A Recommendation for The Bonsai Beginner

I just have to laugh sometimes when I speak with people about bonsai and they immediately ask me if I’m referring to that mini tree that the guy trimmed in the old ‘Karate Kid’ movie. It is true, Mr. Miyagi maintained a nice little bonsai tree, and he even tried get Daniel to learn. Thankfully, Karate Kid is not what I’m writing about today, but I do want to shed some light on the hobby of bonsai.

First things first: know that some bonsai trees are best left for only the most experienced, while there are a lot for those who don’t have any experience at all. If you fall into the second camp, you will want a tree that is forgiving of beginner mistakes and can handle the time it may take you to become proficient. You may feel that this limits your choices, but it really is for the best.

I want to mention one specific bonsai tree today because it meets practically all the ‘good for beginners’ requirements. I mean the ficus tree. Ficus is suited very well to bonsai, no matter what kind of weather exists where you live. Just about any nursery carries them, though some buy better quality ones, and you should know which ones those are.

Ficus bonsai really attracted me because they are known to do very well for beginners who are still figuring things out. As an example, they are more forgiving when you are trying to come up with set watering times; they won’t dry out and die immediately.

Be very careful not to over water, as this will cause the roots to rot. But don’t fear; it’s not as if your ficus will die because you made a couple mistakes with the watering. The tree will forgive you if you try not to do it again. I can’t overstate how important this is because of the many mistakes that beginners make that would be costly on any other tree.

Also, if you make a mistake while pruning your ficus, it will grow back rather quickly. As long as it is receiving plenty of sun and water, you can expect it to grow well enough to hide your mistake. I have made my share of mistakes and am very grateful that the growth came back as soon as it did.

Finally, a ficus won’t die if you choose to put it in a spot that doesn’t get the kind of light it should. Obviously you should try as hard as you can to put it in the right spot, but it should learn to live with what you give it. My recommendation is to give it the light it wants, but it’s not a life changer if you can’t.

Ficus bonsai are delightful trees that will make a hobbyist out of anyone who purchases one. Again, give it water when it needs it, let it have plenty of sunlight, and it will reward you with excellent growth.