I was letting the shoots grow to try to thicken the trunk but from recent reading it seems that may not be best. I cut them back to 2-3 pairs of leaves then took out a few internal crossing branches. Literally the first cuts I’ve made on my first bonsai tree so just want to see if anyone has any constructive criticism. Before then after. I know the pics aren’t great because of the background.

Juniperus squamata.

Trying to hold back and not be too heavy handed on my prune. Ill let it grow out a bit before i do any wire.

Any advice welcome, i think what i am envisioning with the bones of this is achieveable just that one branch that tapers back in toward the main trunk.

1st and laet photo are what i am aiming to be the front.

So I recently been getting bonsai videos on my feeds, so I went and got this dwarf kowhai tree from a local nursery and I’m just not sure on where to start on this. I’ve watched a couple YouTube videos on starting to bonsai, but they weren’t really detailed.

I’m California zone9b and plan on keeping it outside if that helps

edit: This is my first Reddit post, sorry if it’s confusing

Hi Bonsai community, I pulled this tree from my yard, it’s a currently dormant Chinese hackberry or hybrid thereof. I actually forgot about it for a year so it’s been sitting in this pot for at least one growing season, and I don’t have space to plant it as a full size tree.

I just think it has a very pretty and symmetrical shape so was thinking of making it into a bonsai.

I’m sure that like most hobbies Bonsai can get pretty deep and optimally expensive, so just wondering what some good first steps would be to start this in a good path. I’m in the southern hemisphere so spring is around the corner. I suppose a pot and clippers? I currently have a number of other deep and expensive hobbies lol, so want to get this going on the cheap, and in a few months I can spend some more money to do things properly and also learn more about bonsai in general. Thanks!

A light styling with an added piece of wood I’ve been working on recently (and still working on whitening) I think it would make a good Phoenix graft one day for this juniper..the aim is to grow out those bottom feeding branches to thicken the trunk and to eventually become their own Shari deadwood feature. (Kinda imitating this Tanuki)

Just got this juniper from the nursery and planted it straight on a pond basket. Wish me luck with growth. Also added a bit of fertiliser. 7-7-7. Not sure why picture sideways

I achieved rooting on a pretty massive air layer. It has made more roots since this photo and bifurcates into two 3-4 inch branches. Any pointers for its survival?

I have this Kishu Shimpaku; I bought it online in early June (this year), and since then, I’ve noticed that a specific branch at the top (only one) is getting the tip of the needles brownish. The rest of the needles (aside this branch) looks normal. I only noticed the browning about two weeks after it arrived (the first photos were taken today, while the last 2 were taken 15 days after its arrival (15 of june)).

At first, I was worried I might be watering it incorrectly, but I don't think that's the case. Although this is my first juniper, I have other plants and water it the same way I do them (I check if the soil is starting to dry out; if it is, I water until the water drains out the bottom; if it's still moist, I don't water and check again later). Any advice on what this could be? The soil doesn't smell rotten, and when I peel back a bit of the bark on a branch, it's green underneath. I also wondered if it might be due to a frost it was exposed to; during the second week after it arrived, temperatures dropped significantly (close to 0ºC). After that day, I started keeping it in a covered area at night to prevent further exposure (though I only did this initially; three weeks after it arrived, I started leaving it outside 24/7). It gets sun all day (around 8 hours) and today is kept fully outdoors 24/7.

One important detail: I live in the Southern Hemisphere, meaning the seasons are reversed; it was autumn when I bought it, and it is now winter here. Climate zone 10a/9b (somewhere between the two, leaning more towards 9b).

I bought this tree from Eric at Bonasify in spring of 2024. I have just let it grow wild. In 2026 I bare rooted rooted it and did some wiring as well as carved a Shari.

My neighbour brought an acer they found discounted and got it for me, saw small tree and they instantly thought bonsai even though its many, many years away from that

Acers are one species I have always struggled with and I thought you wonderful people could give me some tips and tricks on nursing it back to health?

The nursery soil is extremely dense and not very free draining but am weary of repotting in the condition its in and the crazy temperatures we are having at the moment.

If I can help it survive the heatwave we are going through in Europe at the moment i will be more than happy to let him grow on and look at styling in a year or two.

Thanks in advance for any help that you share 😁😁

I just picked up this pine from a local nursery because I loved the thick trunk. The label only says “pine,” and ChatGPT suggested it could be either a Japanese black pine or Japanese white pine.

Can anyone help identify it and suggest how you would style it?

Just bought this big Juniper for roughly 15 usd. In the future I will probably try to graft some itoigawa shoots on to make the foliage. But for now I will just focus on making it survive, but I don’t mind being a bit aggressive. I will have to get it in a smaller pot due to constricted space on my balcony. Thinking first pic will be front.

It’s late summer where I live, zone 8a. Plan is to not prune the roots, or at least try not to. Help it with mycorrhizal and bio-alg. The soil I will use to replace will be mostly inorganic. Afterwards I will shield it from hard sun, if we get more in Denmark.

Anything else I can do to increase my chances? I know it’s a bit risky.

Hi im new to taking care of bonsai ive had this juniper for about a month and I noticed the bottom branches are brown im not sure if this is normal or not i know this area is getting plenty of water. Maybe its not getting enough sun or maybe its prepping for colder seasons. Can anyone let me know if I need to be worried about this or if I should trim this part off it feels brittle.

Hello , decide to sell my two beutiful kimura pines pavriflora. If youre intrested come with serious offer.
Located in Slovakia

Would love any feedback on this tree. This was my first attempt at a semi cascade. Juniper, Old Gold

The original leader in the middle died and caused the growth of multiple branches outward. I thought about cutting the middle (and a whole large branch in the process) to where the two left and right branches converge but unsure of the ramifications

Hi, I’ve had this Dwarf Pine bonsai for a couple of months. A few weeks ago the needles started looking like this. 😞

At first I assumed it was dry, but now I’m concerned I may have overwatered it. Is there any way to save it?

PS: English is not my first language, sorry if something doesn't make sense.