As a beginner in to the art of Bonsai, it can be hard to avoid the eager for a fast result. Who doesn’t want a beautiful Bonsai to admire almost at once, when the interest of these beautiful trees has first been evoked? So the long time perspective of starting a Bonsai from scratch can be a hard and frustrating blockade getting started.

To get started well as a newcomer to Bonsai, the buying of a pre shaped bonsai can be a satisfying start. Else the perspectives of getting a bonsai in to your life with the almost endless time perspective can in the beginning be a very long termed, and in many cases a not realistic way, true the woods of trees.

After that, you slowly can move on to start your trees from rough material, and even collected material from the wild, after some years of experience.

Johnny Eslykke from Denmark demonstrating bonsai tecniques

In contradiction to this advice, I have to say that I my self started all my bonsais from ground zero, and therefore I really had to learn the lesson of being patient. In the same breathing I must say then, that I truly benefits from these lessons nowadays. But at the same time, I would have preferred an easier and not so bumpy road.

In the case of Shohin, you have though to pay attention very much to the daily care. Shohins has only a very limited amount of soil that the spare some roots can consume water from. So they dry out easily. In general, by placing them in half shaded areas in the garden, in spring and autumn, they will live well. In summertime on hot days, you might better move your small trees into the shadow. Else they will simply dry out to fast, and the risk of a dead Shohin will be bigger.

By the way, when you are enjoying and working with your first Bonsai, you can start collecting trees for future bonsais aside.

A bought Bonsai is not a bad Bonsai. Only the quality of the tree determines what is a good and talented plant. Not its origin.

But the experiences and story of a collected tree will add mental and historical value to a Bonsai, that makes it increase its value as a piece of art.

Like when a painting and its history melt together.

Mostly because they (my self included in early days) are too hasty in doing all at once. Or the collected plants are not healthy enough. Specially when digging up a tree the worst faults happen. It is absolutely essential to get a healthy root cake back home, with enough intact fine water consuming roots.

This is done by digging carefully around the root ball, and then packing it firmly in a towel, or anything else that is able to do the job.

Bind it tightly with a robe or tape, and plant in a big wooden box at home. Prevent to damage the roots at the time of planting, and do not do anything to the tree but watering, for at least two or three years after.

It is a long time project, but you will win a strong healthy tree by following this advice. A tree that afterwards will be strong enough to be wired cut and formed.

In the mean time, you can work and enjoy your bought specimen.

Plants are living things, and they need full recovery from one operation, before the next step is taken.