Hi everyone,

I got a bonsai tree for Christmas, and since my fingers aren't so green I thought I'd look online for some tips, starting with what kind of tree I'm dealing with! I've learned a lot from browsing this site already, and it looks like you have a really nice community going here.

I've attached some pictures of the tree; the packaging said it was an an indoor tree, and said to water it every 2 days, but didn't give much more info than that. Can anyone tell me what kind of tree it is?

A tip I found said to soak the whole thing in water for 20 minutes, which I did, and now a few days later the soil still seem quite damp so I haven't watered it again for fear of overwatering. Is this the right attitude or should I stick to watering every 2 days like the instructions say regardless of what the soil feels like?

With regard to pruning, you can see the tree has a few branches coming out near the base of the trunk, which doesn't seem very tree-like. They do contain a lot of the foliage though. Should I remove them or leave them on?

Thanks

Hi James,

Welcome to the forum! It's great to hear you have already begun familiarizing yourself with the forum. We have a great community here! There is also lots of information on our website which is very user-friendly and readily available by either going to the gray box on the upper left of this page(Main Menu)or if you place your cursor over the topics in the gray bar across the top of this page, they will automatically show you the sub-topics under each heading.

Your tree looks to be a Sageretia Theezans or Chinese Sweet Plum (also known as the Chinese Bird Plum). Here is a link to check out if you think it describes your tree. Nice tree by the way! www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/sageretia-theezans

As for soaking the whole pot in water...that seems to be debatable thoughout the bonsai world. I have read from a couple of very reliable sources that soaking your tree in water causes a much faster build-up of salts in the soil which, if left too long, can kill most trees. So they have to be carefully monitored for salt levels and repotted more often. I personally prefer to water from the top and give it a good soaking until water drains freely from the bottom of the pot. And no, don't water every two days regardless of what the soil feels like. You must water according to your tree's specific needs. Although the Sageretia likes to remain moist without drying out completely, that doesn't mean soggy. Soil that is kept constantly soggy will result in root rot. I have taken those natural skewer sticks, cut them into 5 inch lengths and marked them at 1 inch on each end. I stick these down into the soil of my plants to the 1 inch mark and leave them for 15 or longer. If they come out dry or near dry, your plant needs watering.

Your plant needs time to adjust to it's new home so don't do any pruning for now. Where you live in the world (and what season you are having) makes a big difference too. Thanks for sharing such great photos. It would be great if you could share some more photos of your tree's structure from different angles...for planning future pruning. Hope this helps!

Welcome James,

Nice pictures, leslie is correct. Allow the tree to grow a while before you do any pruning. This will allow you the opportunity to study the trees structure and make a plan for her future.

That is my Favorite part

Hope to hear and see more pictures of your trees in the forum.