Bonsai Seedlings - starting your collection

Growing your own bonsai tree from bonsai seedlings is a good way to watch your bonsai mature over the years. Purchasing a full-grown bonsai from the nearest bonsai store works well if you’re looking for a decorative piece to complement your room’s design but it doesn’t grow your connection with the bonsai. As such, the bonsai becomes “just another accessory” that is impersonal and static. Real love for bonsai can only be nurtured by buying bonsai seedlings and growing them to a mature tree so you have the best control with how the tree ends up when it is fully-grown.

Start by buying a crop of bonsai seedlings from a nearby nursery or an online shop. Sellers normally sell bonsai seedlings in batches of 20 to 25 so you have multiple options to work on as each tree grows. While these seedlings can be a little more expensive because there’s more in one lot, you also have the option to resell the bonsai you do not need when they have grown so you can easily recoup your expenses. They are also perfect gifts that you can give to friends and family during special occasions. If one takes time to grow the bonsai from seedlings and not just purchase them from the nearest store, they become more personal gifts that will surely mean more than anything one can buy.

Growing a bonsai requires the same things normal trees need – full sunlight, excess water, healthy soil and protection from harsh weather especially in the winter. Plant your bonsai seedlings in 6” pots, also called mum pots, using soil that is part commercial and can be bought from the nursery, with a little sand. This will provide sufficient nutrition to the seedlings as they grow. For water, an automatic sprinkler would be ideal so you won’t have to tend to them all the time.

Your first goal in growing bonsai seedlings is to make sure they develop a shallow but radially spread out root system. There are many tricks to achieving this, most will depend on the type of tree you are growing but there’s a general rule that you can follow. Right before planting your seedlings, you will notice that they will come with a long tap root from where small fibrous roots will grow out of. Cut the long tap root leaving only about 1” to 2” of the original tap. When you cut, make sure that you are leaving a tap root length containing small fibrous roots. A bare tap root will not adequately sustain the tree and it will eventually die out.

With the tap root reduced to a couple of inches, plant your bonsai seedlings into your 6” pots and fill the pot with soil up to the original soil line. With your 20 to 25 seedlings, vary the planting angles so you will have a variety of bonsai tree types when it matures. Plant some seedlings straight down while others at an angle. This will also ensure that depending on the tree type, you will get a few that are planted at just the right way. While some might die off, you are sure to get a few remaining bonsai seedlings that will grow into maturity.

Water the bonsai seedlings gently so they won’t be uprooted. Add more soil if the level changes due to the addition of water. Make sure the soil level stays the same after the watering process so there are no air pockets to compromise the bonsai growth.

From there, you are off into an adventure-filled bonsai growing experience. Your bonsai seedlings will grow in the first and second years without much effort needed apart from the regular watering and fertilizer additions. Pretty soon, they’ll be ready to be transplanted into smaller pots and marketed for sale, or be given to friends and family during the holidays. You will also have grown elegant bonsai trees that are sure to capture your heart and lighten up your living space each and every time.