just got my first bansai... what should I do first? (MASSIVE Embedded Pics)

FenixDown

Its a Gardenia I ordered online. I'm planning on keeping it indoors (I read that I could... is that correct?). So, what should I do first? Do I need to wait for it to get fully green again before doing anything to it? The company I ordered from said it might get this way during shipping and that its normal.

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Mopar32985

Im also a noob so i cant tell you that much . Just wanted to say it looks like a nice started. Best thing i can say it to do plenty of searches online. Good luck

treebeard55

Those whitish leaves look as if they've lost chlorophyll during shipping. Best to put the tree in bright indirect light until those leaves recover or are replaced.

Sorry I can't offer more species-specific advice, but I'm not at all familiar with gardenias.

Best of luck, and welcome to the world of bonsai!

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Treebeard 55

"To do bunjin is easy. However, to do a bunjin masterpiece is difficult." -- Susumu Nakamura, at MBS '07

kedori

Don't touch it. Those white leaves are simply the undersides of the green leaves. Just give this little tree some light and let it grow. Once frost season has passed, set the tree outside, in partial shade at first, then in full sun. Don't do anything else for 6-12 months. At that time, start pruning and shaping it (if you like).

SlapSlapSlappy

Sorry, I don't know much about the species. Let the frost season pass (as someone else said), and then put it outside. For a beginner, it's a bit hard to keep plants inside. Most of the people on here have really nice lighting systems, and that's how they get the growth inside. With it being in the window, there's a risk of the leaves burning from the magnification of the sun.

So put it outside, and then when it's ready, put it in the ground, or in a large pot so the trunk can thicken up. You should keep it in the ground or in the large pot for about 3 years, and in that time let it grow wild, you don't have to do any trimming, because you're wanting the trunk to thicken. Right now it's in shock because it was in shipping, so let it acclimate first. Put it in a place where it gets sun, but not too much, and have a humidity tray (a tray with pebbles underneath the pot, filled with water) to keep the humidity up.

This may all seem confusing, but in that 12 months it's getting used to your climate, and the time that you are letting it grow wild, you can read. Read books, read the forum, read articles, read anything. Join a local club (local clubs help you a bunch) and bring in your tree to receive feedback.

Have fun!!

Mcspeed

Bonsai practices are generally stressfull to a tree, so anything done should be when the tree is healthy and vigorous.

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FenixDown

I live in Texas, so there isn't really a full-fledged frost season here, and what little there is has already passed. So I should just stick it outside then? I can't put it in the ground because I'm in an apartment, so I need to put it in a bigger pot? Should I wait for it to be fully green? What kind and how big of a pot should I use?

treebeard55

What part of Texas, please? Texas qualifies as its own climatic region! Amarillo gets plenty of frost, I believe, while I've seen Ficus benjamina for sale as landscape plants in the Valley.

Texas also, by the way, has quite a few good bonsai clubs. There's probably one near you.

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Treebeard 55

"To do bunjin is easy. However, to do a bunjin masterpiece is difficult." -- Susumu Nakamura, at MBS '07

SlapSlapSlappy

If you don't have any frosts or cold snaps coming up (like me) stick it outside and let live. I would research all you can about your plant first, and know when to repot it. When it is time to repot it, plant it in a grow box (made out of wood, square generally shallow but allows the roots to grow to the side), or a large black nursery pot. Keep it in that for about 3 years (or longer depending on how fast the trunk thickens), and then you will have something nice to work on.

If you don't want to wait 3 years, you can go to Home Depot and buy some $5 garden junipers, and practice techniques on them that you learn. You can have one tree that you work on for wiring, one tree that you practice your pruning on, and maybe another tree you can just observe to see the growing style. Don't worry if these $5 trees die at all, they're not supposed to live.

I agree, join a club in your area. You will then have ready access to quality bonsai supplies (usually at lower than market prices), access to raffles to buy plants that people are passing on, along with winning pots, stands, and other bonsai essentials. You will also have the experience along to go with you, and you make new friends along the way.