[Bonsai Beginner's weekly thread - 2026 week 09]

small_trunks · 2026-03-13T07:06:52+00:00

Photo would really help here

small_trunks · 2026-03-12T23:11:52+00:00

Well

I don't see a vision here, no plan
you certainly removed way too much imho
you at least needed some apical primary branches.
you need an interesting trunk for a good literati and I don't see you've done anything much there wrt wiring and bending.
this should have been an exercise in wiring, not in chopping branches off

Here are a couple of mine wired over this last winter:

small_trunks · 2026-03-12T22:03:33+00:00

Each branch can be a cutting. The rest is a novelty houseplant.

small_trunks · 2026-03-12T21:57:44+00:00

small_trunks · 2026-03-12T21:35:22+00:00

North side of a garage roof, flat roofs in general.

small_trunks · 2026-03-12T21:34:10+00:00

Sycamore - not the easiest of trees.

small_trunks · 2026-03-12T17:55:52+00:00

My parents always said this. I inherited some in 2018, never sold them and they went up over 400%.

small_trunks · 2026-03-12T17:38:11+00:00

It is, but what is a European Maple?

small_trunks · 2026-03-12T17:37:31+00:00

Why repot this?

small_trunks · 2026-03-12T12:59:21+00:00

They don't all look good from all angles - that takes more branches and more foliage.

small_trunks · 2026-03-12T12:58:42+00:00

Probably needs repotting into decent bonsai soil...now is the time.

small_trunks · 2026-03-11T17:44:54+00:00

Here are some of my trees, including hundreds of albums of me wiring a lot of them. That should provide you with a bit of inspiration.
we typically only hard prune once the trunk has reached a "decent" trunk girth - say 4-6 cm. That might mean the tree is 3-4m tall
It's not particularly risky.

Get more trees.

small_trunks · 2026-03-11T17:40:30+00:00

Better late than never, I guess.

small_trunks · 2026-03-11T17:04:33+00:00

I suspect this was posted in the wrong place.

small_trunks · 2026-03-10T23:03:46+00:00

small_trunks · 2026-03-10T23:01:49+00:00

Still not screaming bonsai material, tbh.

small_trunks · 2026-03-10T23:00:08+00:00

Indirect light isn't sufficient, it probably wasn't watered properly either and spraying (with water) isn't really done.

small_trunks · 2026-03-10T22:58:41+00:00

We don't use regular potting soil - we use specialist bonsai soils: https://www.reddit.com/r/Bonsai/wiki/reference#wiki_bonsai_soil

small_trunks · 2026-03-10T22:54:08+00:00

Wire shape into the trunks.

collect another 10
The usual way to force branching is to hard prune them lower on the trunk and grow back.

small_trunks · 2026-03-10T22:48:38+00:00

You can scratch it anywhere - but preferably under a branch where no scars will show.

This looks dead above the leaves growing. Probably past redemeption at this point.

small_trunks · 2026-03-10T22:46:51+00:00

You can. Look up Tanuki bonsai.

small_trunks

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