Bonsai for Beginners
A beginner's guide to bonsai - indoor versus outdoor species, watering in shallow pots, compost, pruning, repotting and root pruning, and the mistakes to avoid, following the RHS bonsai guide.
The Royal Horticultural Society describes bonsai as the art of growing dwarf trees and shrubs from seedlings or rooted cuttings through careful training, pruning and container restriction; the word itself translates as “tray cultivation”. The styling is an art that takes years, but keeping the tree alive comes down to a few basics a beginner can manage from the first year: the right species for the place, careful watering, and pruning and repotting at the right time.
This guide follows the RHS bonsai guide, with Clemson University’s factsheet on the weeping fig for the most common indoor bonsai.
The most important question: indoor or outdoor?
The RHS notes that most trees and shrubs can be grown as outdoor bonsai, while indoor bonsai are usually tropical or semi-tropical species that need lots of light, a constant temperature and humidity. Decide where the tree will live before you buy it, and check the label or our bonsai catalog, which marks each tree as indoor or outdoor.
Indoor bonsai
The RHS names these as commonly used indoors:
- Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina). Clemson calls weeping figs generally easy to grow if they get enough light and proper care. They prefer bright indirect or curtain-filtered sun, warm temperatures, evenly moist soil while growing and slightly drier soil in winter, and they react to almost any stress, including a move, by shedding leaves.
- Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia).
- Silver jade plant (Crassula arborescens). Our jade bonsai profile covers jade grown as bonsai.
- Celtis (Celtis bungeana).
- Olive (Olea europaea).
Outdoor bonsai
The RHS suggests these as good species to start a collection: Scots pine, larch, Cercis, maidenhair tree (ginkgo), Lonicera nitida, yew and Japanese maple. It adds that naturally small-leaved plants such as azaleas lend themselves most readily to bonsai, and that restricting growth makes the leaves smaller still.
The things you need to know
1. Watering
The RHS explains that bonsai grow in small, often shallow containers that hold little water and nutrients, and that the compost dries out quickly in warm, windy weather. Its advice:
- Water whenever needed - in summer this can be once or twice a day - aiming to keep the compost just moist.
- Check all year round: a dry week in winter can catch you out.
- Use rainwater if you can, which reduces the build-up of minerals in the compost, and apply it gently through a small fine rose so it soaks in rather than running off.
For indoor weeping figs, Clemson adds: never let the plant stand in water in its saucer.
2. Light
Indoor bonsai need lots of light (RHS). For weeping figs, Clemson suggests bright indirect or curtain-filtered sunlight.
3. Pruning
The RHS says pruning is very specific to each species. A young bonsai needs pruning about once a year to form its shape; an established one needs pruning and trimming several times a year to keep it balanced.
- Deciduous trees can be pruned at any time, but major work is best done from late winter to early spring.
- Conifers and other evergreens: major work in autumn or winter, light pruning at any time.
- Pines: twist off between half and two-thirds of the new shoots (“candles”) as they lengthen in late spring.
- Japanese maples: hard-prune in autumn or early winter, not spring, when cuts may bleed sap.
4. Wiring
The RHS describes branch training as an art in itself: wire is wrapped along each branch and the branch is moved into place. It is worth learning from a book, a bonsai society or a nursery demonstration before you start.
5. Root pruning and repotting
Root pruning encourages the tree to produce fine roots and lets you replace the compost. The RHS says to do it every two or three years, with slow growers such as pines every three to five years and fast growers such as birch every year, in spring before new growth starts (autumn is possible in mild, sheltered places):
- Remove the tree from its container (it may be wired to the pot for stability).
- Remove the old compost; a small rake or a hose helps reveal the roots.
- Untangle long roots and trim them with sharp scissors, leaving a neat, flat, circular root ball.
- Put the tree back and work fresh compost in around the roots with a pencil or chopstick.
- Water well and keep it in a shady, sheltered spot until it has re-established.
Compost and feeding
You can buy peat-free bonsai compost, or the RHS gives a recipe by volume: two parts peat-free potting compost, two parts sharp sand or lime-free alpine grit, and one part peat-free John Innes No 3 (or ericaceous compost for acid-loving plants, since John Innes contains lime), with controlled-release fertiliser if you like.
For feeding, the RHS suggests slow-release balanced fertiliser at repotting, then, once it is used up, a balanced liquid feed at a low dose every two weeks in the growing season. Overfeeding produces excessive growth that is prone to pests and disease.
Common beginner mistakes
- The wrong tree for the place. Most trees are outdoor bonsai; indoor bonsai are usually tropical or semi-tropical (RHS).
- Letting the compost dry out. Shallow pots dry quickly; check all year, including in winter (RHS).
- Leaving an indoor tree standing in water (Clemson).
- Pruning at the wrong time for the species, such as hard-pruning a Japanese maple in spring (RHS).
- Overfeeding (RHS).
Learning more
The RHS points beginners to books, bonsai societies (in the UK, the Federation of British Bonsai Societies) and bonsai nurseries, which offer demonstrations and talks as well as plants and equipment.
Frequently asked questions
Which bonsai can live indoors?
Usually tropical or semi-tropical species. The RHS lists Chinese elm, silver jade plant, weeping fig, celtis and olive as commonly used indoors.
How often do I water a bonsai?
Whenever it needs it: the RHS says this can be once or twice a day for outdoor trees in summer, aiming to keep the compost just moist, and to keep checking in winter.
Do bonsai stay small forever?
The RHS describes bonsai as kept small by training, pruning and container restriction, including regular root pruning at repotting.
When should I repot a bonsai?
Every two or three years in most cases, in spring before new growth starts (RHS).
Sources
- Royal Horticultural Society, Bonsai: growing miniature trees. Read 28 October 2026.
- Clemson University Home & Garden Information Center, Weeping Ficus. Read 28 October 2026.
Recommended Gear on Amazon
- Bonsai tool kit - browse current options and reviews on Amazon.
- Bonsai soil mix - browse current options and reviews on Amazon.
- Watering can with fine rose - browse current options and reviews on Amazon.
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases - at no extra cost to you. This helps us keep producing free, in-depth guides.
