Can someone please tell me if this (ficus?) needs repotting? I only bought him today as a present for my brother however I only bought him from homebase (not exactly Bonsai experts) and I feel as though he's too big for his pot! Also what shape is this tree supposed to be?

I meant *repotting in the title, sorry! *sighs* iPhone autocorrect is a pain.

It is extremely difficult to tell as the pictures are sideways. I would ask why you want to re pot? You have only just got it so how do you know what it is growing like? The soil does not look good, but then that is the way these kind of "bonsai" are grown. I would hang on and see how the soil is draining first. Watering must be when the plant is starting to dry not at set times. I have no idea what country you are in so I don't know what the weather conditions are like, but I would Keep it out of draughts as they do not like it, and place the plant in a west fascing or south west window. If you have a kitchen window that will do. When watering Place in a bowl of water until the bubbles stop then allow to drain and put back in it's place.

The soil is draining very quickly, as it looked dehydrated when I bought it! Is this a good sign?

I assume you mean it looked dry when you bought it, well that is not a bad sign. There is no need at the moment to re pot ules there is a problem which I don't think there is. I would do as my previous post for a few weeks and see how it goes. Re potting is done for a reason, usually if pot bound or not draining or the plant is looking poorly. If that is not the case then there is no reason to do it.
You still have not said where you are.

Oh okay! I'm in England

I guessed that when you mentioned Homebase. Not a good place to start. Depending on where you are in England, you may be near a bonsai nursery or where there is a show coming up. That's the way to start off. I still would not re pot yet, the plant needs to settle down first and you have to get used to watering it

Hi Hollie,

You seem to have your hands on a better-than-average mall sai tree. Good news: It looks pretty decent, and you can actually turn this into a nice bonsai tree with some patience.

However, the soil it is in is typically poor for bonsai. Note how it is black; that means: Lots of organic material. Not nice, as it drains poorly, re-wetting the soil if it happens to dry out is dificault and when wet, it stays wet very long. As you are at the peak of summer, I would actually repot, in contrast with previous boarder. The reason is: Now you have lots of light, temperatures are good and the plant should be in top condition. So all the right conditions for a transplant.

However.. I would in your case find a club or a knowledgeble person who can help you with this. A good repot is a trick you have to learn, and ideally seen done, if you do not have experience growing plants. (The last I cannot judge!).

repotting later in the year, and you run out of light, which is what ficus loves! (Lots of light, moisture and high temperatures)

You can of course re pot Ficus any time of the year, but as the plant has just had a move from one environment to a different one, allowing it to settle down for a few weeks to get over the shock seems to me a good idea. The soil is usually reasonable with the Dutch imported plants and will last for a while.
The plant is not a bonsai it is a Ficus first and bonsai second,
But as I suggested it depending on where you are there may be a club nearby or a nursery that you can get some advice from. Take a look at the F.O.B.B.S web site, also bonsai4me for species guides and lots more.

Thank you, you seem very helpful this tree is for my brother so I will make sure he is aware of all of this. Also do you know what shape these 'mall sai' trees grow to? Is it like an S shape or??