Grow a bonsai
Shape a real tree into a living miniature by pruning, wiring and repotting it a little at a time. Here's the video that hooks everyone, and everything you need for your first tree.
Space neededA patio or a bright window
First projectA tree from a garden center
Skill levelBeginner-friendly
Good forPatient, calm afternoons
The video that hooks everyone
The one mistake all bonsai beginners make
A bonsai grower sets a tree still in its nursery pot beside two finished bonsai and walks through the rookie mistake, and how to avoid it. Press play and see why it hooks people.
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Tool list
What you need to start
Everything you need for your first project, and nothing you don't.
Starter kit
01Garden center treeA healthy shrub with a thick, tapering trunk. Pick one for where it will live.
02Concave cutterCuts branches off flush, so the wound heals flat.
03Bonsai shearsTrims twigs, leaves and roots cleanly.
04Aluminum training wireSoft wire in a few sizes. Bends branches into shape.
05Wire cuttersCut wire off without tearing the bark.
06Training potA shallow pot with big drainage holes.
07Bonsai soilA gritty mix that drains fast, so roots get air.
08Chopstick or root hookCombs out old soil and works new soil in.
09Watering can with a fine roseA gentle shower that won't wash the soil out.
The manual tells you what to look for when you buy each one.
- 1Keeping an outdoor tree indoorsJunipers, pines and maples need sun, wind and a cold winter outside. Kept indoors, they slowly die.
- 2Watering on a scheduleWater when the top of the soil just starts to dry, not every Tuesday. Check it every day.
- 3Leaving wire on too longGrowing branches swell and the wire cuts in and scars the bark. Check every few weeks and cut it off in time.
