Bonsai Trees for Beginners: Different Options for Starting Your Bonsai Tree

'Bonsai Trees for Beginners: Different Options for Starting Your Bonsai Tree'

Article by Stephanie Sy

When growing your first bonsai tree or trees, one of the things you have to decide on is at what point in the development of a bonsai to start with. There are many choices for the beginner bonsai trainer given the many different ways that bonsai can be propagated.

Obviously, your skill level and your expectations will influence which starter bonsai is best for you. To help you along, here are some basic information about the many ways of propagating bonsai trees and each one’s pros and cons.

Bonsai from seeds

It can be a very rewarding experience to have cared for a bonsai tree from seed to maturity and this is certainly something that many bonsai artists will love to try at least once in their lifetime.

Fulfilling as it may be, it does have some drawbacks. Foremost among these is the amount of time you will spend waiting and caring for your tree before it reaches the stage where it can be properly trained. Depending on the tree variety, this can take 4 to 5 years or even more.

Growing bonsai from seed also means creating the conditions necessary for a seed to thrive and grow into a tree. A seed is more fragile that a tree that is already established, and caring for it will entail a lot of patience and attentiveness on your part.

Bonsai from cuttings

Another way of raising bonsai is from cuttings. For a beginner, choosing to raise a bonsai from cuttings offer several advantages. For one, the tree itself is more mature, which means it is easier to care for. It also means there is less waiting time before it can be ready for training. Finally, a cutting will already reveal the natural tendencies of the tree, helping you determine the type of styling that will be appropriate to it.

For some beginners, however, waiting about a year for the cuttings to be ready may still represent a long wait.

Bonsai from air or ground layering

Raising bonsai from air or ground layering carries similar advantages to raising a bonsai from cuttings. The bonsai itself is more mature when it is planted. This shortens the time you need to wait before it becomes suitable for training. The natural form of the tree is also apparent since the trunk is already present.

Bonsai tree from a bonsai nursery.

You also have the option to purchase a young bonsai tree from a bonsai nursery that is already ready to be trained. This is a good option for beginners who are raring to try their hands at training a bonsai tree. Just be sure to purchase it from a reputable nursery to make sure that it has been raised properly.

To learn more about how to grow bonsai trees for beginners, visit our site http://www.maple-bonsai.com. Here you will learn techniques on how to care for the popular bonsai tree specimens such as the japanese red maple bonsai and the juniper bonsai.

About the Author

Stephanie Sy also writes for Maple-Bonsai.comPlease visit our site to lear more about maple bonsai care and styling tips.

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