[cyberjar]

When I was younger, bonsai always seemed to have a notoriety of being difficult to care for. I've got a ficus which I've owned for about 4 years now, and it's doing well because my apartment emulates tropical/greenhouse conditions on even mild spring days. I'm thinking about getting a large cloche for it to try and ramp up the humidity even more and encourage aerial roots. I've also got a Chinese elm next to it that's doing well, which I will move outside in the summer. The only worry with that one is how to keep it dormant over winter - I'll have to move it inside but I'm worried it will be too warm.

More recently I bought a Japanese maple shrub from a nursery. I was planning on turning it into a bonsai, but it's already re-grown its leaves for the season so best not to prune it harshly like I was planning. I think that's the main lesson to learn with bonsai - patience. It's going to be almost a year now before I can do anything major to it. Until then it will just be some extra balcony foliage.

[Aboutplants]

I grow rare cactus and succulents and this is a similar lesson, patience. Also, more often than not the correct answer to anything is “do nothing”. You also become much more appreciative of the most minute changes, noticing things that previously you would not notice. It’s a great practice for all of life, slow down, notice the small changes and sometimes the best thing to do is nothing.

[Schlagbohrer]

Excellent advice.

I solved my problem of over-caring for many of my hardy desert plants by getting myself some more delicate plants which demanded more care, so that I was too busy with them and could give the hardier plants the neglect they needed to thrive.