Hey everyone,
Recently I was gifted a small ficus retusa bonsai. As it is the first bonsai I've owned, I'm at a bit of a loss, and any directional advice on shaping or improving the overall appearance of the tree would be much appreciated. Any pointers regarding care would also be appreciated. Currently it is positioned indoors by a window where it receives full sunlight for most of the day.

I'm thinking of transplanting it to a larger pot, and growing it larger, but that's about all I've got

Hi,

Welcome to the forum.

You have a nice plant. Just note that as far as bonsai goes, this is not really a bonsai, but rather a commercial product sold as bonsai, typically referred to as mallsai..

I would just enjoy the plant as it is, and not try to do too much to it.

It's called the F. Retusa 'Ginseng' and I think the only thing to define it the one the OP has as a Bonsai in my view is the fact it is in a Bonsai pot. Where I got my Juniper from I saw a few Ginseng trees exactly like that in an indoor section of the nursery where they sold things to decorate the home, but they weren't in Bonsai pots and nor were they sold as Bonsai trees. So IMHO it isn't even a Mallsai. A tree that isn't a Bonsai tree but which is sold as one.

BonsaiMackem wrote: So IMHO it isn't even a Mallsai. A tree that isn't a Bonsai tree but which is sold as one.

I agree with that.