Any Bonsai tree Keepers?

[MrsE88]

Tropicals love humidity, but even in a room without much humidity you can still have them grow well. A humidity tray is good to help catch water, but it doesn't do a whole lot for ptoviding humidity for the tree. You can help by taking a spray bottle and misting the tree 3-5 times per day. Just keep the bottle by the tree and every once in a while when you walk by it give it a few mists and that helps them. Plus in the summer you can take it outside and sit it in the sun for 6-8 hours per day. That will help get it growing well.

The ficus in the pic you posted is a ginsing ficus, I'd avoid getting one of those. They have big tuberous roots which actually go against one of the main goals of bonsai which is a nice taper starting from the nebari and going up the tree to the top. Look for things such as tiger bark ficus, golden gate ficus, willow leaf ficus (willow leaf are a bit harder to work with though). Something like this here would make a great start for someone just getting into bonsai and wanting a tree that they can enjoy and learn from
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ficus-tiger-bark-bonsai/392233215872?_trkparms=aid=111001&algo=REC.SEED&ao=1&asc=20160908105057&meid=a3b5d9d3a2ba4462806b14ed2e5011bb&pid=100675&rk=1&rkt=15&sd=392233215872&itm=392233215872&_trksid=p2481888.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci:0f066f48-2fa5-11e9-98bd-74dbd180a2a0|parentrq:e78016f01680ad7835f38d83fff99aa6|iid:1

Brussels bonsai also sells some good starter ficus as well https://brusselsbonsai.com/indoor-bonsai/ficus-bonsai/

Thank you for explaining all this and for those links, I really appreciate it.

I do keep a spray bottle handy for my plants. Mostly just to keep their leaves free from dust. Since I spend a good chunk of my day in that room misting often wouldn’t be a problem.

I’ll keep away from the ginseng grafted trees like you suggested.
I have so much reading I want to do. Hopefully I can learn as much as possible about basic care and training by spring. It will be too cold for the next couple months to order anything.

 

[FMA4ME]

You guys are getting me stoked on Bonsai! Maybe I'll try a Bougainville again. I couldn't get it going the first time. Not sure if I have enough light. They're just so damn nice.

 

[Steve_C]

Bougies are nice, I had two of them but a damn squirrel chewed one down to the base last year so I'm down to just the one bougie now. Great trees, they like to dry out quite a bit between watering and are sun lover. If you put them outside during the summer in direct sun you'll be shocked how much they will grow and how fast.

 

[krichardson]

A squirrel lol.....one of those tree rats kept attacking my desert rose last summer....for some reason it would pull the plant up out of it's pot and toss it aside to dry out.

 

[MrsE88]

A squirrel lol.....one of those tree rats kept attacking my desert rose last summer....for some reason it would pull the plant up out of it's pot and toss it aside to dry out.

What a little snot!
My mom had a problem with rabbits pulling water hyacinth out of her pond and chewing them up.

And I’ve had rabbits chew my phlox plants every single year! They nearly wipe them out. It’s so frustrating.

 

[Steve_C]

I don't know why they were so bad last summer. I've never had problems with them before in the garden, but last summer they were constantly climbing up the monkey poles and digging in my bonsai trees soil.

 

[krichardson]

No rabbits in the area but I've had my problems with the squirrels over the years.They used to dig up my Hostas.All this yard space I have with all kinds of stuff growing and they had a problem with my hostas.It drove me nuts!

 

[MrsE88]

No rabbits in the area but I've had my problems with the squirrels over the years.They used to dig up my Hostas.All this yard space I have with all kinds of stuff growing and they had a problem with my hostas.It drove me nuts!

Really? I’ve never had anything eat hostas. The squirrels here don’t really mess with anything. Well, just the bird feeders. The stupid fat one keeps breaking them.

 

[krichardson]

Really? I’ve never had anything eat hostas. The squirrels here don’t really mess with anything. Well, just the bird feeders. The stupid fat one keeps breaking them.

That's the weird part,the damned things don't eat them they just dig them up and toss them around.It's as if they have a problem with new plants around the yard.

 

[FMA4ME]

That's the weird part,the damned things don't eat them they just dig them up and toss them around.It's as if they have a problem with new plants around the yard.

LOL!! Well what are you putting in their yard???