My first bonsai

[Halloamey]

My mother had some very nice bonsais which she gave up to relatives and friends when she did not have enough time for gardening. Inspired by them and a lot of book reading and drooling over gorgeous bonsais on the internet, I tried shaping my first bonsai. It is a Ficus religiosa. The plant was collected some 10 years back as a seedling growing on a stone wall at my grandmother's place. It just kept growing in a pot for all this while, with no styling and any training and to be frank not even repotting or fertilizing. Now it has been styled as an exposed root informal upright tree. The basic branch structure has been established, now comes the time for patience to thicken the branches, develop the fine twig structure and proportioning the leaf size by constant pruning. Any advise from resident experts will be helpful.

[nicki]

Very cool! I'm jealous I tried my luck at some bonsai awhile back and killed them all. The closest I get to them now are the beautiful ones I see when I visit the conservatory.

[Nan]

Beautiful tree, Amey! You have the best resident expert at home in your Mom!

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Beautiful tree, Amey! You have the best resident expert at home in your Mom!

I agree!!

Cheers,
BD

[pavel]

Nice roots on that tree, Amey!

Very cool! I'm jealous I tried my luck at some bonsai awhile back and killed them all. The closest I get to them now are the beautiful ones I see when I visit the conservatory.

Any idea what type(s) of bonsai you had, Nicki? Many folks inadvertantly make the mistake of getting a temperate bonsai'ed tree like a juniper and then try to grow it indoors year round. (Those bonsai that are temperate tree species require a cold winter dormancy like their full sized counter parts in order to remain healthy.)

[AtantaR]

ive been trying to get some seedlings to stay alive. I always fail for some odd reasons...lol its the orchids taking my attention.. Awesome sized plant. Seems like your going to have some relaxing time shaping it up over the years. Have fun!