: My will have two branches and when it is growing a third one of the first branches dies and then later on when there are three branches the other first one dies. How can I get my tree to keep its branches? I was thinking maybe it wasn't growing season so it was only growing what it needed to survive. Is that possible?Finally, my tree's leaves fold up at night and I was watching a video (about repotting your tree) and they said it does that at night. I was just wondering if you guys knew why it does that? Thank you so much for all the help. I love being able to talk to experts rather watching a video that might make no sense to a beginner.Thanks again,J. Jecko

This is not a bonsai question, you have not yet started your bonsai Journey.

This may sound harsh, but the reality is that bonsai is created from mature trees. What you have there is seadlings. It takes at least 10 years before you can start your bonsai Journey.

In order to do things as fast as possible you can plant the trees in biggest possible pot or if your local climate alows in the ground outdoors. Absolutelly no pruning for 5 years.

Oh, yes.....You are not growing junipers indoors, are you? Junipers are temperate species that dies indoors.

I was going to grow my Juniper inside, but then I saw a post of someone who had gotten a Juniper from his GF and someone wrote not to grow Junipers inside so I brought it back outside. You guys have been so helpful!
J. Jecko

I'm sorry that I keep pestering you with questions but I have one more. I just read that the Flame tree needs to be kept in a dark cool place on your site and I was wondering if my saplings need that as well or should I just keep them under my grow light like I do with the Jacaranda?

Maybe someone with experience in the species may ship in and give better information.

Meanwhile, I can tell that all species I have grown. Temperate, subtropical or tropicals all do better in winter if kept cold. But always keep the species minimum temperature in mind. Which for delonix regia is slightly below 0c.

If your tree behavied as it should and shed it's leafs in authum, light will not be needed until spring. If it is behaving as an evergreen, some light may be needed. But be careful with grow light as they heat up the area.

There is a story I have heard numerous times in the US about an old Swedish carpenter advising a young carpenter that success comes when you measure twice and cut once. The point of the story is to figure out what to do correctly before you do something. (Tropfrog is asking, "Swedish?" I have no idea where the story really comes from.)

Don't ask one person about a tree like Flametree. Ask several. look at a couple of different websites. Figure out how the climate of the person writing the advice compares to yours. When they say, "Spring" or "April" how does that compare to your climate? Weight advice according to climate, etc. Listen very carefully to bonsai experienced folks in your town. They know the climate. (Probe gently asking how old their tree is. If they have kept it alive 30 years, they know something.)

Research a lot, then get a tree and work on it. Remember you can cut a branch off but you can't put it back on.

That just can’t be me. I always measure three times, cut one and swear two times afterwards . Good advice Ivan!

We have members on this forum from Brazil where this tree is imported to and used as a garden tree. I was hoping for one of them to reply.

I have never seen a long term healthy flame tree grown indoors in temperate climate. However, we don't yet know the location of this tree in particular.

I think this is a case of one or the other. OP have two species, one of them have the potential for long term health. The juniper if OP is in temperate region, the flame tree if OP is in sub tropuc or tropic region.

I live in the southern United States of America (Carolinas). So in the summer we have tropical or sub- tropical weather, but in the winter we can get to low twenties or even teens. So currently I have my Bonsai saplings under a grow light in my house. My juniper however, is outside year round.