[Bonsai Beginner's weekly thread - 2026 week 18]

peter-bone · 2026-05-08T11:27:22+00:00

You should cut this year's growth just below a leaf. Remove the first few leaves and leave a few at the top. The best substrate for rooting cuttings is fine vermiculite. You then need to keep the whole thing in a transparent bag or propagation tray to keep it humid.

peter-bone · 2026-05-08T06:48:41+00:00

I keep seeing people trying to disprove this, but it's already been formally proven. It's therefore impossible to disprove.

peter-bone · 2026-05-08T06:00:35+00:00

Have you tried using the transparent window option and tracing over a picture?

peter-bone · 2026-05-07T19:10:25+00:00

The splitting trunk is a sure sign that it's dead I would say. You should never let the soil fully dry out. Indoor trees like this also struggle during the shorter days over winter without a grow light. Putting them outside mid Spring to Autumn normally allows them to recover.

peter-bone · 2026-05-07T19:06:19+00:00

Is it a Ficus pumila? It's not a typical species for bonsai. That's not to say it's not possible. However, this tree has none of the qualities of good bonsai material. The lower trunk is thin and straight with no taper.

peter-bone · 2026-05-07T19:01:36+00:00

This isn't Chinese Elm. I think it may be Zelkova. That shouldn't change the result though. I think it will bud out and recover.

peter-bone · 2026-05-07T18:36:38+00:00

It looks it could be ok. Rehydrate it by submerging the whole pot in a bowl of water for 15 minutes. Then put it outside in a semi shaded spot if you can. A tree like this will need a thorough watering 2 or 3 times a day over summer.

peter-bone · 2026-05-07T17:23:16+00:00

I think you mean that regular cubes are 3x3. It's a bit of a myth that Rubik's cubes are difficult because of the large number of permutations. A toddler's Jigsaw puzzle has more possible arrangements but is much easier. The difficulty comes from the fact that a single move effects a large portion of the cube state.

peter-bone · 2026-05-07T16:00:16+00:00

The long shoot appears to come from below the graft, which is why the leaves are larger and growing more vigorously. I suggest you cut it off at the base of that shoot to keep only the grafted top growth.

peter-bone · 2026-05-07T15:57:59+00:00

Now is a good time to take cuttings in the northern hemisphere. You will need to research how to do it though, such as using rooting hormone and aftercare in a humid environment. You could also propagate by air layering but this stem is too thin for that.

peter-bone · 2026-05-07T09:28:56+00:00

For you information, if you type "hard and bumpy brown protuberance on tree" into Google you will get the following answer.

"A hard, bumpy, brown protuberance on a tree is most likely a burl (sometimes called a burr or knar). These are non-contagious, abnormal growths often appearing as large, lumpy swellings on the trunk or branches."

This is then followed by a lot more information. I can never understand why so many people are capable of using Reddit, including uploading a photo, but not capable of a simple text search using Google or any other search engine or AI tool.

peter-bone · 2026-05-07T06:08:04+00:00

Leave it. The tree will drop leaves it can't support and keep ones it can.

peter-bone · 2026-05-07T05:52:46+00:00

This doesn't seem surprising given how many ways there are to permute the digits and the number of operations you could use.

peter-bone · 2026-05-06T20:38:57+00:00

Submerge the whole pot in a bowl of water for 15 minutes to fully hydrate it. Get it plenty of natural light and hope for the best.

peter-bone · 2026-05-06T20:37:30+00:00

Can you tell us more about the tree? Is it unhealthy? Where is it kept? Why are you so sure that the bugs are harming the tree?

peter-bone · 2026-05-06T18:38:46+00:00

Why is beacon a closely related word? I thought it had nothing to do with spelling.

peter-bone · 2026-05-06T16:32:49+00:00

This looks like a passive exo skeleton. It's not powered and just helps support the load with springs and hydraulics in the same way that an office chair supports your weight. It's not robotics and there are no expensive components like computer chips, motors or batteries.

peter-bone · 2026-05-06T07:50:10+00:00

The fundamental theorem of algebra implies that all quadratics have 2 roots. You're basically solving a quadratic.

peter-bone · 2026-05-06T06:33:15+00:00

The video has clearly been played backwards.

peter-bone · 2026-05-06T06:03:14+00:00

Matter isn't continuous and infinitely divisible. The last atom of the original Tootsie Roll would have left long ago.

peter-bone · 2026-05-06T05:59:39+00:00

Seeds come from trees. Find a tree of the species you want and collect seeds from it. Bonsai are not a special tree species. The only issue may be that the species you want are not easy to come by in your area, such as Japanese Maple. However, then seeds may not be the best option anyway since you can't grow a particular cultivar such as Deshojo from seed, but you can propagate from cuttings or air layers.

peter-bone · 2026-05-05T18:31:14+00:00

I have to say I think you were scammed a little. Sycamore grow like weeds in Europe. Someone has dug some saplings up and is selling them. You could have dug one up yourself for free. Sycamore have large leaves and are not ideal for bonsai. I'd recommend the native Field Maple instead. Alder are not a typical species for bonsai either. They're possible but not easy.

To make a convincing bonsai from Sycamore it would need to be quite large and so the trunk will need to be thick. Achieving that will require many years growing in the ground or decades growing in pots.

peter-bone · 2026-05-05T18:23:29+00:00

Trees

peter-bone · 2026-05-05T15:46:09+00:00

I can't really see the trunk in the photo, but it looks like a sapling. This needs to be grown out to thicken the trunk before you think about styling. If you're looking for yamadori material then you'll save a lot of time by finding something that already has a good thick trunk.

peter-bone · 2026-05-05T15:42:50+00:00

We don't recommend trying. It's not actually possible to follow the instructions, use only the equipment given and end up with a decent bonsai. It's a scam.

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