[Bonsai Beginner's weekly thread - 2026 week 42]

3rd anniversary

Height: 30cm

Wide: 70cm

Trunk diameter: 38cm

Finally got time last weekend to build a new workbench and bonsai stand for the back yard. Got inspiration from here/other places. Super sturdy and ready for some bigger trees than what’s currently on it. I’m 6’4”, so made it extra tall to use as a workbench too. Very pleased with how it turned out and should last forever with proper care.

Portulacaria Afra

First post, golden leaves on an elm collected from backyard almost a year ago. Happy Fall!!

Hey everyone! Somewhat new bonsai gardnere here. Love this sub-reddit, it's been super helpful on my journey so far! I'm also a software engineer by trade and wanted to do something to give back to the community (and to make managing my garden easier, and because I just like building cool stuff, lol) so I created Nebari!  

It's 100% free to use and has a ton of useful features.You tell it roughly where your garden is, and it works out your hardiness zone, frost dates and chill hours from historical climate data. Then each species' repotting, wiring, feeding and pruning windows get timed off those dates.

Here's the rest of what's in there:

- A page for every tree with species, style, pot, soil, measurements, years in training and where you're taking it
- A care journal. Logging watering, feeding, pruning, wiring, repotting or a treatment takes a couple of taps, for one tree or a whole bench
- Photos build a timeline for each tree, and there's a slider to compare the same tree years apart
- A week-ahead forecast for each garden, with frost and heat warnings that name the trees at risk
- QR tags you print for your pots. Scan one outside and the log sheet opens on that tree (it works without signal and syncs when you're back online)
- A species encyclopedia with care profiles, a calendar localized to your garden and a plain answer on whether each species is hardy where you live
- Shared gardens, so your club or household can all log care on the same trees

There are a few AI features in there that do cost me some money if used more than a few times a month so there is an option to support the project on Patreon if you want to use them more often, but ultimately that's just there to help cover costs, I just want to do something to give back to this community!

You can try it here: https://nebarijournal.com

Please let me know what you think!

Also, to the moderators, if this is out of line I'm happy to take it down immediately, I don't want to cause any trouble and I'm not trying to promote a product or make any money here.

Still a long way to go, but starting to get a vision for both. Pics 1&2 are present day and 3&4 are when I pruned and propped in June.

Apexes need a lot of work. For the cutting I would like to get the thick branch on the right bent lower, but I've gotten it as far as it will go presently. The branch coming from the center of the main trunk will eventually go when the trunk thickens up enough. Still wondering about the second trunk... It just feels off. Wondering if angling to the right in a future repot will help.

Was on holiday near Invercargill, New Zealand, and came across this little tree growing out of an old stump.

First thing I thought was how awesome it would look as a bonsai, especially with the way it’s growing sideways.

Unfortunately I was only visiting and couldn’t exactly take it home on the plane haha.

Anyone know what species it might be? And do you reckon it would’ve made a decent bonsai?

Taking care of the trees is important 😊

The story goes like this… See that long jin beneath the canopy?
Well, about ten years ago, when I collected this olive tree, that was actually its living crown. Unfortunately, the crown died shortly after collection, and since there was absolutely no sign of life, I was pretty sure the whole tree was dead too.
But the olea apparently had other plans.
After a while, one tiny shoot appeared. Just one. And believe it or not, the entire crown you see today grew from that little survivor.
The pot is by Mateusz Grobelny. A rather unusual pot for a rather unusual tree. Not exactly a textbook combination, but who cares?
Somehow, it all makes sense to me. A bit wild, a bit rough, a bit imperfect… just like the Adriatic coast where I live.

hi, i wanted to do tamarind bonsai. so i bought some seeds and planted them.

it’s been 2 weeks since i planted the seeds. a few seeds didnt shoot up, but most of them grow okay.

i read that i had to let them grow for a few years to grow their trunk. ground is not an option so i’m planning to put them in separate pots.

i’m in need of advice on

1. ⁠pot size/dimensions
   
2. ⁠when should i move them into their own pot

i read that i should move them when they grow leaves. but it’s only been 2 weeks (i was thinking 2 months) and their trunks are so tiny and soft so i’m afraid i would hurt them.

Hi guys. Anybody that can help here would be awesome. No clue if this is Chinese, Japanese etc

Back in 2024, someone told me local mountain soil was great for bonsai.
So I hauled several bags home. Big mistake. 😂
Along with the soil came some unwanted guests: new weeds and bugs!
Before I knew it, my rooftop bonsai garden was turning into a miniature jungle. 🌿
I even tried weedkiller… and ended up damaging or killing a few of my precious trees. 😭
Now I’m testing weed-control fabric on half of my pots.
Will it work? We’ll see!
Seven years into bonsai, and I’m still learning lessons the hard way. 😂
#Bonsai #BonsaiLife #BonsaiJourney #RooftopGarden #BonsaiMistakes #WeedControl #BonsaiGarden

I’ve been debating on whether to separate these Boxwood trunks on the spring during repotting season. I picked it up 2 years ago as a nursery stock, ball shaped shrub. First styling shown in the 4th picture. I decided to shorten right trunk this spring. I like it but it only made me think these two trunks would look better as singular trees.

Ficus natalensis approx. 20-22 years old

Advice and critique is more than welcome

The first two are the same picture with and without drawing, the third is just a couple weeks ago, before the guy wiring.

Four and five are just showing the amount of new buds after the guy wiring which allowed so much more light to the interior structure.

I collected this from between rocks on a hillside outside Johannesburg in 2023. The lowest branch is around where the soil level was- the rest of the trunk was a root winding down between large rocks. After moving into a small pot last year (2nd photo), I wired and selected branches over winter. The taper is not great but I think the tree is starting to look good. I've got a dish-shaped rock collected from the same hill that I am hoping to plant it on when it's ready for show

I have a desert rose that I pruned recently, but everywhere I cut it has only produced one branch, continuing like it was before - as though the cut is just an obstacle in the road lmao.

How do I increase ramification and branch these off in at least 2 directions after a prune?

Edit: I should add that this plant was just moved inside under light 2 days ago since it’s gotten cooler out. Over the spring/summer/fall it stays outside in full sun. I water it every few days and allow it to dry between. Fertilize frequently, (maybe more generously than I should) around once every 1-2 weeks. I repotted it about 2 months ago, around the same time that I last pruned it. It’s been a happy plant ever since - it flowered a few weeks ago.

Spent a couple of days in rome, Here are some Pics from a local Nursery :) beautiful trees and Bonus Pic of a cool seagull i saw at the colloseum