Joanie

By mini bonsai, do you mean trees about 4" or less? Or shohin, which are under 10" (or 8")?

Herb Gustafson has a book out on mini bonsai, you can probably pick it up used at half.com.

It is too much information for one post... but you can search this forum for information. Any tree that can be grown for a regular sized bonsai, can usually be grown for mini bonsai.

I use a sand tray to grow mine, they are in their little pots and then are nestled in a tray full of clean horticultural sand (you can use other grainy substrates as well, like perlite or turface or scoria, as long as the grains and pretty small) The tray has a few holes, but tends to stay wet for one full day after watering. This keeps the little trees stable (because those little pots dry out, heat up, or get cold very quickly, which is the worst thing for roots) The trees grow their roots out into the sand, and once a month or so you just pick them up and twist off the roots under the pots.

You can use seeds, but you can also use cuttings, which are sometimes easier. Search the forum for "cuttings" and see how it is done. We are coming into a good time of year to take cuttings. You can even snip bits off of trees in your yard or your neighbors yards if you're careful... they are so small.

Good luck!
Joanie

__________________
"You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says,
'Wow, you're right! I never would've thought of that!'" ~ Dave Barry