My son really wants to get into Bonsai. What is the best type to start with? He wants some that looks like the ones in "Karate Kid", he considers them real Bonsai. I forgot to add he does not have the patience to start the first one from seed.
A very generous person of GW sent him a couple that was about five years old & looked great. I'm sorry to report, when Ivan blew my roof off, that was the end of his collection. They looked really bad after living under the ceiling for a couple of weeks. LOL.
Any advice will be appreciated.
Thanks Robin
Best starter Bonsai?
For an indoor plant it would be hard to beat a variegated weeping fig. A lot of succulents are good because they are slow growing and don't require as much water.
For outdoors, a lot of junipers are good, Japanese maples are a bit trickier (if they run out of water then the leaves start drying up), and florist azaleas put on a good show as long as you keep them watered.
Thank you for responding. Can you get the weeping fig at some place like Home Depot? What about Jap. Cherry? I think that is what Jeremy called it. LOL.
Thanks Robin
I don't know about the Jap. Cherry, need the botanical name.
I have an unnamded small leaved maple that is more than 20 years old. Has had some tough times. One thing I did learn was to keep it out of full sun as the container gets too hot and burns the roots. so now I keep it fairly close to the north side of the house, where it get light but not direct sun.
Plus all my bonsai have their own drip system on timers, which is a great help, but they still have to be checked oftern as a hose can become disconnected or some other problem develop. I have lost several bonsai to that water problem.
DonnaS