The Top 6 Most Common Bonsai Mistakes And How to Avoid Them

When you are starting bonsai the various skills and different types of work you need to do can seem complicated and overwhelming.

I see many beginners making the same mistakes over and over again, which results in their trees not progressing as well as they would like.

I will be going through some of the most common mistakes, so you can try and you avoid them.

1. Too Much Pruning

Bonsai trees need pruned regularly. This is how they stay small.

However, they also need to be left to grow at times. Too much pruning can be detrimental to your tree.

Every time you prune your tree it is taking some energy away from it. The only way to let it regain this energy is to let it grow out. This means your bonsai may not look “perfect” all year round.

If you are constantly pruning new leaves off, your tree will never regain its strength and just keep getting weaker.

The main problem is that if you leave a branch to grow out too long, it may thicken up too much and you will lose the shape of your tree. Bonsai is all about balance and learning when to prune and when to leave a tree to grow is one of the balances you need to work out.

Each tree will be slightly different and you will need to pay attention to the growth habits of your trees. You need to allow the tree to grow out enough so it can get strong, but cut it back before it gets too out of control.

As a general rule, if your tree is refined, you should leave each branch to grow out until it has 6-8 leafs. By this point it should have had enough time to recover and be strong enough to be able to be worked on again.

If you are trying to develop a tree, you need to leave your tree to just grow wild and let it get out if control. This will allow it to thicken and build the general shape you need and then when this is achieved, you can start to focus on building branches and pruning more often to build your ramification.  

(You can read my more detailed guide – How To Prune A Bonsai Tree – A Beginners Guide)

2. Watering Incorrectly

Watering is an absolute fundamental for keeping your tree alive and it seems like a very simple task but it is often done wrong and can very easily result in the death of your tree.

The biggest mistake I see is people misting their trees. This is fine, it can benefit the tree, but you need to make sure the roots are thoroughly watered and a mister will not do this.

The other common problem that can happen is watering too much or too little. This is another area of bonsai where balance is needed.

If you lose balance and give either too much or too little water it will result in problems with your trees roots. You need to be able to work correctly. Its a tricky skill, but with a bit of practice you will be good at it in no time.  

(You can read my guide on – How To Water A Bonsai)

3. Positioning Your Tree In the Wrong Place

A very common mistake you can easily avoid as a beginner is making sure your tree is in the best possible position for its health.

No one ever explains to you the best location for a tree. This is also not helped by a lot of trees being wrongly classed as “indoors trees”.

You need to make sure you tree is a position where it can get enough light and is also not too exposed to the elements. Again, it’s all about balance. If your tree is exposed to the extremes it will not thrive.

Usually this balance will depend on your species, some may need more protection than other trees, or some may need more light than others.

(If you want to read some more about how you should position your tree, you can read – Where To Place Your Bonsai Tree At Home)

4. Putting Your Tree Into A Bonsai Pot Too Soon

To some people this is a huge mistake, to others, like myself it is not.

I am very guilty of this. I have potted loads of trees that are basically seedlings into bonsai pots. The reality is they have gone into these pots far too young and they really are not ready for it.

The real mistake is when you do this, and expect your tree to develop quickly. Putting a tree that is not ready to be in a bonsai pot will slow its progress down dramatically. You really need to be aware of this if you are going to do this.

Ideally you want to develop your tree first in a big pot (or the ground), so it can grow and reach the size you want. Then you can put it in the small pot and carry on from there.

The second you put it into a bonsai pot its rate of development is going to slow drastically.

Personally I’m okay with this. If it takes me 25 years instead of 5 years to get a tree to where I want it to be, then that’s fine.

I haven’t got the space to have larger pots or to grow in the ground so I have decided to do this on purpose, I know the risks and the negative effects it will have on my trees development.  

If you are going to do this, you should make sure you understand what is going to happen and understand how it will slow your progress down.  

(You can read more about – What Is The Right Size Pot For Your Bonsai?)

5. Using The Wrong Technique For A Species/Not Knowing Why Your Doing Something

I can see how this mistake is easily made. The internet is full of tree information and videos of people working on their trees.

As a beginner you might not realise that different types of work are carried out at different times of the year and also at different stages of a trees development. You might not even realise that this is also dependent on the species. You just do the technique as you see it working for someone else.

I myself did this. I repotted some my first trees in the middle of August, at the height of summer.  I understood why you repot, but didn’t understand why it was important to do it at the right time of the year.

The only real way around this problem is to just ask yourself why you are about to do something. If you can answer this, then you can do the work. If you are not sure, then you should do your research and read as much as possible about your species and the techniques. You should also ask people with experience some questions, to make sure you are doing the right things at the right time.

You also need to work out what your goals are for the tree. Without this, you will have no idea what techniques to use and why. You will be basically doing bonsai in the dark, which will never end well for your tree.

A solid plan and research to back it up will make sure you are taking the right steps to move your tree forward and towards you goal each year, rather than just keeping it barely alive for a number of years while doing random bits of work on it every now and again.    

6. Lack Of Patience

A lack of Patience is the number one mistake I see most often with beginners. Without patience you will get nowhere in this hobby.

Everything takes times. You need to think about how you may not see the results of the work you are doing today until a few years time.

We sadly live in a society where instant gratification is sought after. Bonsai isn’t like that. You need the patient over many years to get the satisfaction.   

This lack patience may just come with wanting to do work when a tree isn’t ready, or when it’s the wrong time of year.

I get it, you want to do bonsai, but you need to slow down and do the right work when the tree is ready. If you’re having trouble with this you need to get more trees, or get a 2^nd hobby to keep you entertained while you wait on your trees.

If you work on your patience, your trees will reach a far higher quality.

Conclusion

Beginner mistakes are totally normal and we all make them. The key is to recognise them as soon as possible and correct them. Then you can focus on practicing your skills and developing your trees more efficiently.  

Most mistakes are caused by a lack of knowledge. take the time to learn and your tree will thank you.

You can read more about – Beginner Bonsai Advice – 5 Tips