Just bought a juniper Bonsai

Over the past few months I've realized that what I really want is to be a bonsai master. I'm going to start my spirit quest soon, pics to follow in the following century.

Seeing the massive response above, I know this is probably a pointless request, but if there are any bonsai masters out there, let yourself be known. Any advice would be appreciated, from the best online resources, good books, youtubes, plant species, whatever.

http://www.shorty.com/bonsaikitten/insertGray.jpg

you must always keep bonsaikitten.jpg moist. If necessary, this means watering once a day.

one of my dad's partners is crazy for bonzai, should i ask him a question

I don't have a specific question just yet, although I'm sure I will have tons once I get to work.

But I do think you should refer to the person as "Bonsai Master"

I was thinking of getting into chollas but I like your bonzai idea and may steal it, ZS.

TURN

http://droogdesign.jp/limited/photos/artifi01.jpg

INTO

http://www.droog.com/contents/products/multibox/artificial_bonsai_tree_02.jpg

hot shit, that's awesome

xpost you should abbott! Once we get going I'm planning on posting some pictures here. Mine's going to be kind of goofy because I will probably not be able to resist the urge to place some tiny model people around the base of the tree, but I think it'll turn out pretty cool!

I hope you didn't get a juniper one. They're kind of hard to grow, especially indoors since it's essentially a hardy outdoor shrub. I don't even believe they're a true tree...

Anyway, stores love to sell the juniper variety because they'll stay green regardless of whether they're healthy or not. Depending on where or who you bought it from, it may not be in good condition. Once it starts to go brown, it's likely been dead for weeks and is just finally starting to show it.

uh oh...I did buy a juniper...and a book about how to grow junipers....along with some miracle-grow-esque concoction designed especially for junipers...not to mention several thousand shares in a firm dedicated exclusively to the development and distribution of juniper trees...

PSYCH!

I haven't bought anything yet, I'm still in evil bonsai master planning mode. But I do appreciate the advice on junipers, because I was thinking of getting one. What would you recommend instead, especially for a beginner?

uh, so I have a Juniper bonsai now, specifically, a Creeping Juniper (juniperus procumbens nana)! My beyonce got it for me as a random present on her last day at work at Whole Foods.

I should have taken pictures as soon as I got it so I'd have a "before" version, but I'm in the middle of pruning it right now. Given that I really suck at cutting people's hair, I'm probably going to do a butcher job on this bonsai. :-/ But I'm trying to not beat myself over it and treat this one as a training tree so that I'll do a good job on the next one and level up to Bonsai Master.

goddammit, I should have taken a series of pictures in the same location so I could gif it getting gradually trimmed down with a ridiculously mustachioed barber doing the cutting. lost opportunities, I'll tell you what

Can you get cat-safe bonsai? Any recommendations?

Strange. Have emailed the above question to a couple of bonsai-specialist websites and they've just ignored the emails ... It's not that a ridiculous question.

Had forgotten I'd posted those questions (and received no answers). Pondering buying a bonsai as a present for someone and wondering if a) anyone has managed to keep an indoor one alive and b) any recommendations for online shops?

I have a fair amount of experience killing bonsai trees... I've learned that they generally do better outside in california, at least part of the time. (In fact, Oakland has a wonderful collection in the botanical gardens, including trees from the 19th century). Junipers are hearty but probably won't stand up to a heater in winter

My stepmom had a beautiful ficus tree with an amazing root system, I hoped to inherit it someday... always indoor. Last year it died

Can they get a very bright window to put it in? If so, jade and portulacaria afra plants are pretty easy to care for. There are indoor plants that work for bonsai but I don't know any type by name.