Bonsai is an art based on patience, especially if you’re growing your miniature tree from seed. Many people get frustrated when growing a bonsai because they want to see results right away. It’s a very common mistake.
Bonsai trees can live way longer than a human being, in Japan there are some as old as a five hundred years, meaning that they have been cared by many generations. Keep that in mind when you start growing your first tree.
Results take time, and the more time they take the more rewarding they’ll be. Enjoy the process as a whole. Try to realize that there’s a therapeutic value in growing, training and caring for your bonsai.
This is why I always recommend that, if you’re a starter, buy a prebonsai (a bonsai on its early stages) or a full grown miniature tree, while you seed another one. That’ll get you familiarized with the whole training and caring development as you grow your first plant from zero. You’ll also enjoy the different steps in which this art is based.
Trees have different growing patterns. Some may develop faster than others. However you must not desperate because of this. Some people believe that the more fertilizer you put on a tree or the more you water it then it’ll speed out the process, but this is a terrible misconception that can easily kill your bonsai.
Remember bonsai is an art of patience, a relaxing activity, a hobby that can bring peace and harmony to your life. Don’t look for the fastest growing tree; search for the one you like the most, the one that’ll make you feel passionate about it. Learn about the species and treat it with respect. Be persistent and shared your results with your family and friends. Also study its patterns of development and that way it’ll hardly die on your watch. Don’t get frustrated if you make mistakes because everybody does. Be determined even if one of your trees don’t make it. Never forget, it’s all about patience, something that we need in a world that’s going very fast.
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